Life Dungeon Game

The bullets in this gun are equipped with special micromechanical devices that can mark the target and continuously emit signals to the vicinity once they hit it.

Red's bracelet has built-in hardware that can receive such signals. Even if it encounters a shadow or something that 'hides' itself, Red believes he can find his target by relying on the mechanical alert.

This design is specifically designed to combat shadows.

Just as the bullet was fired, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him, and a sharp sword slid towards his neck.

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Heo didn't actually want to lay a hand on Reed. After all, he was a law-abiding citizen, and he had no reason to lay a hand on Reed unless Reed attacked him.

While he was in stealth mode, Reed couldn't see him and was unlikely to attack him.

What he didn't expect was that Reed's mind was a little too quick.

Of course, He could also foresee that since Reed could command the 'Shadow', he had probably prepared a way to defend against it.

He just didn't expect that this guy would dare to fire a gun all by himself.

He had no idea what cards Reid had up his sleeve.

However, now that the other party has already shot him, there is no need for him to hide anymore. After all, Reed still needs to be dealt with, and now is one of the best opportunities to deal with Reed.

He's movements were incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, before Reid could even see clearly, the sword was already close to his neck.

It was too late for Reed to retreat; the sharp dagger severed his neck, and the expression on his face remained frozen in that final moment of surprise.

The immense force of the sword sent Reed staggering back several steps, retreating him back into the safe.

However, He Ao did not stop what he was doing. He took a few steps forward and slashed at Reid's body with his sword.

The 'mark' he left on Red was not taken back even after Red's 'death'.

This time, his sword stopped in mid-air.

A pair of bony claws clasped together in mid-air, forcefully catching his sword strike.

He Ao drew his sword and retreated, walking to the metal door.

At the same time, a piercing alarm broke the silence of the corridor outside the door, and a red glow illuminated the empty corridor.

As the alarm sounded, the opened metal door slammed shut, extinguishing the last glimmer of light.

He leaned against the door, watching Reed in front of him.

Reed's head had already flown off, crashed against the inner wall, and rolled around once.

However, not a drop of blood flowed from the sharp cut that severed his neck; only fine strands of flesh were wriggling.

Reed's headless body slowly pulled one hand out of his pocket, revealing a red alarm device clutched in his hand. This alarm was the one that triggered the corridor alarm, which was now sounding throughout the entire research institute.

He casually crushed the alarm in his hand, and the claws that had caught He Ao's short sword extended backward at a twisted angle, grabbing the head that had fallen to the ground and pulling it back.

The two claws weren't Reid's arms, but rather they appeared from his back, along his shoulder blades.

Extending out, long 'claws', grayish-white in color, resembled extended bones.

"Pete? It seems I guessed wrong."

The severed head was reattached to the neck by claws, the fine fleshy tendrils intertwining to 'fix' Reid's head to the neck once again.

However, the gruesome wound around his neck had not been healed, making it look extremely terrifying.

Reed tilted his head, and crackling sounds came from his body. He arched his back slightly, bending his body like a shrimp.

Two sharp, bone-like claws pierced through his clothes, extending from behind his ribs and spreading out.

Including his original two hands, he now has six 'hands'.

At this moment, Reed resembled less a human and more a humanoid beast.

He Ao focused his divine sense on the 'Reid' in front of him.

A tremendous power was flowing freely from that mutated body, like steam that had been suppressed in a pressure cooker finally breaking free of its seal.

Prior to this, Heo sensed that Reid's physical energy was only at the D level, but now, this surging energy rapidly crossed the threshold between D and C, and quickly grew to the peak of C level.

A terrifying pressure emanated from Reid's body.

Should I call you 'human' or 'beast' now?

Heo held his short sword, his gaze calmly fixed on Reid before him.

“Don’t confuse me with those lowly creatures like alien beasts,” Reed chuckled. “Have you ever seen an alien beast with such high intelligence? Those alien beasts are nothing but failures in the process of evolution.”

His voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a hazy, almost frantic quality.

He Ao activated his super memory and looked into his soul.

Unlike Coles' soul, which was covered in milky white spots, Reid's pale soul had now turned almost entirely milky white, clinging tightly to his twisted body.

He's already gone mad.

"You probably think I'm crazy now,"

Looking into Heo's eyes, Reed seemed to understand something, and chuckled softly.

"I'm not crazy. I'm in great shape right now. You've been hiding your power for so long, you should know what it feels like to suppress your power all the time."

"It's like you could walk down the street with your head held high, but you have to hunch over, shrinking your limbs little by little, moving like a duck. This feeling of oppression and suffocation has haunted me for years, and finally,"

He grinned.

"I'm free today."

A pair of new claws emerged from behind his waist and lunged at Heo. "I should thank you, Pete, for giving me a brief opportunity to stretch my body."

“You’re welcome,” He Ao rolled to the side, dodging the two claws that reached out to grab him. “You’ve bypassed the ritual and gained power beyond D-rank. So, what’s the price?”

"The cost is no cost,"

A sinister smile crept across Reed's face.

“I’ve treated many people and researched the medical field for many years, Pete. You must understand that humans are intelligent yet fragile animals. Even if we can use the power of our innate sequences, we are still fragile.”…

Twisted pieces of bone pierced him.

His clothes, like a ferocious suit of armor, covered his body.

"Only a very small number of people can be promoted to powerful superhumans. Most people in this world are born to live a short and weak life. We are like insects that are born in spring and die in autumn, unaware of the tranquility of eternal years. The human body is born with limits."

His three pairs of sharp claws danced in the air like an octopus on land, but these sharp claws were clearly more dangerous than an octopus's tentacles. They swooped down towards He Ao with a sharp whooshing sound.

"And now, a powerful path, one that will never get sick, one that will never die, lies before me. This is the future of humanity, and you will never understand the magnitude of this endeavor."

Watching these claws fly around, He Ao suddenly thought of the people with 'dotted lines' on their backs in the murals of the Andavi family.

These claws, which can extend and retract at will and even retract into the body, are like dotted lines, seemingly tangible yet not truly existent.

He dodged the claws with difficulty, then looked up at Reid. "You drank from the Fountain of Youth?"

This question startled Reed; clearly, Heo's question was beyond his comprehension of Heo. "How do you know about the Fountain of Youth?"

He Ao didn't say anything, but instead held up his short sword and, taking advantage of the moment when Reid was stunned, slashed at the base of one of Reid's claws.

The sharp dagger clashed with the hard bone, leaving a scratch on the bone, while a chip also appeared on He'ao's dagger.

These bones are so hard that they exceed the limits of what a short sword can destroy.

He took a few steps back, increasing the distance between himself and Reid.

Although the space inside the safe was extremely small, there wasn't much room for him to maneuver.

Heo was not interested in the great things Red talked about; all devout cultists firmly believed they were doing great things.

Their minds have been completely corrupted by evil gods, and their way of perceiving and defining beauty is different from that of ordinary people.

The followers of Death believe that death is the most eternal beauty, while the followers of the Witch of Desire believe that indulgence is the ultimate righteousness.

If a follower of Death wants to invite a normal person to 'experience' the beauty of death, they will most likely be refused.

What they consider good doesn't mean ordinary people are willing to accept it.

If a beautiful, lustful witch invites a man to experience what 'integrity' feels like, well... he might not necessarily refuse.

However, this is only a minority.

He didn't know what Reid's mental state was like now, but judging from his indifference to life and his wanton taking of others' lives, he was already a qualified cultist.

“This is your true purpose for hiding in the inner city,” Reed stared at Heo, as if he had figured something out. “You didn’t come here to live in seclusion; you came here to find the Fountain of Youth?”

He suddenly laughed out loud, “Pete, we can cooperate. If your goal is the Fountain of Youth, I can introduce you to the ‘Doctor.’ With your intelligence and strength, the ‘Doctor’ will definitely value you.”

'PhD',

This was the first time He Ao had heard this title.

This appears to be the 'code name' of the leader of Project Mars.

And just as He Ao

While his thoughts were briefly diverted by the codename 'Doctor', Reed's sharp claw swiftly reached for his heart.

Reed never intended to 'invite' Heo; he just wanted to use the news to distract Heo.

The attack was so fast that He Ao almost couldn't dodge it. The sharp claws slashed across his shoulder, tearing his clothes and leaving a bloody gash.

"Pete, how about seriously considering joining us?"

With Reed's slightly smiling 'invitation', claws came down like a storm.

He Ao flashed away and retreated into the shadows beneath those sharp claws.

His gaze was fixed on Reed, whose hard bones covered almost his entire body, including most of his head, leaving only his eyes visible.

He had already tried attacking the head, but that wasn't his vital spot.

Under the vision of divine sense, the energy flow within Reid's body was terrifyingly even, with no key points where energy could converge.

This was the first time He Ao had encountered such a situation.

Any object that generates energy must have an energy accumulation point.

After observing for so long, he has figured out some of the principles behind energy gathering points.

The energy gathering point is the central hub for the entire system's energy regulation. All energy within the system must pass through here, gather here, and then flow back to the whole body. It is the core of the entire energy cycle.

Its role is somewhat similar to that of the heart.