22. Morning / Seventh Basement Level (Please continue reading~)

Morning.

"Marn and Ning Changkong are both scheduled for the afternoon," the young doctor said to his deputy, Liu Yujun. "Go find some security guards and have them wait outside the door on the third floor."

Liu Yujun nodded. "I understand. Patients from the general ward often come and go on the third floor."

The doctor nodded with a smile. "Exactly. We must ensure those patients are well protected."

As it turned out, his judgment was correct; Marn had indeed been bluffing. He hadn't arranged for the other party's discharge, and they had survived until the next day. However, Marn was no longer his primary concern.

"Remember what I told you," he said to Liu Yujun before rising and leaving the office.

The elevator ascended slowly. The young doctor stopped firmly in front of room 721 and pushed the door open.

"Hello, you lackey of the East Federation Pharmaceutical," Xu Wen said with a smile to the beautiful woman reading a book.

Li Fen turned her head and raised an eyebrow. "Doctor Xu..."

"Don't bother with the act," Xu Wen sneered. "You shouldn't underestimate my abilities. Did you think that just because you saw the files the company provided, you knew everything about us? I am different from my kin. They are merely a group of slaves, while I am the master of this vessel."

Li Fen’s face remained full of confusion. "What are you talking about? Am I hallucinating again?"

Xu Wen explained with a smile, "You think I believe you're using a visual trick, right? Yes, you used your ability to make me mistake you for this woman’s appearance, but I know full well that you are her because I can feel it. They are within you and have never left. Appearing before me is the greatest mistake you could have made. You thought you could take on Dr. Liu's form, not realizing that I had already marked her. Of course, this isn't your fault; you simply committed the same error as all other humans—hubris. You know a lot about us, so when I dealt with you, I didn't use any ability that other kin could replicate. That is why you couldn't possibly imagine when you walked into this death trap."

She had indeed used counter-surveillance measures—a mandatory course for every field agent—but she had to admit that she wasn't particularly excellent at them.

Li Fen said sternly, "You cannot harm me."

Xu Wen laughed. "Didn't Marn tell you? I don't intend to harm you. I am going to cure you. By injecting them into your body, you should be well aware of the process you are about to undergo."

She said confidently, "Our company has the power to purge you."

Xu Wen nodded with a look of pity. "You are right, but unfortunately, I have improved them. It won't take decades or even years anymore; in half a month, you will become one of my kin, and your company's treatments will be useless. Of course, they will surely come up with new methods, but you won't live to see them."

Li Fen’s expression soured. "You're lying."

He shook his head. "I will explain to you slowly how this works, though I think you know exactly who I am telling this to. Don't be afraid; it won't hurt. You have already lost."

Li Fen had not mentioned Marn. It seemed she didn't even know Marn was an ability user; otherwise, she might not have taken such a risk. This was useful information.

Li Fen said calmly, "Even if I die, the company will never spare you. I have already bypassed my headset. You can make your demands freely—tell me, what is it that you really want?"

This was a lie; she had no authority to do such a thing.

Xu Wen showed a look of contempt. "Do you think I am clinging to life? I have no need for your pity. Once I complete my experiment, the company will never have another chance to stop me. You cannot understand what I am doing. This is not a war against you, nor am I seeking power. This is a revolution. My goal is to become my own ruler."

He knew full well she couldn't understand him—at least not yet. But it wouldn't be long.

"Let's go. The guards are waiting outside." Xu Wen reached out a hand, and she knew she couldn't resist.

"Do you... really..." As she spoke, the muscles on Li Fen's body rippled rapidly. Her face shifted into an appearance Xu Wen knew all too well: his mother's. "...intend to hurt me?" The wrinkled woman looked at the young doctor with a face full of sorrow. "Little Wen."

Her tone was identical to his mother's. Before the mission, she had listened to hours of recordings of Xu Wen's mother, thanks to the company's intelligence agents.

Xu Wen shook his head helplessly. "Do you take me for that madwoman? If I called the guards in now, you would be the one having to explain. Besides, while this woman can indeed make me soften emotionally, she is not my real mother."

Xu Wen pressed his hand onto her shoulder, watching as she reverted to her original form. They stared at each other in silence.

"You are forcing my hand," she said, her voice raspy.

Xu Wen laughed. "Indeed. I have other enemies to deal with. You can come with me now and enjoy your final half-month, or turn and embrace near-eternal torment. You know far more about that place than I do. Will you choose to throw your life away for the company, or retire early?"

He looked merciful. Li Fen knew that from the moment he entered her room, her fate had been sealed. The company did have ways to cure the infection, but she wasn't qualified to receive that service. The company was invincible, but she was merely one of its employees. Even if consumed by the sanitarium, there was still a sliver of hope for escape. Otherwise, who had brought the information out from within?

"There is another enemy?" she asked. "Did Marn lie to me? Did he get the item?"

Xu Wen smiled. "You're only just realizing that now? But don't worry, he will be coming for you soon."

The muscles on her shoulder rippled beneath Xu Wen’s touch, brewing a fierce attack capable of tearing his entire forearm off.

The next moment, only one person remained in the room. She had vanished.

This information was implanted into Xu Wen’s mind, but he realized immediately that he had just eliminated the company's lackey. A victor’s smile curled at the corners of his mouth. Now, only Marn remained.

At the same time, on the seventh basement level, Li Fen opened her eyes again. She was still in her room, but Xu Wen was gone.

Silence. A deathly silence. She pushed the door open. The dark corridor appeared empty.

No, she heard it. Something was hiding in the darkness. Several deformed bodies slowly emerged. About two-thirds of these things were human as she understood them, while the rest were a grotesque fusion of monster and beast.

"Welcome to the seventh basement level," said a man only half a meter tall, his head swollen like a tumor. "Don't be afraid, for you will soon become just like us."

He licked his lips. "Before that, we are going to enjoy ourselves."

She rolled her neck, and the muscles on her body rippled again, though this time she didn't shift into anyone's form. A two-meter-three-tall monstrosity, composed entirely of dense muscle, appeared before the deformed creatures.

"No matter who comes down to keep me company, they will pay for their actions. But before that, I also want to see just how well you monsters can fight."

The muscular creature charged.