Dark corridor.
The three of them entered a cramped space, reeking of rusted machine oil and heat radiating up from the nuclear reactors on deeper floors. Thuong Sinh glided through the darkness, his spiritual sense spreading around like a giant spiderweb. He sensed that the further they advanced into the center, the denser the concentration of chaotic energy became. There were pulsations from up ahead.
"Almost there..." The leader whispered. "Behind that pressure door is the core area. The central server is located there, and..."
"It is also where the high-level special forces teams are stationed."
Thuong Sinh halted his footsteps. He looked at the thick steel door before him; it was not only equipped with an electronic lock system but also covered by a pale blue energy film. He tossed the old doctor to the ground like a sack, his voice commanding the Metal-system leader: "Open it."
The leader was drenched in sweat, his hands trembling as he reached for the control panel, but just as he was about to press the final key, a terrifying surge of pressure from the other side of the door suddenly erupted, shattering the entire communication system in his hands.
Kaboom
The ton-heavy steel door was blown away by an invisible force, grazing past the leader's head and slamming into the spot where the doctor lay, killing him on the spot. From within the dazzling white light of the central area, a tall figure stepped out. This man wore no armor, only a tight black suit; on his chest was pinned a pure gold gear-shaped badge embedded with a blood-colored gemstone.
Thuong Sinh sensed the energy in his body was completely different from the man beside him; if that man was merely a dog, then this man was entirely a lion. The man looked at Thuong Sinh for a moment, his lips curling in contempt: "I have waited for you quite a while, anonymous one. Neos does not accept rats crawling all the way here without leaving their lives behind."
Thuong Sinh stood still; his hand began to slowly unravel the canvas wrapping around the Marsh-Blood Sword, fully revealing the pitch-black blade radiating billowing black aura.
"Are you also one of their specimens?" Thuong Sinh asked, his voice terrifyingly calm.
"Specimen?" The high-level man laughed coldly, the sound like metal screeching amidst the narrow space.
He took a step forward; the alloy floor beneath his feet fractured due to the terrifying magnetic pressure radiating from his body. Behind him, from within the area's light, four or five other silhouettes gradually appeared. All wore gold badges embedded with gemstones; though their pressure was not as strong as the leader's, each was no less powerful.
"Omega Special Forces..." The leader beside Thuong Sinh rejoiced; seeing their silhouettes, he did not hesitate, condensing his last bit of strength to leap toward the light, his mouth screaming frantically: "My lords! Save me! This man is a monster, he slaughtered Team 12 and intends to destroy the server! Kill him!"
Thuong Sinh remained motionless, his purple-black eyes never leaving the leading High-level Ability User. He did not even deign to glance at the fleeing man.
Whoosh
He did not move; the sword behind his hip moved automatically, flashing a black spark that pierced through the man's neck. The man suddenly froze mid-air, the cry for help choked in his punctured throat. He collapsed onto the floor, eyes staring wide toward the Omega Special Forces as if still unable to believe he had been abandoned and killed so easily.
The Marsh-Blood Sword, after performing the lightning strike, did not return to its scabbard but hovered around Thuong Sinh, the blade vibrating violently like a fierce beast scenting worthy prey.
"Object manipulation? Not Metal-system ability, nor Soul-system..." The Omega leader narrowed his eyes, the contempt from before gradually vanishing. He raised his hand to signal; immediately, the five special forces members behind dispersed like ghosts. One roared, his muscles bulging frantically like a monster, his skin transforming into a gray alloy, holding a giant energy hammer. Another vanished completely into space, leaving only faint thermal vibrations. The remaining two stood at the very back, palms facing Thuong Sinh, as if gathering energy to unleash a grand technique.
"Kill."
The leader finished his word, and the Metal-system guardian lunged forward like a heavy tank, the energy hammer slamming down carrying a thousand-kilogram pressure.
Boom
The alloy floor exploded, steel dust flying everywhere. Thuong Sinh lunged to glide through the air, his silver coat whistling in the wind. The Marsh-Blood Sword, as if having a soul, whipped around to slash the man's flank.
Clang
The sound of metal-on-metal collision rang out piercingly, spitting sparks. The special forces man's steel skin was slashed with a deep wound, but immediately the armor on his body ran with electric currents causing the wound to close.
"Decent speed, but inside here, you cannot escape!"
The Omega leader suddenly appeared directly above Thuong Sinh. He used no weapon, only pressing his two palms together. A dense, blood-colored Gravity Field enveloped a ten-meter radius around Thuong Sinh, forcing him to fall straight to the ground.
Thuong Sinh felt his bones creaking under a pressure a hundred times normal gravity. His purple-black eyes flashed with a spark of cruelty. He did not utilize internal force to resist the gravity; on the contrary, he borrowed that very crushing force to descend faster, aiming straight at the special forces member hiding and controlling the laser trap system below.
"Phantom Steps" combined with "Sword Kinesis".
Thuong Sinh transformed into a dark arrow, the Marsh-Blood Sword leading the way, tearing through the blood-colored gravity zone.
Flash
The moment he slashed down, that captain quickly realized something was wrong; he continuously retreated but it was too late. Thuong Sinh lunged down like an arrow, a black streak flashed, and the captain's right hand was severed cleanly. Crimson blood sprayed from the cut, but before it could hit the ground, it was corroded by the jet-black internal force, burning into a pungent smoke. The Omega captain let out a roar of pain, staggering back, his left hand quickly grabbing his right shoulder to stop the bleeding, his fiery eyes staring fixedly at the severed arm lying on the floor.
"Brother!"
The four remaining special forces members screamed in horror; they did not expect their strongest leader, who possessed a perverted gravity ability, to have his arm severed in the first move. Thuong Sinh, after landing, held the sword in his hand, descending gently after he severed the man's arm, which caused the surrounding gravity to dissipate completely. The Marsh-Blood Sword was planted into the ground, the remaining crimson blood droplets on the blade quickly swallowed by the black aura.
He had originally expected a battle that could make his dantian seethe, an opponent who could force him to use the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual". But in reality, the combination of Sword Kinesis and the speed of a Foundation Establishment cultivator had exceeded the biological reflex capabilities of these men.
The Omega captain knelt on the floor, his face distorted by bone-chilling pain and ultimate humiliation. He was one of the prides of Neos, one of the strongest here. Yet now, before an anonymous nobody out of nowhere, he had been pushed to this extent.
"Don't... don't look down on me!" The captain roared, his voice hoarse with resentment. "Activate Berserker Protocol! Kill him for me, at all costs!"
The four remaining special forces members heard the order; their eyes briefly showed fear but were immediately replaced by frenzy. They simultaneously slammed the devices mounted on their chests.
Slash! Slash!
Syringes containing fluorescent purple liquid automatically stabbed into their carotid arteries. The bodies of the four special forces members swelled, black veins rising like tree roots, their eyes turning a soulless fiery red. At the same time, the captain grit his teeth, his left hand pulling out a backup energy core, stabbing it directly into the severed arm wound. A blue electric current covered the wound, forming a phantom arm from blazing plasma energy.
"Die!"
The four special forces members lunged from four different directions. Their speed at this moment was many times faster than before, creating blurred streaks of light amidst the basement. The Metal-system one slammed the energy hammer down with maximum output, fracturing the entire surrounding steel structure. The Shadow-system one transformed into a marsh of darkness beneath Thuong Sinh's feet, trying to pull him into the abyss.
Thuong Sinh's purple-black eyes remained as still as a lake without ripples before the four frantically lunging men; he could sense the blood essence in their bodies seething, flowing many times faster than ordinary people. He lightly raised his hand before the hammer-bearer's strike arrived.
"Blood-Condensing Mace"
A block of blood-hued internal force, dense as clotted blood, suddenly formed right before Thuong Sinh's palm. It did not explode immediately but was compressed by him to the extreme limit.
Boom
When the hammer head touched that blood block, an explosion rang out; there was no brilliant flare, only a surge of brutal counter-force striking straight into the hammer-bearer's arm. The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible through the alloy armor; he was tossed backward like a sandbag, the energy hammer also shattering into fragments.
At the same time, the darkness beneath Thuong Sinh's feet began to sprout pitch-black chains intended to coil around him. Thuong Sinh snorted coldly, stomping his left foot hard on the floor. Toxic internal force overflowed from his heel, jet-black and dense, completely swallowing the opponent's shadow zone. The Shadow-system ability user hiding beneath the floor suddenly let out a tragic scream; he was corroded by Thuong Sinh's own toxic aura back into his ability, forced to manifest with a body half-rotted.
The two remaining special forces members, seeing their comrades defeated in a flash, did not flinch but grew more frantic due to the drug's effects. The third one possessed a Speed-ability; his body blurred, creating white light streaks surrounding Thuong Sinh, hands holding two daggers slashing incessantly at vital spots. The last one was also a Strengthening-type; his arms swelled ferociously as he swung an iron staff at Thuong Sinh.
"Phantom Steps"
Thuong Sinh's figure suddenly became faint. The Speed-system user realized in horror that his strikes only slashed through formless black smoke. The moment he glided past, Thuong Sinh suddenly reappeared, two fingers catching the opponent's plasma blade with ease. He exerted force from his fingertips with a flick; toxic internal force followed it straight into the blade, causing the plasma energy to explode right in the special forces member's hand.
Right on the other side, the Strengthening-system user's iron staff had arrived at his flank. Thuong Sinh did not dodge completely; he reached out his left hand, palm open to receive it head-on. The iron staff was halted stiffly in Thuong Sinh's palm; the counter-force was so strong it crushed the special forces member's alloy glove, causing his blistered muscle fibers to begin fracturing, fresh blood spraying out.
Thuong Sinh retracted his hand, then suddenly unleashed a powerful spinning kick.
Thud
The kick hit the Strengthening-type's chest, tossing him away like a cannonball, slamming into the Speed-system user who was fumbling behind. Both special forces members were struck by Thuong Sinh's shocking force into a tangled heap, pinning into the wall and creating a deep crater. In the basement, only the crackling sound of electricity from the Omega Captain's plasma arm remained.
The Omega Captain, with no path of retreat, let out a cry of absolute desperation. The plasma arm blazed to its maximum level, the heat radiated warping the surrounding air. He stomped hard, borrowing the magnetic counter-force to launch toward Thuong Sinh. Thuong Sinh said not a word, his purple-black eyes locked onto the opponent's trajectory. He lightly rotated the sword hilt, concentrating internal force into the Marsh-Blood Sword blade.
Clang
The plasma punch collided head-on with the pitch-black blade. A shockwave ring exploded, tossing all surrounding debris afar. Thuong Sinh remained firm, while the floor beneath the Captain's feet fractured, unable to withstand the counter-pressure. Not letting the opponent retract his hand, Thuong Sinh took a step forward, his figure blurring.
He appeared right at the Captain's flank, the Marsh-Blood Sword swinging in a cold arc. The Captain was horrified, hurriedly controlling the surrounding gravity to compress tightly to form an invisible armor layer.
Slash
The gravity armor was sliced in two like paper. The blade carrying black aura cut deep into the special forces member's left shoulder; toxic internal force immediately penetrated, burning his blood vessels from within.
"Ah... ah..."
The Captain roared in pain, his plasma arm swinging aimlessly intending to knock Thuong Sinh away. Thuong Sinh flipped mid-air to dodge a horizontal sweep, then used the momentum to stomp hard on the opponent's chest.
Thud
The kick carrying a thousand-kilogram force caused the Captain to reel back, slamming hard into the server control panel. Thuong Sinh did not stop; he closed in like a ghost, the Marsh-Blood Sword stabbing straight into the energy arm's joint.
Flash! Crack!
The plasma energy core was shattered; the sickly blue current exploded, completely incinerating the rest of the man's shoulder. The Omega Captain fell into a state of total paralysis, collapsing to his knees, his blood-shot eyes now holding only emptiness. Thuong Sinh retracted the sword, the pitch-black blade tip stopping right before the opponent's throat.
The entire confrontation occurred in a flash; there was not a single redundant movement, only the sound of metal tearing wind and the explosion of energy. Blood flowed from the Omega Captain's shoulder, dyeing a patch of the alloy floor, but as soon as it hit the ground, those blood droplets were corroded by Thuong Sinh's toxic internal force into trails of black smoke.
Puk
Without a redundant word, the Marsh-Blood Sword tip pierced through the Omega Captain's throat, pinning him to the floor. The moans were choked in the blood-filled throat; toxic internal force poured in, transforming him into a desiccated black corpse in an instant. Thuong Sinh withdrew the sword, giving it a light flick so black blood splattered against the cold wall; he glided away, the hem of his faded coat fluttering like a ghost amidst the catacomb of death.
He began his bloody stroll in this lair.
Research Area Corridor - 02
The door opened automatically; two researchers in white robes were fleeing in panic. Thuong Sinh did not even look at their faces, his wrist rotating lightly. Slash! Slash! Two blade-force lines as thin as thread glided past. Two heads fell to the floor before their bodies could realize they were dead. Thuong Sinh stepped through the pools of blood, his purple-black eyes remaining terrifyingly still.
Internal Guard Post
A guard squad of about ten men had just run out from a bend with guns. Seeing Thuong Sinh's silhouette, before they could even lift their barrels, he had closed the gap. "Phantom Steps" His figure blurred amidst the soldiers. The sound of metal slicing through bone and flesh rang out incessantly; he was like a reaper's scythe strolling through a field of men. Each man was killed very cleanly, taking little time; every slash aimed for the fastest lethal position. In just a few brief seconds, the ten-meter corridor had not a single person standing firm. Blood splattered onto the green test tubes around, dyeing the room into something demonic.
He stopped before a control panel, his left hand exerting toxic internal force to slam hard into the energy core of the entire area.
Rumble
The entire automated weapons system, gate robots, and research equipment simultaneously short-circuited, emitting pitch-black smoke. Thuong Sinh continued to walk; meeting any creature in a Neos uniform, he used exactly one finishing move. No questioning, no explanation, no mercy. Wherever he went, life there vanished. The Neos lair had now become a giant catacomb filled with mangled remains and the darkness of extreme poison.
"Where are they?"
Thuong Sinh's voice was not small, not loud, but carried an invisible pressure, causing the person facing him—a technician trembling and crawling amidst the ruins—to shudder. The technician stammered, tears and sweat blending: "The... the operators are never here... The Board of Directors and the CEOs... they are all in this White Tower..." "Twelve members... and the President... They operate everything from there through a virtual neural network... Please... I'm just a mechanic... please..."
Thuong Sinh did not look at him, turning to begin heading gradually to the upper floors, abandoning the technician, aiming straight for the high-speed transport elevator area connected to the White Tower. He entered the titanium alloy elevator car. A guard on an upper floor saw the door open and intended to raise his gun; he was immediately coiled around the neck by a streak of purple-black internal force, dragged violently into the corridor as the elevator doors began to close.
The elevator began to vibrate lightly, the electronic numbers leaping from the basement to the high floors at shocking speed. At the same time, the White Tower's alarm speaker system simultaneously shrieked, glowing red lights spiraling throughout every corridor. "Warning! Black-level intruder detected! Subject is moving via Transport Elevator No. 3!"
Floor 15.
Ting
The elevator doors had just creaked open; over twenty laser rifle barrels spat fire simultaneously. Glowing red beams interlaced into a dense fire-net pouring straight into the elevator car. However, there was no silhouette inside. Thuong Sinh had already pressed himself against the elevator car's ceiling long ago. The moment they stopped firing to change magazines, he fell like a surge of black smoke.
Flash
The Marsh-Blood Sword swung in a perfect circle. Razor-sharp toxic blade-force sliced across the waists of the entire row of soldiers before the door. The screams were only half-uttered before suddenly cutting out; Thuong Sinh did not stop, walking over the disintegrating corpses, heading straight to the opposite elevator to continue to the next level.
Floor 30.
This time, the elevator doors had not even fully opened when they were incinerated by an extremely powerful surge of firepower from a Fire-system ability user. A fire dragon roared and lunged inside. Thuong Sinh stepped out from the flames, his silver coat still as cold as ice, completely unaffected by the thousand-degree temperature. His purple-black eyes bored into three ability users standing in a row.
An Earth-system one stomped hard, sharp stone spikes growing from the floor. Thuong Sinh glided across the spikes as if taking a stroll, his figure blurring in "Phantom Steps".
Puk
He appeared behind the Fire-system one, his left hand crushing the throat. The Marsh-Blood Sword in his right hand simultaneously pierced through the Earth-system one's heart. The remaining one intended to flee but the blade-force launched from Thuong Sinh's hand split his back in two. He retracted his sword, face expressionless, and entered the elevator again.
Floor 60.
Every floor Thuong Sinh passed became a true catacomb. On Floor 60, he faced a heavy combat robot squad combined with strengthening ability users. Machine gun barrels spinning shredded the walls, but in no way could they touch the hem of his coat. Thuong Sinh stomped, toxic internal force overflowing onto the floor like India ink, short-circuiting the entire sensor systems of the robots. Amidst the chaos, he swung his sword to slice through meter-thick steel blocks like cutting mud. Blood and machine oil blended together, dyeing a large lobby area black.
He stood amidst the ruins, watching the floor number leap to 90. The higher he went, the greater the pressure, but the killing intent in Thuong Sinh's eyes grew even denser. The operators at the top floor were now looking through surveillance cameras; surely they were trembling as they saw the god of death leisurely advancing toward them, floor by floor, life for life.
Thuong Sinh lightly stroked the blade, black aura rising surgingly: "How many floors left?"