419: Chapter 419 The Legend of the Mighty Man, the True Demon King

"Commander Qin, we have arrived at the target area. There are no guards on site, nor have we found any relevant test subjects."

In the pitch-black laboratory, static sizzled alongside the squad leader's report.

"High-intensity combat took place here. Most of the equipment and instruments have been destroyed, and several incomplete corpses—likely guards—are scattered across the scene."

"Initial judgment indicates the cause of death was an attack by a test subject or some unknown creature. Dagger requests further instructions."

A few seconds later, a calm, deep male voice came through the earpiece.

"Received. Conduct a thorough search of the area immediately. The target of this mission might be hidden in the inner core zone."

"Report immediately upon discovery. Do not act on your own, and do not touch any suspicious objects recklessly."

"Yes, sir!"

The captain acknowledged firmly, then signaled several tactical hand gestures to his squad members, who immediately fanned out in an arc.

Just as the earpiece communication was about to cut off, the voice seemed to remember something and suddenly asked:

"On your way in, did you encounter any high-ranking executives of the Noah Organization?"

The captain was taken aback for a moment before responding quickly:

"Report: when we first infiltrated the building, we encountered several individuals suspected to be Noah executives, including Station Chief Feng Jincai from the photo profile."

"However, following your instruction to 'avoid contact,' we did not engage in conflict with them."

"Besides, from their appearance, they seemed to be fleeing in panic to escape a pursuer. That made our entry into the lab area very smooth, meeting virtually no real resistance."

"You did well. Continue with the mission."

The commander named Qin pondered for a moment before instructing.

The captain acknowledged and ended the call.

Just then, an exclamation suddenly broke the silence.

"Captain... look! What is this thing?"

Hearing the call, everyone snapped their gun muzzles in that direction.

Several beams from tactical flashlights instantly focused on the spot.

A passage that was originally narrow was shockingly covered in a massive expanse of flesh and blood.

Numerous nodules of what appeared to be biological tissue were writhing, dripping dark red mucus.

The squad member who called out subconsciously reached out, wanting to touch the slimy wall of flesh.

"Stop!"

The captain shouted sharply, stopping him in his tracks:

"This might be some kind of biological infection source! Everyone keep a safe distance, put on your protective masks, and stay sharp!"

The team continued to push forward cautiously.

The deeper they went into this flesh-and-blood corridor, the more terrified the team members became.

The surrounding fleshy walls were like a living creature's esophagus. Stepping on the ground produced squelching, sticky squishes.

Every step felt like walking on thin ice, for fear of touching something they shouldn't.

Finally, the team reached the exit of the corridor, and the sight before them left them completely stunned.

In a space of several hundred square meters, the walls, ceiling, and floor were all covered in a blood-red fleshy membrane.

However, this living nest of flesh and blood was already showing signs of decay.

Shriveled, withered nodules and severed, decaying tentacles could be seen everywhere, and the air was thick with the stench of rot.

"Is this... large-scale biological contamination? Or a new type of test subject from the Noah Organization?"

A squad member suppressed his nausea and asked in shock.

The captain could not help but look grave:

"What on earth did the Noah Organization hide here..."

Remembering what Director Qin had specifically instructed before this impromptu operation, the doubts in his heart grew deeper.

Everyone felt an unprecedented shock.

Even seasoned veterans like them felt their scalps go numb with shock at this surreal, hellish sight.

"Dagger, report your findings."

Commander Qin's voice came through the earpiece again, faintly betraying a sense of urgency.

The captain snapped out of it and reported calmly right away:

"Commander Qin, we followed a passage to its end and found a room whose interior is covered in a large area of unidentified red biological tissue."

"Initial observations show extreme biological contamination. We urgently need support from the epidemic prevention department to dispatch a biohazard disposal team for professional cleanup."

There was a brief pause on the other end before a voice filled with doubt came through:

"Is there nothing else? Did you see a giant red eyeball?"

The captain quickly scanned the surroundings, confirmed, and answered in a firm tone:

"Report, Commander Qin, no such eyeball was found at the scene."

"However, there are obvious signs of combat. Judging by the destructive force, bombs were used, or at least Rank-A Esper ability users fought here."

Commander Qin's voice turned low, as if muttering to himself:

"The crimson eye... is gone?"

"Did the Noah Organization react that fast? Or was it taken a step ahead by that guy?"

Beep! Beep! Beep—

Suddenly, an even sharper and more frantic alarm blared, blasting against everyone's eardrums.

Commander Qin also heard the noise over the earpiece.

"What is that sound?"

Immediately after, as if realizing something, he suddenly shouted out loud:

"Dagger Squad, mission aborted immediately! The Noah Organization has initiated the laboratory self-destruct sequence!"

The captain froze for a second, his expression changing drastically.

Without a moment's hesitation, he hastily issued the command:

"Everyone, retreat immediately! Fall back through the lab area along the way we came! Abandon all non-core equipment! I repeat, retreat immediately!"

Realizing the danger, the squad members didn't have time to maintain formation; they quickly turned around and sprinted frantically outward along the flesh-and-blood corridor.

The alarms grew increasingly rapid, as though signaling an unavoidable catastrophe about to strike.

...

Boom!

A dull, heavy explosion vibrated the ground of the entire street.

At the top of the Noah Building, around the eightieth floor, a blinding ring of white light suddenly flashed.

Immediately after, the glass curtain wall of the entire floor shattered outward as if struck by an invisible giant hammer.

Countless burning fragments engulfed in thick smoke turned into a rolling cloud of fire, bursting into the storm-swept night sky.

This sudden explosion utterly ignited the shock of all the onlookers.

Everyone assumed that the two superhuman figures from earlier had started another round of fighting.

"Fall back! Everyone fall back!"

A police officer in charge of site command roared into a megaphone, his face grim:

"Extend the cordon! Everyone leave this area immediately! This is not a drill, it's a sudden security emergency!"

Wearing raincoats, police officers formed a human wall with their bodies, striving to push back the restless crowd.

Piercing sirens, car horns, screaming crowds...

A myriad of noises blended together, making the city's midnight—already hazy with lights—unusually chaotic.

Screech—

Right at that moment, a van bearing the logo of Dongdu TV Station slammed on its brakes, stopping at the edge of the cordon line.

The door slid open, and a female reporter wearing a station vest rushed out alongside a cameraman shouldering a camera.

"Quick! Aim the camera at the building, lock onto that smoking spot!"

The female reporter directed in rapid speech while fixing her rain-slicked bangs, putting on a professional face for the camera.

"Dear viewers, this is a live broadcast from Dongdu TV Station's 'News 24 Hours.'"

Holding the microphone to her lips, her voice sounded calm, betraying none of her earlier haste:

"I am currently at Tianhe Avenue in the Central District. Tonight, an emergency broke out at our city's landmark, the Noah Building, suspected to be an act of intentional sabotage."

"Just moments ago, a violent explosion occurred inside the upper floors of the building."

"Casualties are currently unknown, and the police have sealed off the scene. As we can see, the entire building..."

The female reporter reported the situation before thrusting the microphone toward the nearest young man, whose face was still full of panic.

"Sir, what did you just see?"

"Huh? Are you talking to me?"

The young man didn't seem to have recovered from his shock yet. Pointing at the building, he stammered:

"I saw it, I saw everything!"

"First, there was a guy scaling the building's exterior with his bare hands, just climbing up like 'swish swish swish', just like Spider-Man!"

"A little later, two people flew out from the top floor and started fighting right there in the sky!"

"Seriously, it was like a movie! Bang bang bang, pow pow pow, and even shooting lights!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! He's not lying!"

Seeing an opportunity to get on TV, a middle-aged man nearby squeezed in excitedly and chimed in:

[part:gemini-3.5-flash-lite]

"Both of those people can fly. One of them was wearing a suit, and with a wave of his hand, the broken glass was like a tornado, 'whoosh,' sweeping right over!"

"The other one was a naked man wearing a white mask, and he was even more fierce!"

"He jumped straight from the building opposite into mid-air and punched the guy in the suit flying with a single blow. The glass wall of the building was smashed into a hole by them."

"Then, that tough guy flew back, squeezed into the hole, and I bet he went to hunt down the one in the suit."

"A naked tough guy? So exaggerated..."

The female reporter's mouth twitched, and her expression was somewhat awkward.

"This is a serious news program, not Approaching Science, nor a late-night adult channel, hey..."

Seeing that she didn't believe him, the middle-aged uncle grew anxious, gesturing wildly as spit flew from his mouth:

"My vision in both eyes is 2.0, and I saw it crystal clear!"

"I'm telling you, and the audience in front of the television, I, Wang Dachun, have lived for more than forty years, and I've never seen such an explosive scene..."

Seeing that this Mr. "Wang Dachun" was about to continue making astonishing remarks, the female reporter's professional expression completely froze.

Making a decisive move, she hurriedly turned her microphone toward another seemingly more normal passerby nearby, attempting to pull this program on the verge of losing control back on track.

Amidst the commotion of the crowd, Xiaosa stood silently.

He ignored the reporters and the restless passersby around him.

His attention was entirely focused on the building continuously billowing thick smoke, and his eyes were filled with worry.

Just then, a familiar fluctuation rippled through his mind.

Immediately following, a voice rang out.

"A-Ren."

It's the President!

Xiaosa's heart tightened, and he quickly responded through their mental connection:

"President, how are you? Are you injured? Is there anything you need me to do?"

His rapid-fire questions were extremely urgent, terrified of receiving the worst possible reply.

"I won't die."

Fang Cheng's voice came through. His tone was still steady, but it could hardly hide a trace of a volatile mood:

"Prepare a clean set of clothes and deliver them to the underground parking lot of the office building on the west side of the Noah Building. Hurry."

"Yes, I'll be right there."

Xiaosa didn't ask a single extra question, immediately turning and squeezing out of the crowd.

He could sense that the President's mental state didn't seem too good.

But on second thought, this was also normal.

After all, their opponent was that monster capable of controlling storms and flying through the air.

Being able to defeat it was already an incredible miracle for the President!

Xiaosa forcibly suppressed the surging emotions and admiration in his heart, walking briskly toward a black sedan parked at the street corner, nimbly pulling open the door, and starting the engine.

On the back seat, three paper bags bearing brand logos sat quietly.

Inside were brand-new underwear, outerwear, and trousers, along with a soaked black hoodie.

As it turned out, ever since he saw the President take off his coat and climb the building with his bare hands, he had anticipated what would be needed later and prepared everything in advance.

The sedan merged into the traffic, and as Xiaosa drove, he responded in his mind:

"President, there are ready-made clothes in the car. I'll drive over to pick you up right now."

The windshield wipers swayed rhythmically against the windshield, wiping away patches of blurred neon light and shadow.

Just as the vehicle turned a street corner, a black commercial van happened to drive from the opposite lane.

In the curtain of rain, the two cars crossed paths, each heading in a different direction.

The passengers inside the car windows were completely oblivious to each other's existence.

...

Inside the black commercial van.

Officer Zhou Liang gripped the steering wheel, Driving with Focus.

Gao Jin sat in the passenger seat, holding a USB flash drive with a slightly solemn expression.

In the back row, the three of them—A-Li, A-Yang, and Xiao Jie—had tattered clothes stained with blood and scrapes, yet their faces beamed with the excitement of surviving a catastrophe.

Further back, apart from disheveled hair and a somewhat soiled researcher's uniform, Choi Suyoung was basically uninjured.

As an important hostage needing rescue, she received special care and protection from the operatives.

Escaping all the way from the Inner World and the Noah Building could be described as a narrow escape without real danger.

As for the person lying in the seat beside her, Majima Goro was not so lucky.

His whole body was bruised black and blue, his face swollen like an over-fermented steamed bun, and at this moment, his eyes remained tightly closed, unconscious.

One could see how powerful the effect of Choi Suyoung's injection of tranquilizer was.

"Captain Gao, you didn't see it."

Unable to resist the urge to confide, A-Li gestured wildly:

"That Minister Luo from Noah was terrifyingly strong. With a flicker of his psychokinesis, a typhoon blew through the entire floor. People like us almost lost our lives there!"

"Fortunately White Owl was there, otherwise nobody would have been his opponent at all."

"Yeah."

A-Yang added with lingering fear:

"When those two started fighting, it was simply like a demolition crew entering an illegal building, smashing everything to pieces. They forcefully blew up the Inner World, which was filled with monsters everywhere, and that's how we luckily escaped."

Officer Zhou Liang drove while looking at them through the rearview mirror, smiling as he chimed in:

"I feel that compared to his cousin, Cheng Jiashu is like an educated scholar meeting a soldier; they are simply two different kinds of people."

"You bet!"

Xiao Jie said with a look of admiration:

"That White Owl looks just like the legendary Devil King, both powerful and brutal!"

"However... he's actually quite loyal. At that time, he could completely have left on his own, yet he still brought us charging out together, and didn't leave us on the 84th floor to feed the monsters."

"That's right."

A-Li nodded heavily: "This bro is reliable. If I run into him in reality later, I'll definitely make friends with him."

Listening to his team members endlessly praise the murderer one after another, Gao Jin didn't speak, merely gazing into the rainy scenery outside the window with deep eyes.

Choi Suyoung listened silently, and the figure wearing the evil ghost mask surfaced in her mind once again.

Although his fighting posture was overwhelmingly berserk, for some unknown reason, Choi Suyoung always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and security in her heart.

She felt that he was not like a Devil King who slaughtered the innocent indiscriminately, but rather more like a hero who championed the righteous and eliminated evil.

After a moment of silence, Gao Jin shifted his gaze to Choi Suyoung and spoke:

"Young Miss Choi, next, we will take you to a safe house."

"You and Mr. Majima can hide there for a few days. Once I contact the Japanese side, I will immediately arrange to hand Mr. Majima over to his family."

"Please rest assured, at least within the territory of Xia Country, I guarantee your safety with my personal character."

These words finally allowed Choi Suyoung, whose heart had been hanging all this time, to breathe a sigh of relief.

What she worried about most was that the authorities would treat Majima Goro, this special "experimental subject," as a rare commodity to be hoarded and imprison him once again.

"And one more thing."

Gao Jin paused, shifting the conversation:

"If Young Miss Choi doesn't have a better place to go, you can consider joining the experimental department of our Special Investigation Team."

"We warmly welcome talent like you. As long as you are willing to join, you will enjoy the highest level of security, and the Noah Organization will definitely not dare to look for trouble with you again."

Choi Suyoung's heart stirred.

She understood that what the other party valued was her precious experience participating in human experimentation projects at Noah Pharmaceuticals.

Joining the Special Investigation Team could exchange for safety.

As for the cost, it was... losing a part of her freedom once again.

But did she really have any other choice?

She bit her lip, remained silent for a long while, and then softly said:

"I want to think about it a bit more."

"Sure."

Gao Jin nodded and did not force the issue.

Then he looked at Officer Zhou Liang beside him and instructed:

"A-Liang, go to the safe house in Jiangdong District first."

"When we arrive, A-Li and the others will stay behind to protect Young Miss Choi, and then you will come with me to see Councilor Zhao."

Hearing this, Officer Zhou Liang was slightly stunned:

"A-Ren't we reporting directly to Director Qin and the Director-General?"

Gao Jin cast his gaze toward the midnight metropolis outside the car window, psychedelic like a dream, his voice low and firm:

"We need to prepare for both scenarios."

"Yes."

Although Officer Zhou Liang was puzzled, it was inconvenient to ask too much.

Inside the carriage, A-Li and the others were still discussing joyfully, looking forward to the bonuses, points, and promotion opportunities they could get after this successful mission.

The long-suppressed atmosphere finally relaxed.