Chapter 447 96: New Combat Power Trump Card

Eastern Continent, Rebel headquarters.

BEEP BEEP BEEP...

Inside the silver-gray base, the sounds of instruments and equipment rang out incessantly. Looking closer, the figure of a young man lay on a metal chair in a laboratory. Over a dozen black cables and nutrient tubes connected to his body. Bio-armor circuit lines wrapped around his skin, occasionally flickering with the faint light of charging energy.

The expert in charge of the bio-armor modification wore a hazmat suit and black protective goggles. As if welding metal, he manipulated precision instruments to implant a bionic organ into the man's body. Professional Alchemist assistants bustled around him, calling out various parameters and constantly adjusting the concentration of nutrient energy required for the Biological Transformation. This scene was merely a microcosm of the entire facility; similar activities echoed from numerous laboratories across the base. Figure after figure was undergoing bio-armor modification.

This spectacle could be seen from the central command room of the base. Screens of light floated in mid-air, clearly reflecting a series of experimental data and modification progress. Senior experts and experimental engineers hurried back and forth in this area, while elite members operated instruments to continuously record the data. Everything appeared highly organized.

A burly man in a black trench coat stood in the command room's backstage area, separated by a glass window. Wearing a mask, he clearly observed the scene through the glowing screens.

"Leader, this bio-armor modification project is a complete success.

"We estimate that seventeen percent of our organization's ordinary soldiers will gain strength comparable to that of a Fighter..."

The subordinate's report sounded by his ear. The speaker was a middle-aged Caucasian man in a long white lab coat, his face filled with fanaticism for the bio-armor modifications.

"Hmm, not bad," the black-clad man known as the Leader said calmly with a nod. "Chief Engineer Lan, I'm leaving you in full charge of the bio-armor modifications from now on."

"Yes! Thank you, Leader!" The middle-aged man nodded hurriedly, his face flush with excitement.

"However..." The black-clad Leader's tone deepened as he looked at the experiment footage on the screens. "Seventeen percent is not enough.

"I want that number to reach thirty percent in the future."

As his words fell, the air grew dead silent. Chief Engineer Lan's expression shifted, seemingly wanting to explain just how difficult that target was. But ultimately, he gritted his teeth and gave a heavy nod. "Understood!"

With that, he retreated with a few assistants.

The metallic front area of the command room fell quiet, leaving only the black-clad Leader and a select few still standing there.

"Leader." Someone instinctively turned their head, glancing at the retreating back of the white-coated man. "This Lanle is highly unpredictable. He previously served as a project expert in the Alliance Country and later defected to other megacorporations...

"If it weren't for the fact that being a wanted man left him nowhere else to go, he probably wouldn't have come to us. Are you sure you want to give him full authority over this matter?"

They knew exactly how crucial this project was. It wasn't just for the headquarters; all branch bases across the Earth Star would subsequently conduct corresponding research to bolster their combat forces.

"Yes." The black-clad Leader nodded calmly, his tone low. "He's a smart man.

"Smart men usually value their lives. He naturally knows what to do."

He offered no further explanation, but the several Senior Law Enforcement Officers under his command understood his meaning. With a great war imminent, they needed to maximize the strength of all their bases; they simply couldn't afford to worry about everything else right now.

"What is the current situation over in Red Maple?" the Leader asked.

"Legos has successfully departed," a Law Enforcement Officer replied, handing over an intelligence report. "Furthermore, in Crow Valley, we've instructed Tyler to raise the alert level in preparation for a sudden declaration of war by the Alliance Country.

"As for the kid who killed Wu Yuntao, he is currently still missing. We estimate that he either defected from the Superpower Bureau and fled into the wilderness, or Ji Lixian has hidden him away."

"Oh?" Hearing this, the black-clad Leader glanced at the tablet handed to him. A wealth of detailed information appeared before his eyes, containing all the Superpower Level data regarding the interception battle from that day.

"Hidden away... Heh." His gaze lingered on Lu Chao's column. "Since the Alliance Country wants to go to war with us, we might as well use this to our advantage.

"If we can get Biotechnology and the Alliance Country to wear each other down, it will be a good thing for us."

Upon hearing this, the present Law Enforcement Officers nodded in acknowledgment, understanding his intentions.

Finally, just as all orders were issued and everyone prepared to leave, someone spoke up.

"By the way, Leader.

"That old man, Tan Shanzhong, has already left the Alliance Country. Should we..."

"He will go to Fortress Mountain City," the black-clad Leader said plainly without looking back. "As long as he wants to stage a comeback, he won't let any opportunity slip by.

"You all don't need to worry about this matter."

...

Nanyun Mountain, inside the underground base.

Lu Chao's eyes were guarded and filled with killing intent as he strode toward the mutated Beast King that resembled a black cat. But quickly, he paused.

BUZZ!

An invisible emotion transmitted into his heart, causing him to halt his steps. Any creature facing death would have a survival instinct, and this Beast King was no exception.

However.

"Surrender?" Squinting, Lu Chao clearly sensed the other party's display of weakness. Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind. If a Transcendence Level Beast King could be subjugated, it would undoubtedly bring many benefits and could even serve as a new trump card. Moreover, according to his intuition, this Beast King known as the Elemental Devouring Beast was no ordinary Mutant Beast. The vast majority of its life essence resided in the spiritual plane, meaning the value of consuming its flesh and blood was extremely low—inferior to other Beast Kings.

But still.

"Not enough," Lu Chao thought as he took a step forward. This Beast King's methods were too bizarre, focusing entirely on the realm of spiritual consciousness, and it could feed on Spiritual Power. He couldn't be sure if it would turn on him once its injuries healed and it returned to its peak.

Suddenly, seeing him approach as if dead set on killing it, and feeling the powerful aura radiating from his Titan state, the Elemental Devouring Beast's eyes flashed with a hint of human-like survival instinct.

The next instant.

BUZZ!

An invisible spiritual fluctuation emerged. Visible to the naked eye, a flash appeared between the brows of the black cat-like Beast King, and a somewhat illusory, rhombus-shaped crystal floated out.

Lu Chao frowned, his gaze guarded. The object was entirely scarlet, appearing both real and ethereal, and was only the size of a fingernail. Its surface flickered with dots of eerie red light, looking somewhat similar to a Magic Power crystal.

[Spiritual Crystal]

[Quality: Basic (Excellence)]

[Consumption Effect: The spiritual essence mark of a creature with powerful spiritual power. It has no physical form. Forcibly initiating a spiritual devourment carries the risk of triggering a self-destructive retaliation... If one chooses to accept the mark, a Spiritual Link can be formed to control the creature's spiritual essence, granting absolute power over its life and death.]

"Oh?" Lu Chao's eyes flickered as he once again saw the information provided by his intuition.

This was actually the spiritual essence mark of the Beast King before him. Devouring it held little meaning and could even result in injuries, causing spiritual trauma. But if he kept it and accepted the mark with his mind, he could use it to control its life and death.

In just a few short breaths, Lu Chao's eyes glinted as he pondered inwardly.

A Transcendence Level Beast King would be of immense help to him. Whether for his upcoming trip to Fortress Mountain City to complete the negotiation mission of reeling in the warlords, or for dealing with Biotechnology in the future, it would come in handy. Furthermore, the fact that it fed on Spiritual Power meant he wouldn't need to supply it with nutrients, nor would it delay his Martial Arts cultivation or Life Energy development.

With this in mind, he made his decision.

BUZZ!

Lu Chao reached out his palm. The tiny red rhombus crystal landed in his hand, seamlessly dissolving into his mental sea.

In the next instant, Lu Chao used the Observation Method on himself and soon spotted its existence within his spiritual mind. The spiritual essence mark was quietly floating beneath the Crimson Fire sun. An innate understanding washed over him—he knew that with a single thought, he could destroy it and thereby take the Elemental Devouring Beast's life.

Beyond that, he also discovered that a special Spiritual Link had formed between him and this Beast King. Pain, apprehension, a desire to live... He clearly felt the Beast King's emotions, far more distinctly than his previous sensations. Furthermore, through that link, he even saw many of its past memories.

...

ROAR!!

It was an unknown number of years ago. Countless Mutant Beasts were captured and brought here, subjected to a variety of agonizing, Non-human experiments. Hissing, bellowing, and screeching... The Mutant Beasts also felt pain, letting out many ferocious cries of struggle.

At that time, the Elemental Devouring Beast was merely an Advanced Mutant Beast. Its bloodline abilities were not particularly outstanding; at best, it possessed a few peculiarities in terms of Spiritual Power.

Later, on a certain day, after undergoing who knew how many Biological Transformations, it suddenly mutated and gained the ability to feed on the Spiritual Power of certain organisms. It even quietly developed a few special techniques on the spiritual plane.

As more and more of its kind died from the experimental modifications, it gained extra feeding opportunities and grew stronger and stronger. Finally, after an unknown number of days and nights, it underwent an earth-shattering metamorphosis, vaulting up to become a Beast King.

At that time, looking at the fear of the surrounding researchers and recalling the agony it had endured, it roared and destroyed the facility. Under the interference of its spiritual illusions, the vast majority of the researchers slaughtered one another. Only a few managed to escape, and most of the remaining Mutant Beasts were caught in the crossfire.

As time passed, no one ever returned, leaving it as the sole living creature here.

"So that's how it is," Lu Chao thought as the memory frames flashed past his eyes like a video, allowing him to witness the complete past of the Elemental Devouring Beast.

Aside from occasionally leaving to hunt and feed in the wilderness, the creature spent most of its time returning to this place. Perhaps, on a subconscious level, it had already claimed this experimental base as its own territory.

When Lu Chao had initially intruded, it had indeed harbored thoughts of hunting him down. However, likely due to his awakening of the Titan's Power at the time, coupled with the spiritual resistance brought about by his Observation Method, the beast had instinctively sensed a degree of danger. After some probing, it had chosen to endure and simply watched him leave.

As for this recent intrusion by the Iron Sand Army...

"A biological controller..." Lu Chao's eyes flashed as he looked at the base's shattered floor. The rock walls there were riddled with craters blasted open by Fist Seals, and nestled among the rubble in the corners were numerous shattered metal fragments.

According to the Elemental Devouring Beast's memories, Gwight had obtained a biological controller from somewhere. Unfortunately for him, the device was outdated and didn't pose much of a restriction on the beast. In the end, taking advantage of Gwight's carelessness and following a perilous battle, it had barely managed to gain control over him.

With this in mind, Lu Chao looked at the Elemental Devouring Beast quietly curled up on the ground. He observed its black cat-like appearance and its pair of amber-like red vertical pupils.

He knew that utilizing such spiritual control techniques consumed a great deal of energy, and suffering a backlash would lead to even more severe trauma. Even so, he secretly counted himself lucky, feeling that his timing had been absolutely impeccable. Had both sides not been mutually severely injured, he likely wouldn't have been able to take it down. After all, his Titan's Power was geared more toward physical enhancement and wasn't suited for clashes involving Spiritual Power.

"MEOW~"

Suddenly, the Elemental Devouring Beast let out a low cry, gesturing toward Gwight's nearby corpse. Lu Chao quickly realized that it wanted to feed on the opponent's lingering Spiritual Power to mend its wounds.

"Go ahead."

As soon as he spoke, he watched the creature slowly rise to its feet and pad toward Gwight's corpse. Its movements were indistinguishable from those of an ordinary black cat—its steps were light, gentle, and even carried a trace of elegance.

"This little guy..." Lu Chao raised an eyebrow. Perhaps due to having been subjugated by him, he could sense that the violent and ferocious aura radiating from the beast had quietly subsided by a significant margin.

He then watched quietly as it fed. The Elemental Devouring Beast didn't perform any special actions; it merely half-crouched beside the corpse and slightly raised its snout. Yet, Lu Chao could vaguely perceive that some invisible force was being absorbed by it.

"Even a corpse will have some lingering Spiritual Power?" he pondered thoughtfully, recalling the information he had gleaned from the creature's memories. This residual Spiritual Power would gradually weaken over a period of time until it completely dissipated. It was precisely because of this that the beast had managed to rely on its ability to survive up until today.

Gradually, under his careful observation, Lu Chao noticed the bloody holes on its body quietly healing and steadily scabbing over. Its aura also smoothed out, indicating that its injuries were recovering.

Such a scene was somewhat peculiar; it was the very first time he had witnessed this unique facet of Spiritual Power.

With this in mind, Lu Chao formulated a few ideas. He finally looked at his interface, letting his eyes linger on a specific line of information.

"A mutated, spiritual-type Beast King," he thought.

"Perhaps its potential is even greater than I anticipated."