Mr. Pantalone has no crazy plans today.

The figure's eyes held an arrogant and indifferent gaze, as if positioning himself as a superhuman who transcended the mortal world.

He exudes an air of intellectual scholar, yet also carries an unimaginable madness.

This binary of rationality and madness was vividly displayed in the strange man before them.

The figure that emerged from the darkness looked down at him with a condescending smile and said mockingly.

"I never expected that a little mouse would run into the cage I casually created for experimentation. This is truly an unexpected variable. What do you think I should do with you, my little lab rat?"

"Who exactly are you, and what is your purpose?"

Diluc looked at the strange figure of the young man in front of him with a gloomy expression and asked in a deep voice.

"If you want to ask me that question, you'll have to ask what your father stole from me. As for my identity, you can call me 'Doctor.'"

The strange man who called himself "Doctor" grinned and revealed his identity to Diluc.

Upon hearing the name, Diluc immediately realized its significance.

Even though he didn't know the names of all the Fatui Enforcers, he learned from the information he obtained from the Fatui Research Institute base that the Enforcer who was researching a certain experiment and assigning them the task was named "Doctor".

Realizing this, Diluc immediately thought of something and looked at the strange man in front of him who called himself "Doctor" and asked in a deep voice.

"Those monsters that turned into something like the dead must have been members of the Knights of Mondstadt, right? What did you do to these members of the Knights of Mondstadt?"

"I only tested my latest research results on these people a little bit, turning them into extraordinary life forms that transcend humanity. There is a more accurate name and term for this kind of life form, you can also call them—death warriors."

Faced with Diluc's probing questions, the man who called himself "Doctor" put his hands in his pockets, revealed a strange smile, and answered his question.

This answer immediately reminded Diluc of the information he had obtained from the Fatui's research facility regarding the so-called "Death Soldiers."

That was the thing his father had stolen from the Fools that was related to that mysterious drug, something that was said to grant ordinary humans power comparable to that of the holder of the Eye of God.

Those who fail to inject this drug will eventually be corrupted by the power of the alien blood in the drug, losing their minds and becoming monsters they call 'death warriors'.

This 'drug,' or rather, this foreign blood, possesses extraordinary corrosiveness and a level of toxicity that ordinary people cannot withstand; even a small amount will cause infection.

After receiving the strange man's reply, he immediately realized that his guess was probably correct.

The figures clad in knightly armor before him were most likely members of the knightly order who had been infected by the poisonous blood described in the account of 'death warriors' and transformed into those monsters known as 'death warriors'.

As Diluc pondered what he should do in this situation, the "Doctor" in front of him snapped his fingers lightly. This sudden and somewhat inexplicable action immediately interrupted Diluc's thoughts.

This seemingly inexplicable action immediately put Diluc on high alert the moment he noticed it.

He didn't think this seemingly inexplicable action was meaningless, or rather, he didn't think "the Doctor" would do anything meaningless.

Especially since the other party had just finished introducing the experimental results he had created, and he was pondering the meaning behind the "Doctor's" snap of his fingers.

He quickly understood what the "Doctor" meant by snapping his fingers. He saw the man who made a soft laugh in the darkness say this.

"Since the 'Death Squad' is a finished product that is a byproduct, and since we haven't caught the big rat yet, it's okay to use you, the little rat, to test the performance of the 'Death Squad.' Let me see how the experiment goes."

After the "Doctor" finished speaking, the humanoid "death warriors" clad in knightly armor who had been surrounding the dragon-like monster seemed to have received some kind of command.

Accompanied by the cracking sounds of its neck twisting, it suddenly began to move.

Countless golden eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, pierced the darkness of the night rain, their brilliance blinding in the darkness. Each person exuded an aura that posed a threat to Diluc.

The monstrous figures, dragging their stiff bodies like zombies and the dead, uttering unimaginable, insane babbling, were now drawing ever closer to him.

Faced with the figures of these 'death warriors' constantly approaching him, Diluc desperately wanted to run away from this pointless battle, but his legs felt as if they were filled with lead.

No matter what he did, he couldn't pull his foot out, which left him only able to watch as the 'death squads' kept approaching him, and he could only sit and wait for his death in this situation.

As Diluc gradually approached, surrounded by 'dead soldiers,' the 'Doctor', gazing at his research findings, spread his hands, revealing a slightly manic and satisfied smile.

"Hehe... The experiment was a great success, and now they seem to be unable to contain their enthusiasm. You know, they've been thirsting for this for a long time. Hehehe... Let the others have a good 'feast' here."

The moment those words were spoken, the figures of those 'death warriors' who had been moving slowly forward all revealed their hideous and terrifying sides.

Its twisted form, covered in black demonic scales, and its reptilian-like shape now fully revealed its claws and teeth, dripping with nauseating saliva, with sharp claws extending from its distinct, twisted finger bones.

At this moment, his previously stiff and slow movements suddenly accelerated to an unimaginable speed. In just a split second, the figures of the many other 'death squads' who were originally quite far away from him suddenly approached him like ghosts, cutting through the darkness with their voices.

The impending crisis forced him to use the last of his strength to grip the two-handed greatsword he could barely hold, preparing to fight the monsters before him to the death.

Suddenly, a power that Diluc had never expected appeared, instantly burning away the figures of the monsters that had been attacking him.

The flames engulfed the rainy night, evaporating countless splashes of rainwater. What was evaporated and swallowed along with the rainwater was not only the rainwater, but also the twisted monsters with hideous appearances.

Even those monsters who possessed immense power and were known as 'death warriors' seemed to encounter a force that filled them with immense fear when faced with a particular power, and began to feel fear and want to retreat.

But the sudden, terrifying flames were so horrifying that they burned away all the 'death warriors' figures that were caught in that power in just a few moments. In just a few breaths, those figures called 'death warriors' monsters were swallowed up by the black and purple flames.

Compared to the terrifying power that this flame energy displayed against the 'death warriors,' this power seemed to have consciously bypassed him and was only targeting the 'death warriors.'

This mysterious and ominous power, which was unlike anything Diluc had ever seen before, was undoubtedly unprecedented.

Just as Diluc was shocked by this sudden appearance of mysterious power, he even saw a look of surprise on the face of the executor known as "The Doctor".

Before Diluc could even ponder the origin of this mysterious flame's power, he suddenly sensed someone grabbing his wrist beneath the black curtain shrouded in black flames.

Just as he was still wondering who the owner of this power was, he suddenly saw a figure that made his eyes widen and felt extremely familiar.

"father……"

"Don't say too much, come with me!"