Entrusting the Orphan!

The blade that had been hanging over his head was gone, and Merlin felt utterly refreshed.

At that moment, after experiencing the ability's effect, Merlin opened the cage, reached in, grabbed the lynx, and [equipped] it.

Whoosh!

In the second slot of the [Equipment Slot] before him, a vivid pattern of a lynx with closed eyes suddenly appeared.

[Name: Unconscious Lynx]

[Effect: Upon equipping, grants you the biological traits of a lynx.]

[Remember the domain—read Taiwan novels only on Taiwan Novel Network, ᴛᴡᴋᴀɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ anytime]

[Synchronization Value: 1%]

[Evaluation: A healthy, robust lynx. As an all-around hunter among similarly sized felines, prolonged equipping has a chance to permanently grant the special expertise inherent to lynxes.]

A warm current surged into his body.

Blinking his eyes, he now possessed traits far surpassing those of a rat—keen physical senses and enhanced bodily strength.

Standing up, he bounced in place a few times, sensing a substantial boost in his current explosive power.

It felt comparable to the enhancement of his un-beastified coyote form, the only difference now being the lack of beast transformation ability.

Merlin's eyes gleamed, his confidence swelling: "With the Calamity Fruit's power and the lynx's high-mobility biological enhancement, I should now rank among the top predators in this Frevanz 'hunting ground.'"

At that moment, with the lynx equipped, the [Equipment Slot] sent another message to Merlin's mind.

[Detected two "equipment" items already equipped. Synthesize?]

Merlin froze for a moment, then processed the information: "I can consume my own energy to synthesize equipment in the slots?"

"Is this bringing over the effect of combining small gear into big gear from mobile games?"

"If so, then if I get another Devil Fruit's Origin Power later, can I use fruit to synthesize a Devil Fruit? Or synthesize biological Origin Power from creatures to free up more precious equipment slot resources?"

[No]

Merlin refused [Synthesis].

The lynx was too low-tier; he wouldn't use it to synthesize the precious Calamity Fruit.

Without much thought, Merlin already understood the Calamity Fruit's power. He believed he'd have better options in the future.

Besides, he wasn't in a desperate situation—he still had choices.

He closed the equipment slot.

Putting that matter aside for now.

Then, His pupils dilated twice, his ears twitched slightly, and his sharp hearing clearly picked up distant sounds.

Gunshots were drawing closer; the foreign executioners had clearly breached Frevanz's central district.

Merlin glanced at Mera's suitcase, which now only held Beli and a few changes of clothes.

After a moment's thought, he stuffed the suitcase into a crevice inside the fake mountain cave—thirty million Beli was a fortune, likely useful later.

He shouldered his backpack, checked his dagger and the katana, then drew the blade, watching its edge glint under the moonlight: "Not a famous sword, comparable in quality to my dagger."

Total length about one meter ten.

The blade had a slight curve, with beautiful flame-like patterns on the steel—a typical Flame Pattern Steel Blade, a well-forged weapon tempered through a thousand strikes.

He sheathed the sword with a sharp click!

Gripping the blade, Merlin picked up the cage beside him and walked to the corner wall where he'd entered.

He tossed the cage out of the courtyard.

Then, picking up a rifle from the ground, he removed the gas mask from his waist.

Not caring about the dirt, he pulled it straight over his head.

Disguise complete.

Merlin crouched slightly, then leaped, hooking his left arm over the wall to easily vault up. Scanning the surroundings, he saw no foreign soldiers on the streets near the villa.

"Looks like the explosion here didn't attract them. Makes sense—with gunfire and blasts all over the city, they've got no time to check."

Merlin's gaze shifted to the distant, standout hospital building with its pointed roof, his eyes thoughtful. "I no longer need medical supplies. Should I still go?"

The next moment, his eyes hardened: "I will. Doctor Trafalgar and his family were good to me before. Now that I can protect myself, I should at least send them word.

And Yol... I wonder how she's doing."

No need to think—the hospital situation was bound to be dangerously unpredictable now. Those bastard soldiers would absolutely go there to slaughter.

But some things had to be done.

And blindly running wouldn't get them out of here alive.

Vaulting over the wall, Merlin sprinted toward his target, simultaneously assessing his current physical state.

Unprecedentedly good.

The equipment [Lynx] granted him the fierce agility of that creature, making running feel effortless.

His sharpened senses discerned every rustle and shift within a hundred meters around him, and under the night sky, he moved like a ghost.

Merlin ran faster and faster, carefully observing his surroundings. For a moment, he felt dazed—as if he had truly become a lynx racing through a mountain forest.

An indescribable, exhilarating freedom.

With the Lead Platinum Disease purged from his body and the Lynx equipped, his physical state had never been better.

Soon enough.

Merlin arrived at an alley beside the hospital. Inside, under dim lighting, gunshots echoed in relentless bursts.

A cold glint flashed in Merlin's eyes. Without hesitation, he burst out of the alley and charged straight through the already shattered entrance.

Reaching the hospital's first-floor lobby, he suddenly heard gunfire and the shattering of glass not far away, accompanied by a painfully familiar wail of grief.

Merlin turned and dashed toward the sound. Just then, a soldier rounded a corner and ran straight into him. Spotting Merlin, the soldier shouted:

"After him! One infected brat got away!"

As the distance between them closed, Merlin's eyes widened beneath his mask. He halted, and the moment the soldier was within reach, his right hand drew the dagger from his right thigh and plunged it into the soldier's chest.

With a pfft, the soldier screamed. Merlin raised his left knee and slammed it hard into the man's groin. A dull thud rang out.

The soldier crumpled to the ground. Merlin lunged forward and drove the dagger into his throat.

After a couple of convulsions, the soldier went still. Merlin caught his breath, scanned the man's waist, and removed two grenades, clipping them onto his own belt.

Once done, Merlin quickly rose and ran toward the ward where the sounds had come from. Ten seconds later, he stood at the doorway, immediately spotting a middle-aged man and woman in white coats, lying in pools of blood.

Trafalgar Doctor and Wife.

Merlin walked over and crouched beside them, reaching out to feel their carotid arteries. The woman had already passed; the man still had a faint breath.

Seeing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Merlin's eyes. Black Flame rose from his left hand, and he pressed it against the man's chest. The flame coiled around him.

His energy drained like a flood bursting through a dam. Merlin's eyes flew wide open:

"Why is the consumption so huge?"

Ten seconds later. "Cough!" A mouthful of bloody spittle sprayed out. Trafalgar Doctor, one foot already through death's door, opened his eyes. But when he saw Merlin's appearance, he began to struggle. Merlin quickly spoke:

"Doctor, don't move. I'm Laplace. I'm saving you."

Trafalgar Doctor's eyes bulged. He recognized Merlin's voice. But he was a renowned physician—he knew exactly how dire his own condition was.

He turned his head, grief-stricken, to glance at his deceased wife, then grabbed Merlin's left forearm with his right hand.

His wide eyes were bloodshot. In his dying moments, he had sensed that his eldest son, Law, had already escaped from here. His voice was barely a whisper:

"Lami... Lami is in... the third floor's... Private Medical Room... save her... I beg you..."

With those words, his gripping hand went slack.

Merlin fell silent. The Black Flame in his hand dissipated, and his left index finger turned crimson. Nearly half his stamina and mental energy had been spent, but it still hadn't been enough to bring the man back.

The doctor's faint Life Force had already been severed.

If only he were stronger... if only his energy were more abundant... maybe he could have saved him.

So his ability wasn't omnipotent after all.

Merlin exhaled, feeling the fatigue and soreness spreading through every limb, followed by a surge of warmth flowing through his body.

He understood in a flash: The Lynx's Super Endurance...

He took one last look at the doctor, then tried to pull free. But the man's right hand still gripped tightly. Merlin couldn't help but murmur softly:

"If you don't let go, how am I supposed to find Lami?"

Just as he was about to wrench himself free, At that very moment, the man's hand slowly loosened its hold.

Merlin said nothing.

He stood up, stared at them for a long moment, then turned and ran out the door, heading for the staircase.

But as soon as he reached the second floor, he collided head-on with another soldier. The man quickly steadied him by the shoulder and exclaimed:

"Watch where you're going! Why are you so reckless? The upper floors are cleared. Come help me clean up downstairs!"