153: Fight to the death, only to end up with nothing.

Just as the alarms blared loudly inside the Experimental Base and the Demon Cat Woman was going frantic.

Xie Ning, accompanied by flames, appeared in the corner of an empty Laboratory, right next to Bai Ya.

Thud~

Xie Ning fell backward onto the ground, gasping for air, and painstakingly dug out a Medicinal Pill from his storage stone and swallowed it.

"Awooo?"

Hearing Bai Ya's sound, Xie Ning smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine after a rest."

Saying this, he took out another Silver Rank Fire-type demon core and fed it to Bai Ya. Although the energy of the demon core was not as pure as an inner elixir, the quantity was similar.

In that recent outburst, within the Golden Fire, Xie Ning successfully killed multiple Demon Tamers Beasts and two Silver Rank Demon Tamers, and even injured the Demon Cat Woman.

But he was also hit multiple times by their haphazard attacks, especially the two swipes from the Demon Cat Woman, which converged almost along his ribs, nearly piercing his stomach. The bloody wounds stained the ground red.

Listening to the urgent alarms and the sounds of people running back and forth and talking outside the Laboratory, Xie Ning let out a long breath.

With Little Mantis causing destruction everywhere and drawing the enemy's attention, he could get a chance to catch his breath.

Looking at Bai Ya, who was currently overly exhausted and very weak, Xie Ning patted its head and stored it away.

After a brief rest inside the Laboratory, Xie Ning set off again.

On the map Yang Kai gave him, there was a room meticulously marked. According to Yang Kai, the defense in that area was extremely tight, and it was likely the location of the Laboratory's Self-destruct Mechanism.

Xie Ning didn't have time to ponder why Yang Kai knew these things; all he could do was follow the map.

After leaving the Laboratory, taking advantage of the chaos throughout the Experimental Base, Xie Ning stopped being cautious, sped along, and slit the throat of everyone he passed.

To avoid being tracked, Xie Ning even used the corpses he had previously collected, discarding them along other routes to confuse the enemy.

Finally, after speeding all the way, Xie Ning arrived at the final stretch of the path.

Strangely, in this place Yang Kai described as 'heavily guarded,' there were no defenders to be seen. Xie Ning couldn't help but slow his pace, his eyes constantly glancing left and right.

But he didn't find any traps either.

He cautiously approached the door of this Laboratory, which was marked with an unknown number. After confirming there were no issues, he tapped the door with his sword hilt, and the door actually opened!

Xie Ning immediately frowned.

How could a place more important than a regular Laboratory be opened so easily?

Having reached this point, Xie Ning had no other choice. If he retreated, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

Taking a deep breath, Xie Ning walked inside.

As soon as he entered, the door closed, and two chilling presences struck from the left and right, aiming straight for his neck.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Ning took a step forward and thrust his longsword out in a backhand strike.

Clang~

The longsword and the Twin Blades clashed, creating sparks, as ice and fire engaged in a contest.

Xie Ning also saw his attacker: a short-haired Girl wearing a special Combat Uniform and wielding Twin Blades. Her hair was the same ice-blue color as her blades.

After a two-second stalemate, the fire was defeated by the ice. Xie Ning lifted his leg and kicked, breaking the standoff, then thrust his sword fiercely toward the opponent's head. The opponent retaliated with a Blade Aura, showing no weakness.

In an instant, they exchanged blows—Twin Blades against one sword—creating a continuous 'clang-clang' sound.

After more than a dozen rounds, the woman's expression showed slight surprise, while Xie Ning was inwardly shocked.

This woman's strength was infinitely close to Silver Rank, and her Martial Skill was exquisite. Every strike in the fight was lethal, making it extremely difficult even for Xie Ning, who had endured Yan Ruyu's constant abuse. If not for some Tricky Moves, Xie Ning might have already lost his head.

Her fighting style was different from Zhao Long's. Zhao Long was expansive and unrestrained, unmatched in ferocity, whereas this woman's Twin Blades were like a poised mantis—every attack aimed at a vital point, swift and deadly.

"You've got some skills," the woman said, her expression stern.

Xie Ning shook his hands, raising his concentration to the highest level, and replied, "I've got three."

Just as the two were about to strike, a flurry of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the room.

Xie Ning, who was about to engage in close combat, quickly put away the changhong sword and switched to punching.

If the sound of their weapons clashing attracted more enemies, Xie Ning's objective would be exposed.

To Xie Ning's surprise, the woman opposite him also put away her Short Blades and returned a punch.

Both were astonished, but they didn't dwell on it. They exchanged a flurry of punches and kicks, and as the footsteps grew louder, Xie Ning covered the woman's mouth, and she, in turn, covered his.

Motionless.

The footsteps gradually approached.

"Quick! Search carefully! Don't let that guy escape!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The sound of the crowd gradually faded... Just as Xie Ning breathed a sigh of relief, voices sounded outside the door again.

"Strange, where did all the Guards go? Didn't they say they didn't need them to search?"

"Hurry, go inside and check!"

The large door opened slowly with a 'click,' and several Guards walked in, looking left and right as they searched the room.

"Did you find anything?"

"No."

"Nothing found."

"Then let's go out and Guard the outside. Guard it until the previous group returns, don't let anyone slip in."

"Right! We must report this incident. If the Captain finds out about such dereliction of duty, everyone will suffer!"

"Exactly, exactly..."

Following this, the figures left, and the large door slowly closed.

Two figures jumped down from the shadow of the massive Ceiling Light. Even after landing, they maintained the posture of covering each other's mouths.

The woman glared at Xie Ning.

Xie Ning returned the glare without showing weakness.

Their eyes were equally wide—who was afraid of whom!

Finally, both released their hands simultaneously.

"Who are you? Did you cause all that commotion outside?"

"And who are you? Did you clear out the Guards at the entrance?"

After a while, neither received an answer, and they glared at each other again.

"Forget it, see for yourself." The woman took out her Identification.

Xie Ning also handed over an Identification, and the two exchanged them.

"Huaguo Security Action Team?!"

"Student ID?!"

Two pairs of shocked eyes stared at each other once more.

"So we're on the same side." Xie Ning didn't bother reading what was written on her ID. He handed it back, retrieved his own, and, looking at the faintly visible figures of the Guards outside the door, lowered his voice: "I came here to fulfill a friend's dying wish: to activate the Self-destruct Mechanism and blow up this damned place."

"Self-destruct Mechanism? This Experimental Base has a Self-destruct Mechanism?" The woman looked at Xie Ning doubtfully.

Xie Ning froze and asked, pointing at the floor, "Isn't this room it?"

The woman immediately rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Idiot, this is the Information Nexus! It's what people in the last century called a Server Room. Do you expect a Self-destruct Mechanism to be stored inside a Server Room? Besides, this isn't some highly critical Laboratory; why would it have a Self-destruct Mechanism? You must watch too many sci-fi movies!"

Xie Ning opened his mouth, stunned into silence.

He finally understood why he had felt strange earlier. The 'Self-destruct Mechanism' here was something Yang Kai had told him about.

Who was Yang Kai? A villager who might have watched a few sci-fi movies, completely unfamiliar with the structure of a real Laboratory. It was highly likely that upon seeing a heavily guarded area in the base, he automatically filled in the details with plots from sci-fi movies in his head.

After all that effort, he had been fighting desperately for something that didn't even exist?

This was utterly idiotic!

Thinking of this, Xie Ning nearly passed out from holding his breath in anger.

Likewise, looking at the expression in the woman's eyes, he finally understood what they meant—Are you an idiot?

"Forget it, forget it. Let's not talk about that. So what are you doing here?" Xie Ning asked.

The woman replied, "Stealing information, and then blowing up this Experimental Base."

"Didn't you say this Experimental Base doesn't have a Self-destruct Mechanism?"

"Yes, there really isn't one here."

The woman nodded, then added, "But I brought my own."

Xie Ning: "..."