"Can't sneak in?"
He looked toward the center of the island, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Then we'll just fight our way in."
He raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
"It's just a door. I'll just smash it to pieces."
Ashir froze for a moment.
He looked at Leo, at those fearless eyes, and opened his mouth to advise caution. But remembering the waterboarding Leo had subjected him to, he simply shrugged.
"Whatever, you're the boss."
He said.
"My life is in your hands anyway."
Machi Komacine's expression was grave.
"Charging in like this is too dangerous. There are over two hundred armed personnel inside, plus five Nen Users and those Test Subject. We should reconsider."
Knowing the Doctor as he did, there were bound to be hidden trump cards. Going in blindly like this was truly unwise.
Sophia, Shizuku, and Kastro didn't say a word. They just stood quietly behind Leo, their gazes firm, trusting him.
Hisoka spoke up with a smile.
"I'm fine with anything As long as there's someone for me to fight to the death, I'll be satisfied"
Leo looked at Machi Komacine.
"The best way would be to carpet-bomb the place and sink the whole island to the bottom of the sea. That way, we wouldn't have to lift a finger."
He paused.
"But would you be willing to do that?"
Machi Komacine fell silent.
"Or do you have a better idea?"
Machi Komacine opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
"...This..."
Leo grinned.
"Sorry, I'm an Enhancer. Using my brain isn't my specialty."
He turned and walked toward the center of the island.
"A direct frontal assault suits my style better."
Sophia and the others quickly followed.
Machi Komacine stood there, watching their backs, before finally sighing and following them.
Under Ashir's guidance, the group soon reached the center of the island.
That red tree was indeed conspicuous—its trunk was blood-red, standing out sharply against the surrounding greenery.
The canopy was like an umbrella, blotting out the sun and casting a massive shadow.
To the west of the red tree was a steep stone wall.
The surface was covered in moss and vines, appearing no different from the surrounding rock.
But looking closely, one could see the vines were distributed too regularly, as if they had been artificially trimmed.
Ashir pointed at the stone wall.
"It's right here."
Just then—a sharp alarm suddenly blared!
"Wooo— Wooo— Wooo—"
The piercing siren shattered the island's tranquility, echoing through the mountain forest!
Machi Komacine's expression changed.
"We've been spotted!"
Leo ignored it. He walked up to the stone wall, raised his hand, and pushed aside the vines.
Behind the vines was a massive metal door.
The door was entirely silver-gray, its surface smooth as a mirror, without a single gap.
It was embedded in the stone wall, merging seamlessly with the mountain, showing no flaws.
Leo reached out and knocked.
Thump, thump.
The texture of the metal was heavy and cold.
He stepped back a few paces, looked at the door, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"This is it?"
He turned around and looked at the people behind him.
"Everyone, move back. Don't get too close."
Sophia and the others immediately retreated.
Machi Komacine opened his mouth but eventually backed away as well.
Only Hisoka didn't move.
He stood his ground, his eyes frighteningly bright, staring fixedly at Leo's back.
He activated 'Ken' to protect his entire body. He wanted to know exactly how large the gap between them was now.
Leo didn't say another word.
He turned back to face the massive metal door.
His right fist slowly pulled back, his arm muscles tightening like steel cables, every fiber poised and ready.
Veins bulged under his skin like writhing snakes.
Nen began to surge, frantically gathering at his fist, compressing, and compressing again!
The light turned from white to incandescent, then to gold, and finally to a near-blinding bright gold!
A massive orb of light condensed at the tip of his fist, the internal energy spinning and colliding wildly, emitting a low, roaring hum!
The surrounding air was distorted by this energy; even the light seemed to be swallowed up!
Leo looked up at the door and laughed wildly.
"Just a mere alloy gate—"
He suddenly exerted his strength!
"Super Destruction Fist—!!!"
His fist boomed out!
The golden orb of light shot from his fist like a small meteor, crashing straight into the seemingly indestructible metal door!
The moment the fist made contact with the door—time seemed to stand still for a second.
Then— Crack.
With a crisp sound, the first crack appeared on the metal door.
The crack spread like a spiderweb, radiating wildly from the point of impact!
One. Two. Ten.
The entire door was covered in cracks!
And then— Shatter!
"BOOM—!!!!!!!!!!!"
An earth-shaking explosion! Golden light instantly swallowed everything!
The shockwave radiated outward frantically!
Hisoka, who had stayed put, was also blown back several meters, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
After a moment of silence, Hisoka's body began to tremble slightly.
"This is simply wonderful! ♦"
A low laugh squeezed out of his throat.
The stone wall collapsed, and countless fragments of rock were swept up by the shockwave, shooting in all directions!
Trees within a forty-meter radius were uprooted and torn to shreds in mid-air!
Flowers and vegetation were instantly reduced to powder!
Dust and smoke billowed into the sky, blotting out the sun!
The entire island seemed to be trembling!
The aftershocks of the explosion lasted for a full ten seconds before gradually subsiding.
The dust slowly cleared. The once indestructible alloy gate had completely vanished.
In its place was a massive black hole—the entrance tunnel to the base.
The tunnel was in a state of total chaos, with destroyed equipment, scattered rubble, and—corpses everywhere.
Over thirty corpses; those were the security personnel who had been guarding the entrance tunnel.
They had been armed and ready, prepared to give any intruder a crushing blow.
But they hadn't even seen the enemy's face. The explosion had swept through the entire tunnel instantly, killing everyone in that single strike.
Some had their skulls crushed by rubble, some had their internal organs shattered by the shockwave, and some were simply torn to pieces by the explosion.
Blood and severed limbs were scattered all over the ground, a gruesome sight.
The tattoo on the back of his hand pulsed with a continuous warmth.
[Life Energy +50][Life Energy +50][Life Energy +50]...
[Rank: 71 (10%) → 71 (15%)]
Leo raised an eyebrow slightly.
'Oh, looks like quite a few unlucky devils.'
He pulled back his fist and lightly brushed the dust off his hand.
Then, he turned his head and looked at the group in the distance.
"I'm going in first."
His voice was calm.
"Follow me in a bit."
He lifted his foot and stepped into the black hole.
Behind him, Sophia and the others exchanged glances and slowly followed.
Hisoka walked by his side, the smile on his face as bright as a child's.
Machi Komacine walked at the back. Looking at the back that was disappearing into the darkness, he took a deep breath and followed.
The alarm was still blaring.
Deep inside the base.
The piercing alarm echoed through the corridors, and red warning lights flashed incessantly, dyeing the entire space a bizarre blood-red.
In the control room, several staff members stared at the screens, their faces pale.
On the screen, the alloy gate had completely vanished.
In its place was a massive hole and a white figure walking in.
"En... Enemy intrusion!"
One staff member shouted tremulously.
Elliot stood in front of the screen, his hands clenched into tight fists.
His eyes were fixed on the man in white on the screen, his pupils shrinking slightly.
He turned and roared at the guards behind him.
"Everyone, enter Level 1 combat readiness! Stop them!"
The guards ran out in response.
Elliot then looked at a few others.
"Notify Ivan, Gleb, Sergei, and Natasha! Enemies are coming; tell them to prepare for battle immediately!"
Then, the man in white on the screen stopped in his tracks.
He looked up, straight into the security camera.
—In that moment, everyone in the control room froze.
Across the screen, across hundreds of meters, through reinforced concrete walls, they felt as if they were being stared down by those eyes.
He wasn't looking at a camera; he was looking at them.
Through the lens, through the walls, looking directly into the depths of their Souls.
No one dared to move, no one dared to breathe. Someone tried to look away, only to find their neck as stiff as a rusted machine.
Someone wanted to scream but found no sound could come from their throat. Cold sweat slid down their cheeks, dripping onto the console.
Then—the man smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
But in the eyes of everyone in the control room, it looked like the smile of the Grim Reaper.
"He... he's looking at us..."
A staff member muttered, his voice so raspy it was barely audible.
"He's smiling... why is he smiling..."
Another asked tremulously, but no one could answer.
Then—the screen went black.
It wasn't just that one monitor; an entire row of surveillance screens went black at the same time.
Starting from the entrance tunnel, one by one, the images vanished in sequence.
It was as if something was advancing toward the depths of the base at a terrifying speed.
"Signal one lost!" "Signal two lost!" "Signal three—Aah!!"
That last scream came from a communication channel that hadn't been closed yet—sharp and brief, then abruptly cut off.
Like something's throat had been brutally crushed. The control room fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stared at the pitch-black screens, their faces as white as paper.
Some began to shake, some felt their legs go weak, having to lean on the console just to stay standing.
Elliot stood at the front, gritting his teeth hard.
His hands were trembling, though he didn't even realize it.
On the screens, the progress of the signal loss continued.
Four. Five. Six—
Each screen going dark felt like the Grim Reaper drawing one step closer.
In just over ten seconds, all surveillance cameras from the entrance to the entire tunnel lost their signals.
The moment the last screen went black, the entire control room plunged into total darkness, leaving only the rotating red alarm lights to dye everyone's terrified faces blood-red.
No one spoke. No one dared to move. They could only hear their own heartbeats and the faint, distant sounds of—explosions and screams.
Elliot finally moved.
He turned, stumbled, and had to steady himself against the wall.
Then he ran toward the depths of the base; he had to find the Doctor.
He had to report—the enemy that had come was different. This time, the enemy that had come—was a monster.
Meanwhile, in the tunnel thirty meters above the control room.
Leo walked at the very front. Behind him were guards sprawled across the floor in every direction, blood flowing along the tiles like a black river in the red light of the alarms.
Two minutes later, Sophia and the others caught up, having barely needed to lift a finger.
Hisoka kicked aside a guard who was still twitching by his feet and sighed.
"Oh dear, you didn't leave any for me at all~ ♦"
He complained, yet the smile on his face grew more and more radiant.
Leo didn't look back; he simply continued walking forward.
Ahead, there was another door.
He raised his hand.
"BOOM!" The door shattered.