Test Subject No. 09: There Was Light in Her Eyes
Lu Chen cradled No. 09 as he ran, moving faster than Bolt on drugs.
The corridor lights stretched into afterimages behind them, and the air was thick with tension and excitement. It was even more thrilling than bungee jumping.
"Stop!"
An angry roar shattered the thrilling atmosphere.
Oh, here we go!
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. A squad of fully armed guards stood ahead, their guns raised, dark muzzles aimed at him.
"Put down the hostage! Surrender, and we'll spare your life!"
The guard in the lead shouted fiercely, looking as vicious as if Lu Chen had dug up his ancestors' graves.
"Hostage? Buddy, you need your eyes checked? This is called a rescue, got it?" Lu Chen curled his lip, his face full of disdain.
Had these guys lost their minds?
He had no time to waste talking nonsense with these small fries. Time was tight, and he had to finish this quickly.
Lu Chen's eyes darted around, and an idea came to him. Heh, perfect chance to test out my newly learned skill on them.
He quickly scanned the guards in front of him. Good, you'll do!
Lu Chen picked out a guy who looked a little weak and activated [Infinite Replication] without hesitation.
"Ding! Replication successful! Obtained D-rank talent [Sound Wave Manipulation]."
"Ding! Talent elevation successful! [Sound Wave Manipulation] has been elevated to SSS-rank talent [God-Slaying Demonic Sound]."
A series of notification chimes rang in Lu Chen's mind. Sweet! That's the feeling!
"Heh, guys, I'll play you a lullaby. Don't get too moved." A wicked smile curled Lu Chen's lips, and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes.
The next second, an invisible wave spread out from Lu Chen in an instant.
"Hum..."
The sound was faint at first, like a mosquito buzzing, but in an instant it became a high-pitched shriek that pierced their eardrums.
"Ah..."
The guards' heads buzzed as if ten thousand bees were swarming inside, making them feel awful.
They clutched their ears in pain, their faces turning deathly pale in an instant, their bodies swaying on the verge of collapse.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
A series of muffled thumps followed as the guards dropped to the ground one after another like dumplings into a pot, unconscious.
Lu Chen whistled, looking completely at ease.
SSS-rank [God-Slaying Demonic Sound] was terrifying!
The effect was amazing!
Done!
Lu Chen continued racing forward with No. 09 in his arms.
"They... put something... in my head..."
Just then, Test Subject 09 in his arms suddenly spoke in a faint, halting voice, as if it came from far away.
Lu Chen froze and stopped, looking down at the girl in his arms.
"What is it? Tell me clearly!" he asked, frowning.
"Quick... take it out... I... can't hold on much longer..." Test Subject 09 said with difficulty. Her face was frighteningly pale, and her body had begun trembling violently.
Only then did Lu Chen notice some tiny metal wires near No. 09's temple, seemingly connected to some kind of electronic device.
Damn!
These guys were deranged!
Lu Chen cursed inwardly. They were clearly trying to turn No. 09 into a puppet under their control!
"Don't be afraid. I'll help you," Lu Chen said in a low voice.
He couldn't stand by and watch those scumbags destroy a living person.
Lu Chen took a deep breath, pressed his palm to No. 09's temple, and activated [Infinite Replication] again.
Time to gamble!
"Ding! Replication successful! Obtained D-rank talent [Full-Area Scan]."
"Ding! Talent elevation successful! [Full-Area Scan] has been elevated to SSS-rank talent [Absolute Perception]."
A flood of entirely new information rushed into Lu Chen's mind.
The next second, Lu Chen's view underwent a complete transformation.
He felt his perception instantly increase countless times over.
Everything within a hundred meters appeared clearly in his mind.
The movements behind every door, the enemies in every corner, even the tiny specks of dust in the air-nothing escaped his perception.
This felt just like using a full-map cheat. It was unbelievably awesome!
"Heh, now things are going to get interesting." Lu Chen's lips curved slightly into a meaningful smile.
With [Absolute Perception], the so-called research institute was practically a transparent sieve in his eyes.
He could clearly sense a squad of armed guards patrolling not far ahead. There were quite a few of them, and they had considerable firepower.
Forcing his way through would definitely waste a lot of time.
But now...
"Here we go!"
Holding No. 09, Lu Chen flashed forward like a ghost and disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
Using the precise information provided by [Absolute Perception], he skillfully avoided every patrol and made his way unobstructed to the third basement level.
The third basement level, a secret storeroom.
The institute's most critical classified documents were stored here, along with some valuable talent samples.
Lu Chen stood in front of a heavy metal door, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"This is it!"
He could clearly sense that the space behind the door was piled full of all sorts of things, including the talent samples he needed most.
Without hesitation, Lu Chen kicked the metal door open.
"Bang!"
With a tremendous crash, the metal door slammed heavily onto the ground, producing a piercing boom.
The room was dimly lit, and a strong smell of chemicals filled the air.
Neat rows of safes stood around the room, each bearing a different label.
Lu Chen glanced over them, and his eyes lit up.
"High-rank talent samples," "Experiment records," "SSSS-Rank Talent Synthesis Plan"...
Damn! This institute really was full of hidden talents!
Lu Chen rubbed his hands, walked excitedly over to a safe, and began cracking its combination.
For someone with SSS-rank [Absolute Perception], cracking a combination like this was a piece of cake.
Before long, he had opened a safe.
Inside lay a clear glass bottle containing some pale blue liquid.
"A-rank talent [Water Element Manipulation]."
Lu Chen picked up the glass bottle and examined it closely, his eyes gleaming with greed.
Good stuff!
If I copy it and elevate it to SSS-rank, won't I be able to summon wind and rain and drown a whole crowd?
Lu Chen put the glass bottle away without hesitation, then began opening the other safes.
Before long, he had collected a large batch of high-rank talent samples and some important experiment records.
What interested Lu Chen most among them was a document titled "SSSS-Rank Talent Synthesis Plan."
According to the document, the institute's ultimate goal was to use some special method to fuse multiple SSS-rank talents together and create an unprecedented SSSS-rank talent!
Damn! These guys are ambitious! Lu Chen thought.
But this plan...
I like it!
Lu Chen carefully put away the "SSSS-Rank Talent Synthesis Plan" document, then glanced at the other things in the room.
Good, a great haul!
"Time to leave," Lu Chen muttered. Holding No. 09, he turned to go.
Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Immediately afterward, a burst of rapid gunfire shattered the room's silence.
"Lu Chen! You can't escape!"
A voice full of rage echoed through the room.
Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Well, the man himself is here.
He could clearly sense a fairly powerful guy leading a large group of people rapidly toward his position.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, along with a faint trace of...
Danger.
Danger?
Lu Chen's nose twitched. Mixed with the smell of gunpowder was a barely perceptible trace of... gasoline?
Another gunshot rang out. A bullet grazed past Lu Chen's ear and struck a safe behind him, sending sparks flying.
"Tsk, tsk, quite a temper you've got." Lu Chen curled his lip and darted behind a row of safes.
"You refused the road to heaven and barged into hell instead! Lu Chen, today you die!"
A man in military uniform charged into the room with a group of fully armed soldiers.
A vicious scar crossed the man's face, his gaze was fierce, and he carried an assault rifle trailing wisps of smoke.
"Chen Feng? B-rank [Demolition Specialization]? Interesting." Lu Chen narrowed his eyes as he studied the man before him.
The energy fluctuations coming from this guy were much stronger than those of the guards earlier. He seemed like a tough opponent.
"Hmph, you know my name? At least you know something! Get him, kill him!" Chen Feng waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him immediately raised their guns and unleashed a fierce barrage at Lu Chen's hiding place.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat..."
Bullets poured down like rain, sending sparks flying from the safes and kicking up clouds of dust.
"Hey, hey, hey, that's not very honorable! So many of you picking on me alone, aren't you ashamed?" Lu Chen complained as he nimbly dodged the bullets.
These guys had too much firepower. Fighting them head-on would definitely put him at a disadvantage.
Lu Chen's eyes darted around, and a wicked smile curled his lips.
Heh, since you're being so enthusiastic, I won't hold back.
"[Infinite Replication]!"
Lu Chen quickly locked onto Chen Feng and activated his talent.
"Ding! Replication successful! Obtained B-rank talent [Demolition Specialization]."
"Ding! Talent elevation successful! [Demolition Specialization] has been elevated to SSS-rank talent [Destroy Heaven and Earth]."
Sweet!
Lu Chen felt a powerful surge of energy enter his body.
He could clearly sense that everything around him was filled with explosive energy.
"Heh, Chen Feng, I've got a big present for you. Hope you like it." Lu Chen chuckled, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.
With a thought, he instantly activated his SSS-rank talent [Destroy Heaven and Earth].
"Boom!"
An earth-shattering blast made the entire passage shake violently.
Lu Chen had used [Destroy Heaven and Earth] to detonate the explosives Chen Feng had brought.
"Not good! Retreat!" Chen Feng's expression changed drastically. He had never expected Lu Chen to possess a demolition-type talent too, much less one countless times more powerful than his [Demolition Specialization].
However, it was all too late.
The shock wave from the explosion swallowed the entire passage in an instant, like a tsunami.
Before Chen Feng and his soldiers could react, they were engulfed by the flames of the explosion and reduced to ashes without even having time to scream.
Holding No. 09, Lu Chen used his powerful perception to find the entrance to a drainage pipe at the instant of the explosion and leaped inside.
Lu Chen and No. 09 landed hard in the freezing sewage, sending water splashing everywhere.
Ignoring the filth on his body, Lu Chen held No. 09 and swam desperately forward along the drainage pipe.
"Cough, cough..." No. 09 swallowed a few mouthfuls of water and began coughing violently.
"Hang in there. We'll be safe soon," Lu Chen comforted her softly.
It was pitch-black inside the drainage pipe; they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces.
Only the freezing sewage kept washing over their bodies.
After swimming for an unknown length of time, Lu Chen finally saw a glimmer of light.
He picked up speed and swam toward it.
With a splash, Lu Chen burst out of the drainage pipe with No. 09 in his arms.
They had arrived at an abandoned factory, where the air was filled with a decaying smell.
Lu Chen laid No. 09 on the ground and carefully checked her body. Only after finding that she had merely been frightened and was otherwise unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Where... are we?" No. 09 asked weakly.
Lu Chen looked around and found that they were inside a dilapidated factory building, surrounded by piles of abandoned machinery and assorted junk.
"We're safe," Lu Chen said softly, a hint of exhaustion in his voice.
He walked over to a pile of junk, found some clean cloth at random, and wiped the sewage off his body.
Just then, a raspy voice suddenly rang out inside the factory building.
"Well, if it isn't Lu Chen? What a rare visitor..."