Soul Trigger

Chapter 706 Losing control
Keng!
The door in front of Ji Li suddenly slammed shut, blocking a lab worker who was about to pass through:

"What's going on?! Weren't there no in-depth experiments these past two days?"

This is exactly the question Ji Li wanted to ask.

He grabbed the man and asked:
"I am Amro Ludwig, what's going on?"

The researcher, seeing that it was a Class C personnel, immediately prepared to shake off Ji Li, but upon hearing his title "Ludwig" and Ji Li's undisguised arrogance, he paused.

"...I'm not entirely sure either, but this sudden deep experiment could be a soft alarm bell about things getting out of control..."

What is a soft alarm of loss of control?

"In cases where a containment object riot occurs within a controllable range, requiring immediate containment without necessitating the deployment of suppression forces, a temporary deep experiment is needed to resolve the issue!"

The man took out his Class B access card and scanned it; the scanner immediately flashed red.

[No passage allowed.]

"Fuck... they even restricted my permissions..."

Immediately afterwards, a cold female voice came from the indoor loudspeaker, calling out names one by one like reciting a menu, and directing them to designated locations.

“Go back to your dorm, Ludwig’s kid. In this situation, apart from those whose names are called being taken away by the guards, everyone else can only wait for the experiment to end. You’re in the living area now, so you can go back to your dorm… Remember to use your privileges to recruit a few D-level personnel to protect you when you encounter them.”

Watching the other person leave, Ji Li hurried to her dormitory.

Was it an accident within the vault itself, or was it caused by Jasmine?

No, Jasmine and Cherry's purpose was to hide inside the vault and wait for the Stargate incident to pass, so it wasn't an accident caused by them.

Now that the accident has already happened, there's no need to wait until night to take action.

Ji Li quickened his pace, passing through the chaotic cafeteria area back to the dormitory area, and stopped when he passed the intersection of the advanced dormitory.

A Level B researcher was cursing and swearing at the tightly closed, red-lit door:
"I'm not wearing my glasses! Do you understand? I need to go back to my dorm to get them!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Harvin, you have been placed on the current list of personnel for the emergency deep experiment. Your current ID card can only be used for commuting within the area currently designated for you."

After the experiment is over, you can return to your dormitory to retrieve your necessary items…

"But I need glasses to participate in the experiment! Otherwise, I can't even distinguish between a person and a mortuary object from 5 meters away! Did you hear me, you idiot!"

After failing to reason with the system, the man kicked the mechanical door repeatedly before turning around and shoving Ji Li aside to head to the area designated for him by the central system.

Ji Li narrowed his eyes, took out his gold-embossed access card, and seeing that no one was around, swiped it through the scanner.

A green light appeared, the door opened, and Ji Li entered the premium dormitory area.

He randomly entered a cubicle belonging to an A-level personnel, took off his C-level personnel clothes and stuffed them into his dragon ring, then put on the white coat of an A-level personnel.

Considering that it would take time to readjust his appearance with the Dragon Ring, Ji Li simply put on a gas mask to conceal his face, which looked much younger than that of an A-level personnel, and left with the gold-plated access card.

He proceeded smoothly without any obstacles and soon arrived at the experimental site indicated by the system:

"Clementine, you can begin preparing for the operation."

If things completely escalate, he will have Clementine use her own abilities to cooperate with him in actively releasing containment objects to create chaos.

The room Ji Li entered was the observation laboratory of this experimental field. Below was the large experimental field, and above, including the space where Ji Li was, there were a total of four observation laboratories.

At this moment, many researchers had gathered in the four observation laboratories, and they paid little attention to Ji Li, who was freely coming and going in and out of his white coat.

In the large experimental field below, the container used to seal the mortises had leaked, and a large number of undulating shadows were surging about, vaguely converging into the shape of a hunched human.

However, the spiritual instruments surrounding it kept flashing, and each time they managed to barely defeat the humanoid figure and prevent it from escaping: A-106, the Black Old Man.

Possessing spatial properties and the power of shadow and chaos, it enjoys hunting human spirits.

If containment goes out of control, human spirits will be used as bait to recapture them into the container.

The old researcher's explanation came to mind today. Ji Li noticed that the container below was becoming increasingly unstable, while a new container was being slowly deployed by a crane-like machine. It was a large spiritual artifact with spherical and box-shaped layers stacked and interspersed.

Clearly, this is the current progress of this experiment:
Deploy new containers.

The next step is to let the Class D personnel into the venue...

Just as Ji Li was carefully assessing the situation and pondering where to begin, he heard Clementine's panicked voice:
"This is it! This thing almost dragged me in last night!"

Ji Li looked down at the experimental field:
A-106, the old black man?

"That's it... Can I move away from it?"

Clementine's voice carried a hint of fear, as if what she had experienced last night was more serious than Ji Li had imagined.

"Did you enter its containment chamber yesterday?"

"No! I was just passing by that space you were in... That guy seemed to be very restless last night!"

Normally, mortises are very safe when they are in a containment chamber, as long as they do not enter the containment chamber at will.

Does this mean that the risk of this thing suddenly leaking had already started last night?

Why did it have to happen on this particular day that someone entered the vault? It's too much of a coincidence. And there were probably third-party people who entered the vault with me.

But what was the purpose of triggering the leak?
Is it also for the remains of a god? Or is it just petty theft?
As the largest memorial museum in St. Gannshire, the memorial items housed here are certainly enough to tempt anyone to take the risk.

Ji Li's mind raced, the logical framework of the Ascension Agreement flashing before his eyes, as he walked over to a person's side.

The man was sweating profusely as he watched the container being successfully deployed, about to move on to the next step of deploying Level D personnel.

Ji Li patted him on the shoulder, and he almost jumped up—

"Leave it to me."

Ji Li gestured with his eyes behind the gas mask, and the other person looked at the lever in his hand, which was the control switch used to release the "Black Old Man" when changing containers.

Such an important item could not be handed over to just anyone, but noticing the white coat of an A-level personnel on Ji Li, he felt a great sense of relief despite the immense pressure. Wiping away his sweat, he handed the lever to Ji Li with a grateful look in his eyes.

There was no other way; the psychological pressure on him to take on such a crucial position was simply too great.

If even one thing is not handled properly, and the containment goes out of control and an outbreak occurs, everyone present will be wiped out!

Grip the lever and look down at the scene below.

At this point, the container deployment is complete, and the next step is to deploy Level D personnel.

They will enter through the temporary passage connecting the experimental field to the new container below; there will be a whole group of them, all of them are bait.

Once it officially begins, only one person will enter the container, which will then be completely sealed off. The process will continue until the old man has been fully contained.

If the Black Elder fails to be contained and the previous Class D personnel dies, then another person is put in, and lives are taken until the Black Elder is completely contained. That's the general process.

When Ji Li saw this group of D-level personnel on the nearby monitor screen, the question that had been on his mind was instantly answered—

Pear.

Among the group of D-level personnel, there was Che Li.

At this moment, she no longer had her hair disheveled and her face exposed; that familiar beauty mark was reflected in Ji Li's eyes.

Compared to her student days, the girl's face hasn't changed much, except for the faint, undulating magic markings on her face, which resemble spiritual circuits. She's just gained a bit more composure and aloofness.

And of course, there was the anxiety in her eyes at that moment.

Clearly, this scene was also unexpected for her. Ji Li narrowed her eyes:
People from Stargate have come in.

The purpose of the leak was to kill Che Li, a Deep D-level personnel. Given Che Li's presence here now, Ji Li couldn't think of any other explanation.

If that's the case, then to ensure the assassination's success, the Stargate members must also have some who are D-level deep-level personnel...

Ji Li's gaze shifted, and he saw the burly figure in front of Che Li. It was the bald man who had appeared in the cafeteria yesterday, and he was one of the people who entered the St. Martin's vault in the same batch as Che Li.

Is it you...?

……

At this moment, Che Li, who was in the personnel compartment, felt a flicker in her eyes as she heard Jasmine's voice:
"I have remotely removed your spirit-sealing shackles, but the experiment has already begun and I cannot stop it. I will try to find a way to let the person next to you go first!"

Che Li remained silent, her gaze fixed on the bald man in front of her, her voice already transmitted through the spiritual circuits behind her ear bones:

"It's no use. The people from Stargate have already come in. I have to rely on myself from now on."

She took a deep breath.

The Black Old Man, an A-grade resting object, is a terrifying being whose exact spiritual quality level has not yet been determined.

Yes, she had Jasmine's connections to hide in the St. Martin's vault, so the Stargate people naturally had ways to break into the St. Martin's vault as well...

It's pointless to think about how they got in now; the important thing is how to survive with this badly injured body.

Only one person will be deployed, with the name provided by the observation lab, and a Dominator-level guard nearby will ensure the person's entry.

But with the Stargate personnel here, no matter who they call out, once the hatch opens, they'll make sure it's them being pushed in; the guards are useless...

As they pondered, the entire crew compartment suddenly turned crimson—

It's a life-or-death situation!

The shackles binding the spirit are about to break, and Che Li is activating the Well of Souls, his nerves taut like strings.

In that instant, she saw the bald man in front of her turn his head, baring his chilling teeth:
"Black Saintess, you..."

But before he could finish speaking, the hatch in front of him suddenly swung open, startling everyone—

There was no roll call, no countdown, and the entire Class D personnel compartment was connected to the test site where the black old man was located.

Even the bald man looked extremely surprised.

The next moment, a calm male voice came from the speaker:
“Cha-ri (车梨), Ddwi-eo (跑).”

The hatch opened instantly.

The D-level personnel were still in shock, wondering what this meant.
The bald man froze for a moment, but the open hatch made him immediately lunge at Che Li, thinking it was a spell to release the old man.

But all they got was a patch of black, frozen air and a figure that instantly smashed through the back door and escaped into the vault.

The bald man's pupils suddenly contracted:
"Damn it... Xandar, do it now..."

Chaotic shadows filed in from behind, enveloping the entire D-class personnel compartment.

Jasmine, who was closely monitoring everything from observation pod number 2, froze on the spot.

Silla dialect.

If she wasn't mistaken, it was the Silla dialect, and the voice was telling Cha-ri to run faster.

That's not a common language of any continent, and 99% of the people on White Island definitely wouldn't understand it, but as the daughter of a chaebol, Kari would definitely be able to understand it; it's her own language.

So here's the question... who is it?
She grabbed the researcher beside her, who was nearly falling apart in panic:

"Where did that sound come from?!"

"out of control……"

"Never mind that, just help me find out!"

The monitoring staff were in a flurry of activity:
"It's... Observation pod number 1 in the Black Old Man's Confinement Room..."

"Connect me!"

Jasmine grabbed the walkie-talkie:

"Hello, Observation Pod One! Please respond upon receipt. Observation Pod One?! Observation Pod One! Who is controlling the containment equipment? Answer immediately!"

There was no human voice coming from that side, only the sounds of the old black man rampaging, until after a long while, a calm male voice finally came:

"Jasmine, go help Che Li."

She froze on the spot.

……

Inside Observation Lab No. 1, Ji Li had transformed into the [Gravity Judge] and stood still, pulling the Mantis Blade from the body of the last person in the white coat. Corpses were strewn all around.

The machinery clanged and clattered as the right arm returned to its human form.

Ji Li flicked his left arm, and the wrist-worn machine gun sprayed out a dense barrage of spirit-material bullet casings, which bounced onto the control panel riddled with bullet holes.

At this moment, the hatch opened, and a team of security guards filed in. Upon seeing Ji Li standing in a pool of blood, they screamed in alarm, their clothes ripped apart, and they rushed towards him, their soul armor covering him.

Ji Li didn't even look, and turned his left arm backward.

The wrist-worn machine gun launched, expanded, and the dark, gravitational sweep instantly tore apart everyone's souls.

With a gentle shake, Ji Li put it away and stepped across the mess on the floor into the outer corridor.

At this moment, countless security guards had gathered in front of him, densely packed throughout the corridor.

The next moment, clothes exploded, soul armor possessed him, and he transformed into knights of various colors, surging towards Ji Li:

"Intruders, kill them on the spot!!!"

The first to be hit was a lancer. Ji Li dodged his spiritual thrust by sidestepping and slapped him so hard that his blood exploded against the wall.

The other charging knights sensed the unusual spiritual pressure and were about to retreat when Ji Li drew his lightsaber from his waist and strolled through the crowd.

The explosive sound of intense heat tearing through the body, the bursts of spiritual energy techniques scattered and erupted, and screams of agony filled the air.

Only when the last person standing was reduced to fragments did the door leading forward finally appear before Ji Li's eyes; the entire corridor was stained crimson with blood.

"No...the immortals..."

The squad leader, slumped on the ground, trembled as he raised his arms:

"Your Majesty, I..."

boom!
Brain matter exploded, blood splattered high on the wall, Ji Li ejected spent cartridge cases from his left arm and retracted the wrist-mounted machine gun:

"So much nonsense."

There was no need for further concealment. Ji Li cleaved through the blocked door with a single sword strike, charged into the surging guards behind him, and fought his way towards Area A.

Behind the surveillance camera, watching the butcher-like figure move forward, the man pressed his hand to his ear:

"Lord Star, you need to speed things up..."

"What happened again!?"

“There is a third-party force, with an unfamiliar appearance and unknown abilities, but he is an immortal… He is heading towards you at high speed, and those guards can’t stop him at all!”
-
P.S.: I actually finished writing this chapter late last night, but after dinner tonight I suddenly felt sleepy, so I took a nap and woke up at 11:30. I'll revise it and post it as soon as possible...

(End of this chapter)