Faceless Ape

Suddenly, Professor Wu sensed something faintly and looked in one direction with a face full of killing aura.

How was that possible?

The Phantom Heart Demon Cat's life aura had disappeared.

Those two weak little insects had done it?

He had known the Phantom Heart Demon Cat for a long time, even before they underwent Gene Modification. Of course, he knew what it was capable of. It was a High Lord-level monster, and its Mental Attack was especially tricky and bizarre.

Even he found it difficult to deal with.

It was incredibly fast. Although its defense was not particularly outstanding among its kind, it was still far beyond what those two little insects could harm.

Besides.

He understood the Phantom Heart Demon Cat's personality. It had always been cautious and never underestimated an opponent, no matter how weak. It always used Golden Eyes to unleash Mental Attacks and would never let an opponent touch it.

What could they possibly have used to defeat it?!

What he did not know was that if the Black Cat had relied on its speed and the physical strength of a Lord-level monster, Lin Yan would have had absolutely no room to resist at his current level of strength.

But by creating an illusion, it had given Lin Yan the chance to turn the tables.

Professor Wu moved his feet, intending to personally take the lives of Lin Yan and the other. He had made ample preparations for this operation and knew the research institute's building layout like the back of his hand.

Beforehand, he had destroyed the lock core of the emergency exit. Even with a key, it could not be opened.

Unless it was forcibly destroyed. But if one had the power to smash down the door, it would be easier to punch through the wall directly.

But at that moment.

"Chā—"

The sound of the doorknob turning on the door leading to the laboratory outside rang clearly through the silent lab and reached his ears.

Professor Wu suppressed his urge to kill Lin Yan immediately, turned, and walked out.

When he reached the corridor outside, he saw the laboratory door slowly open before him, revealing Liu Mingxuan's handsome face.

He heard no sound from inside the laboratory and saw only a single figure in front of him, yet his expression did not change.

Liu Mingxuan said politely, "Professor Wu, the military district has prepared a dinner banquet today. My superiors asked me to notify all researchers to attend. Professor Wen has already arrived. Is now a convenient time for you?"

Professor Wu gave him a deep look and refused. "We are busy with our work. I am afraid now is not convenient."

Liu Mingxuan pondered for a moment. "Is that so?"

The moment he finished speaking, he tossed a smoke grenade and a flashbang in at his feet.

Two silenced firearms fired at the same time, and two tranquilizer rounds shot toward Professor Wu.

Liu Mingxuan lowered his combat visor. Neither the blinding flash nor the smoke could obstruct his vision. The Heavenly Gang Battle Sword was drawn in a flash as he lunged forward at high speed.

Two other middle-aged men in combat uniforms followed with weapons in hand.

"Overestimate yourselves."

Professor Wu knew he had been exposed and returned to his original voice.

He did not move an inch.

The tranquilizer rounds were specially made. Their tips were forged from Level Six Kro Alloy, the same material as ninth-series weapons. Even this terrifying monster had its skin pierced, and the anesthetic within the rounds was injected into its body.

Yet it showed no reaction at all.

It casually caught Liu Mingxuan's sword with one hand. Though Liu Mingxuan had successfully been Promoted to a High-level General, he posed no threat to it whatsoever.

Its other hand swept out, sending one of the middle-aged men—the captain of the Jiaolong Commando—flying. His body was embedded in the wall, cracks spreading all around him.

"You really have underestimated me."

The corners of its mouth split apart, and its face became hideous as sharp fangs grew from its mouth.

It stomped its foot, and a huge crack stretched forward. The captain of the Sky Wolf Special Forces was about to dodge when a figure moving beyond Mach speed slammed into him.

He fainted on the spot.

"You hateful humans!"

It pointed to where the tranquilizer round had struck, its pupils turning red. "Do you know how many drug-resistance experiments I have undergone?"

"This much is not even enough to make me yawn!"

It shook its head. Its hair turned grayish white, the skin on its face peeled away, and gray fur grew in its place.

It threw a punch.

Even with the protection of a seventh-series combat suit, Liu Mingxuan was still dealt a devastating blow. Nearly all his ribs broke, and he spat out a long mouthful of blood. If not for the vitality of a General-level fighter, he would have died on the spot.

"Do you know what they call me?"

Its expression was crazed.

"Weapon No. 18."

Like a primordial beast, it pounced into the crowd from the three special forces teams. No one could stop it!

"But I don't like it."

It continued speaking as its body abruptly expanded, growing more than four meters tall. Its head nearly touched the ceiling, and all the clothes on its body tore apart.

"My name is the Faceless Ape!"

A pack of ants, too weak to withstand a single blow!

The Faceless Ape smiled strangely. It suddenly accelerated and charged straight outside, drawing its fist back like a full moon before launching it like an arrow from a bow at the approaching enemies outside.

Boom!

The wall exploded, kicking up a massive cloud of dust!

The middle-aged man who had been heading toward the laboratory was forced back several steps by the astonishing force of that punch, his blood and energy roiling in his chest.

Jiang Long focused his gaze. Within the dust, the more than four-meter-tall Faceless Ape wore a cruel smile, its pupils glowing fiery red as it stared at him provocatively.

As if it were saying, What a bunch of trash!

At the Same Time.

Combat Command Center.

The central screen displayed live satellite footage of Battlefield 021.

Smoke and warfire filled the entire battlefield.

Xu Minghai, the Northern District Commander, rubbed his brow. The beast tide war had already lasted half a month, yet there was still no sign of it subsiding. He could not help but feel a growing irritability in his heart.

"What is that?"

Someone suddenly cried out.

A cloud of red smoke appeared in one corner of the screen. Xu Minghai had only just made it out when a tremendous explosion sounded from the direction of the battlefield.

Even the building shook from the blast.

Xu Minghai said urgently, "Contact the front lines! What exactly happened?!"

The Combat Command Center quickly received word from the front lines. The 76th Regiment's defensive position had been planted with an enormous quantity of explosives. Once detonated, the casualties were countless. The entire battle line had been torn apart, leaving no time to establish defenses as the beast tide surged in madly.

Xu Minghai's pupils contracted. The 76th Regiment—the report regarding the disappearance of the 76th Regiment Chief of Staff today was still lying on his desk.

His blood surged, rage attacked his heart, and he spat out a mouthful of blood!

An entire regiment's defensive position had been blown into the sky. How many soldiers would die? How many heroic souls would be buried here beneath that massive explosion?

Those damned beasts!

But the most important thing now was that Defense Line 021 absolutely could not fall!

Orders were issued from the Combat Command Center. Dozens of missiles rose into the air at once and streaked toward the breach in the battle line. The wildly surging beast tide was blasted into a vacuum zone, but the chaos could not be quelled in such a short time.

Countless artillery pieces roared in unison.

Night was drawing near, but the flames of war burned the night sky crimson.

Many monsters still charged into the North District camp and scattered in every direction.

"Send an alert to the combat watches of everyone in the military district. Monsters have infiltrated our interior. Remain vigilant. All units, assemble and enter combat status immediately."

"The command center will coordinate with them to eliminate the monsters that have infiltrated the North District. Take note: this is a battle for the survival of our North District!"

This arc will probably wrap up in a few more chapters, and then it will be time to take off.