Chapter 41: The Clandestine Facility and a Twisted Path

In Tiangong City, nestled within a corner impervious to all detection instruments, lay a clandestine facility.

Within, various limbs and materials steeped in nutrient solution, as if being preserved and cultivated.

At the heart of it all, a figure, missing several limbs, hung suspended in mid-air by chains.

Yet, to call it ‘human’ would be a gross misrepresentation; it was more akin to a grotesque amalgamation, a patchwork monster stitched together from diverse biological features, possessing only a semblance of a human form.

Though its body bore the unmistakable marks of different creatures fused as one, there was not a single suture line or any other trace of stitching visible.

A woman approached the grotesque abomination, her voice surprisingly light, yet her expression was ablaze with fury, revealing a profound loathing for the sacrilege before her eyes.

In truth, she had been searching for this place for an extensive period, meticulously scouring the city and repeatedly venturing into the black market in desperate pursuit of even the faintest clue.

Ultimately, it was a student who hadn’t even graduated high school who had provided significant assistance, a fact that, truthfully, left her with a lingering sense of discontent.

However, compared to the monumental discovery she had just made, such trivial matters held no significance.

“Wait, I’ll be right… Who!?”

No sooner had she cried out than a round of applause echoed through the space.

“To have bypassed the cognitive interference barrier and located this place, I suppose it’s only to be expected of you, isn’t it… Miss Qing Lan?”

From the shadows emerged a cloaked figure, their features obscured by a hood, making it impossible to discern their gender, age, or even if they were human.

They gazed at the woman standing before the stitched monstrosity.

“You…”

“Don’t look at me like that; it’s practically making me excited, isn’t it?”

“Still as mad as ever, your damn cult.”

“We do have a name, but it seems your brain, which can’t hold much, simply won’t remember it.

Shall we help you get a new one?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

Qing Lan calmly refused their offer.

In the next instant, a sword materialized in her hand, and she lunged, thrusting it fiercely towards the cloaked figure.

The sharp, precise gleam of her blade transformed into a fine thread, piercing through everything in its path.

However, with a resounding ‘clash,’ a sword appeared in the cloaked figure’s hand as well, their blades meeting point-to-point in a striking collision.

Upon closer inspection, their sword-gripping stances were remarkably identical, as if one were a mirror image of the other.

“Charging in without a word — you truly are as impulsive as ever.”

“Do you even have the right to say such a thing?”

Qing Lan retorted furiously, simultaneously twisting the sword in her hand, generating a spiraling aura of sword qi that engulfed both the cloaked figure’s blade and their very being.

Within the vortex of spiraling sword qi, numerous slashes, sharp as cutting discs, intertwined, threatening to cleave their opponent into countless fragments.

The cloaked figure promptly raised their sword, adopting a defensive stance, but Qing Lan proved superior in skill.

After a single exchange, the cloaked figure was struck dozens of times, their body riddled with wounds, and even their cloak bore numerous gashes.

“Give up.

You should know that someone like you, who has been obsessed with researching such blasphemous creations, is no match for me, who has honed my swordsmanship specifically to defeat you.”

Qing Lan’s sword pointed directly at the face hidden beneath the cloaked figure’s hood; with but a fleeting moment, she could bring the blade down and end their life.

The cloaked figure, defeated in the duel, glanced at their shattered sword before erupting into boisterous laughter.

“Hahahaha! It seems I still can’t win against you, can I?”

“Enough of your nonsense.

Your twisted path can never stand against me.”

“Heh, then allow me to show you just what a ‘twisted path’ truly entails.”

No sooner had the words left their lips than Qing Lan sensed danger, swiftly leaping aside.

In the very next instant, a sharp, thorn-like spike impaled the spot where she had just stood.

Even the floor, crafted from specialized materials, developed fissures from the impact of that single strike.

Yet, dodging once merely invited a second assault; the moment Qing Lan landed, another thorn-like spike lunged at her, forcing her into a relentless series of evasions.

Before long, almost the entire space was filled with these thorny tendrils, leaving Qing Lan with no recourse but to meet the attack head-on.

However, this proved to be a grave miscalculation… No, it was her only available option.

The force behind the thorns surpassed even Qing Lan’s own strength; in less than a second, her block was brutally shattered, and the spike tore across her abdomen.

“Tch!”

Qing Lan swiftly channeled her full power, swinging her sword to sever the thorns.

However, the thorns had already inflicted considerable damage, and the potent venom they contained had stained the area around her wound a deep purple.

The laceration, coupled with the rapidly spreading poison within her, compelled her to drop to her knees.

As if sensing her injury, the thorns ceased their assault.

“My, my, to think you’d still maintain consciousness and even wield your sword despite being heavily poisoned.”

The cloaked figure, their wounds already healed, evaluated Qing Lan’s prowess with a tone that was both mocking and admiring.

This, naturally, earned them a furious glare from Qing Lan.

Unfazed, they continued:

“Speaking of which, you came alone, didn’t you?

That simply won’t do; don’t you usually operate in teams?

This is a violation of regulations, and frankly, it’s quite disrespectful to us…”

“Shut up!”

These words utterly enraged Qing Lan, causing her to momentarily forget her pain as she snatched up her weapon and delivered a swift slash.

Fueled by wrath and adrenaline, this strike successfully severed the thorns that stood between Qing Lan and her opponent, cleaving the cloaked figure clean in half at the waist.

However, the backlash from this exertion was considerable, causing her sword to slip from her grasp.

“Hah… it’s… done…”

“Is that so?”

Yet, the voice that echoed in the next moment sent her spirits plummeting to rock bottom.

Before her eyes, tentacles emerged from the severed halves of the cloaked figure, rejoining their bisected body.

Even the cloak restored itself to its original state.

“You’re…”

Witnessing such a sight, Qing Lan couldn’t help but question everything she knew.

No, she should have realized it sooner; despite having inflicted damage upon them just moments ago, her opponent, along with their cloak, had completely regenerated.

This person had even turned themselves into a test subject!

“A quick guess, indeed.

That’s right, I’ve modified my own body as well; after all, once research yields results, it’s only natural to apply them to oneself, isn’t it?”

The cloaked figure waved a hand, and the shattered sword fragments scattered across the floor were enveloped by tentacles resembling those that formed their body.

They then coalesced, reforming the blade to its pristine condition.

“However, since you’ve lost, surely it’s fine for me to administer a slight punishment for trespassing, wouldn’t you agree?”

“What kind of residence is this, exactly…”

“I live here now, so what else would it be but a private residence?

I even have an ID card, and a rather high-grade one at that.”

“You… don’t tell me…!?”

Before Qing Lan could press further, however, her consciousness slipped away.