Yes, I did all of this!

"Let me think..." Duanmu Mo narrowed his eyes, his voice lower than ever before: "—That's what I mean!"

As black energy surged from his body, Duanmu Mo's face changed, his skin altered, and fine scales grew on his trench coat, all in Dr. Suzuki's gaze shifting from astonishment to terror.

"what!"

The grip on his wrist tightened dramatically, and Dr. Suzuki couldn't help but kneel down in pain, his wrist still held by Duanmu Mo.

However, when he looked at Duanmu Mo's face again, his eyes widened suddenly.

"How is this possible?! You!"

After a long while, he finally let out a dry laugh:

"Ha... What exactly is your purpose?!"

"Enjoy a leisurely and carefree life," Duanmu Mo, or rather Neville, said with a smile, his shadow stretching out and gradually engulfing Dr. Suzuki.

"However, if anyone doesn't want me to be this comfortable, I'll beat them all up—whether they're you weirdos or magical girls."

"I......"

Seeing his body about to be swallowed by the shadow, Dr. Suzuki struggled.

Duanmu Mo released his grip, watching as Dr. Suzuki was completely swallowed by the shadow and disappeared on the ground. Only then did he exhale and transform back into human form.

"Phew—I almost lost control of my emotions."

After glancing at the cabinets behind him, Duanmu Mo left.

. . . . . .

Chapter 241: The Will of the Self

In the laboratory corridor, Ken Shinbu pushed Rin Shinbu, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and ran quickly.

"Rin, you are the hope of our Shenwu Group. Dr. Suzuki is adjusting the equipment. As long as you lie down, the transformation will begin automatically—do you hear me, Rin!"

He looked at the drooping Shenwu Bell and a look of joy appeared on his face.

With this kind of mental state, there will definitely be no problem for him to undergo reformation.

However, before he even reached the laboratory, he suddenly stopped.

Ahead of him, someone pushed open the laboratory door and stopped in his path.

This surprised him greatly.

"Duanmu Mo... weren't you locked up?"

Shenwu Jian was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened: "I don't care how you got out, I don't have time to waste with you now, get out of my way!"

"It's me who should be telling you to get lost, not you."

Duanmu Mo's expression remained calm as he gazed at Shen Wuling, who sat in a wheelchair with her head bowed.

"I will not let Ling become what you want her to be."

"Mr. Duanmu..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Wuling's eyes flickered slightly. She looked up at Duanmu Mo and opened her mouth, "...Why did you come to see me?"

"—And then watch your old father transform you into a monster?"

Duanmu Mo stared at Shen Wuling and said, "You know that what you're saying now isn't true, right? Because of that failed transformation the first time, your negative emotions have been amplified, which has disrupted your normal thinking."

"...I beg you, Mr. Duanmu, please let me be free."

"Did you hear me? Get out of here! I won't say it a second time!"

Shenwu Jian raised the gun in his hand, which he had grabbed to save his life before the Assault had restarted. He pointed the gun at Duanmu Mo; a weapon developed specifically for monsters would only explode and scatter when it hit a human body.

"Mr. Duanmu... please give up on me."

Seeing this, Shen Wuling's eyes flashed with struggle as she looked at Duanmu Mo pleadingly.

"Submitting to your father's arrangements will not bring you relief."

Duanmu Mo didn't even glance at the gun in Shen Wujian's hand, his gaze fixed on Shen Wuling:

"Ring, if you believe me, listen to me and close your eyes."

"Mr. Duanmu..."

"I don't have time to listen to your nonsense anymore, I'm going to shoot!"

With the gun pointed at Duanmu Mo, Shen Wujian's arm trembled slightly, filled with fear of killing.

Gripping the armrests of the wheelchair tightly, Shen Wuling met Duanmu Mo's gaze and finally closed her eyes.

"I--"

Behind her, her father's threatening voice came, but before he could finish speaking, a sharp blade slicing through the air suddenly rang out, and at the same time, Shen Wuling smelled the stench of blood.

"What—Aaaaaah!"

Shen Wujian screamed, her eyelashes trembled, but she ultimately did not open them.

Soon, Duanmu Mo's voice was accompanied by Shen Wujian's scream.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now, but don't look back."

Shen Wuling opened her eyes, the panting of Shen Wujian behind her fading into the distance: "No... what happened, ah—"

"I......"

Shen Wuling opened her mouth, but still didn't ask about what was happening behind her.

"Don't worry, your father is not in danger. That friend was very efficient."

—That friend?

Not knowing what Duanmu Mo was talking about, Shen Wuling watched as she was pushed to the deepest part of the laboratory.

"here it is......"

Not long ago, she underwent her first transformation here, but the result was this miserable state she is in now. She closed her eyes, a look of pain flashing across her face:

"Why did I have to come back here?"

"Because this is a good place, it will determine your three future paths."

Duanmu Mo closed the laboratory door, knelt down in front of Shen Wuling, but did not explicitly state what the three paths were.

He simply looked directly into Shinmu Rin's eyes and said earnestly:

"Ring, your sister, Yuzhi Xiayan, and the other two are currently outside the ship. They are attacking your mother, who has become the final form of the Striker. Their situation is not optimistic, so even if we escape to the deck now, it will not change the current situation."

"..."

Shen Wuling met Duanmu Mo's gaze, remained silent for a moment, and then asked in a trembling voice, "So, you came to me because you want to reform me and help them?"

She looked around; the programs here seemed to be ready, and as long as someone lay on them, the modification would begin automatically.

“No, if you become a freak, things will only get worse,” Duanmu Mo said bluntly. “That’s why I came to find you, and that’s only for you.”

"For...me?"

"Accepting the transformation will give you the health you've always dreamed of, but this power will also bring you unknown costs, so you need to consider it carefully."

At Duanmu Mo's words, Shen Wuling opened her mouth, revealing a helpless expression: "...Consider? No matter when, I have no choice."

She shook her head and said softly, "Mr. Duanmu, we don't have much time left, do we? If you want me to be transformed into a monster, then do it yourself. I won't resist."

"What matters now is not my will, but your opinion..."

"—My thoughts no longer matter!"

Before Duanmu Mo could finish speaking, Shen Wuling interrupted him, her tone more intense than usual, and a pained expression appearing on her face:

"You said it yourself, my will has also been affected by the transformation, and now I fully meet the conditions for a successful transformation—whether I want it or not!"

Suppressed emotions were released in front of Duanmu Mo, and what Shen Wuling said was precisely the biggest inner demon in her heart.

Her frail body forced her to rely on others to survive, and each act of help from others subtly eroded her dignity. The rehabilitation program, which was supposed to be based on her own will, was instead disrupted by this unexpected turn of events.

The negative emotions rising within her made her sense of self meaningless, and made Shen Wuling deeply feel that everything about her was being controlled by others, even her thoughts and will.

After realizing this fact, a deep despair rose in her heart, not from the influence of the energy after the failed transformation, but from her own true thoughts.

However, under the weight of her immense negative energy, this despair seemed incredibly insignificant.

"..."

Faced with her feeble outburst, Duanmu Mo remained silent for a moment before raising his hands and grasping the backs of her hands:

"That's true—but the question I'm asking you isn't about reality, it's about your ideals, what you really want to do."

Holding the back of her hand, Duanmu Mo gazed deeply into her eyes, wanting to communicate directly with her deepest feelings through despair.

"..." She could feel the warmth of Duanmu Mo's palm, but the force he exerted was very slight, and Shen Wuling could easily break free.

She lowered her head, avoiding Duanmu Mo's gaze.

"Why... why waste so much time on a piece of trash like me? And with the monster's power modifying me, I'll become a target for my sisters. Even so, you still want to modify me?"

"I'm not asking you to change, but rather asking for your opinion," Duanmu Mo said calmly. "I will respect your thoughts. If you want to give up, then I will take you away without looking back. The negative emotions in your body should be eliminated by the power of their magical girls."

From Duanmu Mo's words, it's clear that he's absolutely serious. If Shen Wuling dares to utter even the slightest dissent, he will immediately take her away. However, this means that Shen Wuling will forever remain the patient who must sit in a wheelchair.

"I......"

"—I've told you before, power is power, the key is how you use it. Hold firm to your beliefs, and even the most dangerous power will change under your thoughts."

Duanmu Mo interrupted her, tightening his grip on her hand slightly:

"Do what you truly want to do, ignore those false negative emotions, use your most genuine emotions to control your power, instead of being controlled by power—do what you truly want to do, and I will do everything I can to help you. I promised you that."

"Um......"

Shinmuri closed her eyes, countless voices whispering in her mind, telling her the opposite of what she hoped for: utter death from a failed modification, the mindless, rampant attacks of a monster...

But deep within the murky black fog, she could feel her heart trembling because of the promise Duanmu Mo had made.

"What I really want to do..." Shen Wuling bit her lower lip, her hand, held in Duanmu Mo's palm, tightening slightly.

"I want to regain my health, and I don't want to hurt anyone... Is it really possible to do something so greedy?"

"That depends on how much you want to do it," Duanmu Mo said with a smile.