Chapter 280: This is Just a Beginning

Among these, the one that left a particularly deep impression on Lin Xuan was a scene that occurred that day while practicing the control of various elements formed by mental manipulation—

Just as everyone thought the day's training had come to an end, the teacher suddenly announced that they would attempt a high-difficulty Dual-Attribute Fusion experiment.

Specifically, it required the simultaneous application and combination of two opposing energy sources, the Fire Department and frost, to generate unprecedented destructive power. Although it sounded incredible and extremely risky, after seeing several companions eager to try, Lin Xuan could only bite the bullet and follow suit.

After several consecutive hours of near-manic research and exploration, just when they were almost in despair, a light flickered in a corner of the laboratory, followed by a strange and harmonious aura that permeated the air. "Did we... succeed?" Xiao Qing asked with wide, incredulous eyes.

"This is just a beginning." The middle-aged man walked toward the place emitting the warm light with a smile, and with a gentle wave of his sleeve, a trace of pure blue liquid slowly dripped into the container below, perfectly fusing with the originally scorching red part into a transparent and clear state. "What we need to do next is to stabilize this power and learn how to master it."

Lin Xuan stepped forward to observe carefully for a while, then nodded firmly and said: "No matter how dangerous the road ahead is, we will certainly move forward together until the very last moment!"

Just as the middle-aged man finished speaking, the ground suddenly shook violently, and a huge red crack spread rapidly from beneath everyone's feet. Lin Xuan and Wang Zhenqiu immediately became alert, each gripping their weapons. Immediately after, a giant red crab burst out of the ground; its massive body covered almost half the room, and its red shell was inlaid with golden stripes, shining brightly under the lights and looking exceptionally hard.

"Everyone, be careful!" Lin Xuan warned loudly, "This crab doesn't seem simple."

The large red crab was clearly angered by this sudden disturbance, and it swung its two giant pincers toward the three of them. Lin Xuan reacted quickly, dodging to the side, and immediately condensed blue light in his hand to stab at the crab's eyes. At the same time, Wang Zhenqiu also released his signature Black Qi Cyclone to rotate around his body as a defensive barrier to prevent accidental attacks; on the other side, Xiao Qing used her speed advantage to try to find the enemy's weakness, but soon discovered that this creature's body structure was extremely solid, and conventional means were difficult to break through its protection.

Seeing this, the three had to start discussing countermeasures. "This crab's skin is too thick; a direct attack probably won't work," Xiao Qing said, panting.

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Xuan responded: "Since direct strikes are ineffective, we must find a way to lure it into exposing its weakness."

Just as they were discussing how to act, the crab launched another attack, but this time the target seemed to be locked onto Xiao Qing. Sensing the approaching danger, Xiao Qing immediately dodged to one side, but failed to avoid the attack completely, and her left arm sustained a minor injury as a result.

Seeing her teammate injured, a flash of anger appeared in Wang Zhenqiu's eyes. He lunged forward several meters, his right hand forming a fist and smashing directly toward the crab's abdomen—that was one of the softest parts of the crab's entire body! Sure enough, feeling the excruciating pain, this behemoth hissed in agony and retracted its two pincers to protect the vulnerable spot. This movement gave Lin Xuan an opportunity, and he took the chance to shoot the energy that had been gathered in his body for a long time toward the opponent's eyes with needle-like precision.

"Ah!" With the scream, the giant red crab finally could not hold on and collapsed, eventually falling to the ground powerlessly and moving no more. After confirming it was safe, the three dared to relax their tense bodies and checked each other for injuries.

After finally repelling the enemy through their efforts, they decided to return to the previous research to continue the unfinished task. "Let's go, we can't let this accident disturb us for too long," Lin Xuan said, patting the dust off his hands.

At this time, the laboratory had returned to tranquility and its usual appearance, though a faint aura from the intense battle just now still lingered in the air. "I hope the remaining steps can proceed smoothly," Lin Xuan sighed softly, looking at the stabilized liquid mixture in the container before him.

Suddenly, the state that had already tended toward stability showed a subtle change. "Strange... what's going on?" Xiao Qing, who was responsible for monitoring the data changes, frowned slightly, "According to the records, this kind of fluctuation shouldn't be happening here..."

"Could it be because of that monster from just now?" Wang Zhenqiu, who was on the side, speculated, "Perhaps it would be safer for us to leave this area as soon as possible?"

Suddenly, Lin Xuan felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate slightly, as if someone were digging rapidly underground. "Wait, did you hear that?" He stopped and looked around vigilantly.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Zhenqiu and Xiao Qing also discovered the abnormality. Where the three pairs of eyes met, they saw that the concrete floor they were standing on had cracked into several fine fissures, and the cracks were gradually widening, as if something were trying to break through the ground.

"Not good!" Experience told Xiao Qing that this was not a good sign, and she quickly activated the bracelet she was wearing—this was a small Energy Field Generation Device that could provide a thin protective shield for the small area around her, "Everyone, be careful!"

As Xiao Qing's words fell, the first black beetle finally revealed its sharp and pointed body parts from the ground. Immediately after, countless such insects surged out of the ground as if they had received an order, swarming toward the direction of the three.

Facing this scene, Wang Zhenqiu appeared very calm, "Lin Xuan, remember the skill taught to you during the last training? Use it!" After saying that, he himself took out an Electric Shock Short Stick hidden at his waist; this was no ordinary wooden stick, but a safety defense tool that had been specially modified and contained a micro-electric shock device. As long as the switch was pressed gently, a powerful electric current would be generated around the stick, enough to deter most creatures.

Hearing Wang Zhenqiu's words, Lin Xuan nodded, and after taking a deep breath, his whole body seemed to be wrapped in an invisible force. This was his unique ability: he could use Wind Manipulation to create storms. Soon, a whirlwind began to gather around him, not only blowing away some of the black beetles that were approaching but also creating a better offensive environment for his teammates.

But these bugs did not seem easy to be repelled; even if they were hit, they would continue to charge forward, especially their hard shells, which caused no small amount of trouble for the three. Whenever they tried to attack with ordinary weapons, the results were often minimal, and instead, it would cause the user to get hurt.