Chapter 591: Chapter 559: Researchers Should Excel in Combat (3/3)
The Azure Fiend Bear Beast is a dual-attribute Magical Beast of wind and water, living around rivers and coastal glaciers, subsisting on fish and hunting seals.
What itâs best at is using its unparalleled strength to break down trees, block a section of the river, create a small dam, and then catch the fish inside, or it uses its massive power and speed to knock out seals with a tree stick.
As such, itâs clear that the Azure Fiend Bear Beast is not dimwitted; itâs just that its intelligence cannot perfectly exploit its strength.
Now, the muscles in the bear beastâs arms contracted and rotated, a movement that in the past signified its preparation to concentrate wind pressure before slapping fish with its paw.
But now, this instinctive power was accompanied by martial techniques, with Origin Quality finely manipulated to stimulate the muscles, swirling like a vortex to gather Origin Quality, amplifying both its wind and physical strength repeatedly.
And then, it unleashed.
In that instant, a bear paw that shredded the howling wind, made the atmosphere wail, and created a vacuum, roared out in an attack.
ââThe Sublimated martial technique âSiege Palmâ!
"So, playing dirty, huh?!"
Even the well-experienced Tresâs pupils tightened, as he immediately manipulated Origin Quality to use his sword as a shield and rapidly retreated at an angle to dodge the destructive palm of the bear beast.
But even so, he was a bit too slow.
With a smack, he was sent flying by the bear beastâs palm, crashing into the wall of a three-story building and leaving a person-shaped hole.
Cracks spread continuously, the entire building quickly trembled and collapsed, the ravaging wind attribute Origin Quality could even destroy city walls, so what was a mere building?
But at that moment, a figure broke through the ruins, trailing a streak of azure sword light in midair, and launched another attack.
Tres had not fallenâSublimators, particularly those in Armored Clothing, were quite resilient.
Despite looking disheveled and his armor bearing a huge bear paw imprint, Tres himself was unharmed, his mind just a little sluggish and his chest feeling somewhat suffocated.
"Try this on for size!"
This time, Tres truly regarded the bear beast before him as an opponent. The wind burst forth beneath his feet as he dashed forward, his sword slashing towards the bear beastâs right leg at the knee, forcing the creature to retract its leg in defense. The move caused its body to tilt and it was swept into the building on its other side, breaking through the wall.
Stone debris and invisible air blades at the moment of impact shattered both themselves and what they collided with, creating depressions and bursting forth into clouds of dust and stone.
In less than three seconds, two three-story buildings collapsed due to the aftermath of their battle.
"I did warn you."
Ian shook his head slightly, not worried that Tres would lose.
While not outstanding within the Knight Order of Inspectorate, outside, he was definitely a genius who could challenge beyond his Power Level.
If even Viscount Avak got no advantage against him, what chance did a mere bear beast with just two martial techniques have?
What Ian was more concerned about was the missionâs pace being delayedâhe had already noticed the survivors in the lab beginning to think of fleeing, sending their final reserves of strength to hold them off and buy a chance to destroy or take away the data.
This was unacceptable.
"Miss Huaâan, help control the situation. Soon, about two or three Phantasms will come from the leftâtheir main force is all here, trying to keep us pinned down."
Ianâs eyes shone with silvery-cyan halos as he scanned the surrounding streets and indeed saw what he had expected.
He turned his head and whispered to Fairy Miss, "If things get hairy, let Miss Morphia help as wellâwe have enough data on the mutation to complete the mission, no need to work so hard on the report, you might have to rewrite it later."
"Thereâs no problem with that, Miss Morphia doesnât like rewriting reports anyway." Influenced by Ian, Huaâan also whispered into Ianâs ear, "But what are you planning to do?"
"Continuing this fight wonât do. Iâm going to find the way to the lab." Ian spoke matter-of-factly, "You know, this is the Princeâs mission... Iâll be back shortly."
"Be careful." Being a Fae, Huaâan surprisingly didnât see anything wrong with it, but instead cheered Ian on with her parasol wand, "It would be best if you can capture a few prisoners!"
"Of course."
Having said that, he patted the Frost Butterflyâs little head, signaling it not to follow him, then disappeared down the street under the watchful eyes of the two Fairy Misses.
...
Below, the dilapidated laboratory buzzed with activity as researchers and guards scrambled to move materials in preparation to leave.
Azure City Laboratory didnât know what exactly had happened in the Central Research Laboratory, so when the crisis occurred they chose to hold their ground and wait for support from the Duke of Solin.
But as days passed with no sign of the Dukeâs troops while the Empireâs Inspector Knights and other forces had made two or three sorties, they no longer harbored any hope for reinforcements.
Especially since a young White Folk had directly seen through them with a detective lens, frightening many researchers into utter panic, not knowing what to do.
"Is sending out the bear beast really reliable?"
At this moment, the gray-haired director was locking a briefcase filled with important documents.
And his assistant, pale-faced, asked, "Director, to be honest, we were lucky enough that those Phantasms didnât lose control already... The will-override program isnât fully complete yet, and except for a few test subjects, we can only hypnotize those Phantasms and Exobeasts into âone of our ownâ..."
"They might not do as we tell them!"
"Stop your useless talk, this is also an experiment, trying out the effects is always better than not trying at all!"
The gray-haired director looked at his assistant with an indifferent gazeâthe latter was indeed erudite and possessed deep professional knowledge, but he was always too cautious.
But a true scientist must dare to attempt what ordinary people do not, especially when their research advances the future of Humans, whatâs a little risk considered?
After all, it wasnât going to be their lives that were lost.
Thinking this way, he still calmed himself and told his assistant in a low voice, "Rest assured, although these monsters are not completely under our control, due to the unknown loss of control at the Central Research Laboratory, as soon as they encounter an enemy, they will try to use every method to destroy them."
"The Azure Fiend Bear Beast of the Nightmare Fusion is a significant test subject for the Biological Experimentation Group, and they are all deadâdo you understand what this means? As long as we can obtain some data from the battle between the bear beast and the Patrol Knight Squad... the credit will be ours!"
"As for whether the bear beast will go berserk or turn around to attack us... haha, by that time weâll already have run away."
In the assistantâs light of realization and admiration, the gray-haired director nodded with a smile and then turned serious, "Got it? Hurry up and pack up the documents!"
Watching his assistant scurry off to gather documents, the smile on the directorâs face gradually turned grim.
âDamn it, the Duke doesnât allow us, the affiliated laboratories, to use memory crystals for data storage, forcing us to use paper materials only, surely to prevent us from secretly transmitting messages...
Thinking so, he muttered through gritted teeth, "Itâs not easy to leave..."
Some people, you see, arenât that they donât want to betray their country, but rather they canât find channels, methods of betrayal, or they canât get a good price for it.
Although the Grand Duchy isnât yet a country, according to the gray-haired directorâs prediction, if not for the major problems with this experiment, the Duke would likely declare independence either by the end of this year or early next year.
The gray-haired director was no fool; he might eat the Dukeâs food, but he had no intention of being crushed along with Duke Sorin by The Empire.
Of course, he also understood that since Duke Sorin had the audacity to do so, he must have a backup plan, surely holding some trump card, unafraid of The Empireâs approaching armies, thus daring to flip the table and declare independence.
But he didnât know it!
And precisely because he didnât know, the gray-haired director was well aware that he probably wasnât on the Dukeâs list of people to protect.
Given that, defecting to the Spirit Wisdom Institute with his research findings seemed like a good choice.
He had also received an invitation from the Spirit Wisdom Institute a while ago.
If it werenât for the accident at the Central Research Laboratory, he might have already taken the documents and accompanied the Emissary back to the Imperial Capital... rather than being trapped in this damned place!
Now, the guards are the Dukeâs men, and other researchers also remain loyal to him, so if he was to betray the Duke to go to the Spirit Wisdom Institute, he, as the director, would be thrown to the Exobeasts!
Thereâs no other way... he can only pretend to still be one of the Dukeâs men.
He must reluctantly feign patriotism.
Harboring such reluctant thoughts, the gray-haired director looked again at the screen in the Central Control Room.
"How goes the battle?"
Thinking this, he looked at Tres and the Azure Fiend Bear Beast. He saw that the standoff between them was ongoing, having fought their way out seven streets away, demolishing more than a dozen buildings.
Second Energy Level individuals, with enough equipment, could even breach cities on their own, such magnitudes of power being quite normal.
"How can this be?" Furrowing his brows, the gray-haired director felt something was off: "The last time that Patrol Knight Squad was ambushed, they lasted only a few minutes as well before being turned to mush under the strength and martial prowess of the Azure Fiend Bear Beastâis this knight that strong?"
"Forget it." He extended his hand, revealing a bloodthirsty and pathological smile, "Since itâs a semi-failed experiment anyway, lift the beastâs restrictions... tear them to shreds!"
Although he was a Sublimator, as a researcher, he actually couldnât discern the advantages and disadvantages of the combatantsânot that it mattered since they were about to escape. Bioengineered weapons that couldnât be fully controlled held no value for existence in the first place.
It was fitting to use it as a rear guard.
Clearly, the gray-haired directorâs thoughts were misguided.
Because a researcher should be well-versed in combat.
Just like what was happening now.
"Oh?"
An ice-cold Ice Sword pierced through the gray-haired directorâs shoulder blade, skewering just behind his heart.
Ianâs voice echoed eerily, "Who exactly did you want to tear to shreds?"