Chapter Thirty: Potion Infatuation (2)

"They seem to have stopped."

Ling Ying said, crouching behind a bush, her gaze fixed on the suspicious figures ahead.

"Strange, why would this guy come to the woods this late at night instead of attending the banquet?"

"Ah, yes, it's really strange, but at least we can finally stop."

Caitlyn finally broke free from Ling Ying's Demon Claw, landing on the ground in a very ungraceful pose. She rubbed her ankle and complained.

"We chased them for several kilometers in high heels! Damn it, my legs feel like they're going to break. Don't you feel anything?"

"Huh? Oh, right. I was too focused on chasing that guy. Sorry, heh heh heh."

Ling Ying scratched her head sheepishly, thinking to herself that if it weren't for this damned skirt, she could have gone much faster. Fortunately, with the enhancement of Void Power, she managed to drag Caitlyn along and barely keep up with Lunge and the others who were traveling light.

"Sorry doesn't cut it."

Caitlyn glared at Ling Ying.

"But you have to tell me what you plan to do next. I'm telling you, this is still Tyros Family private property. We can't act without authorization from the Enforcement Department and the Council."

"That depends on what the Young Master intends to do. Don't worry, I won't make a big scene this time. I'll just scout the situation. I promise."

Ling Ying shifted her gaze away from Caitlyn's half-believing pretty face and continued to observe the group opposite them. They had been waiting under that dead tree for a full ten minutes, which Ling Ying found quite puzzling.

"Coo coo coo."

A strange bird call sounded, and a moment later, a beam of light appeared in the distance, then quickly extinguished, only to light up again. Ling Ying noticed that a servant from Lunge's side also picked up a lantern at this time, shining it towards the opposite side, where lights blinked in sequence, echoing each other. A few minutes later, the sound of wheels suddenly rang out, and several cargo Horse Carriages emerged from the woods, stopping in front of Lunge and his companions.

"Yo, young master."

A bald man, bare-chested except for a few bullet straps across his chest, jumped down from a carriage and waved at Lunge.

"The goods you wanted are all on the carriages. Hey, but I gotta say, Piltover has blocked the Long Bridge recently, so goods from Zaun can't get through. Everything has to come through the Undercity at the border. The cost and risk are unusually high."

"As long as you deliver on time, the reward will naturally be yours."

Lunge waved his hand, and a servant beside him immediately stepped forward, handing a briefcase to the big man. The man opened it and examined it for a while before closing it with satisfaction.

"Young master is generous. You guys, unload the goods."

The big man's subordinates quickly got busy, unloading items from the cargo boxes onto the ground. Due to the distance and the dim light, Ling Ying could only make out that they were long, cloth bags... Wait, Lunge picked up a knife and cut open one of the bags, pulling out a gaunt woman.

"This is..."

Caitlyn, standing behind Ling Ying, widened her eyes.

"It seems our target is the same person."

Ling Ying stared at the cloth bags on the ground, counting them roughly. There were twenty to thirty of them.

"Those missing persons you mentioned, he's more than likely involved."

"But... so many people, and they were captured by hiring those gangs. What exactly does he want to do?"

Caitlyn's face showed disbelief. She really couldn't imagine why the Tyros Family would resort to such a risky method to abduct people.

"I suspect it has something to do with those potions... Shh! They're making a move."

Ling Ying gestured for Caitlyn to be quiet and continued observing the group. After roughly confirming the "cargo" was in good condition, the gang members who did the dirty work left with the money. As if to confirm those guys were far enough away, a few more minutes passed before Lunge raised his hand. A mass of dark magical energy gathered in his palm. At the same time, a magic circle instantly appeared on the dead tree in front of him. The two resonated with each other for a moment, and the dead tree suddenly moved to the sides, opening into a magic gate surging with energy. It sucked everyone present, including those in the cloth bags, into it. In a flash, the magical light disappeared. The forest returned to its usual tranquility.

"This..."

Caitlyn's mouth gaped in surprise. Ling Ying, however, wore an amused expression. She lightly pinched her chin and said, "Interesting. I want to see what you're hiding."

With that, Ling Ying pulled the still-dazed Caitlyn towards the dead tree. The distance of a few dozen meters wasn't far, and the two soon arrived at the tree, only to be at a loss.

"Can you have the Enforcement Department seal this place? Wait until he comes out to catch him red-handed?"

"No."

Caitlyn shook her head decisively.

"It's already a major taboo for the Enforcement Department to take action against a family without permission, especially since we have no concrete evidence. Acting first and reporting later won't work in Piltover."

"That's difficult..."

Ling Ying looked at the tree, deep in thought. Suddenly, she seemed to have an idea. She waved her right hand, and a ball of Void Flames shot up high in her palm.

"What... are you doing?"

"Ah? Oh, sorry. I conjured the wrong thing."

Ling Ying gave a dry laugh, casually extinguished the Void Flames with a flip of her hand, and then conjured again. A Shadow Orb appeared in her hand.

"Crack!"

The dead tree instantly pulled apart to the sides, and the mysterious magic gate reappeared before the two.

"Oh? I thought it felt familiar. So it really is Shadow Magic."

Ling Ying said as she stepped through the gate. Caitlyn, however, was a step too late to grab her, watching helplessly as Ling Ying was swallowed by the magic gate's light.

"Hey!"

There was no response. The magic gate seemed to block out sounds from both inside and outside.

"Damn it, why so reckless!"

Caitlyn pouted and stomped her foot. After hesitating for a moment, she finally closed her eyes, steeled her heart, and followed.

"She can protect me anyway."

As her body merged with the light of the Magic Gate, Caitlyn thought this in her mind.

Crossing the Magic Gate, they entered a spiral staircase leading downwards. Wall lamps lined the staircase, and although dim, they were enough to prevent anyone from falling and tumbling all the way down due to poor visibility. Ling Ying, holding Caitlyn's hand, carefully descended. After nearly ten minutes, the two finally reached the bottom, where a closed Alloy Door stood before them. Ling Ying walked up and knocked on it.

"It's thick, I can't even hear an echo."

"You can tell that just by looking."

Caitlyn sighed helplessly.

"Now we're stuck. Breaking this door would create too much noise, completely ruining our plan. But it won't open by itself. I guess I'll have to go back and get some people from the organization..."

Caitlyn stopped mid-sentence because the Alloy Door actually opened. It didn't open completely, just a hidden door pushed open from the inside. Two guards, dressed in black and fully armed, stepped out. They were stunned to see Ling Ying and Caitlyn outside. After a few seconds, one of them frantically raised the rifle in his hand.

"Intruder... cough!"

Before he could finish, a Scythe that suddenly appeared in mid-air smashed hard onto his head, stunning him and sending him to the ground. Ling Ying quickly stepped forward, caught the Scythe, and swept it horizontally, severing the other guard's rifle. Then, with a spinning acceleration of the Scythe, she kicked the guard in the face.

The guard stumbled backward instantly, then hit his head on the doorframe and lost consciousness.

"Phew, that was close. Almost got exposed."

Ling Ying clapped her hands with a relaxed expression, then bent down and began to rummage through the guards' equipment.

"What are you doing?"

"Disguising, of course."

As Ling Ying spoke, she casually ripped the hem of her evening gown up to her thighs. Then, she put on the guards' heavy Leather Protective Jackets and Trousers. She tossed her high heels into her Storage Bag. Perhaps finding Ling Ying's reasoning sound, Caitlyn did the same. A few minutes later, two guards, who appeared significantly slimmer, carried their rifles and "swaggered" into the Alloy Door.

"It's this big down here?"

Caitlyn looked around the Corridor, wide enough for several Horse Carriages to pass side-by-side, with curiosity.

"What is the Tyros Family trying to hide?"

"Whatever it is, it's nothing good. Otherwise, they wouldn't need to..."

Ling Ying scoffed. Ever since entering, her sensitive nose had detected a lingering Bloody Smell pervading the facility. This couldn't help but bring back some unpleasant memories.

"This way."

Ling Ying led Caitlyn around a corner, following the strongest scent of blood. After a few steps, another alloy door blocked their path. Unlike the previous ones, this door had a conspicuous switch next to it. Without hesitation, Ling Ying walked up and smashed the switch with her fist. The alloy door slowly slid open to both sides, revealing a space larger than the corridor. The first things that caught their eyes were rows upon rows of incubation pods filled with purple liquid, followed by researchers in white protective suits moving between the pods and gleaming experimental instruments whose names they couldn't even guess. Ling Ying and Caitlyn were both startled by the scene behind the door, until a figure suddenly rushed out from a corner and collided squarely with them.

"I don't want to! I don't want to die!!!"

A young man with a face full of freckles, shouting hysterically, desperately tried to rush out the door. Unfortunately, his emaciated limbs, which were obvious at a glance, couldn't even budge Caitlyn, who stood in front of him. Soon, a researcher followed from behind. He used a fork-like polearm tool to hook the man's waist. The man immediately convulsed and curled into a ball on the ground, then was dragged away by others, pulled by his feet like livestock.

"You've come at just the right time. Although he couldn't escape anyway, saving some effort is always good."

The researcher holding the fork-like tool casually tossed it aside, then pulled down his face mask and took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"Want one?"

"No, thank you."

Ling Ying and Caitlyn shook their heads in unison. This caused the other party some confusion, but despite his confusion, he couldn't see anything through the thick protective mask. He put the cigarette pack back into his pocket, lit one, and began to smoke.

"The experimental subjects they've brought in lately are getting fewer and fewer. It's a shame, considering how explosive and interesting the experimental content is."

"Yeah, with the current blockade between both sides, it's hard to get work done."

Ling Ying casually picked up on the other's words.

"But speaking of which, what kind of experiment are you guys doing that requires so many people?"

"You don't know?"

The researcher glanced at Ling Ying in surprise.

"It's just..."

He paused, then looked at his wristwatch and turned back to shout at the other researchers.

"Time's up! Change the liquid in the incubation pods! Get moving!"

"Gurgle."

As several researchers pulled the valves on the machines, all the incubation pods began to hum simultaneously. The thick purple liquid rapidly receded, revealing what had been hidden beneath it. Ling Ying's expression instantly turned grim, and Caitlyn, Ling Ying noticed, seemed to be trembling all over.

Inside the incubation pods were twisted bodies. Some still bore recognizable human parts, while more were grotesque flesh monsters. Each pod contained one of these "things." Some bodies had crab-like lower bodies, while others had spider-like upper bodies. The only similarity among them was that their surfaces were...

"These... you made these from the civilians you captured?"

"Of course."

The researcher nodded matter-of-factly. At the same time, he pointed proudly to an incubation pod not far in front of them.

"Look at this one, hehe. When this guy first arrived, she was a good-looking thirteen or fourteen-year-old little girl. I thought such good material shouldn't be wasted, so I implanted several types of foreign genes into her. What do you think, beautiful, right?"

"Beautiful? Heh heh..."

Ling Ying stared at the slender, humanoid body in the incubation pod. But on its head grew several pairs of round eyeballs, massive horns, and a "girl" with a pair of bat wings, flapping them. After a few seconds, she turned her head and looked at the researcher who was still lost in his "masterpiece," her voice as cold as frost.

"You should die."

"?"

Before he could react to the change in the situation, the rifle in Ling Ying's hand fired. A large caliber bullet passed through his glabella, blowing off half of his skull. Red and white matter sprayed out like a fountain, splattering all over the floor.

"Bastard!! What did you do!?"

A young researcher was the first to react. He grabbed the long fork he had used to deal with those pitiful civilians and charged forward. But before he could reach her, Caitlyn stepped forward from the side and smashed him to the ground with her gun stock.

"Don't move! Get down! You are under arrest!"

Even though she had witnessed the brutal reality before her, Caitlyn had not forgotten her professional ethics. She pointed her gun at the researcher, trying to get him to surrender. However, he was unwilling to listen. He reached into his pocket with his right hand, pulled out a scalpel, and stabbed at Caitlyn. Then, in the next second, his head was also split open, just like the one before him.

"I don't think they'll be willing to surrender."

Ling Ying glanced at Caitlyn and sighed. She thought that the chief constable was still holding back, and of course, Ling Ying didn't expect her to be as unburdened as herself.

"Murder! Run!!"

"Intruder! Guards?! Where are the guards?"

With two consecutive deaths before their eyes, the researchers who spent their days tinkering with instruments finally reacted. They dropped their work and fled in a panic, as if the end of the world had arrived. However, amidst the panic, some still remembered to press the emergency button next to the control console. A piercing alarm instantly filled the entire laboratory.

"What happened?"

The alloy door at the other end of the laboratory opened, and a squad of black clad guards rushed in. A captain-like figure grabbed a fleeing researcher and asked about the situation. The researcher pointed at Ling Ying, trembling, and stammered.

"Those people... killed... killed..."

"It's an intruder! Open fire!"

The guard captain quickly assessed the situation in a few seconds. In fact, there was no need to assess, as two bodies lay at Ling Ying's feet. Then, more than a dozen rifles simultaneously unleashed a hail of bullets towards Ling Ying and the other woman.

Ling Ying quickly slid to dodge behind the laboratory console, avoiding the enemy's volley fire. She bent down and poked her head out from under the console, spraying bullets from her magazine at the enemy, but they all hit the walls or the door frame.

"Damn it!"

Perhaps annoyed by her long-range miss rate, Ling Ying cursed under her breath and threw the rifle aside. With a wave of her hand, she summoned the scythe she had named Purple Moon. Meanwhile, Caitlyn, who had taken cover behind the wall, had just fired her fourth burst fire. Three guards lay dead on the floor, all headshots. It seemed that when faced with a threat to her life, the chief constable was still clear-headed. Seeing that Caitlyn was fine, Ling Ying naturally let loose. Black mist rose from the soles of her feet, concealing her figure. In a flash, Ling Ying leaped to the opposite side, her scythe flashing like a crescent moon in mid-air. Three guards hiding behind cover had no time to dodge before they were all cut in half.

"Fuck! A monster!!"

Seeing their teammates so easily slaughtered, these guards, who were only slightly stronger than ordinary people, immediately fell into disarray. Two guards, terrified, dropped their rifles and turned to run out the door. However, what awaited them was a figure woven from black mist and a gleaming long sword.

"Swish!"

Ling Ying's black mist rose and fell. The sharp Doran's Blade easily slit the throats of the two men.

"Damn it! Contract the defensive line! Retreat! Everyone retreat!"

Seeing his team shrink by more than half in the blink of an eye, the Guard Captain was furious. He had expected a one-sided slaughter, but unexpectedly, one of the opponents possessed inhuman combat power, while the other, though seemingly ordinary, had astonishingly accurate marksmanship. With the two of them cooperating, his side was completely being massacred.

"Give me the grenade launcher!"

"Captain? We can't use that thing here!"

"I don't care anymore!"

The Guard Captain snatched the Twin Grenade Launcher from a subordinate behind him and fired two shots towards Ling Ying's location.

"I'll blow you to hell, you son of a bitch!"

The Guard Captain spat fiercely, desperately hoping to see the figure slaughtering his subordinates blown to pieces. However, fate was contrary to his wishes. A strange black mist suddenly leaped into the path of the grenades and "swallowed" them whole. The two High Explosive Grenades vanished mid-flight as if they had sunk into the sea, without exploding or even sparking.

"You want to kill me that badly?"

"!"

The voice from behind made the Guard Captain, through years of combat experience, instinctively dodge to the side. This saved his life. The sweeping scythe reaped the heads of several guards who hadn't managed to dodge in time, but it didn't harm him at all. Unfortunately, being lucky once didn't mean he could remain lucky forever. The Guard Captain, having narrowly avoided the scythe blade, was about to straighten up when he felt a powerful kick to his waist, sending him tumbling to the ground. Then, the heavy Scythe Handle smashed directly into his abdomen, nearly making him vomit up his breakfast.

"You're the last one."

Ling Ying stood before him, holding Purple Moon in one hand.

"In a way, you're quite fortunate."

"Who are you people?"

"Does that matter?"

"Heh, true, it doesn't matter. I'm already a dead man since I couldn't defend this place."

The Guard Captain spread his hands, then suddenly revealed a mocking expression.

"But no matter what you intend to do, you've already failed by causing such a commotion. The Laboratory has fallen, and the external security personnel will activate the Self-Destruct System. Everything here will be turned to ashes by Explosives, leaving nothing related to the Tyros Family behind."

"Oh?"

Ling Ying raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Then what about you and these Researchers?"

"Hmph, hmph. I received Master Fickle's favor, so I shall meet my death. As for them, it is their honor to contribute to the Tyros Family!"

"Clap, clap, clap!"

"?"

The sudden applause caused Ling Ying's Scythe and Caitlyn's rifle to both point behind them. They saw a familiar figure walking towards them while clapping. That figure was none other than Lunge Tyros.

"I admire your loyalty, Mr. Valera."

Lunge Tyros didn't seem to mind the weapons pointed at him. He continued walking until he was just a few meters away from Ling Ying and Caitlyn. He then revealed a smile with a hidden meaning.

"But unfortunately, the Self-Destruct System has already been disabled by me."