CHAPTER 793: CHAPTER 414: MYSTERIOUS EXPERT

The darkness envelops the entire area, and the emergency lights have long been extinguished.

Only the piercing sound of alarms comes faintly through the thick alloy walls.

This is the biochemical lab hidden within the 87th floor of the Noah Building.

Yet now, it has become a slaughterhouse.

The ultra-clean workstations have been violently overturned; some precise equipment and instruments have either dented casings or broken screens.

Numerous shards of petri dishes and test tubes, mingled with twisted metal stands, litter the ground.

The air is thick with the rich smell of blood, a pungent ozone scent, and a strange, cloying sweetness of burnt protein.

A few bodies in guard uniforms lie in pools of blood.

Their expressions are hideous; their bodies unnaturally twisted, as if they had been attacked by beasts before death.

Shh shh shh...

A faint scratching sound echoes on the metal floor, especially clear in the darkness.

A shadow, snake-like, slithers across the ground, slowly emerging from behind a tipped-over instrument.

No, that is not a snake.

It is a dark red tentacle.

Its surface is covered with mucus and fine barbs, with a suction-cup-like mouth at the tip that constantly opens and closes.

It slithers to a dead guard’s side, its tip suddenly plunging into the chest cavity.

The body quickly shrivels at a visibly rapid pace.

As if all the essence of blood and flesh were consumed by this thing within mere seconds.

Soon, a second and third similar tentacle emerge from different corners, greedily joining in on the feast of death.

They are all directed toward the deeper darkness of the lab.

There is a passage, with an ominous red glow flickering within.

Like an entrance to Hell, yet it exudes some deadly allure.

As one follows the light source, the scenery grows increasingly bizarre.

The walls, ceiling, and floor here are all covered with layers of flesh-like tissue.

Burned cables entwine with sinews, and occasional sparks from short circuits illuminate the surroundings.

Thick tumors are arranged haphazardly, slightly bulging, emitting a slick "puff, puff" sound.

Dark red mucus seeps continuously from the gaps in the tissue, dripping onto the floor.

The deeper one goes, the more intensive the flesh transformation becomes, almost filling the entire passage.

Walking within, the ground is sticky and slippery, feeling as though you are inside some giant beast’s intestine.

Overhead, the tentacles detect the scent of living beings, raising their tips and making a hissing sound akin to venomous snakes flicking their tongues.

As if threatening the visitors, yet also waiting for the chance to devour someone.

And those guards stationed on the 87th floor have not entirely vanished.

Twisted, pained human faces are embedded in the fleshy walls.

Their eyes wide open, mouths agape, frozen in the terror and horror before their deaths.

Besides these humanoid remnants, there are other bizarre biological tissues.

Like wax melted by high heat, they stick to walls, sagging down.

At the end of the passage is a completely transformed flesh nest.

Red light permeates, casting the entire space into an extraordinary eeriness.

Suspended in the center of the nest is an enormous red eyeball.

The eyeball is as large as a washbasin, covered with a moist membrane, pulsating like a heart.

Each beat causes the entirety of the nest’s flesh to contract and relax in unison.

Countless thick blood vessels, like ugly roots, cover the entire sphere.

And extend outward radially, deeply embedding into the fleshy walls, closely connected with the surroundings.

As if, it is the core and sovereign of this entire nest.

Upon sensing the visitor’s arrival, the giant pupil slightly rotates, suddenly staring forward.

At this moment, three figures are treading on the flesh-composed carpet, looking up at this bizarre creation.

They are dressed in tightly fitted black clothing, masked, exuding an inexplicable aura.

The tentacles, which were initially baring their fangs and claws, cowered and curled up into lumps, avoiding them like a plague.

Even retracting into the flesh wall to clear a path for them.

"The Deep Red Eye is severely damaged, losing too much energy..."

One of the tall, black-clad individuals begins to speak.

His voice is deep and strong, carrying an air of authority, evidently a middle-aged man.

He stares unwaveringly at the eyeball, as if evaluating a precious artifact.

"Uncle, did we come too late?"

Another person next to him speaks, sounding quite young, with a barely concealed hint of disappointment.

"It’s fine."

The middle-aged man shakes his head, his tone calm:

"As long as the basic structure is intact, it can recover slowly over time."

"How long will that take?"

The young man seems a bit anxious, muttering softly, "I knew we should have just barged in earlier and tried."

"After the Inner World takes shape, the entrance becomes elusive and hard to find."

The middle-aged man responds upon hearing this, then explains

"Moreover, judging by past experiences, recklessly rushing into an unknown space is too impulsive; the mission might go unfinished, and you might easily get trapped."

"It’s all that Ma Biao’s fault, he really is as dumb as can be!"

Though agreeing with the middle-aged man, the young man cannot help but complain:

"Claiming that the Noah Organization was holding a meeting to destroy the ’Tree of Life’ project data, but it was all just a ruse."

"The information being inaccurate is one thing, but exposing one’s identity is another."

"Luckily, we still have other eyes watching here and detected the anomaly, otherwise everything would have gone to waste."

"Hehe, this might actually be a good thing."

The middle-aged man laughed instead:

"Now that the East Capital Branch is heavily damaged, all surveillance in the experimental area has failed. It’s a perfect chance for us to act without taking any blame."

The two appeared to have an uncle-nephew relationship, whispering to each other.

The shorter and slimmer man in black next to them suddenly had a mesmerized look in his eyes, making a gulping sound in his throat.

Then, as if pulled by invisible threads, he began to walk step by step toward the red eye, slowly reaching out his hand.

"Xiao Ming!"

The middle-aged man noticed just in time and yelled angrily.

This voice exploded like thunder, instantly waking the short and slim man named Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming awoke as if from a dream, only to be horrified to find that his right index and middle fingers were undergoing a terrifying transformation.

The fingertips seemed to be splashed with strong acid, sizzling and smoking.

Under the skin, blood-red tumors quickly swelled and spread around.

He let out a scream of terror, quickly withdrawing his hand.

The middle-aged man stepped forward and raised his hand.

Pointing his palm at Xiao Ming’s fingers, the air suddenly collapsed, forming a visible micro-energy vortex.

Strands of crimson mist were forcibly drawn out of Xiao Ming’s fingers, quickly sucked into the vortex and disappeared.

The tumors on Xiao Ming’s two fingers subsided rapidly, leaving the fingers shriveled and charred, like twigs scorched by fire.

It looked unsightly, but at least his life was saved.

"Second Master, I’m guilty! I shouldn’t have let this evil thing cloud my mind."

Xiao Ming fearfully knelt to the ground, cold sweat soaking through his back.

"This thing is very strange; its strength can bypass the body and directly erode you from the spiritual level, causing you to mutate."

The middle-aged man said solemnly:

"Without S-Class strength, or with the slightest wavering of will, even a glance could cause mental disarray."

"If it weren’t for our Xiao Family’s unique bloodline abilities, you would be like those guards, turned into deformed monsters, becoming a part of it."

Hearing this, Xiao Ming glanced at the walls around, distorted faces everywhere, feeling the ground slippery underfoot, his stomach churning.

"The Deep Red Eye is indeed destined with the Xiao Family!"

The young man, however, wasn’t terrified but thrilled, his eyes filled with excitement:

"If we obtain this treasure, in a few more years, I might also advance to S-Class."

The middle-aged man smiled faintly and then said gravely:

"Let’s act. Once the Noah Organization regains its senses, we won’t have the chance. Moreover..."

He listened intently, the sound of sirens from outside the building growing increasingly close.

"The Special Search Team will likely arrive soon."

"Mm."

The young man rubbed his hands impatiently.

"Yes, Second Master!"

The short and slim Xiao Ming immediately perked up and got up from the ground.

The three quickly dispersed, each standing in a position, surrounding the Deep Red Eye at the center.

They simultaneously raised their hands, fingers flying, forming complex and mysterious seals, chanting under their breath.

The arcane spell echoed within the flesh and blood nest.

The surrounding air seemed to become thicker, beginning to hum and buzz.

The entire bloody space rippled visibly in layers.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Three thin beams of white light shot out from the foreheads of the middle-aged man, the young man, and Xiao Ming.

Like three pliable spider threads, they connected the three individuals.

Then, in the air, they converged above the Deep Red Eye, linking together to form a mystical triangular rune.

They seemed to be preparing to activate an Array or summon something

A few seconds later, the space there began to tear, bursting forth with a blinding white light.

Seeing this, the three quickened their sealing gestures.

The middle-aged man appeared calm and unperturbed.

The young man and Xiao Ming, however, were already drenched in sweat, clearly maintaining this Array was consuming for them.

Soon, a space rift emitting white light floated quietly in midair like a door.

Halos rippled lightly like water waves, with a faint buzzing energy sound coming from within.

The young man and Xiao Ming, upon seeing this, simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

The middle-aged man released his seals, just about to step forward to personally retrieve the massive eyeball.

Just then, a sound of footsteps came from the entrance of the passage.

The three immediately turned their heads to look.

They saw a figure stumbling in.

The newcomer’s suit was already in tatters, hair disheveled, face covered in dirty blood and dust.

Looking as disheveled as a beggar just emerging from a trash heap.

Seeing this uninvited guest, the middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, carefully scrutinizing before speaking in surprise:

"Minister Luo?"

Luo Lie was slightly stunned, looking warily at the three strangly dressed men in front of him:

"Who are you? How do you know me?"