A Madman Storms the Black Prison

The night was like a massive piece of black jade, shrouding the entire ruin in profound darkness.

The stench of decay mingled with the smell of rusted metal, like an invisible hand gripping your throat.

Lu Chen walked at the front, with Linda and A Kai close behind.

They stopped before a rust-covered iron door. This was the outskirts of the research base, and the door was a barrier dividing hope from despair.

"I'll do it." Lu Chen's voice was quiet, but carried an unmistakable firmness.

He reached out and touched the rust-covered iron door.

The instant his fingertips met the cold iron, countless details of the Mechanical Structure flooded his mind.

They revealed the intricate construction inside the lock cylinder, evidence of countless components meshing with precision.

Infinite Replication talent, activate!

The Mechanical Structure talent, originally only F-rank, made an instantaneous leap from quantitative accumulation to qualitative transformation with overwhelming force.

SSS-rank!

The corners of Lu Chen's mouth curved slightly.

To others, this iron door was indestructible. To him, it was nothing more than a pile of parts he could take apart at will.

He didn't even use a tool. Relying solely on his absolute mastery of mechanical structures, he deftly moved his fingers.

Click, click.

The faint sounds of components coming loose were especially clear in the silence of the night.

In just a few breaths, the entire iron door fell into a pile of scattered parts, as if by magic.

"This was once humanity's last hope, and one of its greatest research strongholds." Linda's voice was low, with a barely perceptible tremble.

She looked up at the dark entrance ahead, where countless unknown dangers seemed to lurk.

"But now... it's just a cage," Linda added. Her eyes were full of complicated emotions: fear, anger, and a trace of deep helplessness.

Lu Chen said nothing. He merely gave her a brief glance, then led the way into the base.

The three slipped silently down a narrow passage to the first underground level.

The sight before them made both Linda and A Kai gasp.

Dozens of transparent cells stood in neat rows on either side of the passage.

A survivor was imprisoned in each cell.

They were men and women, young and old, but they all had one thing in common-despair was written all over their faces.

Some survivors were wrapped in green vines that bound their bodies tightly, leaving them unable to move.

Weak flames burned in the palms of other survivors, flickering as if they might go out at any moment.

"These... are all awakened?" A Kai's voice trembled slightly. He couldn't believe that people with talents had become prisoners.

"They're all geniuses, but they shouldn't have been reduced to test subjects." Lu Chen's voice was cold, carrying a chilling killing intent.

He walked straight toward the nearest cell.

A young man was imprisoned inside, his face filled with fear and his eyes vacant and despairing.

Lu Chen pressed his palm against the cold glass.

Infinite Replication talent, activate again!

E-rank Plant Manipulation talent successfully replicated!

Immediately afterward, the E-rank talent began evolving wildly at an incredible speed.

D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, S-rank, SS-rank...

Finally, it stopped at the peak of SSS-rank!

Lu Chen felt a powerful vitality surging within him.

It was as if he could hear the plants breathing and feel their joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

"Lu Chen, watch out!"

Suddenly, Linda grabbed Lu Chen's arm.

"Someone's coming!"

Before she had finished speaking, a figure in black flashed into view at the end of the corridor.

He was a tall man in a black uniform, with a cold, arrogant smile on his face.

"Intruders?" The man's voice was deep and low, carrying a chilling sense of pressure.

"You think you can take anyone from me?"

He slowly spread his hands.

Countless invisible threads seemed to appear in the air, weaving together into a massive net that instantly covered the entire area.

Linda and A Kai's faces turned pale at once.

They felt as though their bodies had been bound by an invisible force, leaving them unable to move.

"B-rank Restraint talent?" Linda's voice trembled slightly.

This talent used mental power to control energy in the air, forming an invisible net of restraint that trapped its targets securely.

"Heh, at least you have some discernment." Hei Yao sneered, his "But so what if you know my talent? Right now, you're nothing but fish on a chopping block, waiting for me to cut you down."

Lu Chen, however, merely smiled.

"You're right. They really aren't yours to let go."

He raised a hand slightly.

B-rank Restraint talent successfully replicated!

SSS-rank Restraint talent, activate!

A control field countless times more powerful than Hei Yao's instantly enveloped the entire area.

At that moment, the invisible threads binding Linda and A Kai collapsed completely.

Not only that, but the more powerful control field turned back on Hei Yao and locked him firmly in place.

Hei Yao's face went pale in an instant.

He felt as though his mental power had been suppressed by an invisible force, leaving him completely unable to move.

"Th-this... how is this possible?" Hei Yao's

He couldn't believe someone had so easily broken his net of restraint and even turned the tables to control him.

"You forgot who I am," Lu Chen said calmly.

He took a step forward, his figure instantly becoming an afterimage.

SSS-rank Lightspeed Assault talent, activate!

He was impossibly fast, exceeding even the limits of what the naked human eye could perceive.

Before Hei Yao's horrified eyes, Lu Chen appeared in front of him like a ghost.

He reached out and gave a gentle wave.

The net of restraint formed from invisible threads was instantly torn apart.

"You..." Hei Yao's face was full of disbelief, and he was just about to say something.

The corners of Lu Chen's mouth curved coldly.

"Now, it's my turn..."

Hei Yao's pupils contracted sharply. Like a beast driven into a corner, he let out a desperate roar.

He desperately marshaled the mental power remaining in his body, trying to rebuild the net of restraint, only to discover that the invisible threads were as fragile as willow fluff in the wind before Lu Chen's absolute power, unable to withstand a single blow.

"FXXk you!" Hei Yao roared, swinging his fists in a final attempt to resist.

Lu Chen, however, couldn't even be bothered to dodge.

He simply raised a hand with an effortless motion, and a sphere of light formed from pure energy appeared in his palm.

Arcs of electricity danced across its surface, giving off a faint, heart-pounding crackle, as if it contained the power to destroy heaven and earth.

"I'll send you on your way." A cruel smile curved Lu Chen's lips as he waved his hand.

The energy sphere shot out like an arrow and struck Hei Yao in an instant.

There was no earth-shaking explosion, only a dull thud.

Hei Yao's body flew backward like a ragged sack and slammed hard into the corner.

Spiderweb-like cracks instantly spread across the wall.

He struggled to raise his head and looked at Lu Chen, who was slowly closing in. He could feel the energy draining rapidly from his body, like a punctured balloon gradually deflating.

"How could you possibly... have so many SSS-rank talents?

!" he asked hoarsely, using the last of his strength.

Lu Chen stopped and looked down at him, his gaze cold and indifferent, as if he were looking at an insignificant ant.

"Because-I'm not human. I'm the rules themselves."

He waved his hand, and an invisible energy fluctuation instantly spread out.

The cell doors opened in response.

The survivors, once despairing, poured out like birds freed from captivity.

Linda and A Kai also broke free of their restraints and stood behind Lu Chen, watching Hei Yao warily.

Three SSS-rank powers converged like three towering mountains, giving off a suffocating pressure.

Hei Yao fell into utter despair.

He slumped to the ground like a fish out of water, his mouth wide open as he breathed in vain.

He knew he had completely lost the ability to resist.

Lu Chen didn't spare him another glance.

He turned and walked deeper into the base, leaving Hei Yao where he lay, his fate unknown.

"Let's go. The real show has only just begun."

After taking two steps, he stopped and spoke without looking back.

"Hei Yao will still be useful."