Duan Jingfu opened the electronic map, and the location of the laboratory in Area A was replaced by a blood-red flammable and explosive sign.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, while an electronic female voice continued to broadcast the message repeatedly, "All faculty, staff, and students are requested to immediately evacuate the laboratory to an open, safe area..."
Duan Jingfu gritted his teeth, took the protective mask and put it on his face, and strode towards the deeper A area!
When the alarm went off, Ruan Chen was operating the equipment in the laboratory.
The bright incandescent light suddenly dimmed, and Ruan Chen heard a clear "snap" sound, as if someone had forcefully pulled down a switch. Then, the red alarm light for a dangerous gas leak filled her vision.
Ruan Chen ripped off her gas mask, and the pungent smell filled her nostrils. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a hunched human figure fleeing from the outer room of the laboratory.
She chased after it, and as she passed the alarm, she grabbed a safety hammer and smashed the glass, then slammed the emergency evacuation button.
She couldn't immediately determine what gas was leaking, so she could only evacuate everyone.
The hunched figure fled along the long corridor, and Ruan Chen chased after it without a second thought.
She suspected that it wasn't Ruan Zhengde's people, but rather Ruan Yunhan who was up to some trouble again.
The probability is higher for Ruan Zhengde.
The hunched-over person seemed to have some kind of disability, running with a limp. Moreover, upon seeing Ruan Chen, he dared to chase after him alone. After running a short distance, he stopped and turned to face Ruan Chen.
Ruan Chen then got a clear look at the person.
His face was covered in pockmarks, his arms were of different lengths, and one leg was turned outward at an angle that no normal person could do. He grinned menacingly at Ruan Chen.
"That coward Duan Jingfu actually has a student as bold as you—you're not even afraid of seeing me like this?" The terrifying-looking man laughed hoarsely, his voice like fingernails scratching a blackboard, sending chills down one's spine.
Ruan Chen looked at him quietly.
His eyes held a scrutinizing and probing look, but there was no fear in them.
Because of his disability, the man crawled toward Ruan Chen using both his hands and feet, and his movements were surprisingly swift.
Ruan Chen noticed this when she was chasing after him: although this person had a severe disability, his limbs seemed to be more flexible than those of an ordinary person.
"Is it chemical poisoning? Or a viral infection?" she asked calmly.
"You should ask your good teacher about this problem. He's the one who turned me into this grotesque mess!" The man's already pockmarked face contorted into a grimace. He raised his neck and roared in pain before flashing forward and charging towards Ruan Chen!
His movements were eerily fast, his fingernails long and sharp, like the claws of some kind of bird, as he reached straight for Ruan Chen's neck!
Ruan Chen was unarmed. She didn't know why the man had become like this, so she didn't dare to make physical contact with him and could only passively dodge.
The man seemed tireless, his deformed legs arching like those of an ancient creature, his attacks growing faster with each thrust.
Ruan Chen knew that if this dragged on, she wouldn't get any rescue and would probably be worn down to death by the man.
She had probably already guessed that the strange man's target for revenge was Duan Jingfu. He attributed his current physical condition to his teacher—but Duan Jingfu's identity was special, and his laboratory was difficult for ordinary people to access, so the man changed his target to himself.
Ruan Chen stealthily dodged towards the area where the Ten Divine Swords were stored—she knew that anyone without authorization who accidentally entered that space would be destroyed by weapons hidden in the shadows.
"You told me to ask my teacher, but now you don't even intend to let me live. How am I supposed to ask?"
Ruan Chen tried to distract the man. She didn't know how much he knew about the Martial Arts Research Institute, but she couldn't rule out the possibility that he also knew that the area of the Ten Divine Swords was off-limits to unauthorized personnel.
The man stood firmly against the wall in a posture that no human could do, then crashed into Ruan Chen like a cannonball, his sharp fingertips snatching a strand of her hair.
It hurts so much.
This was the first time he had inflicted real harm on Ruan Chen. Although there was no blood, the man laughed in a hoarse voice, excited and triumphant.
"It's alright. Once I send your teacher down too, you can ask him yourself what he did to me back in Crescent Bay!"
Ruan Chen had never even heard of Crescent Bay.
“What if I don’t see him down there?” Ruan Chen said seriously, ducking to avoid the man’s claw, a piece of her clothes being torn off her shoulder. “Why don’t you just tell me now, so I don’t die without knowing why?”
"Duan Jingfu is a ruthless, insane research maniac! In order to perfect his Level 8 mimicry weapon, he actually wanted to use..."
Ruan Chen listened intently, unaware that the room behind him was where the Ten Famous Swords were kept.
The wind howled, and Ruan Chen instinctively turned her head to dodge!
The moment the glass shattered, the man clearly heard the sound of a weapon operating hidden in the shadows!
He had lived here for almost ten years. He had just been blinded by anger and the joy of his impending revenge. Now that he saw where he was, he frantically twisted his body in mid-air to escape the room, but it was too late!
In the instant he was pierced by the laser, he reached out and grabbed Ruan Chen, who was trying to escape, and used the momentum to forcefully pull her into the room as well!
"Come die with me!"
No matter how agile Ruan Chen was, she was still light in weight. When the man picked her up and threw her into the room, her back slammed heavily against a glass door, and she fell to the ground.
Ruan Chen was in excruciating pain all over her body, and her throat tasted sweet and metallic. When she looked up, she saw more than a dozen dark gun barrels emerging from the wall, coldly aimed at her!
A crimson light gathered at the center of the gun muzzle, and death enveloped Ruan Chen. Despite the immense fear, she calmed down.
Blood slid down Ruan Chen's forehead, and she closed her eyes in concentration.
This is where the Ten Divine Swords are kept. As long as she can connect to the spiritual network of any one of them, she can find a way to survive!
She searched through the void, her back soaked with a mixture of cold sweat and blood, yet she could not sense a single spiritual fluctuation from the Ten Famous Swordsmen.
Just as the laser was about to strike Ruan Chen, a giant mechanical hand appeared out of nowhere, shattering the thick glass behind her and firmly blocking her way.
With a gentle cup in his palm, he completely enveloped Ruan Chen. A crimson beam of light shot onto the mechanical hand, causing a slight, steady ripple on its surface, and the attack vanished without a trace.
She heard a soft sigh from the void, "Ruan Chen, why are you here now?"
It's a neutral female voice with a deep and cool tone.
A strange sense of familiarity welled up inside her. Ruan Chen gently touched the palm of the mechanical hand with her fingertips and asked in a daze, "Are you... Chi Xiao?"
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