20: Hell on Earth! The Apocalypse Society's slaughterhouse!

Boom!

Lin Yuan's feet landed, creating two shallow pits in the concrete ground.

This sudden movement caused both groups of people, who were in the midst of their 'magic duel,' to freeze.

The young Taoist priest from Dragon Tiger Mountain had just started half a magical incantation, and his hand froze in mid-air.

The young man from Willow Leaf Sword Manor also stopped the sword flourish that had been swirling like a fire wheel.

They all looked in astonishment at the black-clad figure who had intruded upon the battlefield.

Who was this person? Where did he come from?

Before they could even open their mouths to question him, something even more jaw-dropping occurred.

Lin Yuan didn't even glance at them.

He charged directly into the group of Corrupted Ground Runners!

"Awooo!"

The two Ground Runners closest to him reacted, letting out a roar and lunging forward with a foul stench.

The disciples of Willow Leaf Sword Manor felt a tightening in their hearts.

The young Taoist priest from Dragon Tiger Mountain instinctively cried out, "Be careful!"

However.

Lin Yuan raised his right hand.

"Zzz... Zzzzz..."

A ball of purple lightning gathered in his palm.

Palm Thunder!

But this time, he didn't throw the lightning ball.

Facing the pouncing attack of the two vicious beasts, Lin Yuan slammed his palm downwards!

Boom!

He violently smashed the purple lightning ball onto the ground!

With Lin Yuan's feet as the center, electric currents spread in all directions!

Wherever they passed, the ground was scorched black, andgravel (crushed stones) splattered!

The Corrupted Ground Runners didn't even have time to whimper.

Lightning had a natural suppressive effect on these creatures contaminated by abyssal energy.

The foul aura on their bodies was instantly detonated!

More than a dozen elite-levelMythical Beasts (Mythical Beasts - exotic beasts, referring to mutated creatures in this context) convulsed and emitted black smoke as soon as they touched the electrical net, roasted into charcoal from the inside out by the power of the lightning.

All of this took no more than a few seconds.

The entire battlefield was deathly silent.

In the air, only the strong smell of burning and the crackling sound of electricity remained.

The young Taoist priest from Dragon Tiger Mountain stared blankly at the half-drawn talisman in his hand.

The leading youth from Willow Leaf Sword Manor also looked down at his longsword, which was still faintly glowing.

Then he looked at the figure standing in the center of a pile of charred corpses.

He felt like... a complete and utter joke.

Just now, they were competing to see whose moves were flashier, whose swordsmanship was sharper.

But then this person just slammed his palm on the ground.

And the world became quiet.

"Who are you, sir?" The young man from Willow Leaf Sword Manor flicked his wrist, pointing his longsword directly at Lin Yuan, his face ashen, "Why do you snatch our target without asking for a reason, when we were in the middle of clearing them out?"

The young Taoist priest from Dragon Tiger Mountain also walked over, but his tone was very friendly: "Friend, your lightning technique..."

Lin Yuan glanced at them, pulled a small notebook from his pocket, and casually flashed it.

On the cover, the golden dragon-shaped shield emblem shone brightly.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

This feeling of having backup, it was truly exhilarating!

The people from Willow Leaf Sword Manor and Dragon Tiger Mountain saw the emblem, and their expressions immediately changed.

Dragon Shield Bureau!

Just then, Su Wanqing silently landed beside Lin Yuan.

She first gave Lin Yuan a glare, then turned to the two groups of people.

Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion: "The Dragon Shield Bureau is on a mission; please leave on your own accord."

The young Taoist priest from Dragon Tiger Mountain's expression changed several times, finally cupping his hands towards Su Wanqing: "It turns out to be a senior from the Dragon Shield Bureau; we shall take our leave."

Although the young man from Willow Leaf Sword Manor was unwilling, he knew what the consequences of opposing a state agency were.

He snorted, sheathed his sword, and turned to leave with his people.

Soon, both groups scurried away.

Lin Yuan pouted, putting away his identification.

The two walked further in without a word.

As soon as they entered the main factory building, a smell of formaldehyde assailed them.

The interior of the factory was huge, but the light was dim, with only a few emergency lights flickering.

They quickly found the source of the smell.

Along one side wall of the factory, rows of huge glass tanks were neatly arranged.

They were over three meters tall.

Su Wanqing turned on her tactical flashlight and swept it across them.

The tanks were filled with murky, glowing green liquid.

And within that liquid, various horrifying things were immersed.

In one tank, there was a slightly beating heart, connected to countless electrodes, several times larger than a normal person's.

Next to it was a brain, longitudinally sectioned, clearly showing implanted chips and proliferating tumors.

And even... several complete human bodies, modified beyond recognition.

Their limbs had been replaced with metal blades and arthropod-like appendages, their chests were cut open, internal organs connected to various mechanical parts, and their faces still bore the pain and terror of their final moments.

The smile on Lin Yuan's face vanished without a trace when he saw this scene.

He had seen the brutality of loan sharks cutting off fingers to collect debts.

He had also seen the ruthlessness of street brawls to the death.

But he had never witnessed such a scene that challenged human ethics and treated life as mere grass.

A strong wave of nausea and fury surged from his stomach to the top of his head.

"This is the Apocalypse Society."

Su Wanqing's voice came.

"They believe in extreme social Darwinism, thinking that the spiritual energy resurgence is a divine opportunity for evolution."

"In their eyes, ordinary people who cannot awaken are inferior genes, 'consumables' that hinder the leap of human civilization."

Her flashlight slowly moved across the humanoid tanks.

"To create a so-called 'perfect transcendent,' they can sacrifice a hundred, a thousand ordinary people without hesitation."

"This isn't a laboratory."

Su Wanqing's voice carried suppressed anger.

"It's their slaughterhouse."

Lin Yuan's fists clenched, cracking audibly.

He didn't have so many grand principles in his mind.

He only knew that these people could no longer be called humans.

They were beasts.

Just then.

"Uh..."

An extremely faint groan came from the deepest part of the factory.

The sound was full of pain and despair.

Both of their bodies tensed simultaneously, and they exchanged glances.

There were still living people inside!

They immediately lightened their steps, concealing their presence to the extreme.

And silently moved towards the source of that sound.