Volume 1, Chapter 36: The Kill

Three hours later, Chen Fan arrived at a point 1,200 meters from Laboratory 1283. Standing in the shadow of an ancient tree, he observed the barren mountain peak through his sniper scope.

For the sake of safety, he dared not get too close to the laboratory. After all, the woman known as Ling Lan had warned him that the facility was extremely dangerous; to approach it was to court certain death. He had no choice but to believe her.

A moment later, he made a discovery. At the foot of the mountain, a section of the rock wall appeared remarkably smooth and refined, and on the ground in front of it were footprints left by humans. Clearly, this was the entrance to the laboratory.

ROAR!

Just then, a heaven-shaking beastly roar erupted from the distant forest. A terrifying monster emerged, lumbering toward the foot of the mountain before coming to a stop.

Chen Fan’s scalp tingled. The creature resembled a wild boar, but it was massive—weighing at least six or seven hundred tons. It was impossibly large, pitch black in color, and its hide was covered in a multitude of brownish tumors. These growths were remarkably similar to the deformed tumors of the Devouring Demon!

Layer upon layer, these brown tumors writhed violently, as if in a frenzy of excitement, secreting a vast amount of thick, yellow fluid. The secretion was so profuse that it flowed like a yellow waterfall, inundating the ground beneath the beast. The liquid was corrosive; as it touched the earth, the soil and stone sizzled and melted away rapidly.

After casting a glance at the tumors, Chen Fan lowered his sniper rifle and retreated a few steps. "This monster must also be an experimental specimen of the Black Rock Organization. Why did it appear so suddenly? Is it acting like a guard dog?"

He finally understood why Ling Lan had placed the red, deformed tumors of the Devouring Demon into the body of that Emperor Crocodile; her goal must have been to create a terrifying monster just like this one. The creature exerted an immense sense of pressure on him. His intuition told him that its overall strength far exceeded that of the giant leech he had encountered before.

He had to leave immediately. If he were discovered, he would surely die. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and fled rapidly toward the distance. It was better to live to fight another day; once he promoted to a Level 1 Executor, he could return to investigate this place. He knew all too well that curiosity kills the cat.

RUMBLE!

It felt as though an earthquake were sweeping through the area; the ground shook violently, making it difficult to stand. Chen Fan was shocked. He looked back and was nearly frightened out of his wits—the boar-like monstrosity had spotted him and was charging in his direction, accompanied by deafening roars. Each step it took caused the ground to tremble.

He had thought he was far enough away, but he had been discovered nonetheless. The danger level of this laboratory far exceeded his estimates. He pushed his speed to the limit, sprinting forward.

Fifteen minutes later, just as he was about to be overtaken, a cave appeared in his line of sight. He did not hesitate, diving into the cave and racing toward its depths. He was incredibly tense, his heart hammering against his ribs, his body rigid.

Five hundred meters inside, he looked back and finally relaxed slightly. The giant monster stood at the cave entrance, crouching low, its single red eye—the size of a table—staring fixedly at him. It was blocked by the mountain itself.

ROAR!

It let out a roar that shook the wilderness, spewing a mass of pus and viscous blood from its giant maw. The spray splattered against the cave entrance, and with a hissing sound, the solid rock walls began to melt into yellow sludge. Chen Fan felt a jolt of alarm and retreated another step. It was clear that this laboratory was far from simple; it held great secrets.

Chen Fan braced his right hand against his knee, bowing his head to gasp for air, sweat streaming down his forehead. He was lucky this cave had appeared, or he would be a dead man.

"Are all the monsters created by the Black Rock Organization this loyal?" he wondered, recalling the creature he had seen in the iron cage, a sense of awe washing over him.

***

He had no desire to tangle with the beast, so he turned and headed deeper into the cave. Based on his experience, there had to be another exit. Sure enough, two days later, a light appeared ahead. He strode toward it.

Stepping out of the cave, the blinding sunlight forced him to shield his eyes; the glare caused him sharp pain, and he couldn't open them for a moment. In the distance, the sound of metal clashing rang out.

Once his eyes adjusted, he moved his hand and slowly opened them. His vision cleared. He was standing on a grassy hill. Below the hill, on a slope, two groups of people were locked in battle. Three members of the Fifth Base were surrounding and attacking a single person from the Ninth Base. Their identities were clear from the insignias on their uniforms.

The person from the Ninth Base was a woman under thirty, with short hair, fair skin, and a graceful figure. She was clearly losing the fight. Chen Fan did not intervene immediately, instead sitting on a nearby rock to observe quietly.

In the fray, Li Qian’s eyes were cold as she gripped her long blade, fighting the three men. She was filled with fury; the three opponents were not trying to capture her quickly, but were instead toying with her. Under their harassment, her clothes had been slashed in several places by their blades. Through the gaps, her fair skin was clearly visible. The three men let out sinister laughs, their eyes fixed on the tears in her clothing, occasionally licking their lips. Their intentions were obvious.

"You dared to lurk in the shadows and spy on our Fifth Base. What exactly is your purpose?" asked a fair-skinned, long-haired man. He was the leader of the three-man squad, and his mission was to capture her and take her back to the Fifth Base.

Li Qian retreated a dozen meters to put some distance between them. "You should know exactly what my purpose is," she said, looking at the leader. "There are remnants of the Black Rock Organization within your base. Don't tell me you are one of them?"

The leader’s brow furrowed, his expression unreadable. This was a core secret of the Fifth Base; how did someone from the Ninth Base know about it? This was no time for questions. Since she knew the secret, she could not be allowed to leave alive.

"Kill her. Now!" he ordered his teammates, his gaze stern.

"Boss, is it really necessary to make such a fuss? She can't possibly escape. She's going to die anyway, so why not let us have some fun first?" asked a short, sturdy man, clearly unwilling to let such a rare opportunity slip by. Another man, whose appearance was striking—notable for having double pupils in his left eye—pouted and muttered a silent curse to express his dissatisfaction.

The leader, losing patience, snapped, "Twenty minutes. Get it done!"

"Haha, understood!" The short man turned to Li Qian, his eyes glowing with greed. "Just surrender. Otherwise, I’ll show you what it means to wish for death!" He lunged toward her.

"Why are you stealing my lines? How boring!" The man with double pupils grumbled, following after him with a cold smirk, already envisioning a dozen ways to torment her.

Despair flickered in Li Qian’s eyes. She knew she wouldn't make it back to the Ninth Base. Regret washed over her—she shouldn't have taken this reconnaissance mission. Her thoughts turned to her boyfriend back at the base. If she were truly captured, she would not let them succeed; she would choose to end her own life.

BANG!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. Two bullets tore through the air.

CRACK!

The armor-piercing sniper rounds were incredibly powerful, blowing the heads of the two men clean off. They collapsed into headless corpses, fountains of crimson blood spraying from their necks, bringing a splash of color to the gray world. The two remained standing for a moment, unaware they were dead, before toppling toward Li Qian.

***

Li Qian’s eyes went wide. She had never seen such a violent and bloody scene. Terrified, she stumbled backward and landed hard on the ground. The impact tore her pants further, revealing her smooth white thighs. She looked as though she were the one who had been shot.

"Who’s there?" the leader asked, panicked, scanning his surroundings.

As Li Qian sat in a daze, Chen Fan slid down the hillside, sniper rifle in hand, and strode toward them.

"Who are you? How dare you interfere with the affairs of the Fifth Base?" The leader stared at Chen Fan, instinctively stepping back. His expression turned grim when he saw the rifle.

Chen Fan said nothing. He leveled the rifle at the man’s head and asked, "Tell me, how many remnants of the Black Rock Organization are in your Fifth Base? Do they have some other ulterior motive?"

The leader gritted his teeth, knowing the mission was a failure. A cold light appeared in his eyes as he looked at Chen Fan. "You will never know! The Black Rock Organization is not something a person like you can afford to offend!" He gripped his long blade and charged at Chen Fan, attempting to decapitate him.

Chen Fan remained expressionless. When the blade was half a meter away, he pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The man’s head exploded, and his headless body collapsed after stumbling forward three steps. Chen Fan stepped back quickly to avoid the spray of foul-smelling blood.

"Thank you," Li Qian finally snapped out of her shock. She stood up and bowed to Chen Fan, instinctively covering her torn pants to hide her modesty.

Chen Fan nodded. "Did you gather any valuable information?"

She looked around before answering in a serious tone, "According to our base supervisor, Yang Yu, the remnants of the Black Rock Organization are conducting mysterious experiments within the Fifth Base. As for the specifics, we don't know yet." She knew Chen Fan was her savior and dared not hold anything back. She bowed her head, looking frustrated. "If only I had been more careful. If they hadn't discovered me, I might have found out more."

"Mysterious experiments..." Chen Fan mused. What were they up to? He thought of the terrifying Devouring Demon and the longevity serum.

Li Qian looked up at him. "If you want more information, you can come back to the Ninth Base with me. Supervisor Yang Yu has already gathered many leads."

"I think I'll pass," Chen Fan replied with a faint smile. He lacked the confidence to defeat Yang Yu for now. He would wait until he reached the rank of Level 1 Executor.

"I see," she said, hesitating before asking, "Would you be willing to join the Ninth Base? I can be your sponsor!" She looked at him with longing. Someone as well-equipped as Chen Fan was exactly the kind of talent they needed. If he joined, she would receive a significant reward. Although the Ninth Base was large, with over a thousand people, those who possessed sniper rifles numbered fewer than 150; most survivors were equipped with primitive melee weapons.

"Maybe another time," Chen Fan declined again, his eyes scanning her body.

Li Qian turned shy under his gaze, crossing her legs and blushing. Assuming he had dark intentions, she said quickly, "I already have a boyfriend! He’s the captain of the hunting team at the Ninth Base!"

Chen Fan rolled his eyes. "You've got it all wrong. I was just going to ask if you needed some clothes." His system backpack was full of clothes, though they were all for men.

"Oh... thank you, that would be great." She blushed, nodding vigorously.

After handing her some clothes, Chen Fan turned his back. "Don't turn around!" she warned, though her tone sounded strangely inviting.

"I'll even close my eyes, happy now?" Chen Fan sighed helplessly.

She finally relaxed and began to change. Chen Fan could hear the rustle of fabric against her skin and caught the faint, warm scent of a woman. It was intoxicating.

"Okay, I'm done!" she said a moment later.

Chen Fan opened his eyes to see Li Qian standing before him in loose men's clothing, staring straight at him.

"Do you need Alien Demon Stones? I know where to find some. If the mission failed, so be it, but if we succeed, will you give me a share?" she asked, looking at him with anticipation.

Chen Fan scanned the horizon; seeing no golden-red dots representing system prompts, he nodded. "Fine. If we find any, we'll split it 60-40. I get sixty, you get forty. Deal?"

"Deal." She looked down at the rifle in his hands, her eyes filled with greed. For years, her greatest dream had been to own a sniper rifle, but it had proven impossible to achieve.

"Let's go." She gripped her blade and turned to lead the way. Chen Fan followed closely behind, his eyes scanning the surroundings, ready for battle at any moment.