Chen Yan sneered, but before he could speak, the bodyguard’s fingertip conjured a red dot of light that surged into a beam.
It headed towards the metal wall not far away, seemingly intending to rip open a passage.
With his other hand firmly grasping Feder, he shoulder-charged the wall.
Li Ming’s face took on a strange expression as he stepped aside, and Chen Yan’s eyes were filled with mockery, no intention of intervening.
There was a loud bang, but the wall remained immovable—ripples like those on water spread across it, as if it were coated with a "water film."
The only mark was a dent where the bodyguard’s shoulder had struck, hardly any different from the one Li Ming’s fist had left.
"How is this possible!" The stern-faced bodyguard was shocked, his shoulder aching.
His own attack, no more effective than that of the kid beside him, had only left a dent?
The Elemental Beam he had just released had merely stirred up a few ripples.
Feder’s composed expression froze on his face, unable to comprehend; his bodyguard was a C-level Life Form.
Even if the Element’s lethality was significantly reduced once detached from the body, it shouldn’t be weaker than Li Ming, a D-level Life Form, right?
And a direct body collision had barely left a mark, the same level of damage as what Li Ming could inflict?
He sensed something was amiss, the situation not as he had anticipated.
"You cannot escape," Chen Yan said, looking at Li Ming without seeming in a hurry to act.
"Who exactly are you!" Assuming Chen Yan was speaking to him due to the angle, Feder said solemnly, "I am the son of Prince Bai Jiang, a Duke of the Yitelan Civilization—Feder!"
"If you kill me, the Yitelan Civilization will annihilate your family, your species, your planet, your entire civilization."
"Idiot, I wasn’t talking to you!" Chen Yan sneered.
Feder paused, feeling an enormous sense of absurdity rising within him; his face displayed a range of emotions, and he couldn’t help but glance at Li Ming beside him, "Is she after you?"
"It seems so," Li Ming muttered, secretly checking his intelligent terminal only to find no signal—it was blocked.
Feder laughed in irritation, suddenly realizing that Li Ming had knowingly pushed him forward from the beginning, surely aware of who the real target was.
"Don’t look at me like that; she definitely won’t spare you either," Li Ming explained.
"Indeed," Chen Yan said coldly, "Your being here today is an unexpected gain, but it also saves me some trouble."
"Tate!" Feder called out sternly.
"Yes!" The bodyguard beside him responded as his outer suit suddenly exploded into shreds, revealing a combat suit clinging to his skin, rippling muscles rapidly bulging, and flames rising from the surface of the suit.
With a powerful movement of his thick legs, the floor rippled like water, and he charged at Chen Yan in an instant.
His fist, as large as a grinding stone, slammed into Chen Yan’s face. Flame waves surged forth, billowing violently in all directions, only to be restrained on the spot by an invisible force.
"Is she containing the combat aftermath?" Feder was astonished, "Why?"
Li Ming narrowed his eyes.
However, at this moment, Tate had a look of sheer disbelief, "A B-level Life Form!?"
Feder’s pupils shrank, suddenly feeling an impending doom, his mind reeling—was it a B-level Life Form?
What on earth were the Blue Star’s higher-ups doing!
"Your bodyguard is just a C-level Life Form?" Li Ming frowned.
"Do you think B-level Life Forms are a dime a dozen!" Feder could no longer contain the tremors in his heart and shouted angrily.
Like transparent ripples, they now enveloped Tate, suspending him mid-air, nearly unable to move.
"Looking for death!" Chen Yan’s eyes were cold.
"Your Highness!" Tate’s forehead bulged with veins, and his close-fitting combat suit burst open, with strands of red hair extending from his body, his cheeks elongating, his spine protruding, the flames grew more intense.
"Genetic Release?" Chen Yan sneered, suddenly clenched her fist, and with a cry of agony, Tate, who was half-liberated, was crushed by an invisible force, his flesh blasted apart.
But immediately, a more intense red light burst forth from his flesh, causing Chen Yan’s face to change abruptly.
The scorching flames exploded violently, the temperature in the cramped room rapidly soared, and the fire nearly filled every corner.
Feder retreated repeatedly until he touched the wall, struggling to move back. In front of him and Li Ming, there was an invisible barrier of water waves, blocking the raging fire.
"Is she... protecting us?" Feder finally understood.
Li Ming’s eyes were deep, this guy...
If he guessed correctly, the other party must be from Torch, and the incident that happened two days ago had caused them heavy losses, so they came directly to their door?
But in that incident, his presence wasn’t significant; even if it was a matter of revenge, it should be Old Chen who was sought after.
Combining the current situation with the grand plan that Chen Yan had mentioned, he had some vague guesses in his mind.
The flames gradually subsided, the laboratory was a mess, and Chen Yan had disappeared, leaving behind a slender figure.
Most of her body was charred black, and the seemingly intact skin was covered with fine scales, her head sharply pointed, her eyes like those of a snake.
"Lizard Man!" Li Ming exclaimed.
"Quantum Light and Shadow Mimic Lizard Man!" Feder cried out, and Li Ming looked over in confusion, what a long string of words.
"They can mimic life forms with similar physique, including fingerprints and irises."
"Currently, the most active one in the Silver Star Cluster is Torch’s Firework Apostle--Caroline!" Feder’s throat churned, "Weren’t you supposed to be dead?"
Li Ming’s face was tense, not surprised, he kind of guessed it.
What happened to Old Chen, being so inefficient, how did the person escape.
"Yes, yes..." Caroline paced, "Quantum Light and Shadow Mimic Lizard Man, that’s the name you Yitelan gave us. Our skin has fetched sky-high prices in your Yitelan markets."
Feder had a bitter expression, he was just so unlucky, just coming to contact Li Ming and unexpectedly bumped into this mess.
Moreover, the other party was from Torch, and he had no hope of survival.
"Your wound seems quite serious," Li Ming said tentatively, "I can get you some Recovery Potion."
"Stop stalling for time." Caroline sneered, "I’ve already blocked all signals in this area, you won’t possibly escape."
"I didn’t plan to escape, actually, I have admired Torch for a long time. Seeing how seriously hurt you are, yet still busy at work, I really can’t bear it." Li Ming sincerely said.
"Li Ming!" Feder scolded, "Torch is a terrorist organization, everyone wants them dead!"
"You guys skin them to sell, and still have the nerve to talk." Li Ming glanced at him, and Feder was at a loss for words.
Caroline completely ignored his overture and didn’t seem to know what she was waiting for. She had no intention to take further action for the time being but instead asked, "I’m curious, how exactly did you see through the flaws?"
"Our race’s Mimicry ability is natural, and I have specially integrated a similar gene seed, so I can pass all the tests of your laboratory, including genetic testing."
That’s why she could infiltrate so easily; who knows what’s happening outside now.
"Mannerisms." Li Ming stated gravely, "I’ve been with Chen Yan for a long time, I can spot anything off about her immediately."
The nonsense, [Intelligent Assistance] covering them, made all the subtle differences too obvious.
"It seems she did her job well, a good seed," Caroline complimented.
"She is..." Li Ming was stunned for a moment, then took the opportunity to ask, "She’s okay, isn’t she?"
"We Torch do not treat our own cruelly, and rarely harm innocent people," Caroline did not articulate clearly.
Li Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief; this meant his and Chen Yan’s little deal likely hadn’t been exposed.
As the two of them were chatting away, Feder’s brows were tightly knitted.