Chapter 73: Once Again Reunited

THUD! The hatch of the generator endured a heavy blow. However, each generator was incredibly valuable and manufactured with various scenarios in mind. Thus, this powerful strike failed to deform the hatch, causing only a slight tremor. In front of the generator stood a sinister Mutant, none other than Nagano Takesakura. Behind her, the lab manager and staff lay dead across the floor. There were also several dozen action team members and three Professionals. A bloody battle had just taken place here. Nagano Takesakura herself was in rough shape. Six of her tentacles had been severed, one of her four arms was missing, and her giant scorpion tail bore a deep wound. Her eyes were bloodshot yet held a lively spark, indicating she retained much of her human intelligence. Realizing her claw strike had only made the hatch wobble, her eyes darted around. The tentacles on her back lengthened endlessly, like hair flowing in the wind, enveloping the entire laboratory. She strained to remember but still couldn’t recall which button on the control panel operated the hatch. Back then, I was so nervous, full of trepidation, focused only on my induction; I have no recollection of other details, she thought. If I try haphazardly, it could lock the hatch completely or cause the generator to self-destruct. With a disgusted expression, Nagano Takesakura used a tentacle to roll the lab manager’s corpse from the ground. She seemed to steel herself before another tentacle pierced the manager’s skull with a PUFF. She greedily devoured the manager’s brain matter, acquiring a flood of memories as jumbled as the substance itself. Moments later, the manager’s head was empty. Nagano Takesakura tossed the corpse aside and made several human-like retching motions, yet nothing came out. Psychologically, she found the act repulsive, yet biologically, the brain matter was quite delicious to her. From the chaotic memories, she finally located the correct button. The tentacles dancing around the room stilled. One descended and pressed the button. HISS— The hatch opened. Nagano Takesakura suddenly felt an indescribable emotion rise within her. She had once sacrificed everything for three chances to enter this place. The last time, she had even been dragged out without a shred of dignity. Now, the generator lay open before her, available to enter whenever she wished. It was that simple. Yet, I am no longer who I used to be... Ultimately, it makes no difference, Nagano Takesakura consoled herself. I still obtained what I wanted. The lab had a strict management system; Super-Materials were not stored here. They were only allocated when an induction was scheduled, at which point Professionals would be dispatched to deliver them. Therefore, opening the generator would only yield the remains of a Super-Life Form, but that was sufficient. Nagano Takesakura’s tentacles drifted into the generator, quickly finding a helmet-shaped piece of bone. Her tentacles behaved as if beyond her control, desperately trying to burrow into this bone to extract something. But the bone was extremely hard, and the tentacles frantically twisted and turned around it, rapidly entangling into a "meat cocoon." This way is good too, Nagano Takesakura thought, manipulating her tentacles to place the Super-Life Form’s bone behind her. She began to ’digest’ it slowly, absorbing this part of the remains. The huge wound on her tail healed rapidly. Her severed arm and tentacles also regenerated. The chitinous exoskeleton covering her body grew even more resilient and lustrous! "KEKEKE..." She let out a burst of exultant laughter. But Chen Gu, who had just arrived at the door, felt a chill crawl down his spine at the sight of the massive, sinister figure and the sound of that eerie laughter. "Nagano Takesakura!" Chen Gu never imagined that his colleague, who had accompanied him to Yinglong Star, would transform into such a potent Mutant. She appeared to be a critical component of the Mutants’ entire strategy—inexplicably powerful despite her recent contamination—tasked with seizing the remains of the Super-Life Form. Nagano Takesakura turned. Her blood-red eyes stared at Chen Gu for a moment as if recalling something. Then, she spoke with difficulty, "You... are a good human. Your death... will be less... painful!" Suddenly, several tentacles shot out from the shadows to Chen Gu’s side. Without hesitation, Chen Gu fired a series of shells. His ’Dragon Fire Against Heaven’ could penetrate the armor of a battle tank. The tentacles were agile but possessed far less defensive strength than the Ghost Witch Mutant. They were instantly blown to smithereens. Nagano Takesakura’s face registered no pain. Her massive body, light and ferocious as a gale, rushed Chen Gu, exuding a strange, sweet odor. She extended an arm; from several meters away, Chen Gu felt a terrifying attractive force clamp down on the ’Dragon Fire Against Heaven’ in his hands! Nagano Takesakura twisted her wrist. With a CRACK, the two barrels of the ’Dragon Fire Against Heaven’ were mangled like rope. Chen Gu dropped the battle tank cannon, flipped backward, and leaped more than ten meters away. Entanglement Control? It’s somewhat similar to a Quantum Wizard’s abilities, Chen Gu mused. But Nagano Takesakura’s expression twisted. She gritted her teeth and spat out three words, seething with resentment, "Not! Fair!" Why, after trying so desperately, did I fail my induction three times, while this brat, still in high school, succeeded on his first attempt?! she raged internally. It’s completely unfair! Why?! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! The chaos, frenzy, and paranoia inherent to a Mutant erupted instantly. Nagano Takesakura vanished on the spot. In the next instant, her terrifying scorpion-like body appeared beside Chen Gu. Her long scorpion tail easily pierced the floor, launching a sneak attack from below. Her remaining tentacles shot towards Chen Gu in a frenzy. Nagano Takesakura also raised her four arms, claws splayed, as if to grasp something, using that peculiar ability to exert control over Chen Gu from afar with all four limbs. Chen Gu immediately felt the surrounding air thicken. It severely restricted his movements and prevented him from inhaling! Furthermore, the strength of this controlling power was intensifying. I can’t end up like the ’Dragon Fire Against Heaven,’ Chen Gu thought, rapidly switching to the memories of the Nuclear Explosion Nun. As a Professional, he could now access the Second Energy Level strengths of the practitioners detailed in the book ’Histories of Four Hundred.’ His own Radiation Missionary class was highly compatible with the Nuclear Explosion Nun, greatly enhancing the power of this profession. SIZZLE! POP! POP!— Intense radiation burst forth, clashing with Nagano Takesakura’s controlling power. Electrical sparks continually erupted in the air around them. Witnessing Chen Gu’s formidable resistance, the feeling of ’unfairness’ in Nagano Takesakura’s mind intensified, making her even more frantic. She had to kill the person before her—he represented that very injustice!