Chapter 688: Chapter 65: Shadow Demon
“This is our biological laboratory,” Kapei introduced to everyone. “The main extraordinary creatures we study are dark elves, scavenger eagles, and giant scorpions.”
Ever since accepting the history of “Magic Tide’s destruction of technological civilization,” this synthetic human named Kapei seemed to have completely let down his guard and, instead, passionately explained the Research Institute’s scientific achievements to the three people.
“I thought you were Scientific Research Hunters coming to steal information,” Kapei chatted away. “But since technological civilization no longer exists, of course, I should copy all data to let you take them out, lest they continue to gather dust in this Abyss—after all, no one here can recognize their value anymore.”
“Actually, we’re not interested in your scientific data…” Aske said, gritting his teeth, but Kapei quickly interrupted him.
“Get it straight, young man!” Kapei scolded. “The vast knowledge stored here would be priceless in your outside world! It would take at least over a hundred years of independent research by your so-called Church Court to retrace the scientific path we’ve already taken!”
“If that’s the case, why don’t you just come out with us?” Mia asked curiously, “Taking all your research findings with you.”
“Why should I go out?” Kapei looked at her incredulously. “Do you mean to tell me that the backward Solomon Church can provide a more advanced research environment than here so that I can complete my subsequent work?”
“So within this synthetic human body, you also carry the wisdom of a scientist?” Aske asked.
“To be precise,” Kapei said seriously, “the great scientist Mr. Kapei copied his memories to me before he left. So I need to continue his scientific projects until the very body of this synthetic human breaks down. This is the number one priority process of my core program, whether it’s in the Abyss or the Main Plane, I don’t care.”
“But don’t your scientific equipment here have a lifespan for use?” Miel asked, “Without replenishment, the equipment will eventually break down, right?”
“Because I’m synthetic, I can perform experiments in a vacuum electromagnetic shielded dust-free environment, so the equipment isn’t that easy to damage,” Kapei explained, “And the warehouse also has spare equipment parts… although actually not many anymore.”
“I have an idea,” Aske said. “You can stay here for now, and after we go out, we’ll have the Church Court people come to move your Research Institute out. Perhaps after they thoroughly study the equipment here, they could replicate this research environment, so you can continue to work outside as well?”
“You mean let them reverse engineer and remake the experimental equipment I need?” Kapei pondered for a moment. “That’s not a bad idea, if they can replicate it, at least my research environment will be maintained…”
As the four people were talking, they suddenly heard an explosion above their heads.
“Damn! It must be that Shadow Demon again!” Kapei shrieked irritably and quickly rushed toward the staircase. “Follow me!”
Everyone promptly followed Kapei up the stairs, only to hear him saying in a hurried tone:
“Shadow Demons are extremely difficult to kill, as problematic as banshees. Their only weakness is they cannot tolerate exposure to light, so next I will attack with Flame Signal Flares, and you are to cover me!”
Reaching the top floor corridor of the Research Institute, the group saw the end wall blown open, with a dark shadow swiftly moving towards them.
As the shadow moved, the lights on the corridor ceiling also burst one by one, and darkness spread like a shadow following it.
Kapei quickly pulled out two Flame Signal Flares from somewhere on his body and threw them directly into the shadow.
The signal flares sprayed out brilliant fireworks in the air, reilluminating the corridor that had been enveloped in darkness. As the light suddenly expanded, the shadow also emitted a noise resembling a scream of pain, and the areas exposed to the light retracted rapidly.
With such a thought flashing through their minds, the group saw the shadow tear off a metal plate from the side wall, directly knocking the signal flares on the floor away, and then proceeded to charge forward using it as a shield.
“This bastard!” Kapei continued to pull out the flare, yanked the pull-cord and threw it towards the shadow, but the light, as well as the flare itself, was blocked by a metal plate and had little effect.
Because everything happened in a rush, Miel did not have the chance to bring her sniper rifle to the Abyss. However, for the Fate Law, anything that could be related could not escape—she directly pulled her rifle out of a past timeline and fired a shot at the shadow charging with the metal plate.
The bullet spun through the metal plate, piercing diagonally upward through the shadow’s incorporeal body and struck the already broken light bulb at the top of the corridor. Even in the darkness where nothing was clear, Miel, relying on her good memory and the sharp intuition of a marksman, could still accurately hit an invisible target.
The next second, the power of fate attached to the bullet activated, immediately replacing the light bulb that had been broken by the Shadow Demon with a perfectly intact one from a parallel universe.
Bright light appeared again, shining on the unprotected back of the shadow, instantly scorching and shrinking it by half until the Shadow Demon, roaring in anger, reacted and, summoning mystical power, broke the light bulb again, stopping the burns from the light.
By that time, Aske and Mia had charged to its front, one on each side.
Star Nine Forms. Breaking Heavy!
The longsword suddenly resonated, swinging down from above, cleanly slicing open the metal plate. Mia then picked up the flame signal flare that had been knocked to the ground, and precisely threw it through the split in the metal plate’s center.
It was like throwing a grenade with the safety pin pulled right into an observation port of a bunker.
Following that, both their figures disappeared from the spot. Radiance exploded from within the shadow, and countless black mud-like substances splattered in all directions, nearly covering the entire corridor.
It was over.
It was over?
Kapei stood still, almost as if he had crashed, watching the group of three blow up the Shadow Demon that had been attacking the Research Institute frequently and had remained unsolved for centuries in less than half a minute.
How could that be? The Shadow Demon issue that had been plaguing the institute for the last several hundred years was so effortlessly dealt with by him bringing two little girls?
Could it be that this wasn’t a real Shadow Demon? If this creature wasn’t a Shadow Demon, but something that looked identical yet was weaker, then that would make sense…
Just as Kapei began to deceive himself, Mia walked over to the wall and curiously asked, looking at the gel-like substance that seemed like squid ink:
“Is this a Shadow Demon?”
“Yes, the most common creature in the Abyss Lower Level,” Aske replied. “They die upon exposure to light, and their corpses are highly corrosive. Don’t touch.”
“That’s pretty weak,” Mia commented.
“The most common creature is, of course, weak,” Aske said.
“Good thing we’re inside the Research Institute. Otherwise, if we were outside where the walls don’t reflect light, I bet it wouldn’t be so easy to fight,” Miel said.
Kapei: ……….