191: dragon

Shen Mingyuan watched the scene on the monitor as the pitch-black beast devoured the Researcher, his gaze behind the red visor calm.

This thing, whatever it was, was clearly one of the 'products' of this laboratory. He couldn't let it escape outside.

Without further delay, he moved, swiftly darting toward the 'High-Risk Biological Sample Storage Area' shown on the monitor. The speed granted by his armor allowed him to quickly navigate the complex corridors, advancing along the shortest path based on his memory of the base's layout and the monitor's display.

Meanwhile, in the footage, the pitch-black beast, after devouring the Researcher, seemed fully awake and began violently destroying surrounding obstacles with its massive body and sharp claws, forcing its way out of the storage area. Its goal was clear: to leave this place that had imprisoned it.

Shen Mingyuan was faster. He intercepted the beast, which was breaking through a wall, at the end of a relatively wide connecting corridor.

The corridor lights flickered due to the destruction, illuminating the beast's massive body covered in pitch-black scales that shimmered with a dark red luster. It nearly filled most of the corridor's cross-section, its crimson vertical pupils looking down from above, locking onto the 'small figure' before it clad in black armor and holding a peculiar firearm.

The beast's dragon-like maw, filled with sharp teeth, opened and closed, and a deep, resonant voice with a distinctly arrogant tone echoed directly in the enclosed space:

"Oh? An Evolver... another Evolver. Judging by this appearance... you don't seem too weak."

Shen Mingyuan's gun-holding arm was steady as a rock, but his pupils behind the red visor contracted almost imperceptibly.

"You have consciousness? You can speak?" His voice came through the faceplate, carrying a cold inquiry.

"Of course I can, hmph." The dragon-like creature snorted a hot breath smelling of sulfur from its nostrils. "You... don't seem to be from their organization?" It casually gestured with its claw at the surrounding laboratory wreckage. "The reason I was locked up here was simply because they took advantage of me... well, a temporary weakness, and used some tricks."

"What do you mean?" Shen Mingyuan seized the key information. "You're not with them? Are you a member of the New Federation?"

"The New Federation? Heh..." The beast let out a scornful sneer, its crimson pupils filled with disdain. "Those pitiful creatures, those wretches who dream of overthrowing humanity but can't even figure out their own place? No, I have nothing to do with them. The New Federation... is doomed to fail."

Shen Mingyuan pressed further: "If you're not with the New Federation, then how were you captured by 'Prometheus'? Who are you? What exactly are you?"

"'Prometheus'? The fire thief? What kind of organization would give itself such a name?" The beast tilted its head, seeming somewhat puzzled. "Wasn't I captured by GUPA? So this isn't a GUPA base? Never mind, it doesn't matter."

It raised its head again, its tone returning to that condescending arrogance. "Listen, I am an Advanced life form, just like you, a truly evolved existence.

I think you should understand... look at these lowly beings around us, these ants who can't even touch the threshold of evolution. Now, I'm giving you a chance—join our 'The Fellowship'."

"Join you?" Shen Mingyuan's voice carried obvious sarcasm. "Look at yourself, an 'Advanced life form' locked in a laboratory, having just broken out of its cage?"

"Hmph!" The beast was angered, a low growl rumbling in its throat as dark red energy faintly flowed between its scale gaps. "It's merely a temporary low point! Since you're unwilling to seize this opportunity... then die!"

It seemed to have originally wanted to 'persuade' a bit more, perhaps because its condition wasn't fully recovered or for some other reason, but Shen Mingyuan's mockery clearly provoked its arrogant nature. Its crimson pupils locked onto Shen Mingyuan as it declared:

"Power, if not for dominating the weak, is meaningless! Look at these inferior beings—they cannot evolve, destined only to grovel before us! To be trampled underfoot, become slaves, turned into tools for our amusement... that is their inevitable fate!"

As the words fell, the air in the corridor seemed to solidify with its killing intent. The pitch-black, massive body lowered slightly, adopting an attacking posture.

The black-red glow of energy at the muzzle of Shen Mingyuan's sniper rifle also condensed to its peak.

The stalemate was instantly broken!

Shen Mingyuan pulled the trigger without any warning. The fully charged black-red energy beam in sniper rifle mode tore through the air with a sharp hum, shooting straight toward the center of the dragon's head!

However, facing this strike capable of piercing heavy armor, the pitch-black dragon merely tilted its head slightly, its crimson pupils even revealing a trace of scornful disdain. It didn't intend to dodge at all!

"Bang—sizzle!"

The energy beam accurately struck a pitch-black scale on its forehead. But the expected penetration or explosion didn't occur. The skin covered in scales seemed exceptionally smooth and secreted an extremely thin, oily, glossy mucus.

Upon impact, the black-red energy beam acted as if hitting an incredibly smooth curved surface—most of the energy was eerily deflected and slid away, scattering into flying sparks, with only a tiny portion leaving a faint scorch mark on the scale's surface that quickly faded.

"Hmph," the dragon's voice carried undisguised mockery. "What? Can't even touch me?"

Before the words fully faded, its massive body erupted with astonishing speed belying its size. Its maw filled with sharp teeth opened, carrying a foul wind like a battering ram crushing everything, biting fiercely toward Shen Mingyuan!

Alarm bells rang in Shen Mingyuan's mind. What kind of defense was this?! He pushed off hard with his feet, retreating rapidly while his hands crossed—

"Click! Clang—!"

A crisp mechanical reassembly sound echoed in the narrow corridor. The elongated sniper rifle separated and reassembled in less than half a second, dark purple energy patterns flowing. The 'five-colored black' bionic wings on his back and the tail wing at his waist burst through the armor, while straight Red Lightning Arm Blades ejected from the outer sides of his arms!

shadow·Falcon Dive Form, switch complete!

The dragon's bite missed, its huge head lifting as its crimson pupils examined the greatly transformed Shen Mingyuan with interest.

"Heh, interesting, you can switch forms?" It sneered, its gaze sweeping over the wings spread behind Shen Mingyuan. "Oh? Turned into a chicken? What, are you inviting me to eat fried chicken?"

While mocking, its attack didn't pause. Its thick neck exerted force again, its maw biting over with even greater speed, this time covering a larger area!

Shen Mingyuan used the enhanced agility of Falcon Dive Form to dodge sideways, while his Red Lightning Arm Blades ejected. Aiming at a gap between scales on the side of the dragon's neck, he crossed the blades and slashed with full force!

"Clang—hiss!"

The Arm Blades did strike.

But the sensation was extremely bizarre! The moment the blade edges made contact with the pitch-black, glossy scales, it felt not like hitting solid armor but rather like cleaving through an incredibly smooth, constantly flowing layer of grease!

The immense force was easily diverted and slid away. The sharp blade tips could only scrape a string of dazzling sparks and a shallow white mark on the scale's surface, unable to penetrate at all.

Even the penetrating force the Arm Blades tried to transmit was mostly dissipated by that strange, slippery sensation.

Shen Mingyuan's heart sank further. He changed moves swiftly, using the sliding force from the slash to spin his body, the Arm Blades rising from another tricky angle, targeting the relatively vulnerable area near the dragon's eye socket.

However, the same thing happened!

No matter how he changed angles, increased speed, or added force, the pitch-black, glossy scales covering its entire body seemed alive, always adjusting with imperceptible arcs to direct the most threatening slashes onto the smoothest curved surfaces of the scales, then sliding them away, dissipating the force, rendering them futile.

After several rapid exchanges, aside from leaving a few quickly fading shallow marks and scattered sparks, Shen Mingyuan had actually failed to inflict any substantial damage on this dragon!

This monster's defensive method was utterly incomprehensible!