Chapter 9: New Forces, Section 6

Hei Fa was unaware that every move of his had long been under the watchful eyes of certain sinister forces. At this moment, he was more focused on figuring out how to leave this place.
In fact, even if he had known he was being watched, he wouldn’t have reacted. For a human who had endured countless life-and-death trials, his nerves were likely far tougher than the strongest alloys. Physical pain and mental torment were nothing but a ridiculous farce in his eyes.
What could be more terrifying than loneliness? Even in nearly endless sleep, Hei Fa couldn’t go mad—let alone in a situation that couldn’t even be called a desperate one. He knew exactly what he needed to do.
But first, he needed complete control over his body.
Although genetically modified, Hei Fa did not undergo any further training processes. Yet this membrane-like sphere was indeed the first obstacle to his movement. Without breaking free from this restraint, he could do nothing.
In the oppressive silence, Hei Fa’s left hand twisted silently, defying all normal human physiology. It could move up, down, left, and right, and even change in length. As his brows furrowed tighter, it finally transformed into countless thin black lines with a muffled sound.
Gene chains shifted… morphing.
The blood flow in his body accelerated exponentially, causing Hei Fa to feel dizzy instantly. Although the energy spent during the transformation had been replenished, his ability to control genetic changes was hindered by a lack of biological energy. This time, the decomposition of his left arm consumed almost all the energy he had accumulated since encountering Li Feng.
It should be noted that biological energy is different from ordinary mechanical energy—it comes entirely from within Hei Fa himself. In his current state, apart from normal food and sleep, there was no other way to replenish it. It was truly invaluable.
The countless black lines flew around as Hei Fa carefully controlled them, sending them out slowly. The transparent liquid inside the sphere posed no obstacle to these products of genetic mutation. They passed through and eventually adhered to the inner layer of the membrane.
But the next moment, Hei Fa’s brows furrowed again.

Because the information transmitted from the tip of the black thread told him clearly and unmistakably that layer of membrane was actually composed of hundreds of different types of bodily tissues—some tough, some soft, some rigid, some strong. Though appearing thin, it was actually fifty centimeters thick; it was just too transparent to discern clearly.

Still not giving up, the black-haired man summoned a little more biological energy to make the tip of the black thread sharper, then thrust it forward with force.

“Ding!”

A clear ringing sound. The membrane began to vibrate rapidly. Countless strange vibrations combined to form a terrifying force. The black thread, capable of penetrating mech armor, not only failed to penetrate at all but was also repelled by this formidable force. As it passed over the black-haired man’s face, it left behind fine trails of blood.

Sighing inwardly, the black-haired man’s expression darkened. He knew his first plan was likely to fail. This membrane was clearly some kind of exotic armor with a special structure—astonishingly strong both externally and internally. No wonder it could be used as a cage to trap prisoners. The energy-deficient black thread was nothing but a child’s toy in its presence.

But what about elsewhere?

In the black-haired man’s dictionary, there was no such word as “give up.” If the membrane didn’t work, his gaze immediately shifted upward to the junction where the sphere met the ceiling.

It turned out this exotic breeding nest placed great emphasis on protection. The only part in contact with the ceiling was barely half a meter wide—just enough for a normal human to squeeze through. For any larger race, even if they forced their way through, it would be impossible to escape.

The black thread, like countless wriggling earthworms, slowly crawled toward the junction of the ceiling, while the black-haired man closed his eyes.

It was utterly mysterious—countless thin lines appeared in his mental sea, eventually forming a marvelous pattern. The muscle structure of the ceiling, the density of cells, and the location of conduits were all clearly depicted within it.

Contact detection was also one of the black-haired man’s special abilities. This ability, derived from genetically modified traits, could not only detect the structure of mechanical devices but also work on living organisms. The only drawback was its limited range.

Knowing the structure makes things easier. Kurokami had already figured it out—above the head, in the junction point, aside from the pipes for transporting nutrients and controlling cultivation, there was about thirty centimeters of irregular space. Although the outer muscle tissue was reinforced, it wasn’t enough to resist the invasion of the black threads. Perhaps the designer was overly confident in his own skills. Or maybe he thought thirty centimeters wasn’t enough for the captives to pass through, so no remedial measures were taken at all. A perfect weakness. A satisfied smile appeared on Kurokami’s lips. The black threads moved again, instantly forming a sharp spear that thrust upward. “Pop!” Blood splattered everywhere, and a hole the size of a human head appeared at the top. Immediately afterward, Kurokami took a deep breath, and his joints emitted a harsh creaking sound. In less than three minutes, it had shrunk by more than half, becoming as small as a child. Martial art… Bone Shrinkage. Using all four limbs, Kurokami climbed up through that narrow hole into the cultivation facility’s pipeline. As soon as he got in, he noticed something unusual. Before him lay a huge corridor, dark at both ends, with no idea how deep it was. Yet the space was extremely spacious. Kurokami even wondered if this was a passage built by giants. What was stranger still was that the material of the corridor wasn’t muscle but some kind of mysterious alloy, emitting a grayish glow under the faint light from the walls. But what really surprised him were the things that appeared in the corridor at that moment. Three huge and muscular figures. They had human shapes, covered in white armor, standing about three meters tall. Their limbs were long, their torsos covered in fish-scale-like patterns, and their heads were spindle-shaped with red eyes on either side—reminiscent of merfolk from ancient myths. Yet Kurokami’s heart grew heavier. He didn’t need to observe any further. Just from their pale shells and the muscle tissue visible between them, he could conclude that these three giant figures must have come from the same place as the white warship. And judging by their appearance and build, they clearly belonged to the category of mechs. Maybe he should buy a lottery ticket today, Kurokami thought helplessly, slowly moving toward a corner of the wall.

It should be noted that although his current physical condition isn’t extremely poor, it’s not exactly good either. His left arm, which had been reshaped, had long returned to its original state due to a lack of biological energy. His body had also become much weaker as a result of bone-shrinking surgery. Fortunately, the opponent clearly hadn’t noticed the existence of the black-haired man; his slow movement was more of a patrol than a search for enemies.

With a faint sneer, the black-haired man moved his wrist and then bent down, moving slowly along the wall. The shadows along the wall acted like a natural shield, completely concealing him. Not only would it be difficult to spot him from a distance, but even up close, it would likely be hard to tell that there was a living person there.

Stealth—an ancient survival skill—proved incredibly effective at this moment.

Three pale biological mechs moved slowly down the corridor, seemingly unaware of the fate that awaited them.

To be honest, these mechs, standing at about three meters tall, were nothing but failed imitations of human mechs by the Wandering Clan. Their strength, speed, armor, and agility were all far inferior. In the lair of the Wandering Clan, they occupied the lowest rank and were only used for patrols or training.

“Beep. Anomaly detected.” The lead white mech suddenly stopped, its red eyes glowing as it fixed its gaze on the ground not far ahead—right where the black-haired man had created an entrance, a hole about the size of a human head.

With a synchronized sound, all three mechs took defensive stances. Two sharp blades suddenly appeared on either side of their slender arms, reflecting a cold light under the corridor’s lighting.

In their simple minds, this scenario was something they had experienced countless times—as if their existence was solely to detect such anomalies and deal with them. Their massive bodies crouched down, their six red eyes scanning the surroundings.

“Click, click.” The heels of the mechs made a cold tapping sound on the hard corridor floor. The three mechs gradually approached the entrance. Their red eyes grew brighter, and from the black-haired man’s perspective, he could even see the muscles twitching in the gaps of their armor due to excitement.

Unfortunately, whether intentionally or by accident, they passed right by the black-haired man without noticing the deadly threat lurking in the shadow of the corner right beside them.

“Boom!!” A heavy, muffled sound. The figure with black hair instantly sprang out from the shadows in the corner like a swift black panther. While still in mid-air, the crackling of bones could be heard continuously as it quickly returned to its original form. Its left hand moved swiftly, grabbing the head of the mech closest to it. Immediately afterward, it twisted its body, concentrating all its strength in its right knee and delivered a fierce strike!!
“Crash!!!”
Shards flew everywhere, and a giant figure was sent flying instantly…