vncnus Page 453
Page 453
But Adeline paid no heed; she pounded on the hatch with all her might, her expression icy cold.
"I don't care about any of that. I just want to know, just how strong am I right now...?"
[Thump, thump, thump, bang!]
As the crack widened, the girl suddenly exerted her strength, forcefully pulling open the two metal doors and throwing them aside before slowly walking out.
Meanwhile, the life-sustaining fluid and power transmission tubes behind her gradually detached as she was pulled, and the liquid nitrogen began to spread in all directions, as if welcoming her rebirth.
Looking up, she saw her sisters and Dr. Pascal all looking up at her. Were they also looking forward to what dazzling performance her new body would deliver?
"..."
Looking down, she saw the naked body again, but the girl remained indifferent, as if this was no longer something she cared about.
Raising her arm, she sensed the new internal function and used the cloud map to control it. Raising her left hand, a powerful electric current immediately surged from her palm. It could not be emitted, but it could be used at extremely close range.
The current was powerful enough to instantly stun a normal person, or even any large creature...
The five fingers on the upper right side also have the function of nail extension and retraction, which can form a simple needle to achieve simple injection or blood drawing, a unique design.
"...would be a good component for interrogation and torture."
Walking forward again, there was some equipment laid out on the table: his own sniper rifle, which looked somewhat modified, a pistol, a submachine gun, two short knives, emmmmmm.......
Adeline picked up another object from the table, then pulled the trigger, and a black steel chain was immediately launched. It had a barb at the head and appeared to be a grappling hook launcher.
"Your submachine gun and pistol are the same as before, but we've increased the particle power of the sniper rifle, so it will have stronger penetration. Try it out with your new module, Adeline."
Pascal's voice came through the loudspeaker above. After listening, Adeline quickly picked up her sniper rifle, checked it briefly, and began aiming.
“There are some new features here, Adeline.”
"Let me see......"
She began adjusting her visual modules, adding light-blocking eyelids, bio-parameter retrieval and positioning, physiological information surveying, and the simplest and most direct... heartbeat detector... to the existing thermal imaging and night vision features.
Immediately after the start-up, the presence of living beings was detected behind several steel plates in the test area.
In the blink of an eye, Adeline adjusted the power according to her memory and pulled the trigger. With a strange gunshot, the bullet immediately tore a hole in the steel plate and hit the target behind her.
That was a living person, a real, breathing person...
Messerschmidt immediately leaned close to Pascal and grinned mischievously, "This is an urgent order that I rushed over from the Cynthia facility. How about it? Isn't it perfect for experiments?"
"..."
Pascal declined to comment, saying that working with this madwoman sometimes meant adapting to her style.
But simply shooting is too boring. These features were designed to test new functions.
"Sister Metis, let's try on our new equipment..."
"Wait... Consciousness transfer in progress..."
【Click】
As soon as he finished speaking, two oddly shaped drones suddenly took off and reached the air. They then began to hover over the test site, detecting the target that Adeline had found through the heartbeat detector.
"Anti-annihilation order..."
"receive."
Metis's consciousness shifted to Eagle's Nest and Red Falcon, where he began operating the two drones. Once the hatches beneath the two carrier drones opened, the smaller drones inside surged out like wolves leaving their dens: fire support drones equipped with machine guns, close-combat assault cutting drones, and several small rockets built into the carrier... These would become the tactical dolls' best support on the battlefield. Even snipers would have the advantage of being able to handle any situation with ease.
These wolves immediately locked onto the targets captured by the main consciousness, then circled back and forth in the air before launching attacks from multiple angles, strafing and slicing. The experimental units didn't even have time to struggle before they were instantly killed.
"..."
Adeline raised her fist and slammed it into the ground, leaving a huge dent even in the metal structure...
"A faster, stronger body..."
Suddenly, several armed autonomous humanoids appeared at the edge of the testing area and opened fire on Adeline without any warning. However, the new memory data of her equipment made her subconsciously pick up the briefcase next to her. In an instant, the briefcase formed cover and was also equipped with tracks, allowing for slow movement. It could also be detached and carried by hand.
Using the cover, Adeline began her operation on the field, simultaneously operating Eagle Nest and Red Falcon to frantically suppress the target, coupled with precise sniper shots... Before long, only the broken fragments of the mechs remained on the ground, just like she had been back then.
"Too weak..."
The girl coldly brushed her black bangs aside, looked at her sisters above, and couldn't help but sneer.
"Sister Metis, I feel that with this body, I can do so many things..."
"Of course, Adeline, from now on, do what you want to do..."
If it weren't for the limitations of the space, this body might be able to do many more things...
But their revenge shouldn't be far off...
739 Goodbye
Two weeks after recuperation
Luo Fan sat on the hospital bed, sipping coffee from the windowsill. This was a daily treat specially approved by Mrs. Grey. His appetite was too weak, and there was nothing else to spice up his daily life, so this was the only way to cope.
Perhaps this serious injury also affected other parts of his body. Luo Fan started to get used to drinking bitter coffee, which could be seen as a way of enduring hardship and biding his time, or perhaps he just wanted to add some bitterness to his otherwise mundane life.
Looking at the photo on the table, his perpetually furrowed brow finally relaxed; it was the last sanctuary in his life...
......
The second day after hospitalization
......
"..."
"..."
As expected, yet somewhat unexpected, she came to visit him...
Luo Fan didn't have time to look closely the night he returned home, but he then realized that she had changed a lot since he left. Her hair had turned white, her eyes had become indifferent, and... her expression had become colder, but that concern was still the same as before.
The two stared at each other for a long time, speechless. Luo Fan's nearly dead heart finally stirred a little. He subconsciously wanted to ask a question, and subconsciously wanted to "lie," but after opening his mouth, he thought of his embarrassing attempt to cover up his mistake, so he had no choice but to remain silent.
Those eyes turned cold, but also sharp and intelligent. For the first time, Luo Fan felt a little afraid of those eyes...
The dark gold patterns shimmered with a chilling light, and the unspoken scrutiny in her eyes also existed in Luo Fan's already guilty pupils.
What Yingque thought was no different from his.
After nearly half a year apart, they could both feel the changes in each other. Ying Que was acutely aware of this; he seemed no longer the gentle, carefree, and refined young man she remembered, but rather...
A venomous snake yearning for a certain outcome, but it deliberately conceals itself, hiding from itself...
Neither of them dared to look at each other, but Yingque still chose to silently step into the ward and sit down in front of his bed. The room was still warm, and perhaps someone else had sat here a few minutes earlier, which she understood.
"How are you feeling? Are you experiencing any discomfort?"
Concern outweighed anxiety, and Yingque felt she needed to break the silence herself, so she chose to speak, thus giving Luo Fan a way to respond.
He nodded, looking at her hands clasped together: "Yes, much better, no discomfort."
That's true, I don't feel any significant pain right now. The only thing that's bothering me is probably my restless heart and my often trembling hands...
His hatred never faded even a little because of the girls' comforting words, because they were all victims, and he felt he should take the path of revenge for all of them, and someone had to pay the price.
But when I saw her, for the first time, I felt a slight wavering...
Will revenge affect her? How much does she really know? Has she seen through it all and chosen to silently endure it, or is she still completely unaware? Has the caged bird realized that everything around it is an illusion?
When the baby elephant in the circus grew up, it had the strength to struggle, but it chose to give up. Was it because it had adapted to the environment and no longer had the will to break free from its cage?
"I brought some food, it was homemade. You've been working away from home for so long, it must have been a long time since you've had my cooking...?"
"...?!"
Luo Fan was stunned for a moment, then looked up. Ying Que was taking out a thermal box from her bag, which contained the food she had prepared herself. Judging from the time, it seemed that she had gotten up early to prepare the food and brought it to him.
"Um......"
He nodded slowly, unsure of what to say, but his body had already made the response.
"I feed you."
She opened the lunchbox, placed the food on her lap, and along with the extendable table beside it, it was quite a feast, just like she would do every night when he was still home...
He could eat by himself; his hand healed quickly. But he didn't resist. He just slowly brought his head closer, opened his mouth, chewed, and swallowed, repeating this until he couldn't remember how many times, until he saw a smile gradually appear on her cold face.
"Your appetite is quite good; it seems you're recovering very well."
"Maybe it's because your cooking was delicious enough... the wound doesn't hurt anymore."
Luo Fan subconsciously replied, unaware of his somewhat dazed expression.
The girl smiled slowly and poked the skin near the wound on his face: "All you ever say is this kind of thing. Why didn't you say a few more words to me before you left?"
She really wanted to hold his hand, but looking at the bandages wrapped around his hands, she could only silently suppress her feelings. Those were burns, a horrifying injury that people dread.
But if she had realized just how fast Luo Fan was recovering, she wouldn't have thought that way...
It was just wrapped in bandages; in reality, the skin had already begun to grow rapidly. Luo Fan planned to remove the bandages tonight to avoid hindering skin regeneration or accidentally embedding the white fabric into the skin.
"I...I'm so sorry..."
At this point, Luo Fan felt only regret. He had indeed been gone for far too long. He had no idea what kind of waiting she had endured during that time, or whether she had been affected by his actions. He dared not try to find out, and besides, knowing her personality, she would only tell him that everything was fine, which would only add to his burden...
"It's alright, it's alright..." She smiled gently, stroking Luo Fan's disheveled hair, leaning forward slightly to hug his head in her arms. "But next time you leave like this, you must, you absolutely must tell me. Don't just leave without saying a word..."
I'm scared, I'm really scared. What if one day you disappear again? Where in the world will I have to go to find you then?
"...Yeah, I will."
He nodded slowly, another idea already forming in his mind.
No, I won't leave again...
......
“These are photos of the two of us when we first returned to China. I put them here so you can look at them whenever you want. I will take care of the bar for you as before.”
"Okay, take care and get some rest."
"You too."
"goodbye......"
Goodbye... I'll come see you again.
"Ah."
......
......
Back to the present, after thinking it over, he got up from the bed, put on his slippers, and slowly walked out of the ward.
I will stay by your side once I have achieved my goal...
Before that, some preparations are needed, at least enough to allow me to relax here for a while...
......
740 Change
The health and wellness center is fully equipped. After all, it is a property under Mrs. Grey's name, so it must have a very high standard of supporting facilities. Even excluding the health and wellness functions, it could easily be regarded as a simple resort hotel.
Having familiarized himself with the terrain beforehand, Luo Fan put on a coat and went to a retail store inside a nursing home. He could identify the shop assistant just by looking at her.
"Hello, sir, what would you like to order?"
The shop assistant greeted Luo Fan politely, but Luo Fan merely stood near the entrance, surveying the store before walking to the counter and speaking in a cold voice...
Do you have any cigarettes here?
The clerk was taken aback at first, then shook his head: "I'm sorry, sir, this is a nursing home, we don't provide cigarettes... Huh?!"
Luo Fan suddenly reached out and touched her eyelids: "Activate your biometrics and see who I am."
"Well...!"
The shop assistant instinctively felt a chill of fear. She recognized the person before her; his face was ashen, and his eyes were completely different from Dr. Pascal's and Mrs. Grey's descriptions—he was by no means an approachable person...
"From now on, cigarettes can be sold here, understand?"
"I...I understand...!"
"Also, tell Gray and Morido to come to my room within two hours. I have something to say to them."