In the doctor’s shocked gaze, a slender man in a black trench coat strode through the doorway. His frame was exceptionally tall and lean, his face pale yet strikingly handsome. Spotting the doctor, a trace of cold smile curled slightly on the man’s lips. His amber-yellow pupils glinted with the predatory gleam of a hunter sighting prey.
The doctor’s expression twisted into utter shock as the stranger appeared at his lab entrance.
So the Awakened Association had detected his forbidden research. First, they’d sent a hidden-strength Awakened to eliminate his trusted partner. Now, another operative had barged straight into his lab.
Cold sweat drenched the doctor’s body. His hand, gripping the rune-tech gun, trembled as he pointed it at the man radiating an eerie aura. “Y-you… who exactly are you…?!”
Breaching the lab’s outer defenses and silently eliminating everyone else—anyone would recognize this man’s extraordinary power.
The man didn’t answer. Instead, he eyed the rune-tech gun with amusement. “That thing in your hand—is it a Rune Continent artifact? Go on, shoot me with it. I won’t dodge.”
“What?”
The bizarre request stunned the doctor. He stared incredulously. Was this guy insane?
As the gun’s owner, the doctor knew its might. Even an A-rank Awakened wouldn’t dare take a direct hit unscathed. Yet this man… dared him to fire?
Before the doctor could react, the man snapped impatiently, “Hey, I’m in a rare good mood and offering you a shot. Don’t tell me you’re chickening out.”
The doctor’s face darkened at the taunt. Was this genuine disdain or a trick to lure him into firing?
In that hesitation, the man’s impatience flared. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” His figure vanished on the spot.
“So fast!”
The doctor lost sight of him. He swung the gun barrel blindly, aiming by instinct. Suddenly, an iron grip clamped his wrist. Agony shot through him. Reflexively, he fired at the shadow now before him.
*Sizzle!*
A searing beam of condensed rune energy pierced the shadowy figure.
“I hit him?!”
The doctor couldn’t believe it. The man had deliberately placed his head at the muzzle. Under the beam’s evaporation, he stood as a headless corpse.
But the grip on the doctor’s wrist tightened. He screamed in pain, dropping the rune-tech gun.
The gun never hit the floor. The “corpse” caught it mid-air with another hand. The doctor’s eyes bulged. His face turned deathly pale. Gurgling sounds escaped his throat like a strangled hen.
A sinister laugh echoed from nowhere. Shadows surged from the neck like flames, reforming the man’s head.
The man released the wrist and seized the doctor’s throat, lifting him high. The doctor clawed at the steel-like arm. It didn’t budge.
“The power of runes is truly fascinating,” the man mused, ignoring the doctor’s purple, suffocating face. He weighed the rune-tech gun. “Pity I can’t fully unravel its might yet.”
A twisted shadow slithered from his sleeve like a snake. It coiled around the gun, swallowing it into darkness.
“W-what… are… you…” the doctor gasped, eyes locked on the man.
A smile finally spread on the man’s lips. “You’ll know soon. You’re about to become part of me.”
Shadowy energy erupted from his body. It coalesced into a giant serpent. Before the doctor’s terrified eyes, the serpent’s maw descended over his head.
The doctor had no time to scream. Darkness swallowed him. His consciousness plunged into nothingness amid searing pain.
Soon, only cruel devouring sounds echoed in the lab.
...
Elsewhere, at Sacred Heart Academy’s gate.
“Are you both Awakened?”
A young security guard leaned from the guard post window. He glanced at their IDs, then at the two oddly dressed figures. One was nearly head-to-toe in bandages. The other wore a neck brace, his stretched neck making him look like a clumsy goose. Utterly ridiculous.
“That’s right,” Lü Xiaodao replied reluctantly. He knew how strange they looked. Luckily, he’d shaved his green hair into a bald head yesterday. Otherwise, that green mop would’ve made him even more uncomfortable.
To their surprise, the guard didn’t mock them. Respect flickered on his face. He asked their purpose seriously.
Lü Xiaodao and Xiao Zhang didn’t hide it. “We’re here for Rollroll.” They weren’t causing trouble, so no need for secrecy.
Rollroll was famous at Sacred Heart Academy. The only dog allowed free campus access. Its breed and owner were impossible to miss.
Hearing they sought Rollroll, the guard looked puzzled but dutiful. He registered them, explained academy rules, and let them in.
He wasn’t worried about troublemakers. Several powerful Awakened lived inside the academy.
Moreover, an anomalous force field shrouded the campus—a field strong enough to seal cross-dimensional incursions by Beasts. Thus, it was one of Haven City’s safest places. That’s why Feng Ye had sent his sister here to study.
