The worst failures among crystal people are those that move like zombies, with only their physical bodies being slightly stronger than zombies; otherwise, there's no difference.
More powerful ones utilize the crystals on their bodies to fight.
The crystal person before Bai Ye is of this type, similar to the three encountered in the abandoned battlefield.
Further up the scale, they develop more potent crystal abilities and possess a degree of controllability, allowing them to be manipulated in combat.
In a way, these crystal people are quite close to what Rhine Company desires, but Rhine Company's ambitions are greater; they need crystal people with independent combat consciousness, not mere puppets.
As Bai Ye mused, he sensed the incoming gust of wind and sidestepped.
*Bang!*
The crystal pendant, formed from the opponent's arm, struck the wall, emitting a dull thud and shattering a section of it.
Bai Ye reined in his scattered thoughts and swept his leg across the opponent's abdomen, kicking them backward.
The crystal person retreated several steps, stabilized themselves, and then roared at Bai Ye before lunging again!
*Clang!*
The instant the opponent lunged, Bai Ye drew his weapon, the "Jing Lei Zi Dian" (Startling Thunder Purple Lightning), and cleanly severed the crystallized arm.
As the arm shattered, the crystal person seemed to writhe in pain, thrashing about and crashing into the wall, causing powder to rain down.
Bai Ye glanced around, his gaze finally settling on the broken wall to his side, where a section of exposed electrical cable was embedded.
Bai Ye immediately stepped forward, grabbed the cable, and yanked it forcefully. After pulling it free, he casually swung it towards the crystal person.
The cable whipped around the crystal person's neck, ensnaring it tightly, and with a sharp pull, the creature was dragged to the ground.
"Behave, and you'll suffer less," Bai Ye said, pressing his knee into the crystal person's back and shaking his head. "Never mind, what could you possibly understand?"
Bai Ye twisted the crystal person's arm behind its back and quickly bound it with the cable. He then wrapped the cable around the creature's legs a few times before tying it to the cable around its arms, forming a loop.
Having finished, Bai Ye lifted the crystal person as if carrying a shopping bag.
As he rounded the corner of the stairs, Gengar floated down half its body from the ceiling, grinned at Bai Ye, and gestured that all the crystal people in the building had been cleared.
Bai Ye smiled, patted Gengar's head, then recalled Gengar and Goodra into their respective beast balls before leaving the building.
"Hey, don't wander off," Ji Ruyue said into her walkie-talkie as she noticed Bai Ye's movement. "There are crystal people on the street to the side of the building entrance..."
Before Ji Ruyue could finish, Bai Ye had already emerged from the building. Without even looking, he raised his hand towards the side.
The Steel Slime quickly coalesced and transformed into a cannon barrel mounted on Bai Ye's wrist.
The Sky-Piercing Energy Cannon!
Golden energy gathered at the muzzle, and with a "bang," it fired towards the side.
Then...
*Rumble!*
The golden energy sphere landed at the feet of two crystal people, and then an explosion occurred.
As the golden energy sphere detonated, the ground shattered and began to collapse. In the wake of the energy surge, the entire area was reduced to dust.
Bai Ye walked towards Ji Ruyue and asked, "What were you saying?"
Ji Ruyue gritted her teeth. "So your energy cannon is more awesome, huh? Can't you live without showing off? What if you attract more crystal people?"
Bai Ye replied, "Didn't you scout ahead? There were only a few on the street. What's the big deal if more are attracted? I'll deal with them easily."
Ji Ruyue was speechless and then looked at the crystal person Bai Ye was holding.
Ji Ruyue asked, "Is this the crystal person you said had some issues?"
Bai Ye nodded, dropped the creature on the ground, and then pried its face open.
The crystal person's face contorted, and it kept roaring at Bai Ye, whimpering, even baring its teeth to try and bite Bai Ye's hand.
Bai Ye quickly withdrew his hand and said, "See? This is a living crystal person. In its normal state, it's like this, like it has rabies. I don't think this fellow has normal human thought processes."
"What about its life signs?" Ji Ruyue asked. "Hold him down!"
Bai Ye casually pressed the crystal person's head to the ground and said, "This guy has no life signs. I checked. No heartbeat, no breathing. It moves like a living dead person."
Ji Ruyue ignored Bai Ye and took out an instrument, placing several pads on the crystal person before examining the readings.
Ji Ruyue stated, "The heart isn't beating, but the brain shows life sign responses, and the body organs are not degenerated. Furthermore, crystallization has also appeared within this creature."
Bai Ye asked, "So, is it considered alive or dead?"
Ji Ruyue scratched her head, looking troubled, and then tentatively asked, "A vegetative state?"
Bai Ye was exasperated. "A vegetative state is when the brain is beyond saving and the heart is still beating. This guy's brain is fine, but its heart has stopped."
Ji Ruyue shrugged. "Then it's not a living organism!"
Bai Ye nodded and then took out the work ID from the creature's chest pocket. "Look at this. Mo Chenggong, Lab Three, Level C2 clearance."
Ji Ruyue asked, "Can this prove he's from Rhine Company?"
"Come on," Bai Ye said. "In the City of Ruins, besides Rhine Company, who else has the qualifications and capability to establish a laboratory?"
Ji Ruyue pondered. "That makes sense, but it's a bit of a stretch."
Bai Ye pulled open the crystal person's lab coat. "You should recognize the Rhine Company logo, right?"
The buckle on the creature's belt was an "L" and a "y" on either side, overlapping partially to form a symbol, which was the Rhine Company's logo.
Bai Ye added, "Someone else wouldn't have put this on him, would they? Or maybe you can check if his pants fit?"
Ji Ruyue shot Bai Ye a look. Was this guy looking for a beating? Absolutely looking for a beating, wasn't he?
At this moment, Davis, Allen, and Gonzales also emerged from the building. Gonzales was carrying a crystal person.
The crystal people here were of a lower grade than those encountered in the abandoned factory, and thus weaker. Allen and the other two had managed to capture one alive through their combined efforts.
However, the attire of that crystal person looked no different from that of Rhine Company.
"Come take a look," Ji Ruyue called out. "Have you guys heard of Lab Three?"