With such immense force, Xu Huo could not control his own body and could only go with the flow. He tried his best to protect himself during this time because his protective gear had been damaged. Whether it was the pressure of the seawater or the uncontrollable collisions, what he felt in return was intense pain.
He couldn’t breathe while wearing the gear, and only after he felt the speed of the water stirring slow down did he put on his "Oxygen Supply." Then he unzipped the outer layer of the protective suit.
Using the Non-Knotting Thread to secure himself to fixed objects in the lab, he tried to steady his body and search for Dr. Deng and the others.
Although he had placed an automatic life raft outside the cabinet where Dr. Deng was hiding, he couldn’t be sure it hadn’t been damaged in the explosion. If the cabinet were back inside the lab, it would be okay, but if it had fallen outside, he would have to salvage it from the seabed—not knowing whether Dr. Deng would survive until then.
Just then, he felt an unusual undercurrent behind him. Instinctively, he looked back and saw a long sword chopping towards his face mask.
Dodging the edge of the sword, Xu Huo kicked into the darkness, and Kong Hui, hidden in the shadows like peeling off a layer of algae, was swept a bit farther away by the current.
She had wounds from the explosion on her body—many, but not fatal. However, moving underwater in a regular protective suit wasn’t easy, and her normally exceptional agility failed to come into play.
If she hadn’t died, Kong Cheng probably hadn’t either.
Xu Huo turned and swam toward the laboratory rooms.
Seeing him flee, Kong Hui immediately followed. The moment she stepped onto the laboratory floor, a conveyor belt suddenly appeared under her feet, rapidly propelling her forward.
Using the water current to dodge the knife swung at his back, Xu Huo lured her into the room and took out the Umbrella of Justice, hanging it on his waist.
Kong Hui hesitated visibly at the sight of the umbrella, probably thinking of the broken twin swords. She was extra cautious and maintained a distance of several meters before stretching out her hands towards him and mimicking the action of grabbing and pulling off a lid.
Xu Huo’s "Seeing is Believing" couldn’t avoid all capabilities—this became clear to him after Kong Cheng used "Random Grab" and other tricks. However, seeing his own legs inexplicably move to the right, he was still startled. Under the effect of Kong Hui’s abilities, his body was split in two!
It was a true bifurcation, like a magic trick that cuts a person in half. His lower body was separated from his torso, leaving him with no pain, no control over his legs... and he was fixated in place!
Kong Hui approached with a triumphant look, raising her knife, but then her expression changed abruptly. Her eyes lost their sparkle, and she stood still.
The Star-binding Sphere had taken effect, but Xu Huo couldn’t move either. However, Kong Hui was not far away; with a simple reach of his hand, he could finish her off!
He had just taken out the Crimson Sword when a white undercurrent shot past the observation window. Kong Cheng, wrapped in a bubble, attached himself in the blink of an eye, swinging a broom that could cut through a Level D Item towards Xu Huo’s neck!
Expecting this, Xu Huo swiftly turned around and raised his sword to meet the broom!
"Bang!" The collision of metal produced a muffled sound. The two retreated from each other, Kong Cheng surprised that Xu Huo had not been controlled by the Magician’s tricks. Kong Hui, freed from the influence of the Star-binding Sphere, snapped back to reality and went in for a backup strike from behind.
At this moment, both siblings were on the edge of the Star-binding Sphere’s range. Xu Huo picked up a pen and launched the Power of Writing. As both of them watched his hand, he secretly pulled Kong Cheng towards him using piano wire.
But he underestimated Kong Cheng’s strength. While under the influence of the ability, the other man suddenly moved away, vanishing from the room in an instant!
Xu Huo’s eyebrows sank, knowing that it would be difficult to lure his target closer again after this failed deception.
Kong Cheng realized at this moment that the act of being affected by Kong Hui’s unique trait was a ruse to lure him out, and he turned to distance himself from the room.
However, just then, a swift figure surged out of the dark water, wielding a long sword that pierced through his abdomen and slid upward!
Encapsulated in a bubble, Kong Cheng spit out blood, but at the critical moment, he tilted to the side. The sword did not split him in two but instead opened a gash along his waist while also severing his rib!
"You’re still not dead!" Kong Cheng cried out in shock and anger, looking at the attacker.
Clad in a metal coat, Miao Yu swung another sword backhand, "You haven’t died, why would I!"
While the two fought and slightly moved away from the room, the effect of the Power of Writing wore off, and Xu Huo quickly retracted the "Non-Knotting Thread" around Kong Hui’s neck, dragging her toward himself.
Regaining her senses, Kong Hui naturally would not sit and wait for death. Touching the thread around her neck, the tightly bound Level D Item loosened and floated off her head. Then, debris in the room shot toward Xu Huo like arrows.
Defending himself and retreating, Xu Huo reached back with his right hand, and the short arrows he had released upon entering the room mingled with the bullet-like debris, piercing Kong Hui’s neck!
"Ugh..." A trickle of blood spouted from her throat, and Kong Hui covered her neck, floating up with shock and disbelief.
After confirming her death, Xu Huo checked the positions of Kong Cheng and Miao Yu, realizing they were quite a distance away. He abandoned the idea of assisting them and turned toward the lab.
Even with the lights on, the water was still murky. Fortunately, the recent explosion had created a crack in the outer wall of the lab, enabling free entry and exit from both the inside and outside.
He first checked all rooms with a view of the seabed, comparing angles drawn to search the wall opposite the window.
The most fortified and secure place to hide something in the entire laboratory was these metal walls. Even the intense explosion hadn’t completely destroyed them, so if the S-Version Drug was indeed still hidden in the lab, it had to be here.
When searching the extended corridor area, he suddenly found a crack at the location corresponding to the passage and, wedging the gap wider, stepped inside. Instead of the unsealed structural framing described in the documents, it was a crack wide enough for a person to pass through sideways.
Reaching inside, Xu Huo felt something soft, and upon dragging it out for a closer look, it turned out to be a sex doll.
"Please select a mode. Based on your current heart rate, the Wild Mode is recommended."
The extremely lifelike sex doll, looking just like a real person, had several differently colored icons flashing on its chest, as if urging Xu Huo to make a choice.
Xu Huo’s hand hovered above the icons for a few seconds before plunging into the doll’s mouth, reaching into its abdomen. After rummaging around, he pulled out a long box two fingers wide.
Upon opening the lid, he saw a vial of injection lying inside. The light blue potion resembled the Evolution Potion offered in the game, but he recognized at a glance that this was the genuine, perfect S-Version Injection!
Storing the injection along with the sex doll in the cargo hold, he turned and swam out. Upon exiting the lab, he activated the automatic kayak, which inflated rapidly, shooting him toward the surface like a cannonball!