The Tiger Deacon's clawed hands, which had torn apart psionic soldiers, trembled slightly as he unlaced the Iron Spider web from Ethan's form. He lifted the boy's inert body and carefully moved him into a sterile, open bio-stasis pod, the metallic surface cold and unforgiving. Then, turning with a reverence born of pure terror, he walked to a giant, cylindrical water tank in the center of the lab. He picked up a small, unassuming vial and lightly sprinkled a shimmering, mysterious powder into the glowing blue water.
As the catalyst hit the liquid, the originally calm surface erupted with violent ripples. The water churned, then began to writhe as if in agony. Then, impossibly, the liquid began to climb. Like a conscious, azure slime, it flowed up and over the glass wall of the tank. When this mass of water crawled onto the cold floor, it began to undergo a startling transformation. It pulled itself upward, forming a crude, three-dimensional skeleton of denser liquid, then weaving muscles of flowing gel, and finally smoothing itself into skin. The original flat, amorphous shape had finally turned into a person who looked almost exactly like a real human. His skin was a strange, translucent blue, and his eyes, the last things to form, opened to reveal a deep, sharp, and unsettling intelligence.
"Doctor," the Tiger Deacon said, bowing his head deeply. "You've come."
When the Tiger Deacon saw this mysterious person appear, he immediately became extremely respectful, his usual domineering presence shrinking in on itself. He bowed his head low, his tone filled with a profound reverence. The blue man turned his head, looked at the hulking Tiger Deacon, and a gentle, almost grandfatherly smile appeared on his face. "You little tiger, what are you so nervous for? It's not like I'm going to eat you."
Hearing these seemingly kind words, the Tiger Deacon secretly grumbled in his heart, a cold sweat beading on his brow under his robe. Of course, you won't eat me, but you'll dissect me!
However, on the surface, he still didn't dare to show the slightest bit of dissatisfaction or resistance. "Master Doctor, you must be joking. You are Headquarters' top scientist. My reverence for you is like the surging waters of a great river, endless and profound."
This was no exaggeration. This person was the most brilliant, and most feared, scientist of the Evolution Cult. The Beastification Potion was created by his very hand. No one knew his real name. Everyone only knew that people called him the Doctor. And among battle-hardened psionicists like the Deacon, he also had another nickname: the Mad Doctor. This was because the man was, indeed, extremely and certifiably crazy. This kind of madness was not just directed towards others, but also horrifically, towards himself.
For the sake of his research, he would give up everything. In his initial research on the Beastification Potion, he had not only dissected a large number of people and monsters but had also crazily drawn samples from his own living body tissue. In order to save time and speed up his progress—to be in multiple places at once—he had even researched and created a series of organic bodies for himself. The pool of water just now was one such body. Sprinkling the specific powder on it would grant it temporary activity. Then, the Doctor would connect his consciousness to the organic liquid, and that liquid would transform into another him. This avatar had no combat power but possessed a massive brain for calculation, equivalent to one person controlling two bodies simultaneously. But the horrific cost was that every time he made one of these organic bodies, he needed a fresh sample of his own original body tissue. In other words, every time he made one, he had to mutilate himself once. And he had a full hundred of these vats of organic liquid stored in his various labs.
"Wake him up," the Doctor ordered the Tiger Deacon, his gentle smile never wavering.
The Tiger Deacon obeyed and stepped forward, channeling his own psionic energy into Ethan's body, releasing the mental hypnosis his captain had placed on him. A moment later, Ethan slowly opened his eyes. He felt his body was full of a strange, buzzing power from the potion, but his limbs were completely unable to move, bound to the pod by some unseen force.
"Welcome to my laboratory, little brat." The Doctor looked down at Ethan from above, his gentle smile gone, his eyes now filled with a cold, piercing madness. "You will become my finest experimental subject. You will contribute greatly to my research."
A wave of pure terror surged in Ethan's heart. He tried to struggle, to summon the Omnitrix, but found that he had completely lost control of his body. The psionic energy in his body could not be circulated at all. He was utterly helpless.
"Don't waste your energy," the Doctor said, his voice soft and chilling. "Obediently become an experimental subject. Next, let us spend a wonderful, enlightening period of time together." The Doctor began to laugh, a high, thin sound that echoed throughout the entire laboratory, making one's hair stand on end.
"Why? Why on earth is it like this!" Sarah cried out hysterically, her voice raw as she paced the waiting room at the Public Security Bureau, wanting to vent all the sorrow and terror in her heart. She widened her eyes, tears continuously streaming out. Her expression was extremely haggard, as if she had aged ten years in a single instant. "Why would this happen? My child… my poor, poor child!" Sarah held her face tightly in her hands, her whole body trembling nonstop.
On the side, Simon stood there quietly, his eyes empty and lifeless. His lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't make a sound from beginning to end. His hands were clenched into fists so tightly that his fingernails dug deep into his palms, and fresh blood trickled down his fingers, dripping onto the floor, but he didn't seem to notice.
As the pillar of the family, Ethan's father knew that he had to remain calm, but the agonizing pain deep in his heart surged like a tide, making him almost suffocate. Despite this, Simon still endured the immense pain and tried to comfort his wife. "Honey, don't… don't be too sad. We still have hope." However, his own voice was filled with an endless sorrow and a crushing helplessness.
At this moment, Marcus and Seraphina rushed into the room. Seeing the tragic state of Simon and Sarah, the two of them couldn't help but feel a deep pang of sympathy and sorrow.
"Uncle Simon, Aunt Sarah, don't worry," Marcus said firmly, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "The military has already dispatched a large force to search. I believe that it won't be long before we can find those bastards' hiding place. We will definitely be able to bring Ethan back safely."
Seraphina also comforted them softly, "That's right, Uncle, Auntie, you must both pull yourselves together. Ethan will definitely be fine."
Hearing these words, Simon slowly raised his head, a faint glimmer of hope flashing in his empty eyes. He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying hard to calm himself down. "Thank you, children," Simon said gratefully.
"You're welcome, Uncle, Auntie," Marcus and Seraphina replied in unison. Then, Marcus lightly patted Simon's shoulder, indicating his support. And Seraphina walked to Sarah's side, gently holding her hand, trying to give her strength. "Aunt Sarah, let's wait for the news together," Seraphina said softly.
Sarah nodded, the tears in her eyes still flowing nonstop. She knew that right now, she could only pray silently, hoping that Ethan could return safely. They both knew that Ethan had a form called Ghostfreak. That form was simply a bug in the system, a cheat code. As long as he wanted to escape, surely no one could catch him. Surely.
After comforting Simon and Sarah for a while longer, they finally managed to help them stabilize their emotions.
"Children, let's go," Sarah finally said, her voice hoarse. Right now, she desperately wanted to go home. If her son came back, the first place he would return to would definitely be home. She had to wait at home for her son.
Marcus and Seraphina sent the two of them back to their apartment.
"What should we do now?" Marcus asked, his voice filled with a desperate frustration, once they were alone.
Seraphina's expression was grim. "What else can we do? We can only wait for their news from the search party."
"Are we supposed to just wait here, doing nothing?!" he demanded, his voice rising.
"Then what do you want to do, Marcus?" she asked, her own voice tight with emotion.
"Of course, we have to go out and look for them ourselves! We have to do something!"
"You have to think carefully, Marcus," she warned. "The strength of the Evolution Cult is formidable; it's not something we can contend with. Even if we are lucky enough to find him, we might not necessarily come back alive."
"Even so," Marcus said, his voice now low and firm, "I can't just stand here and watch my own friend go to his death!" When Marcus said this sentence, his eyes had a look of someone who saw death as a homecoming, a righteous and necessary end.