Decapitation Operation

The infernal sea of fire churned and roared, casting a red glow over Lu Chen's sharply chiseled face.

Like a demon god born from fire, he strode across the scorched earth, his gaze fixed on the figure fleeing madly through the flames-Professor Zhao.

"You think you can just run? Did you ask me first?" A cruel smile curved Lu Chen's lips. He accelerated again, leaving a string of blurred afterimages in his wake.

Professor Zhao no longer looked anything like the sanctimonious man he usually was. He was nothing more than a beaten dog.

His white lab coat had been burned to tatters, and most of his hair had been singed away, exposing his bare scalp. He looked utterly miserable.

"Impossible, impossible! My research, my life's work! How could it lose to a green brat like you?" Professor Zhao ran as he screamed incoherently, his voice filled with resentment and madness.

Lu Chen couldn't be bothered to answer him. He simply picked up his pace, steadily closing the distance between them.

The entrance to the underground laboratory was just ahead. Like a drowning man clutching at his last straw, Professor Zhao rushed inside.

"Hmph, struggling on your deathbed!" Lu Chen sneered and charged into the underground laboratory right behind him.

The moment Lu Chen entered, he felt the surroundings change abruptly.

The scorching air instantly turned cold and damp. The sharp smell of disinfectant and a faint odor of blood hung in the air, making him feel uncomfortable.

The laboratory's passages branched off in every direction. Electronic screens glowed an eerie blue among all kinds of complex instruments and equipment, making the place seem like a maze.

"You think you can stop me with this stuff? How naive!" Lu Chen curled his lip in disdain and activated [Eye of Omniscience]. A clear map of the entire laboratory immediately appeared in his mind.

Without hesitation, he chose the nearest passage and pursued Professor Zhao in the direction he had fled.

From time to time, researchers in white lab coats could be seen along the passage, hiding in corners with panicked expressions.

"Don't waste time!" Lu Chen's gaze sharpened. He activated [Infinite Replication] and fixed his eyes on the researchers.

"Ding! Successfully copied B-rank talent [Mental Piercing]. Automatically elevated to SSS-rank [Mental Storm]!"

"Ding! Successfully copied B-rank talent [Mental Interference]. Automatically elevated to SSS-rank [Absolute Hypnosis]!"

In just a few seconds, Lu Chen copied several mental-type talents and elevated them all to SSS rank.

The next moment, an invisible mental storm swept out from Lu Chen in every direction.

Surveillance cameras hidden in the shadows instantly exploded into piles of scrap. Complex electronic instruments short-circuited and shut down one after another. Even the armed personnel guarding the passage entrances clutched their heads in pain, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed, convulsing.

"Pathetic!" Lu Chen snorted coldly. Without pausing, he continued his pursuit deeper into the laboratory.

Meanwhile, at the laboratory entrance, Xiao Lu anxiously awaited news of Lu Chen.

"Brother Lu Chen, are you all right?" Xiao Lu murmured worriedly to herself, gripping her staff tightly.

Her newly awakened SSS-rank talent, [Life Link], gave her the ability to transfer damage she suffered to others. It was a very powerful support talent.

"Xiao Lu, don't worry, I'm fine! You just need to do what you're supposed to do!" Lu Chen's voice suddenly rang out in Xiao Lu's mind.

"Brother Lu Chen, I understand!" Xiao Lu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

She fixed her gaze on the armed personnel attempting to repair the defense system and activated [Life Link].

The next moment, the armed personnel felt an invisible force enter their bodies. Their life force was rapidly draining away, replaced by unbearable pain.

"Ah! My body! My strength!"

"What the hell is this?! Stop it!"

The armed personnel let out shrill screams. Their bodies shriveled at a visible rate, like plants drained of moisture.

"Hmph, that's what you get for offending Brother Lu Chen!" Xiao Lu snorted coldly and continued controlling [Life Link], reaping the lives of the armed personnel without pause.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared before Xiao Lu.

"Miss Xiao Lu, are you all right? I'm Old Zhou. Mr. Lu Chen ordered me to help you!" Old Zhou said, gasping for breath. His face was slightly weary, but his eyes were full of determination.

"Uncle Zhou, you're here! That's wonderful!" Xiao Lu's face lit up with surprise and delight at the sight of him.

"This is no time to catch up. We have to open this security door and release the trapped researchers as quickly as possible!" As Old Zhou spoke, he pulled a USB drive from his pocket and plugged it into the security door's control panel.

"This is a cracking program I've spent years developing. It should open the door without any trouble!" Old Zhou said nervously as he operated the computer.

A few minutes later, the security door gave a quiet click and slowly opened.

"We did it! Let's get inside!" Old Zhou said excitedly, charging through the security door with Xiao Lu.

Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the laboratory, Professor Zhao was frantically operating a massive machine.

The machine looked extremely old. It was covered in complex wires and tubes and gave off an unsettling aura.

"Lu Chen! Even if I die, I won't let you get away unscathed! I'll show you what real power is!" Professor Zhao screamed madly, his

He slammed a red button.

The next moment, a dazzling light burst from the machine, completely engulfing Professor Zhao's body.

"Ah!" Professor Zhao let out a piercing scream. His body began to shake violently, and his skin began to twist and deform.

His muscles swelled and his bones grew. His body was undergoing a tremendous transformation.

A few seconds later, the light faded, and a monster that was half human, half beast appeared in his place.

The monster had a human body but the head of a beast. Bloodthirsty light flashed in its eyes, its mouth was full of sharp teeth, and its hands had turned into sharp claws.

Its body was covered in a thick layer of scales that gleamed like metal and looked indestructible.

"Roar!" The monster let out a deafening roar that shook the entire laboratory.

"This is my final trump card! The Talent Fusion Core! Once I fuse with it, I can gain the SSS-rank ability [Gene Recombination] and become truly powerful!" Professor Zhao's voice came from the monster's mouth, hoarse and crazed.

Just then, a figure suddenly appeared before the monster.

"Oh? That's your trump card? Looks a little interesting!" A playful smile curved Lu Chen's lips.

"But as far as I'm concerned, this so-called trump card of yours is nothing but a joke!" As Lu Chen spoke, he activated [Infinite Replication] without hesitation.

"Ding! Successfully copied SSS-rank talent [Gene Recombination]. Automatically elevated to SSS-rank [Gene Control]!"

The next moment, a powerful force surged into Lu Chen's body. He felt his understanding of genes rise to an entirely new level in an instant.

He could even alter his own genes at will, making himself stronger.

"Now, it's time to end this!" Lu Chen's gaze sharpened. He stepped forward, flames winding around his foot to form a fiery whirlwind, and kicked Professor Zhao hard in the chest.

"Bang!"

With a muffled impact, Professor Zhao flew backward like a kite with its string cut and slammed into the wall.

The wall instantly cracked, and Professor Zhao's body was embedded deep within it.

His eyes widened, and blood poured from his mouth.

"You... you..." Professor Zhao used the last of his strength to try to say something, but in the end, his head dropped limply.

Lu Chen walked slowly up to Professor Zhao and looked down at him.

"You don't understand at all..." Professor Zhao rasped in a faint voice, his eyes full of madness. "This is the future direction of evolution..."

There was no English in the original text, so there was no English to translate.

A cold smile curved Lu Chen's lips. He slowly bent down, his voice as icy as shards of ice in the depths of winter. "I don't need to understand. I only need to... possess it."

His voice was low, like the whisper of the god of death in one's ear, carrying a suffocating pressure.

As he spoke, Lu Chen slowly extended his hand. A flickering flame sprang to life on his fingertip, like a will-o'-the-wisp in the darkness, illuminating Professor Zhao's twisted, despairing face.

The smell of burning filled the air. It was the smell of death.

"Crack..."

The faint, grating sound was especially clear in the silent laboratory.

It was the sound of bones breaking. Lu Chen's fingers had crushed Professor Zhao's throat with unerring precision.

Professor Zhao's pupils dilated abruptly, as though to engrave the brutal scene of this apocalypse in them forever.

His mouth gaped open, but he could make no sound. He could only struggle in vain, feeling his life slip away bit by bit.

At last, his gaze dimmed and lost all its light. His head dropped limply, and he made no further sound.

Lu Chen stood up, pulled Professor Zhao's corpse from the wall as though discarding trash, and threw it heavily to the floor.

The muffled thud echoed through the empty laboratory, like a cold full stop marking the end of this farce.

He brushed the nonexistent dust from his hands, as though he had just done something utterly insignificant.

"Ding! Successfully copied SSS-rank talent [Gene Recombination]. Automatically elevated to SSS-rank [Gene Control]!" The system notification sounded at just the right moment. A satisfied smile curved Lu Chen's lips as he felt the power surging within him.

"Next, it's time to take out the trash..." Lu Chen whispered, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.

He turned and walked deeper into the laboratory, his figure gradually disappearing into the darkness...

Suddenly, he stopped and looked back at Professor Zhao's corpse. A meaningful smile appeared on his face. "No, perhaps this... is only the beginning."