The elevator descended.
Sieg Hart stood in the center of the metal car, the lights above his head flashing with the vibrations. The numbers representing the floors changed slowly, and with each downward jump, his heart tightened.
Five underground floors.
Six underground floors.
Sieg Hart looked down at his hands.
These hands had breached countless defenses on the battlefield and destroyed countless supposedly invincible fortresses touted by the Allies.
But now, just standing here, they are trembling slightly.
"Stop."
"Sieg Hart said in a low voice."
The elevator, of course, won't answer, nor will its hands.
He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the urge to press the emergency stop button.
"For the Empire."
bite.
We've reached the seventh basement level.
The two metal doors slowly opened to the sides, and a strong smell of blood rushed into the carriage.
Sieg Hart looked up.
The corridor outside the door had been completely transformed. The walls were twisted and deformed, and the metal plates were covered with bloody handprints. Large patches of flesh and blood were stained on the floor and ceiling, and several military uniforms hung from the broken pipes, with blood dripping continuously from the fabric.
Sieg Hart paused for a moment.
The energy within his body surged violently, and the warnings his body was sending almost turned into screams.
We can't go there.
Leave here.
Get out of here immediately!
Sieg Hart's palm rested on the edge of the elevator door; if he took just one more step back, he could close the door again and return to the upper level.
But he didn't move.
If even he escaped, where could the others escape to?
"That's really embarrassing."
Sieg Hart clenched his fist, suppressing his trembling fingers. "You're already trying to run away before even seeing the enemy."
He stepped out of the elevator.
Most of the lights in the corridor were off, except for the red alarm light still on in the direction of the archives.
Sieg Hart stepped through the bloody mud on the ground, walking forward step by step.
He soon arrived outside the archives.
Inside the room.
Chen Mo finished flipping through the last page of his research notes and closed the book.
The footsteps outside were steady and sounded quite confident.
As for his heartbeat, it was as fast as if he had just run twenty kilometers; it could be heard clearly even through several walls.
"Not bad, the food I ordered has finally arrived."
Chen Mo raised his hand, and dark red smoke covered the table.
Several research notebooks, along with important documents, disappeared at the same time; he had sent them to an abandoned warehouse outside the mining area.
The next second, Sieg Hart appeared in the doorway.
Their eyes met.
Sieg Hart stopped at the doorway; he finally saw the intruder whose presence had been sending constant warning signals through his body.
There was no monstrous appearance, nor exaggerated energy fluctuations. The archives room simply contained a young Asian man, whose clothes were barely stained with blood.
Yet it was this very person who nearly caused Sieg Hart's consciousness to collapse on the spot.
A strong sense of fear welled up from the depths of his body, his legs felt heavy, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his uniform on his back.
Death is screaming.
Chen Mo sized him up a few times.
"So, you're the best one here?"
Sieg Hart did not answer immediately.
He bit his tongue, the pain bringing some clarity to his confused state.
"Did you kill the guards outside?"
"Otherwise what?"
Chen Mo pointed to the corridor, "Did they run into the wall and injure themselves like this?"
Sieg Hart's Adam's apple bobbed.
"What exactly do you want from here?"
Good question.
Chen Mo pointed to the adjacent stone chamber, "I want to take that stone tablet, and all the materials related to the modification experiments here."
Sieg Hart looked in the direction he was pointing, his face darkening.
The black stone monument is the foundation of the entire renovation plan.
If it is taken away, all the research the empire has done over the years will be in vain.
"That's all?"
That's all for now.
Chen Mo paused, then looked at Sieg Hart, "By the way, your life is worth quite a bit too. Since you're already here, why not stay as well?"
The archives were silent for a few seconds.
Sieg Hart slowly exhaled; he had long been prepared that today might be the day he would die.
But when the other person actually said those words, he wasn't so scared anymore.
At least we don't have to keep guessing anymore.
"Haha, let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled thud came from inside Sieg Hart's body.
His heart swelled violently, and blood surged through his body at several times the normal speed. Beneath his skin, golden lines rapidly lit up, and dense energy compressed along his bones and muscles.
His uniform bulged and tore from his bulging body, and Sieg Hart's already tall frame grew even taller, his shoulders almost level with the door frame of the archives. Golden steam billowed from his mouth and nose, and his eyes were completely covered by the intense light.
Overload Mode.
Once activated, he will no longer restrict energy output. Consequently, his organs and blood vessels will completely collapse in a short period of time.
Regardless of whether he wins this battle or not, he will not survive.
"The glory of the empire must never be trampled upon by anyone."
Sieg Hart let out a low growl and slammed his fist to his side.
boom!
The entire row of filing cabinets exploded instantly, and the fist continued forward, slamming hard into the load-bearing wall behind it.
The metal slab and concrete cracked simultaneously.
Large pieces of rubble fell from above, and scattered documents were swept throughout the room by the impact. The entire seven-story underground building shook violently, and large cracks quickly spread across the ceiling.
Sieg Hart did not attack Chen Mo.
He wanted to destroy this place.
Even if the stone tablet is destroyed, it's better than it being taken by the enemy.
"If you can't beat them, demolish their houses?"
Chen Mo raised his right hand.
The flying debris, steel plates, and documents came to an abrupt halt, and even the broken load-bearing wall was lifted back up by an invisible force.
"Do all of you Glory Class players like this style?"
Now!
Sieg Hart turned around abruptly.
He compressed all his energy into a single point, causing the ground beneath his feet to collapse with a deafening roar. His massive body shattered the air, instantly appearing before Chen Mo.
The golden fist aimed straight for his chest.
Chen Mo extended his left hand.
Bang!
Two hands, one large and one small, collided.
The violent energy spread outwards, shattering the desks and chairs in the archives, and causing the metal plates on the walls to bulge outwards one by one.
Chen Mo stood still, his body not even swaying.
Sieg Hart's fist was held firmly in his palm with one hand.
"A very innovative playing style."
Chen Mo glanced around. "You demolished the house first, then launched a sneak attack while I was cleaning up. Pretty clever of you."
Sieg Hart gritted his teeth and continued to channel his energy.
"Only the result matters in a battle."
That's right.
Chen Mo nodded. "But your result isn't good either."
Sieg Hart did not answer.
The muscles in his arms bulged again, and the golden lines rapidly converged towards his fist. His power, which had already reached its limit, continued to rise.
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow slightly.
The other side had no intention of leaving behind any energy.
This person is trying to use themselves as a disposable firecracker.
Click.
A crack appeared in the ground beneath their feet.
The cracks quickly spread to the adjacent stone chamber, and several instruments were shaken and overturned. The black stone tablet swayed slightly, and large pieces of fine stone chips fell from its surface.
Chen Mo turned his head and glanced at it.
"Be gentle, don't break my things."
Sieg Hart's forehead veins bulged.
"That's the property of the Empire!"
"It'll be mine soon."
Chen Mo released his mental power, instantly enveloping the entire stone chamber.
The black stone tablet, the research equipment, and the unorganized documents on the table were all fixed in place by an invisible force.
Dark red smoke then billowed out.
The stone tablet, along with all the important items in the room, disappeared simultaneously and was teleported to a safe location outside the mining area.
Upon witnessing this scene, Sieg Hart's eyes flashed with intense golden light.
The small strategic opportunity is gone; now only one last resort remains.
He suddenly relaxed his right hand.
The fist that Chen Mo had been holding broke off on its own. Using the force of his retreat, Sieg Hart took a half step back, his intact left hand with its five fingers together, and stabbed fiercely into his own chest.
Pfft!
The hand pierced through flesh and blood, directly grasping the heart that was beating under immense strain.
Sieg Hart raised his head, a slight smile appearing on his blood-stained face.
"For the Empire!"
All the energy stored in the body lit up at the same time.
The metal walls of the archives were bathed in a stark white light.