Chapter Sixty-Seven: Life or Death

“Xia Yan, I did not want you to die either, but there is no hope of survival anymore. Watermark advertisement test. Watermark advertisement test.” Gong Kui gave a bitter smile. “Xia Yan, although you are dead, at the end of the plan, we obtained the research data.”

“And yet you were still outmaneuvered by me. You would never hand the research data over to the demon race. You must have destroyed the terminal equipment along with every piece of scientific apparatus. By now, the researchers have also been killed by you. As for the winged race, I am certain they will be unable to continue this research. It is now the exclusive possession of us humans. In the end, we have won.”

Gong Kui firmly believed that Xia Yan would never trust the demon race. If he handed the research data over to them, then he would no longer be Xia Yan.

But Gong Kui had overlooked one thing. Although Xia Yan did not trust the demon race as a whole, he might still consider trusting an individual.

And all within the span of ten seconds.

She was eagerly anticipating the curtain call of this performance. What would the result be?

Gong Kui even gritted her teeth. Xia Yan, if you can survive, then show me. Even I have already concluded that this time there is not a one-percent chance—not even one ten-thousandth of a chance. This is an absolute dead end.

Yes, even Emilia had abandoned Xia Yan. Xia Yan himself had even given up on himself. In such desperate circumstances, there was no possible path to survival.

And yet he continued to fight, until the moment of his destruction.

Noah, the general director, was a man who appeared to be in his fifties. Normally, he seemed extremely composed, but at this moment he was utterly enraged.

To become the general director of the research division, Noah was unquestionably a genius, both in managing personnel and in personal strength. His life could be considered a glorious one.

It was no exaggeration to say that the demon research had progressed so rapidly because Noah’s contribution stood above all others.

Earlier that day, he had received the news that Ke Quan was dead.

Ke Quan was someone Noah himself had personally retrieved from the prison for condemned criminals in the Ninth District. Yet he had been murdered.

Was it an accident, or had it been inevitable?

Noah was furious, but after an exhaustive search, he found no relevant clues. The person who had killed Ke Quan had been extremely cautious, leaving not the slightest trace behind.

Ke Quan had been an important member of the research team. If he had been worthless, the Welber family would never have rescued him.

Ke Quan’s death had already driven Noah nearly mad. Then he received news that drove him even further toward the brink: someone had infiltrated the central district, and the research data might have been stolen.

He was still a long distance from the research base, and reaching it would take time. Along the way, he received one piece of intelligence after another, each of them enough to drive a person insane.

First, the terminal equipment had been destroyed. This shocked him. Who could have passed through the central district?

Then Adam had died mysteriously in the central district, having been identified as a spy.

Noah was thrown into panic once more. A man who had served for twenty-two years was actually a spy?

Then every experimental subject in the central district had been killed.

He found it impossible to believe. Someone had dared approach the experimental subjects—and had managed to slaughter every one of them? Was this person truly not insane? Was he certain this person was still alive?

He did not believe it, but he had no choice but to believe it.

After that, Joan was killed. All the scientific instruments were destroyed, and every researcher was slain.

One report after another drove the general director to the verge of total collapse.

By the time he reached the research base, he could no longer maintain his rationality. In its place was a madness he had never experienced before.

Whoever it was, they all had to die. That person had committed a sin not even the gods could forgive!

But then Noah saw Tao Lu leisurely passing the time. As the director of the Intelligence Division, she showed not the slightest sign of urgency despite the enormous casualties at the research base. She was still idly amusing herself.

How could Noah not be furious?

“Tao Lu.” Noah ground his teeth. He wanted desperately to kill the woman, but this was not the time for internal conflict. The infiltrator had to be killed first.

“Mr. Noah, you finally made it.” Tao Lu’s tone lacked its former respect and carried a faint trace of mockery instead. “What a pity. All your subordinates are dead. Not a single person on my side, however, has been killed.”

The personnel belonging to Tao Lu’s Intelligence Division had not been gathered there. They were still alive. But every researcher had been killed by Xia Yan.

“Tao Lu, why? Why did you stand by and watch during the battle? If not for you, they would never have died.” Noah clenched his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his lips. His hateful gaze locked onto Tao Lu.

“What a pity.” Tao Lu waved her hand dismissively. “It was not I who killed them. Can you really put the blame on me?”

“You are courting death.” Noah gave a muffled snort. He could no longer restrain himself. He wanted to kill Tao Lu first.

“Do you dare kill me? Do you know whose person I am?” Tao Lu sneered. “I might as well tell you. This entire incident was merely a game between two purebloods. Who do you think won, and who lost?”

“Who won? Who lost?”

Noah finally realized that something was wrong. His expression changed drastically.

“You—you were sent by Lord Asa?”

“What a pity. That is precisely the case.” Tao Lu waved her hand. “Those high-ranking officials and guards deserved to die. Having that man do the work for us saved me a great deal of trouble.”

“Tao Lu, I will settle this account with you properly.” Noah gritted his teeth. “Just wait. I will kill the infiltrator first, then I will report you. You traitor. You offended Lord William. You will not meet a good end.”

He could only force himself to endure it. He entered the interior of the research division, where Xia Yan was waiting.

“I can feel it.” Xia Yan’s eyes were filled with cruelty and bloodlust. He seemed to have merged with this bloody world. Black radiance emanated from his hands. It was definitely not gray flame, but a gas produced by the spreading of negative emotions.

“Let’s fight. If I lose, I die. This is my final chance.”

Xia Yan’s eyes were blood-red.

“That Noah is the one who killed Ding Li. He absolutely must not be forgiven.”

He took out the last of his potions: one bottle of Extreme Limit Potion and one bottle of Potential Potion.

Although Emilia had warned him that they had to be taken at six-month intervals, this would already be his third time using them. If he violated that rule, he might explode and die.

But if he did not use them, Xia Yan could not sense the slightest hope.

Then let’s risk it. If he died, at least he would have no regrets.

This was his final chance. Even if he died, he would avenge Ding Li. Even if he died, he would drag his enemy into hell with him.

He did not have much time left. Perhaps he would soon become a mindless madman.

As Gong Kui had said, he had no hope of surviving. The increasingly powerful beings of the winged race would arrive one after another. Acting now was his only chance to kill Noah, his final possibility.

He drank the last two bottles of potion and immediately sank into a frenzy of savage howling.

The sound seemed to come from the deepest hell, sending chills through the soul.

His features had long since twisted beyond recognition. Red veins covered his face, and his eyes bulged wide as though they were about to burst.

Hold on. I absolutely cannot die here.

If I must die, then at least let me avenge Ding Li before I do.

This was Xia Yan’s only conviction. It was also this conviction that sustained him and allowed him to endure.

When Noah approached to within a hundred meters of Xia Yan, he finally saw the almost inhuman existence before him.

Compared with the experimental subjects in the central district, he was even more grotesque and terrifying.

He was no longer human, was he? Perhaps he had become some kind of half-demon. How could a human turn into such a monstrous thing?

But he had to die. His blood had to wash away the guilt of everything that had happened.

Xia Yan tightened his grip on the Shape-Shifting Blade. His eyes were deep and bright, utterly at odds with his deathly pale face. This time, he would seize his final opportunity and kill the man before him.

“Despicable infiltrator, state your name!” Noah roared furiously.

Xia Yan said nothing. Instead, he activated his bloodline ability. Runes spread across his cheeks, gray flames covered his entire body, and a pair of black wings unfolded from his back.

“Xia Yan?”

Noah cried out in shock. Bearers of demonic abilities were extraordinarily rare. It was difficult to say whether this world even contained two of them.

The demonic ability was practically Xia Yan’s identifying mark.

At last, perhaps because of the pain and ferocity twisting his features, the disguise on Xia Yan’s face could no longer be maintained. His true appearance returned.

“How is this possible? It is actually you?”

Noah naturally recognized Xia Yan. After the battle in the Free Zone, few among the upper echelons were unaware of him.

Bearers of demonic abilities were simply too rare.

“Die. This time, I will not give you any chance to live.” Noah went mad. “It is all because of you, Xia Yan. When the patriarch holds me responsible, I will suffer severe punishment. I spent countless years working on this and invested an immeasurable amount of money, yet you destroyed everything within only a few hours.”

Only Noah knew how insane he truly was.

In fact, it was not merely that. After hearing Tao Lu say that this was a game between two lords, he understood that he had lost completely. He had nothing left.

Kill him. Kill Xia Yan. At least that would allow him to recover a tiny fragment of his defeat, even if it was only psychological comfort, even if it held little meaning.

Kill him!

Noah’s body began to transform. This was an ability known as Dragonification. Cyan scales covered his body, and a horn emerged from his head.

It was a bloodline ability, belonging to the same category as demonic abilities. Dragonification greatly increased agility and strength.

But compared with Xia Yan’s demonic ability, the dragon form was far too inferior.

His body shot forward like a streak of light, pouncing violently toward Xia Yan. Though he held no weapon, his enormous fists were filled with inexhaustible force.

Because the shielding equipment at the research base had been destroyed, many hackers had infiltrated the facility. As a result, numerous high-ranking figures from different races witnessed the battle.