C12 Anger

Zhou Ming suddenly realized he was being watched.

The drone's lights cast a bright glow on the ground, spotlighting the area where Zhou Ming stood.

"Kid, you've got guts, running towards us in the dead of night."

A dark-skinned brute stepped into Zhou Ming's view, followed by five individuals, each wearing a black collar around their neck.

"Who are you? Is Xiaowu with you?"

Zhou Ming's brow furrowed. These people radiated danger. Without a clear understanding of the situation, he was hesitant to make any sudden moves.

"B03, show him what we do."

There was no mistaking it; the dark-skinned man was Hei Dao. After his command, he pulled out a remote and pressed a button.

Lee Tianshan was clever. He had engineered a collar that could control these test subjects, ensuring they obeyed only specific commands.

The collar had two settings: a safe mode and an attack mode.

Furthermore, to prevent the collars from being tampered with, Lee Tianshan concocted a volatile serum.

Most subjects were injected with this serum. If their collars were destroyed, they'd become uncontrollably aggressive, attacking anyone in sight without discrimination. Even more horrifying, without the right medication, the affected person would explode in under thirty seconds!

To counteract this, the collars also contained a suppressant to keep the serum in check.

Unaware of these details, Zhou Ming only saw a stolid young man behind Hei Dao move with a blur, suddenly appearing before him.

Incredible speed! No need for special effects in a movie. Zhou Ming silently scoffed, though his nerves were on edge.

"Shua, shua, shua—"

The young man's hands sliced through the air, and the sound of slicing wind followed as several wind blades shot forth!

Crap! Superpowers? That was the only thought in Zhou Ming's mind. This was cheating! He couldn't play like this! He channeled all the Primal Essence within him into his legs, and with a powerful step, he leapt to the side.

The wind blades roared past, narrowly missing him. Had Zhou Ming been a fraction of a second slower, he would have been cut to pieces.

Hei Dao's eyes flashed with astonishment. It was a given that an ordinary person couldn't evade B03's wind blade. Could this young man possibly be an Essence Weaver?

While Hei Dao pondered whether Zhou Ming was an Essence Weaver, B03 appeared in front of Zhou Ming in an instant, poised to form a wind blade with his right hand. Zhou Ming quickly responded with an Exploding Fist, enhanced by Primal Essence, and landed a direct hit on B03's chest.

"Crack!"

B03 coughed up a mouthful of blood, his ribs shattered, yet his expression remained unchanged. He merely stepped back slightly, and despite the setback, his right hand still released a wind blade.

"Slash!"

A gash formed on Zhou Ming's left arm, slicing through the fabric of his shirt.

'That was a close call!' Zhou Ming thought, breathing a sigh of relief. Had it not been for that punch that sent the stoic youth reeling, he might have lost his left arm.

What baffled him, though, was the stoic youth's indifference to his broken bones; he didn't even wince. Could it be that he felt no pain?

"B03, stand down."

Hei Dao summoned B03 back. He had underestimated Zhou Ming's fragility. His intention was merely to have B03 probe Zhou Ming's abilities, not to nearly end his life with a single test.

B03 ceased his attack and teleported back to stand behind Hei Dao.

Hei Dao had witnessed Zhou Ming's special ability during their last video call. Now, seeing Zhou Ming not use his powers even when in peril, he wondered if the young man was too embarrassed by the nature of his abilities to employ them.

Zhou Ming was unsure of Hei Dao's intentions, but he used the moment to catch his breath. Handling one opponent was challenging enough; if the others joined in, he'd be forced to resort to Dream Fulfilled.

Since he still had no clue about Lin Xiaowu's whereabouts, he didn't want to squander his dream value.

"Kid, our boss wants to meet you. Will you come with me?" Hei Dao gestured toward the drone hovering above.

"Your boss?"

Zhou Ming remained vigilant. He was acutely aware that someone was monitoring them through the surveillance.

"The boss said he wants to bring you in. If you resist, I'll have no choice but to..."

Hei Dao twirled the remote control in his hand as he spoke.

"I'll go back with you, but you need to tell me if Lin Xiaowu is with you."

Zhou Ming confidently raised his hands. He was almost certain that Lin Xiaowu was in their custody, yet he sought confirmation.

"It's no secret. Lin Xiaowu is one of our test subjects, and not just any—she's among the strongest. After she returned, the boss confined her. As for her current condition, that's beyond my knowledge. B05, restrain him."

As Hei Dao pressed the button on the remote, B05, a woman, glanced at Zhou Ming. Suddenly, Zhou Ming felt an invisible force binding him, rendering him completely immobile.

Hei Dao hoisted Zhou Ming onto his shoulder and made his way back to the processing plant.

Inside the monitoring room, Lee Tianshan struggled to believe how smoothly things were unfolding. Yet, a nagging suspicion that something was amiss lingered. He scoffed at the thought, confident that once on his turf, no matter how formidable the adversary, they would be subdued.

Upon entering the processing plant, Zhou Ming's eyes bulged in horror.

What sort of human hell was this? A series of vertical glass tubes contained human beings, submerged in an unidentified liquid, their oxygen mask-clad faces etched with pain and despair.

In a brightly lit room to the right, a group of individuals in white lab coats encircled a small girl. Their sinister grins, the gleam of surgical blades, blood splattering—the girl's screams were heart-wrenching...

Monsters! Zhou Ming's heart seethed with boundless fury at the sight.

Hei Dao, desensitized to the horrors, stated calmly, "These people are all future test subjects. Only through sufficient suffering might they endure the Phantasmal Potion's side effects."

He chuckled bitterly, "You know, my son has a terminal illness. The boss promised a cure, which is why I joined him. It wasn't until today that I realized my own child had become just another subject for experimentation."

Zhou Ming remained silent, his chest ablaze with rage.

"B05, release his restraints," Hei Dao instructed the woman.

As soon as the invisible bindings on Zhou Ming were released, Hei Dao set him down. Zhou Ming managed a wry smile and said, "I know that bringing you here might have put you in harm's way, but I thought the boss might back off once he's done with his research on you. So, I apologize."

Zhou Ming's expression was dark as he uttered a single demand, "Take me to him."

Hei Dao led Zhou Ming to Lee Tianshan's laboratory, announcing, "He's in there."

Upon entering the room, Zhou Ming was greeted by the sight of Lee Tianshan, who wore a welcoming grin. He stood to one side as if to greet Zhou Ming's arrival.

"Tell me, where is Lin Xiaowu?" Zhou Ming demanded, locking eyes with the middle-aged man before him.

"You mean A01? She's below," Lee Tianshan replied with a smile, gesturing to the floor beneath them.

"What use am I to you?" Zhou Ming pressed on.

"I need to conduct research on you. With your genes, I might just gain abilities of my own," Lee Tianshan explained, his patience with Zhou Ming evident as he responded to each question.

Zhou Ming shook his head in disbelief. "That's impossible. Let me be clear: even if you dissect me for your studies, you'll never unravel the mystery."

"So, are you prepared to face my wrath?" Zhou Ming's gaze on Lee Tianshan was steady, his attire transforming into a sleek black windbreaker. Clad in contrasting black and white, he brandished two uniquely designed longswords in his hands.