Mr. Si
Inside the main control room, red lights flashed, and alarms wailed like the wail of a dying beast. Twisted creatures—like the product of failed genetic splicing, covered in slime and scales—crawled out of the incubators, making a harsh, scraping sound as they swarmed from all directions. Automated weapon stations, tumbling from the walls, spewed blazing energy beams, weaving into a web of death.
Shao Qing stood in the center of the chaos, a cold and twisted smile on his lips. The violent pheromones around him were like a real storm, stirring the air. Those twisted creatures seemed to be driven by it, rushing towards Si Qi and Shao Wei even more frantically.
"The key has been connected! We are trying to seize control of the database!" Ahmet's voice rang out in Siqi's headphones, accompanied by the rapid tapping of the keyboard. "But Shao Qing's authority is deeply rooted. He is locking us down! It will take time!"
"We don't have time!" Si Qi growled, ducking to avoid a ray of energy that brushed his scalp. His high-frequency knife slashed a silver arc, severing a nearby monster in two. Smelly liquid splattered all over him. These monsters weren't very powerful, but they were numerous and fearless of death, greatly hindering their progress.
Shao Wei's movements were even more concise and efficient. He didn't even use a weapon, simply raising his hand and wielding it. His fingertips lingered with an aura of extreme cold, instantly freezing any monsters they touched. The subsequent gust of wind from his palm easily shattered them into icy shards. His eyes were eerily calm, as if he were engaging in a precise cleanup operation rather than a life-or-death struggle. His newly awakened strength made him a master of his craft.
But the enemy's focus was obviously not these miscellaneous soldiers. Shao Qing moved!
He passed through the chaotic battlefield like a ghost, his target directly targeting Si Qi who was struggling with the database firewall! Wherever he passed, the air seemed to be ignited by his pheromones, carrying a sulfurous stench.
"Be careful!" Shao Weiqing shouted, and his figure flashed, blocking in front of Si Qi. He crossed his hands, and a stream of extremely condensed ice-blue energy gathered in his palms, forming a translucent shield!
"boom--!"
Shao Qing slammed his fist into the shield with a fierce, violent punch! The deafening roar spread, and the energy shockwave spread in a circular pattern, sending all the surrounding monsters and debris flying! Shao Wei's body shook violently, and fine cracks appeared on the shield, but he didn't retreat a single step, his icy blue eyes fixed on Shao Qing.
"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed across Shao Qing's eyes, but was soon replaced by even deeper greed. "It seems the effect of 'tears' is better than I thought! Your value... is even greater!"
He transformed his fists into claws, his fingertips swirling with ominous dark red energy, and fiercely grabbed at the crack in the shield! The dark red energy was highly corrosive, and the shield shattered with the sound of being overwhelmed!
At this moment, Si Qi suddenly pulled out the key plugged into the console! Almost at the same time, he flipped his wrist and pressed down hard on the inconspicuous bulge at the end of the key!
That wasn't just a key! It was the last safety measure that Lin Huang had given them, left behind by Si Nan—a hidden physical isolation trigger!
Buzz——!
An invisible pulse instantly spread from the key! The entire control room—no, the entire underground laboratory—all electronic equipment, screens, weapon stations, even the lighting system—went dark in that instant! Only a few pale green lights from the emergency power supply lit up, illuminating the chaotic battlefield like a ghostly place!
Physically disconnect the network! Completely isolate the laboratory's local system from the external network, and even from any backdoors Shao Qing might have left!
"Now! The local database is unlocked!" Ahmet's voice came with ecstasy!
In the darkness, Shao Qing's movements were momentarily frozen by the sudden darkness and system outage. He relied on system monitoring and energy weapons, and this momentary failure disrupted his rhythm.
But for Si Qi and Shao Wei, who have long been accustomed to fighting in extreme environments, this darkness is actually an opportunity!
"Left third, the connection of the spine!" Shao Wei's voice came clearly in the darkness, and his perception seemed to be more acute in the darkness.
Si Qi did not hesitate. With his absolute trust in Shao Wei's voice and the fighting instinct of a top-level Alpha, he pounced like a cheetah. The high-frequency knife, with a whistling sound that tore through the air, accurately stabbed the position under the third rib on the left rear of Shao Qing - that was a potential node in the energy circulation of those who had long relied on the "Blood of the Origin" mentioned in Lin Huang's information!
“Puff!”
The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was accompanied by Shao Qing's suppressed roar, a mixture of pain and rage!
He turned around suddenly, and dark red energy burst out from his injured part, trying to shake Si Qi away! But Si Qi retreated after one blow, without any hesitation.
Almost at the same moment Si Qi retreated, Shao Wei's attack arrived! He didn't use energy, but instead engaged in close combat, fingers, palms, elbows, knees, every part of his body transformed into a deadly weapon. His movements were smooth and flowing, with a cold grace, and each move targeted the energy nodes that Shao Qing had slightly stagnated due to his injury!
Shao Qing was shocked and furious! He was used to crushing others with absolute strength, but when had he ever suffered such a precisely targeted, dissecting blow? Furthermore, the attackers were the very people he had always considered his "work" and "defective product"!
The darkness and system failure limited his advantages, and the wordless, almost telepathic cooperation between Si Qi and Shao Wei made him even more restricted!
"You're...looking for death!" Shao Qing was completely enraged, no longer concerned with samples or purification. The chaotic power of his "Original Blood" erupted completely! Dark red energy gushed out of him like magma, enveloping him completely, emitting suffocating heat and a frenzied aura!
He abandoned all skill, crushing the enemy with pure force! With one blow, the resulting gust of wind tore apart several approaching monsters! The entire control room shook violently under his force, and dust and debris began to fall from the ceiling!
"Data download is seventy percent complete! The laboratory structure is collapsing! We must evacuate!" Ahmet shouted anxiously.
"Red Falcon! Help!" Si Qi yelled into the communicator, and together with Shao Wei, they struggled to dodge and block Shao Qing's violent attacks. The sheer power gap was too great, and they could only maneuver, not confront him head-on.
"Got it! We're calculating the best blasting point! Retreat to the western passage! It's closest to the surface!" The Red Falcon's voice came along with the roar of the spacecraft's engine.
"Let's go!" Si Qi shouted to Shao Wei.
In tacit coordination, the two men simultaneously charged towards the west exit of the control room. Shao Wei pressed his hands together, and an extremely cold energy cleared a frost-covered path ahead, temporarily delaying the monsters' pursuit. Si Qi, on the other hand, covered the rear, fending off Shao Qing's torrential long-range energy bombardment.
"Want to run?!" Shao Qing roared, and a huge dark red energy ball condensed in his hand. With the aura of destroying everything, it slammed towards the exit!
If this blow hits, the entire passage will collapse!
At the critical moment, Shao Wei turned around abruptly, concentrating all his strength on one point. The ice-blue light gathered in front of him to form a thick, rotating ice crystal shield. On the shield, a soft light pattern similar to that on the "Thread of Life" faintly emerged!
“BOOM——!!!”
The dark red energy ball collided fiercely with the ice crystal shield! The dazzling light instantly swallowed everything! The huge explosion almost deafened everyone's ears!
The energy storm swept through the entire control room, and the remaining instruments and equipment were reduced to dust in the shock wave!
When the light and smoke dissipated slightly, Shao Wei was seen kneeling on one knee, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. The ice crystal shield in front of him was covered with cracks, but it was not completely shattered after all! He blocked this fatal blow!
Si Qi took the opportunity to pull Shao Wei and rushed into the west passage!
"Chase!" Shao Qing wiped the black blood from the corner of his mouth due to the backlash of power. The madness in his eyes almost overflowed. He was like a wild beast out of control, crashing through the ruins blocking his way and chasing relentlessly!
The passage was in shambles, with rocks and metal structures constantly falling from overhead. Si Qi and Shao Wei ran recklessly, Shao Qing's ferocious aura approaching like a maggot on their tarsal bones.
"Fifty meters ahead, turn left! Kestrel has already blasted the exit!" Ahmet pointed the way.
Fifty meters! Thirty meters! Ten meters!
The light of the exit is right in front of us!
Suddenly, the entire passageway shook violently! A load-bearing wall on the side finally collapsed under the repeated impact! A huge concrete block crashed down like a landslide, instantly blocking most of the passageway and temporarily isolating Shao Qing, who was pursuing him!
But Si Qi and Shao Wei were also hit by several smaller pieces of gravel, and they groaned and slowed down.
"Hurry!" Si Qi gritted his teeth and dragged the staggering Shao Wei towards the gap that was only wide enough for one person to pass through!
Just when Si Qi was about to get out of the gap, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye that in the smoke and dust temporarily blocked by the huge rock behind him, Shao Qing's eyes full of endless resentment and madness were staring at him!
And the last dark red energy core condensed in Shao Qing's hand, although its size has shrunk, its energy is more condensed!
He didn't smash into the passage, but... slammed his own chest!
"Use my blood... to burn the remaining body... and die together!" Shao Qing let out a hoarse and desperate roar!
He wanted to use himself as the final bomb to detonate all the chaotic "Original Blood" in his body, and completely wipe out this area, along with Si Qi and Shao Wei, from the world!
"Not good!" Si Qi's pupils suddenly shrank, and a deadly sense of crisis instantly seized him! He suddenly pushed Shao Wei in front of him out!
Almost at the same time, a soul-shaking, terrifying energy fluctuation like the collapse of a star came from behind!
Darkness, destruction, and Shao Qing's final crazy and liberated look swallowed up Si Qi's entire vision.
“Siqi——!!!”
Shao Wei was pushed out of the passage and fell onto the grass outside. The last thing he saw when he turned around was Si Qi being completely engulfed by the sudden, all-consuming dark red light! The entrance to the passage collapsed and annihilated like a sand castle under the impact of the terrifying energy!
The shock wave of the explosion blew Shao Wei away and he fell heavily to the ground.
The world, before his eyes, instantly lost all color and sound.
All that was left was the dark red that kept expanding and dyed everything in despair.
And the boundless, cold emptiness after the heart was instantly hollowed out.
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