"Boom—!!!"
Under Leo's final strike, the alloy wall collapsed with a roar, sending debris flying and filling the air with dust.
At that very instant—
"Whoosh!" A fierce gust of wind attacked from the dust! Fast!
It was faster than the limits of visual perception!
Leo only saw a blurred blood-red shadow flash by. Before he could react, a massive force had already slammed into his chest!
"Bang—!!!" A dull, heavy thud!
Leo was sent flying like a cannonball!
His body traced a straight line in the air, crashing directly into the corridor outside the door!
"Boom!"
He slammed into the wall at the end of the corridor, causing the entire wall to crack and cave in!
Rubble cascaded down, burying him!
Leo slid from the wall, kneeling on one knee, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
He raised his head, his gaze locked tightly in that direction.
Out of the dust, a blood-red figure slowly walked out.
She stepped barefoot onto the shattered alloy fragments, each step carrying an eerie composure.
As the dust completely dissipated, her full appearance was finally revealed—it was a woman.
At least, she once was.
Her entire body was covered in dark red scales that clung tightly to her skin, reflecting an eerie metallic sheen under the lights.
Those scales didn't cover her entirely but acted like armor protecting vital areas—chest, shoulder blades, spine; the rest of her skin had a sickly, pale appearance.
Long, blood-red hair draped behind her shoulders, moving without wind, drifting slowly like a living thing.
Most horrifying was her chest—embedded there was a fist-sized gem, the styx stone.
The gem was deeply embedded in her flesh, fused with her sternum, with countless fine vascular patterns extending from it, spreading across her body like tree roots.
Inside the gem, a blood-red light pulsed slowly, each beat synchronized with her heartbeat.
Several thick tentacles grew from her back, each the thickness of an adult's arm, their surfaces also covered in dark red scales.
Those tentacles swayed slowly behind her, like vipers raising their heads, ready to strike and devour at any moment.
Her face... that face bore a fifty-percent resemblance to the Doctor.
The same contours, the same brows and eyes, the same thin lips.
But at this moment, that face had a hint of eerie, bewitching allure—her skin was pale to the point of transparency, yet her lips were red as blood.
The corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, carrying an indescribable, sinister charm.
She kept her eyes closed, standing there quietly, motionless.
Only the gem on her chest pulsed, only the tentacles on her back swayed.
Ashir, collapsed in the distance, felt his pupils contract violently the moment he saw this figure.
"This..." his voice trembled.
"Is... is that the Doctor?!"
Leo heard these words, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He slowly stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"The Doctor..."
He stared at the blood-red figure, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Good, I didn't let her run away."
Ashir grew anxious.
"She's clearly strange! Are you still going to fight?!"
Leo didn't look back, stepping forward.
"I'm very glad she is the Doctor."
His voice was calm, so calm it was hair-raising.
"I can't wait to crush every bone in her body."
As soon as he finished speaking—the blood-red figure opened her eyes.
In that instant, the entire space seemed to freeze.
Her eyes, the pupils were blood-red, as deep as a bottomless abyss.
But within that red, countless tiny glimmers flickered. At first, those eyes were filled with confusion.
She looked around, watching the shattered alloy walls, watching the ruins in the distance, watching the man collapsed on the ground, watching the white-clad figure walking toward her.
Her gaze was like a newborn infant, full of confusion about this strange world.
But quickly—the confusion began to fade, and memories flooded back like a tide.
She was the Doctor.
She was the leader of the Purifier Organization, she was a Genius researcher favored by a high-level figure in V5.
She had spent countless years, studied countless lives, created countless experimental subjects, and finally waited for this day.
She had succeeded, the Perfect Fusion—it was a success!
The Doctor's mouth slowly curled up.
The arc grew wider and wider, until it finally turned into an eerie and insane smile.
"Heh..."
A low, soft laugh squeezed out from the depths of her throat.
"Heh hah..."
The laughter gradually grew louder.
"Heh hahahaha—!!!"
The maniacal laughter rang throughout the entire space!
In that laughter, there was madness, satisfaction, and the relief of a desire suppressed for too long finally being released!
The tentacles behind her danced wildly, lashing out fiercely against the ground and walls!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!!!"
Each lash left deep cracks on the walls!
Debris flew, and dust filled the air!
The Doctor raised her hands, looking at her hands covered in dark red scales, looking at the nails on her fingertips that were as sharp as knives.
She clenched her fists; power, endless power surged within her body.
She lowered her head, looking at the styx stone embedded in her chest.
The gem was connected to her Bloodline, and every pulse brought a surging, inexhaustible, and endless vitality.
"Wonderful..."
She muttered to herself, her voice full of intoxication.
"This feeling... is simply wonderful..."
She raised her head, her gaze piercing through the shattered walls, through the thick concrete, through the surface, as if she could see the world outside.
"The new world..."
Her voice became high-pitched.
"I shall be the one to open it!"
She spread her arms, as if embracing the entire world.
"That group of pigs sitting at the top... they all must die!"
The insane laughter rang out again.
Half an hour ago, number zero isolation room.
The Doctor stood before the giant incubation pod, watching the sleeping number zero inside.
It was covered in dark red scales, with several thick tentacles on its back, floating slowly in the pale green nutrient solution.
Its face could no longer be recognized as its original form, only faint contours remained to prove it had once been human.
The Doctor raised her left hand, holding the styx stone.
The gem was already filled with energy, with rich blood-red light flowing inside.
She extended her right hand and tapped a few times on the console under the incubation pod; the cover opened slowly, and the Doctor lay inside.
Her palm was aimed at number zero, and then—she activated her ability.
"Perfect Fusion."
This was her Nen Ability, and the foundation upon which she had achieved so much in just a few years.
The first usage—dismantling, reorganizing, and merging two different individuals.
This ability required an extremely vast knowledge base and a very clear understanding of life itself, knowing the internal physiological structures of various lifeforms to perform it.
Relying on this ability, she created countless experimental subjects and gained the favor of certain high-level figures in V5.
Those guys gave her countless resources, allowing her to build this base on this isolated island to conduct research on biological weapons.
But the Doctor was never satisfied with that; she didn't just want to study weapons.
What she wanted to study was—the Perfect Lifeform.
She didn't want to create tools for others; she wanted to become the Perfect Lifeform.
The second usage of the ability—Assimilation.
Merging herself with another lifeform; this usage had extremely high risks. Once it failed, she would turn into a mindless monster or simply collapse and die.
So she had been waiting, waiting for a perfect subject for Fusion.
number zero was the closest thing to perfection among her many years of research.
Originally, number zero was a little girl with special talents and excellent regeneration abilities.
Her blood also had the ability to control organisms. After the Doctor discovered this, she used her for various experiments.
Unfortunately, she had a fatal flaw—she could not survive for long outside the nutrient solution.
Once she left it for more than three hours, her body would collapse, and then she would fall into a deep sleep.
But the appearance of the styx stone solved this difficult problem.
That gem found on Aistan Island had the ability to absorb, store, manipulate, and release Life Energy.
As long as she used it as a medium, she could use those absorbed Life Energy to forcibly urge number zero's body to continue evolving until it reached true perfection.
Then, she could seize this perfect body.
The Doctor had spent a long time, bit by bit, clearing away number zero's consciousness.
This was a long process that required great patience.
Originally, she intended to clear it completely before proceeding with the Fusion to minimize the risk.
But Leo and the others had broken in, and she had no time left.
The Doctor looked at number zero in the incubation pod, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.
"Although it's risky..."
She whispered.
"It's worth a try."
She raised her right hand, aiming at number zero.
"Perfect Fusion · Assimilation—Activate!"
The styx stone erupted with blinding red light!
The light enveloped the entire incubation pod!
number zero's body began to tremble violently, and under those blood-red scales, muscles writhed crazily!
The Doctor's body also began to tremble! Between the two bodies, an invisible connection was being established!
Reorganization and Fusion had begun...
The memory ended.
The Doctor stood in place, feeling this brand-new body.
Powerful, too powerful, more powerful than any experimental subject she had ever created.
She lowered her head, looking at the styx stone on her chest.
The energy inside the gem was still pouring out continuously, merging into her body, making her more powerful every second.
"Perfect..."
She murmured softly.
"This is the true perfection..."
"As long as I have this, I can continue to evolve!"
"Become a god!!!"
She raised her head and looked forward.
There, a white figure was walking toward her.
The pace was steady, each step taken firmly.
His gaze was as calm as water, yet carried a heart-palpitating pressure.
The Doctor tilted her head, sizing up this man; it was him.
It was this person who had broken into her base, destroyed her plans, and forced her to perform the Fusion prematurely.
The Doctor's mouth curled up slightly.
"Just in time."
The tentacles behind her swayed slowly, like vipers raising their heads.
"Let me test the power of this new body."
The distance between the two grew closer.
Ten meters, eight meters, five meters.
Leo stopped, looking at the woman who had completely turned into a monster. There was no fear in his eyes, only cold killing intent.
The Doctor looked at him, madness and confidence intertwined in her eyes.
"Do you know?"
She spoke, her voice hoarse and eerie.
"I've waited for this day for too, too long. But thanks to you, I can stand here."
Leo did not answer; the next second, massive Nen erupted!
The Doctor laughed.
"Come on."
She spread her arms.
"Let me see if you can stop me from opening the new world!"
The next second—both of them moved simultaneously!