The Ultimate Evolution

The assistant told Sheyan and the rest arrogantly, “Our laboratory is located fifty meters underground. To get there, you need to pass through seven impregnable tunnels like this, which are connected together. What you see now is just one of the many functions of our powerful “Seeder” protection system. What difference will a mere few people like you make?”

Sheyan smiled at the assistant who had his nose in the air. “Since your laboratory is deep underground and there’s only one exit, I’m guessing these missiles must not be that powerful. Otherwise, the tunnels would collapse and you will all be buried alive.”

“So what?” The assistant seemed annoyed at Sheyan’s stubbornness. He immediately pressed a few buttons to display the cross-section of the pineapple-like missile.

There was a sensor on the missile which was apparently extremely sensitive to living creatures. The missile was filled with a large amount of steel beads, shrapnels, and even poisonous gas. When the missile exploded, the real destruction would be caused by these little things that would burst out with great speed. Next came the highly toxic gas.

This proved that Sheyan’s concern was completely unnecessary. The missile relied on the sharp, high-speed flying shrapnels to kill, rather than the impact generated by the explosion. That was why there was no danger of collapsing the tunnels.

Before Sheyan had even said anything, Zi, with a mere flick of her wrist, had already grabbed the automatic rifle of the guard next to her. She then fired the rifle at Sheyan and Reef! Multiple bullets struck Reef and Sheyan, but they still stood there like nothing had happened.

Zi broke the automatic rifle into two with disdain and said, “Your so-called unstoppable missiles are just a joke to us! As for the poisonous gas, the enemies can simply wear gas masks.”

The assistant was stunned to see Sheyan and Reef calmly brush the distorted bullet heads from their bodies. However, he was not ready to give in so easily.

“You think the “Seeder” system has only one attacking method? We also have taser traps, flamethrowers that can instantaneously raise the temperature to 7,000 degrees….”

The assistant did not finish his sentence because Kulutego had appeared and instantly showcased his skills in digging. In less than three seconds, Kulutego had dug out a smooth hole over 3 meters deep in the wall next to him.

“You think the laboratory is safe just because its fifty meters underground? The “Seeder” system may be powerful, but why do I have go through the area under its protection? I’ll only need ten minutes to dig fifty meters,” Sheyan retorted flatly.

The assistant was stunned for a short while, but he still stubbornly protested, “We can install ten, no, a hundred Seeder systems! Aarrgh!”

Dr. W had given him a good slap on the face. He then told the guard next to him, “I think Associate Researcher He needs to calm down a little bit. Please take him to the psychologist for a week of treatment. Don’t let him out before the treatment is done.”

“You can’t do this to me!” The associate researcher suddenly shouted. “You bastard, you dare to confine me? Do you know who my father is?”

The annoying cry slowly faded into the distance. Sheyan and the others had a feeling of satisfaction like they had driven away flies.

Dr. W then told Sheyan earnestly, “I really don’t have much time to waste, so I’ll leave the safety of the lab completely in your hands. I believe in Mr. G, so I also believe in the person recommended by him. Lee, please help me transfer the highest defence authority to Mr. Seaman.”

Dr. W very impolitely turned around and left right after he finished talking. Only then did his slightly crouching figure betray a hint of fatigue. His red eyes, growing stubble, and deeply furrowed eyebrows indicated that he had not had a good sleep for a long time. His exhaustion was visible from the inside to the outside.

Lee was in a Major’s military uniform. He was silent for a while as he watched Dr. W leave. After that, he apologised to Party Ace.

“Please excuse Dr. W. He’s in a rather unique situation, so time is very precious to him.”

“I’m guessing Doctor W is already in the advanced stage of liver cancer? When he stood there just now, he pressed his hand to his liver about four times. There’s no way someone of his status can’t get the best painkillers available. Only the severe pain of advanced stage cancer can make most painkillers ineffective,” deduced Sheyan.

Lee stared at Sheyan in surprise. He then nodded.

“You guessed right. The doctors think that Dr. W only has a week left, and that’s already the most optimistic estimate.”

“If that’s the case, then why not use unconventional drugs?” Sanzi couldn’t help asking.

The so-called unconventional drugs referred to illegal drugs. In truth, almost all illegal drugs were initially produced for the purpose of anesthesia and analgesia.

Lee sighed. “We tried to, but Dr. W refused them after using them once. Although they could relieve his pain, they interfered with his thinking. Dr. W knows that he doesn’t have much time to waste, so he chose to keep a clear mind despite the severe pain.”

“Humans will often show amazing strength at the most critical times for the sake of their loved ones.” Reef said with a sigh.

Lee had already turned around to lead them to the defence control room.

“Dr. W has never been married. He’s an only child without many family and friends.”

***

Thick low clouds pressed down on the land. The billowing wind carried gravel and grass with it, and was slightly painful when it hit one’s face. Whenever one tried to speak, they would taste the saltiness and roughness in the wind that was unique to high-altitude plateaus.

A coin was flipped high up into the air. It rotated at high speed, then fell into a palm. The palm belonged to a sensual man with a ponytail — Carlos.

“Oh, is this the Kekexili I’ve heard so much about? The final part of our mission is in this desolate place? But I don’t see any cities here! Can China really stuff more than a million people under the ground here? Wouldn’t they suffocate like rodents in an overpopulated rat hole?”

“Shut up, Carlos,” The speaker’s voice was a familiar one — deep, dignified, but also a little hoarse. It was Rocky!

Rocky was a little different from before. His cornea was shining with a faint blue glow, and so was the scar on his chest. He looked like he had fallen into a huge bottle of blue ink and could not wash away the stains even after a fierce scrubbing.

But of course, the legendary spear on his back still retained its ineradicable edge!

Carlos shrugged. Behind him was a shield-wielding man. This man was one who would leave a deep impression at a glance, because he was holding two shields! One of the shields was glowing with a dark golden light, while the other glowed a bloody crimson!

A dual-shield warrior!

The shields were his protective gear, and also his formidable weapons.

This man was also a loyal comrade of Rocky’s, and a famous MT even among Awakeners: Steel File!

Compared to his fame, the likes of Skull and Zeus were hardly worth mentioning at all. If Steel File was akin to a national champion, then Skull and Zeus were just athletes at the district level! Without Steel File, Rocky would not have dared to split up with Carlos and the rest, letting them go to New York on their own.

Carlos was apparently not a prideful person. He was also used to being rebuked by his two bosses, so he did not take the previous reprimand to heart at all. He went back to the other five contestants. These five belonged to a party called “Life and Death”. They were hired by Rocky to do the odd jobs.

Carlos spoke disrespectfully to a mage from Life and Death who led the way, “Oi, are you sure you’ve got the right place? There’s no way there can be a city with a million population in such a desolate place! An underground city no less! Our time is really precious. We only have 10 hours left before the deadline.”

“But the information you gave me clearly stated that the place is near Kekexili. This place is definitely Kekexili, I’m sure of it! The Tibetan antelope here is well-known all over the world!” the mage replied gloomily.

“Oh?” Carlos exclaimed in surprise, “This is the habitat of the Tibetan antelopes?”

***

“This is the habitat of the Tibetan antelopes?” Sheyan asked the question at the same time.

Lee nodded. “Yeah. Our base is on the edge of Kekexili.”

“I have a Shahtoosh shawl. I remember that it’s woven with the down hair of Tibetan antelopes that fell when the Tibetan antelopes have a change in fur. The shawl is excellent. The down fur of the Tibetan antelopes is very fine, about 11.5 microns in diameter, which is three-quarters the thickness of the cashmere of Kashmir goats and one-fifth the thickness of human hair. The method used to test the quality of a Shahtoosh shawl is very unique too. Only an authentic Shahtoosh shawl can easily slip through a ring in its entirety. The shawl is smooth, but tough and elastic,” said Zi.

(TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahtoosh )

Lee sighed. “Ma’am, the so-called shed fur is just a lie made up and spread by the traffickers of Shahtoosh shawls. They’ll tell you that the Tibetan antelopes shed their fur in the bushes, and they’ll collect the shed fur for processing. But that’s not the actual situation at all. The Tibetan antelopes do have a change in fur once a year every summer, but because they live in no man’s land and the fur falls off sporadically, the fur will be blown away by the wind as the Tibetan antelopes move. There’s no way to collect the fur that falls off naturally. Five Tibetan antelopes were actually sacrificed to make your shawl.”