What aunt? They are obviously sisters.

The aftermath of the explosion has not yet subsided. The billowing smoke is swirling and tumbling over the abandoned factory like a ferocious beast. The diffuse dust is flying wildly, as if it is going to shroud the world in chaos.

Li Ming and Ayako stumbled through the ruins, their figures looking particularly struggling and exhausted in this dilapidated scene.

Li Ming's originally straight black suit had now become tattered, with many cuts revealing the shirt with some blood stains inside. Dust covered his entire body, and even his originally cold face was covered with dust, revealing only a pair of eyes that were still sharp but tired.

Beads of sweat the size of beans kept oozing out of his forehead, sliding down his cheeks, and leaving streaks of mud on his face.

His breathing was rapid and heavy, and every breath seemed to be pulling at his tired body, but his clenched fists still showed his determination and vigilance that had never dissipated.

Ayako was not much better off. Her casual clothes had long since lost their original appearance, with the corners of her clothes torn. Her hair was sticking to her sweaty cheeks, with a few strands of hair soaked with sweat, making her look a little disheveled.

She leaned against the wall, supported her knees with her hands, and adjusted her breathing with difficulty. Her chest heaved violently, as if trying to make up for the oxygen she had lost in the life-and-death struggle just now.

"Still alive." Ayako leaned against the wall, struggling to adjust her breathing. Her voice was a little hoarse, with a sense of relief and a hint of uncertainty. "Does this count as a victory?"

"It can be considered as not failing for the time being." Li Ming's tone was calm but cold. He raised his head slightly, looking into the distance through the diffuse smoke and dust, as if he could see through the threat lurking in the Freemasons behind the chaos. "Yingsi is just a minion of the Freemasons. They lost their experimental equipment, but we have also exposed our whereabouts."

Ayako frowned, her eyes full of questions. She straightened up and smoothed her messy hair with her hands. Worry and unwillingness were in her eyes: "Is Yingsi really dead? That kind of guy won't give up easily. He might..."

Before he finished speaking, a familiar sound of footsteps sounded in the distance. The footsteps seemed particularly abrupt in this quiet and ruined environment. Each step seemed to step on the heartstrings of the two people, making them alert instantly. The two raised their heads alertly, their eyes shot like lightning in the direction of the sound, and saw Yingxue Qianying slowly walking out from behind a pile of ruins.

Her figure still looked so light, and although her white robe was stained with a little dust, it did not affect the mysterious and dangerous temperament she exuded. Her silver hair like a waterfall fluttered gently in the wind, and her fair face had a half-smile, but her eyes were mixed with a hint of sarcasm, as if she had expected the embarrassed appearance of the two people in front of her.

"You guys run pretty fast." She said with a half-smile, a hint of sarcasm in her tone, "If I hadn't helped you hold back some of the enemies, I'm afraid you would have become experimental material now."

Ayako snorted coldly, she stood up straight, her eyes full of dissatisfaction, and she couldn't help but retort: ​​"We almost died in there just now! Is this your 'information'?" Her voice was filled with anger and complaints, and her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, as if she wanted to find a place to vent her dissatisfaction.

"The information itself is not wrong." Sakura Yuki Chie answered without giving in. She raised her chin slightly, with a hint of pride in her eyes, and looked directly into Ayako's eyes. "Your problem is that you underestimated Yingsi's power, especially his black mist field."

"Enough!" Li Ming interrupted her coldly, his voice low and majestic, like the cold wind in winter, with an unquestionable coldness, "Stop arguing. Qianying, now give me a reason why we should continue to believe in you." Li Ming took a step forward, the cold aura on his body became even stronger, his eyes fixed on Yingxue Qianying, as if he wanted to see the truth of her words from her eyes.

Sakura Yuki Chikage's smile gradually disappeared, and her eyes became serious and cold. There was a complex light flashing in her eyes, with determination and a hint of imperceptible helplessness: "Because I know what you need to do next, and you can't do without my help."

"Go ahead." Li Ming's tone was cold, but he obviously did not completely deny her words. It was just that his vigilant look remained unchanged, and his eyes were full of scrutiny, waiting for Sakura Yuki Chikage's next words.

Ying Xue Qianying took out a neatly folded paper from her bosom. The paper seemed to have a special weight in her hand. She slowly and solemnly spread it out in front of them. The paper made a slight rustling sound, which was particularly clear in this silent atmosphere.

"The Freemasons also have a secret base deep underground in the suburbs of Tokyo. The laboratory there is the core of their plan and the key clue to your mother's death." Sakura Yuki Chikage's voice was steady, but it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing huge waves in Li Ming's heart.

Li Ming's pupils suddenly shrank, and anger instantly ignited in his eyes. His eyes seemed to be spewing fire. He clenched his fists involuntarily, his knuckles turned white due to the force, and the veins on his arms bulged like angry little snakes. His voice was so low that it seemed like he was suppressing his anger, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "How do you know this?"

"Because I was there." Sakura Chikage answered without hesitation. A trace of painful memories flashed in her eyes, but was quickly covered by a cold look. "I saw with my own eyes how they used your mother as an experimental subject. Her death was not accidental, but part of the plan."

This sentence was like a sharp blade, piercing Li Ming's heart deeply. His body trembled slightly, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly because of pain and anger. He forced himself to calm down, gritted his teeth and asked: "You said it too lightly. If you really know everything, why are you telling me now?"

Yingxue Qianying looked straight at him, without a trace of evasion in her eyes. Her eyes were firm and frank, as if she was telling a helpless story that she had to do: "Because at that time, I was just a controlled experimental subject. Now, I stand here to end it all."

The atmosphere became extremely solemn, as if the air had condensed into substance, so heavy that it was hard to breathe. Ayako felt as if there was a layer of murderous intent between the two of them that could erupt at any time. She looked at Li Ming uneasily, then at Ying Xue Qian Ying, trying to ease the atmosphere, and whispered, "What should we do next?"

Sakura Yuki Chikage put away the map with a quick and decisive movement. She carefully put the map back into her arms, as if she had put away a heavy past. Then, her tone was calm and firm, and her eyes were full of determination: "The underground base in Tokyo is one of the lifeblood of the Freemasonry. If we can destroy it, we can not only weaken their strength, but also obtain their more core experimental data."

Li Ming was silent for a moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if to temporarily suppress the pain and anger in his heart. Finally, he slowly opened his eyes, the light in his eyes became firm and cold, and he nodded slowly: "Okay. But this time, if you play tricks again, I will not let you go."

Ying Xue Qian Ying smiled slightly, but that smile did not reach her eyes, revealing a different kind of coldness: "You are welcome anytime."

Chapter 8: Tokyo's Shadow

The three disguised themselves as ordinary passengers and took the Shinkansen to Tokyo. People were coming and going in the carriage, and noisy sounds filled the entire space, including the laughter of children and the conversations of passengers, but there was a depressing silence between Li Ming, Ayako and Sakurayuki Chikage. Li Ming sat by the window, looking at the scenery passing by quickly outside the window, but his mind was not on it at all. In his mind, the words that Sakurayuki Chikage said kept appearing, about the death of his mother and about the underground base in Tokyo. There were complex emotions in her eyes, including hatred, expectation, and a hint of worry about the unknown. His hands were placed on his knees, and he clenched and unclenched unconsciously, as if he was mentally preparing for the upcoming action.

Ayako sat in the middle, looking at Li Ming and Ying Xue Qian Ying from time to time, her eyes full of worry. She tightly grasped her backpack with both hands, which contained some simple equipment, and her fingers turned white due to the force. She tried to break the silence, opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say, and finally just sighed helplessly and fell into silence again.

Sakura Yuki Chikage seemed very calm. She leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, as if she was taking a rest, but her slightly furrowed brows showed that she was not really relaxed. Her long hair hung on one side, swaying gently with the shaking of the train. A corner of her white clothes was exposed from under her coat. Even though she was dressed like an ordinary passenger, she still had a unique temperament that made people unable to help but take a few more glances.

In the silence along the way, the trust between each other became more fragile, as if the silent air was filled with suspicion. Every subtle movement and every unintentional eye contact carried an unspeakable tension.

After arriving in Tokyo, Sakura Yuki Chikage took the two to an underground passage called "Deep Sea Gate". This was once an abandoned subway station, with the surrounding walls full of mottled traces of time, the wall skin peeling off, revealing the old bricks and stones inside, the dim lights flickered, as if powerlessly resisting the darkness, and from time to time they flickered a few times, making a sizzling sound of electricity, which made people feel creepy.

Standing at the entrance of the dim passage, Ayako couldn't help but shudder. She hugged her arms tightly, her body trembling slightly, and her voice was filled with fear: "This place feels like the entrance to hell."

"Almost." Yingxue Qianying said in a low voice. Her eyes were cold, revealing a familiarity and disgust for this place. "But this is also the only way for you to find the truth."

Li Ming did not speak, but walked silently in front. His footsteps were light, but firm, and every step seemed to measure the distance to the truth. The passage was pitch black, and the darkness seemed to have substance, as if it was going to swallow people up. Only a few dim lights on the wall illuminated the road ahead. The lights were dim and weak, and one could barely see the road under his feet. Everything around was hidden in the darkness, as if unknown dangers would emerge at any time.

"Watch your step." Yingxue Qianying reminded. Her voice was very low, but it was clearly audible in this silent passage. "This passage is equipped with traps. If you are not careful, the alarm will be triggered."

Sure enough, not long after walking, Li Ming noticed that some of the tiles on the ground were slightly different in color. Those dark tiles looked particularly dark under the dim light, and were slightly different from the surrounding tiles. If you didn't look carefully, you could easily overlook them. Li Ming's eyes instantly became sharp. He paused and quickly avoided them. At the same time, he lowered his voice and reminded Ayako behind him in a hurried but clear tone: "Don't step on those dark tiles."

Ayako nodded quickly, and followed closely behind Li Ming, staring at the ground, taking every step very carefully, as if she was stepping on a bomb that could explode at any time instead of tiles. Her heartbeat accelerated involuntarily, her breathing became rapid, and tension filled her body.

After walking for nearly twenty minutes, they finally arrived in front of a heavy metal door. The door was two people tall, and the metal surface was gleaming with a cold luster, giving people a feeling of being extremely heavy and indestructible. A complex fingerprint recognition device was installed on the door, which flashed a faint blue light. Various circuits and chips were intricately connected together, obviously to prevent outsiders from breaking in, exuding a sense of high-tech mystery and solemnity.

"Let me do it." Ying Xue Qian Ying took out a small device from her bosom. The device was exquisite and small, but it exuded a high-tech texture. She skillfully connected it to the fingerprint reader, and her fingers quickly operated on the device, her eyes focused and calm, as if she was performing a delicate operation. After a few seconds, the fingerprint lock made a light "beep" sound, which seemed particularly abrupt in this silent environment. Then, the metal door slowly opened, making a dull creaking sound, as if a sleeping giant beast was awakened.

Behind the door was a huge laboratory. The white light illuminated the entire space. The light was a bit dazzling, making it difficult for people to adapt to it for a while. Dozens of researchers in white lab coats were busy, shuttling between various instruments. Some were operating computers, while others were observing data in glass containers. Everyone had a focused look on their face, as if they were completely immersed in their own experimental world and were unaware of everything around them.

Experimental subjects of various shapes were floating in the glass containers. Some of them had twisted and deformed bodies, with their limbs stretched at strange angles; some had strange lines all over their skin, as if something was crawling under their skin; others had blurred facial features, with only a pair of empty eyes, revealing a creepy deathly silence that made people shudder.

"These are the test subjects of the 'God Gene'." Sakura Yuki Chikage whispered, with a complex tone, showing pity for these test subjects and resentment towards the Freemasons' actions. "They are not yet fully formed, but they are close to success."

"It's horrible." Ayako covered her mouth, trying to hold back the churning in her stomach. Her face turned pale, her eyes filled with fear and pity. "Do these experimental subjects really have any humanity left?"

"No." Ying Xue Qianying answered indifferently. Her eyes became extremely cold, as if she was looking at a pile of lifeless objects. "They are just tools, no different from the transformed extraordinary people you met."

"What should we do?" Li Ming's voice was low, but anger was already burning in his eyes. That anger seemed to want to burn all the sins before his eyes to ashes.

Ying Xue Qianying handed him a data transmission device in her hand. The device was small, but it carried an important mission. She looked at Li Ming with a hint of solemnity in her eyes: "Connect to the main server and copy all the data. Then, I will activate the self-destruction program of the laboratory."

"If you do this, you will be exposed." Li Ming looked at her with a complex emotion in his eyes, including surprise at her decision and a touch of touch hidden in his heart.

Sakura Yuki Chikage raised a sneer at the corner of her mouth: "So what if it's exposed? This will all end sooner or later." There was a determination in her tone, as if she had already put life and death aside and only wanted to destroy the source of this evil.

Just as they were preparing to act, the alarm in the laboratory suddenly sounded. The piercing sound instantly broke the original busyness and silence in the laboratory. Red warning lights flashed in every corner, dyeing the entire space a dazzling red.

A man in black combat uniform rushed in with a large number of guards. He had a cold expression on his face, and his eyes were filled with disdain and murderous intent. He said coldly: "Li Ming, Qianying, welcome to my territory."

"You again!" Li Ming snorted coldly. His body tensed up instantly and he assumed a fighting stance. His feet were slightly apart, his knees slightly bent, his fists clenched in front of him, his eyes staring at the other party like lightning, his aura rising suddenly, like a cheetah about to attack.

"I didn't expect that Yingsi's failure would make you bolder." The man slowly drew out the weapon from his waist. The weapon flashed a cold light under the light, revealing deadly danger. "But this time, don't even think about escaping."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Li Ming said in a low voice. (End of this chapter)