I Like Turning the Tables

A wicked smile played on Lu Chen's lips. With a slight movement of his fingers, One-Eyed Wolf's mind lay completely open, like Pandora's box, exposing all the evil hidden within to him.

The SSS-rank Mind Domination, upgraded from E-rank Telepathy, really comes in handy. It's even better than the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) lie detectors! Lu Chen thought with quiet satisfaction.

Just as he was preparing to dig deeper into Professor Zhao's secrets, a piercing alarm suddenly rang throughout the base like the Grim Reaper's summons.

"Damn, they found out that fast? Looks like that old fox is no pushover!" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow.

Almost simultaneously, the base's public address system crackled to life. Professor Zhao's sinister voice carried a barely perceptible hint of panic. "Attention, all personnel! Seal off every exit immediately! Make sure Lu Chen is apprehended and brought to justice! I repeat..."

"Tsk, tsk, looks like the old bastard's getting desperate," Lu Chen said with a cold laugh. Since you want to play so badly, I'll give you a good game!

He quickly got up, grabbed One-Eyed Wolf off the ground, and dragged him into a corner of the warehouse like a dead dog.

Bang!

Lu Chen kicked One-Eyed Wolf awake.

"Want to live?" Lu Chen's voice was as cold as ice, like that of a demon from hell.

Terrified out of his wits, One-Eyed Wolf nodded repeatedly, his head bobbing up and down.

"Good. Tell me where Professor Zhao's secret laboratory is. And give me a full account of every step of the experiments, without leaving anything out!" Lu Chen's voice brooked no argument and carried a chilling force.

With death hanging over him, One-Eyed Wolf didn't dare conceal a thing and revealed all of Professor Zhao's plans.

"So that's how it is... Looks like the old bastard really is a maniac!" Lu Chen said after hearing One-Eyed Wolf's account.

He had only wanted to find out the truth, but instead he had uncovered such appalling crimes.

In that case, don't blame me for showing no mercy! Lu Chen had already made his decision.

He would turn the tables and completely crush Professor Zhao's conspiracy!

"Next, let me direct a good show!" A wicked smile curled Lu Chen's lips, and a dangerous light flickered in his eyes.

He knocked One-Eyed Wolf out again, then found some flammable materials in the warehouse and piled them together.

If we're going to play, let's make it big! Lu Chen thought, then activated the SSS-rank Flame Sovereign.

A small flame danced at his fingertip, casting a faint glow.

Lu Chen took a deep breath and poured the energy within him into the flame.

In an instant, the flame surged into a raging blaze that swallowed the entire warehouse.

Boom!

The flames shooting into the sky instantly drew the attention of everyone in the base.

"Fire! Fire! Hurry, put it out!"

A clamor of shouts rang throughout the base, and the already tense atmosphere instantly descended into chaos.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Lu Chen slipped silently out of the warehouse and made his way toward the depths of the base.

He had already learned about the secret passage to the underground laboratory from One-Eyed Wolf's memories.

Trying to catch me? It won't be that easy! Lu Chen sneered inwardly.

Meanwhile, Tang Xue was anxiously searching the base for any sign of Lu Chen.

Although she was unhappy with some of Professor Zhao's methods, as his assistant, she still had to obey orders.

Lu Chen, where on earth are you? Tang Xue was full of worry.

She had a persistent feeling that something about this was suspicious, that something wasn't right.

Just then, she suddenly saw flames shooting into the sky in the distance, accompanied by billowing smoke.

"The warehouse is on fire? This is bad!" Tang Xue's expression changed, and she rushed toward the blaze.

By this time, Lu Chen had reached the entrance to the secret passage.

It was heavily guarded by more than a dozen fully armed soldiers.

"Want to get through? You'll have to ask my gun first!" a soldier said viciously.

Lu Chen smiled faintly.

"A-rank Energy Barrier... copy it!"

In an instant, a powerful surge of energy flowed into his body, forming an invisible barrier in front of him.

Bang, bang, bang!

A dense hail of bullets flew toward Lu Chen, only to be stopped by the energy barrier.

"What?!"

The soldiers' eyes widened, their faces full of disbelief.

Their guns were completely useless against Lu Chen!

Lu Chen gave them no chance to react. His figure flashed as he charged into their midst like a phantom.

A series of muffled thuds rang out. Before the soldiers could even scream, they had all fallen to the ground.

"Pathetic!" Lu Chen curled his lip in disdain.

He pressed on, breaking through checkpoint after checkpoint until he finally reached the core experimental area on the third underground level.

"Is this... Professor Zhao's secret laboratory?" Lu Chen looked at the tightly shut doors before him.

He took a deep breath, raised his foot, and kicked hard at the doors.

With a tremendous crash, the heavy doors fell, revealing the scene inside the laboratory.

The sight before him made Lu Chen burn with rage. He clenched his fists so tightly that they creaked.

The spacious laboratory was filled with all kinds of complex instruments and equipment, and a large number of awakened ones were held captive on those machines.

All kinds of tubes were inserted into their bodies, and a dense web of wires was connected to their foreheads. Their faces were twisted with pain and despair.

"This... this is hell on earth!" Lu Chen's voice trembled with anger.

He finally understood that Professor Zhao's so-called "research" was nothing but an inhuman series of live experiments!

"You beasts! You all deserve to die!" Lu Chen roared, no longer able to suppress the fury in his heart.

He activated the D-rank Flame Manipulation, releasing all the energy within him.

Raging flames instantly engulfed the entire laboratory, burning all the evil instruments and equipment to ashes.

The captive awakened ones were finally freed from their pain, letting out wave after wave of agonized screams.

"Lu Chen! How dare you destroy my laboratory!"

Just then, Professor Zhao stormed in with a team of armed personnel, beside himself with rage.

When he saw the devastation inside the laboratory, his eyes nearly split with fury, and anger burned within him.

"Professor Zhao, you finally came." Lu Chen turned around, a cold smile curling his lips.

He held a data chip in his hand and waved it in front of Professor Zhao.

"All your research results... are mine now."

Lu Chen's voice was as cold as ice, like the whisper of the Grim Reaper.

Professor Zhao's face turned ashen.

He had calculated everything, yet he had never expected Lu Chen to get the better of him in the end.

"You... what exactly do you want?" Professor Zhao's voice trembled, full of fear.

Lu Chen didn't answer. He simply gave a meaningful smile.

He slowly put the data chip away, then walked toward the laboratory exit.

"Next, it's my turn to take control of this game..."

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared in the laboratory doorway, blocking Lu Chen's path.

Tang Xue stood there, looking at the flames shooting skyward inside the laboratory, her face full of shock and confusion.

She hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Lu Chen, what on earth is going on? You..."

Shock was written all over Tang Xue's delicate face. She stared fixedly at the sea of flames in the laboratory, her mind blank.

Was this really the base she knew?

It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie!

"Lu Chen, you..." Tang Xue's voice trembled slightly. She seemed to want to ask something, but didn't know where to begin.

Lu Chen merely gave a playful smile without answering her directly.

He knew that some things had to be discovered for oneself. There was no fun in saying them outright.

He slowly raised his hand, and a faint light appeared at his fingertip. It was the SSS-rank Burn the Heavens and Destroy the World, upgraded from the D-rank Flame Manipulation.

The flames in the laboratory surged instantly, as though they would devour everything. Tang Xue stumbled back several steps in fright.

Without looking at her again, Lu Chen turned and walked out of the laboratory.

Beep-beep-beep-

A piercing alarm suddenly sounded, echoing throughout the base.

Tang Xue abruptly came to her senses. She gritted her teeth and resolutely pressed the emergency evacuation button on the wall.

For those innocent people, I have to do this! Tang Xue thought, her gaze growing resolute.

Lu Chen's figure gradually disappeared at the end of the passage, leaving only his words echoing through the ruins:

"This world shouldn't be controlled by people like you."

Late at night, security around the base's perimeter had slackened considerably, as though everyone was still caught up in the day's chaos.

Only a few dim lights continued to flicker dutifully...