Deep in the base, third floor.
Inside the massive laboratory, the cold white lights illuminated every corner clearly.
The air was thick with the scent of blood, mixed with disinfectant and some indescribable stench of decay.
The Doctor stood on a high platform, overlooking the area below.
Below, thousands of creatures lay scattered across the floor—no, they could no longer be called "creatures."
They were dried corpses, shriveled, twisted, and unrecognizable.
Their skin clung tightly to their bones, eye sockets sunken, mouths agape, as if they had experienced extreme agony before death.
In the Doctor's hand, the styx stone lay quietly.
At this moment, the gemstone had completely turned a deep blood-red.
That red was thick and inseparable, flowing slowly inside the gem, pulsing as if it were alive.
Light radiated from the gem, casting the Doctor's face in a blood-red glow.
She stroked the gemstone, her fingers gently tracing its smooth surface, her eyes filled with obsession.
"styx stone..."
She murmured, her voice as soft as a whisper to a lover.
"Finally... it's complete."
She lowered her head, looking at the flowing blood-red inside the gem, the corners of her mouth slowly curling up into an eerie smile.
That smile contained madness, satisfaction, and an indescribable anticipation.
"After so many years, I can finally achieve my goal."
She raised the gem to her eyes, looking through the blood-red light at this underground world she had built with her own hands.
Just then—"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Urgent knocking sounded.
Then, a mechanical voice rang out.
"Identification passed."
The Doctor frowned, put away the gem, and turned around.
The door opened slowly, and Elliot stumbled in.
His face was covered in sweat, and his eyes held obvious panic.
"Doctor!"
He panted heavily.
"Someone has broken in!"
The Doctor's pupils constricted slightly.
Someone broke in?
The location of this island was extremely hidden; only a handful of people knew about it.
And there were so many guards at the entrance, that alloy gate—how could it be possible...
"Speak," she said, her voice returning to calm. "What is the situation now?"
Elliot swallowed hard and reported quickly.
"Enemies have attacked, and they have already broken through the entrance blockade. One of them, a man in white clothes, is extremely strong. He blasted the gate open directly, and everyone guarding the entrance is dead."
The Doctor narrowed her eyes slightly.
A man in white clothes...
"They should be on their way to the second floor now," Elliot said.
"All surveillance has been destroyed; we can only infer their location from the guards' reports."
The Doctor was silent for a few seconds.
Then, she spoke.
"Go find Victor."
Elliot was stunned.
"Tell him to release all experimental subjects except for Number Zero."
"Take this opportunity to test the value of this batch of merchandise."
Elliot's expression changed instantly.
"Doctor! But there are still many of our people on the second floor!" he said urgently.
"Once those experimental subjects are released, the guards will be the first to die at their hands!"
The Doctor looked at him, her gaze gradually turning cold.
"Do you think those guards can stop them?"
Her voice was calm, yet cold as ice.
Elliot opened his mouth, unable to speak.
"Don't make me say it a second time."
The Doctor turned and walked in the other direction.
"Go."
Elliot stood in place, watching the Doctor's back disappear at the end of the corridor.
He gritted his teeth, but eventually turned and ran in the other direction.
After Elliot left, the Doctor stopped.
She stood before a massive metal door, which had a sign above it—a giant "0" that looked particularly glaring under the red light.
Number Zero, her final masterpiece, and also her most dangerous work.
The Doctor raised her hand and pressed it against the identification area on the door.
A beam of light scanned her palm.
"Identification passed."
The mechanical female voice sounded.
The heavy metal door slid open silently, revealing a narrow passage behind it.
The Doctor stepped inside, and the door behind her closed immediately, sealing her in this enclosed space.
The lights on both sides of the passage turned on one by one, the pale white light chasing her footsteps.
Three meters ahead, a second door was waiting—this time, it was a sensor area.
The Doctor stood on the designated spot, the floor sank slightly, and countless fine scanning beams shot from all directions, penetrating her clothes, sweeping over her skin to detect her body.
"Identification passed."
The mechanical voice sounded again.
The second door opened, and the Doctor walked into a smaller space—this was a transparent, airtight cabin, covered with fine spray nozzles all around.
The disinfection program started.
High-pressure gas sprayed out from all directions, carrying the pungent smell of disinfectant, completely covering her entire body.
This process lasted for a full thirty seconds, until every possible contaminant was completely cleared.
"Disinfection complete."
The third door finally opened.
When the Doctor walked out, the view before her suddenly opened up—
A massive circular space, as large as half a football field.
In the center of the space was a huge transparent culture tank filled with pale green liquid.
Floating in the culture tank was a figure.
It was the silhouette of a person—at least, it used to be.
At this moment, it was covered in dark red scales, with several thick tentacles growing from its back, floating slowly in the liquid.
Its face could still vaguely be recognized as human, but those eyes were tightly closed, brows furrowed, as if it were having some terrible nightmare.
Number Zero.
The Doctor stood before the culture tank, looking at the monster inside through the glass.
"It's a pity..." she said softly, her tone carrying a hint of regret. "The consciousness hasn't been completely erased yet."
She had intended to wait another two days, until all preparations were complete, before taking the final step.
But now, she couldn't wait; someone had broken in.
She didn't know who those people were, nor did she know how they had found this place.
But she knew that if those experimental subjects couldn't stop them, she would lose everything.
And she would never allow that to happen.
The Doctor took a deep breath, turned, and walked to the console next to the culture tank.
She raised her hand and pressed a few buttons.
Inside the culture tank, the pale green liquid began to descend slowly.
Number Zero's body gradually emerged from the water.
It still kept its eyes closed, but those tentacles began to squirm slightly, as if sensing something.
The Doctor watched it, complex emotions flashing in her eyes—anticipation, and a kind of morbid obsession.
"Although it's risky, it's worth a try," she said softly.
Afterward, she walked to the console and activated all the defensive mechanisms; this was the final insurance, which would be triggered as soon as anyone entered this place.
After doing all this, the Doctor walked to the front of the culture tank and activated her own Nen Ability.
---
First floor, in front of the elevator.
Leo shook the blood off his hands.
Under his feet lay a dozen corpses, scattered in disarray.
There were guards in combat gear and several researchers in white lab coats.
Blood flowed on the floor, converging into a black river under the reflection of the red warning lights.
A continuous warmth radiated from the tattoo on the back of his hand.
[Rank: 71 (15%) → 71 (20%)]
Having killed his way here, he had taken out at least sixty people.
From the entrance to the depths of the first floor, traces of him were everywhere—broken doors, collapsed walls, and those who had resisted.
Footsteps came from behind.
Sophia, Shizuku, Kastro, Hisoka, Machi Komacine, and Ashir arrived one after another.
Hisoka walked in the front; his clothes were stained with a few drops of blood, but he looked even more excited.
His golden eyes were startlingly bright, the corners of his mouth curled up to his ears, and the playing cards between his fingers spun rapidly.
"Oh my, oh my~"
He complained, yet his voice was full of pleasure.
"Leo, you moved too fast, you didn't leave any for me at all~ ♦"
Sophia ignored him and walked quickly to Leo's side.
"Master, are you okay?"
Leo shook his head and pointed to the distance.
There were two passages there—one was an elevator door, and the other was an entrance to the stairwell.
"There is an elevator and stairs here that lead to the second floor."
He looked at Machi Komacine.
"You take the stairs down. I'll take the elevator."
Machi Komacine frowned slightly.
"Splitting up? Wouldn't that be too risky?"
"The stairs are safer," Leo said. "I'll go down first to draw fire. You emerge from the side, and as long as they are enemies—"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"Leave none alive."
Machi Komacine was silent.
He knew what Leo meant; this was not the Hunter Association, not a courtroom, not a place where rules applied.
This was the enemy's lair, containing four hundred armed personnel, five Nen Users, and those unknown experimental subjects.
None of these people were innocent; their hands were stained with blood.
If he still insisted on the principle of "no killing," it would only harm Leo and the others.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
"Alright."
Sophia stepped forward.
"Master, stay safe."
Leo nodded.
"Go. You all be careful of ambushes on the stairs too."
Sophia said nothing more, turned, and walked toward the stairwell, followed by Shizuku and Kastro.
Hisoka, however, stood still.
He glanced at Leo, the smile on his lips deepening.
"Wait for me~ ♦"
After saying this, he turned and was the first to rush into the stairwell.
His speed was astonishingly fast, as if he were afraid he wouldn't get any kills if he went late; Sophia and the others hurriedly followed.