With a single hand signal from the man in black, the team silently split up, surrounding the room from multiple directions. Lin Xiaoqiang, Wang Meili, and Ah-Zhai followed closely behind, cautiously pushing open the door and stepping into the laboratory bathed in eerie pink light.
The sudden intrusion startled Dr. Klaus. He whipped around, and the moment he saw the man in black and his group, a sinister, venomous rage twisted across his face.
"How did you find this place?!" he screeched, his voice sharp and hoarse, his eyes bloodshot.
"Your mad experiments end here, Dr. Klaus!" the man in black barked, his voice echoing with force.
"Madness? You fools cannot comprehend the greatness I am about to achieve!" Dr. Klaus burst into wild laughter, his eyes glittering with mania. "Once I stabilize the core of the anomalous energy, I will reshape the laws of this world! This decaying human civilization shall be—upgraded!"
Lin Xiaoqiang’s eyes sharpened as he caught the key phrase: “core of anomalous energy…”
Before he could say anything, the pink glow in the lab suddenly intensified. The once-stable crystal container began to shake violently, the humming sound swelling like thunder, sweeping through the entire room.
"He's activating the core!" the man in black’s face changed dramatically. Without hesitation, he gave the order to attack.
Several black-clad team members immediately drew specialized energy weapons. Streaks of blue-white light shot toward Dr. Klaus like bolts of lightning. But in the next instant, a fluid-like pink energy shield shimmered into existence around the doctor, deflecting every attack as if they were ripples hitting water.
"Hahaha—useless!" Dr. Klaus laughed maniacally. "Under the protection of anomalous energy, you pitiful tech ants are a joke!"
He pressed both hands against the surface of the crystal container, his body seemingly merging with the energy inside. The glowing currents within surged and writhed like a living entity, its formless body twisting with unnatural motion.
Wang Meili struck out with a blade of pink energy, but it shattered in midair, sending a rebound wave crashing back at her. She stumbled two steps backward, eyes wide.
"Damn it… My powers are being disrupted!" she gritted her teeth as cold sweat slid down her temple. "This energy resonates with mine—but it’s suppressing it…"
Ah-Zhai frantically tried to capture crucial footage, only to discover his camera screen was completely distorted. The intense light and strange magnetic field twisted the image into a surreal nightmare.
"Lin Xiaoqiang!" the man in black turned toward him. "Can you hear the core’s voice?!"
Lin Xiaoqiang shut his eyes, focusing with all his strength. He felt a resonance from deep within the crystal container—what echoed wasn’t mechanical hum, but the whisper of something ancient.
There were no words, yet the voice invaded his mind directly—chaos, pressure, temptation, delirium...
"I... I hear it…" Lin Xiaoqiang’s face turned pale. "They’re saying… 'fusion'… 'domination'… 'surrender yourself'…" Each word struck his mind like a hammer, pounding pain through his skull.
Suddenly, Dr. Klaus turned around, his eyes blazing with dazzling, eerie pink light. His voice rose like the descent of a god:
"You who dare stand in my way—become one with the anomalous energy!"
He raised both hands. The pink light in the lab exploded—an immense wave of energy surged out with a thunderous roar, like a tidal wave crashing down!
"Get back! Now!" the man in black shouted, swiftly conjuring an energy barrier. A thick black shield unfurled in front of the group just in time.
In the next moment, the pink energy wave slammed into the shield, releasing a deafening boom. The entire lab shook violently—cracks spiderwebbed along the walls, and dust rained from the ceiling.
"This energy… it's too strong!" the man in black growled, struggling to hold his ground. The energy field around him flickered wildly, the black shield starting to destabilize, on the verge of collapse.
Wang Meili clenched her jaw, preparing to strike again. Lin Xiaoqiang, while resisting the chaotic whispers in his mind, quietly moved his hand to his waist, reaching for the Resonance Stone—the artifact that connected him to the thoughts of animals.
Deep down, he sensed—it was no longer just a battle of power. This was a clash of will, of spirit, of the very essence of existence.
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