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People can evacuate quickly, but other things can't all be taken away in such a short time.
In just half a day, the evacuees could at most take some core data and items with them.
Ian was convinced that the X-Gene Bank was definitely not among those.
The X-Gene Bank was valuable, but it wasn't considered extremely precious. At least, for the Sentinels at this stage, it was no longer classified as top-secret information.
After all, on this planet, the only force capable of utilizing the X-Gene Bank was the Sentinels themselves!
Wherever Ian walked, all man-made objects were decomposed. Even the experimental buildings were all dismantled by him.
He kept walking until he reached the center of the complex, where he stopped in front of a massive cubic structure.
Ian's thoughts stirred, and the exterior of the cubic building was decomposed, finally revealing the true appearance of the Sentinel headquarters—a magnificent pyramid!
"A pyramid!" Ian was genuinely surprised.
This was completely beyond his expectations!
He had many guesses about who was controlling the Sentinels—government, military, Trask Industries, or even other ambitious individuals seeking world domination.
But he never expected this one!
"Apocalypse!" Ian murmured softly.
The moment he saw the pyramid, he instantly knew who its owner was.
The ancient Egyptian style of this pyramid was far too distinct!
In this world, only the ancient Apocalypse favored pyramids so much!
"Outsider, leave my domain, and I shall forgive your offense!" A solemn voice echoed from within the pyramid.
Ian completely ignored Apocalypse's warning and stepped into the pyramid, showing no concern that this was Apocalypse's home turf.
"I truly didn't expect that the mastermind behind the Sentinels would be you!"
"Then again, who else but you could have turned the world into this mess?"
If Apocalypse was controlling the Sentinels, then their actions became easy to understand.
Apocalypse's goal had always been to purify the world and then create one completely under his rule. That was precisely what the Sentinels were doing!
Apocalypse was a traditionalist. The decorations inside the pyramid were exceedingly retro, with no trace of technological influence.
"Outsider, you've made the wrong choice!"
Apocalypse's voice echoed again, and the massive doors of the pyramid slammed shut. At the same time, golden streams of light illuminated the runes that covered the pyramid, lighting them up one by one.
Ian remained unfazed, his footsteps unwavering.
Apocalypse might intimidate others, but he couldn't scare Ian. Level Five was the ceiling of this world's power; no matter how strong Apocalypse was, he couldn't surpass it.
If Apocalypse truly had the overwhelming strength to crush Ian, he would have personally destroyed him long ago. Why would he just watch as Ian annihilated the Sentinel army outside?
Ian saw through everything clearly. His primary objective in this journey was Apocalypse's genetic sample. Now that the target was right in front of him, how could he retreat?
As the pyramid was fully illuminated, Ian arrived at its center—the main chamber.
However, there was no sarcophagus here, only Apocalypse seated upon a throne.
"Outsider! I,Apocalypse, grant you death!"
Apocalypse raised his staff, and a dazzling golden beam, like a sword, shot straight from the apex of the pyramid toward Ian.
Ian extended his left hand, and a particle shield effortlessly blocked the solidified sunlight.
He didn't counterattack immediately but instead asked, "Before we start fighting, may I ask why you address me as an outsider?"
Hearing Ian's question, Apocalypse withdrew the beam and rose from his throne.
"So, you're merely a fortunate one! Outsider, I offer you another chance. Submit to me, become my subordinate, and I shall grant you the secret of immortality."
"Submit? Subordinate?" Ian shook his head. "Why am I wasting time talking nonsense with an old thing like you?"
Ian couldn't tell whether Apocalypse was serious or just bluffing. Since their thinking didn't align, he decided to fight first and talk later.
"Come on! Let me see what makes you think you can make me submit!" Ian shouted loudly and immediately fired a high-energy particle cannon.
"Overestimating yourself!"
Apocalypse waved his staff, and golden light flared, instantly annihilating Ian's high-energy particle blast.
He then raised his staff, activating the runes across the pyramid, channeling massive amounts of solar energy into the staff.
Bathed in sunlight, Apocalypse's armor gleamed brilliantly,Â
After a brief pause, Apocalypse leaped up and swung his staff directly at Ian.
'Preparing such an elaborate show only to end up in close combat?' Ian thought disdainfully.
Though the two had only exchanged a single move, their battle had long since begun!
The moment Ian saw Apocalypse, he had already started his assault.
However, since Apocalypse's level was not lower than Ian's, Ian couldn't manipulate the atoms within Apocalypse's body, let alone directly decompose him.
When Ian tested him with the high-energy particle cannon, he also attempted to decompose the pyramid, trying to neutralize Apocalypse's advantage.
Since the pyramid was his domain, Apocalypse naturally wouldn't let Ian succeed!
Atomic control versus molecular control, combined with the solar energy reinforcing the pyramid, made it difficult for Ian to break through in the short term.
Ian couldn't take down Apocalypse, and Apocalypse couldn't do much to Ian either.
The solar energy attacks couldn't breach Ian's defenses, molecular control couldn't touch Ian within a ten-meter radius, and psychic attacks had no effect.
Apocalypse's attempts at persuasion were likely due to recognizing Ian's strength and realizing he couldn't defeat him quickly, leading to this compromise.
Otherwise, based on Apocalypse's behavior from thousands of years ago, how could he allow an enemy to live?
Perhaps because he was used to being an exalted, Apocalypse's combat techniques were fairly basic, relying on overwhelming power and strength to crush opponents.
But this style suited him perfectly. Apocalypse's body was naturally enhanced by his X-Gene, and with the pyramid's solar energy reinforcement, his strength surged again. The staff's strikes carried tens of tons of force.
Combined with the radiance of the staff, a full-force strike nearly shattered Ian's particle shield.
"Aisha, step back for now!" Ian instructed Aisha to retreat to the side.
Then, his combat suit transformed into a full-body armor. Countless metal atoms gathered in his hand, forming a metal staff.
Using his elemental mastery, Ian altered the combat suit's elemental composition and atomic structure, turning it into an alloy armor and constructing a simple mechanical system within the armor.
Aisha's combat suit also transformed into armor.
Though complex technological equipment couldn't withstand temporal travel intact, Ian's elemental mastery allowed him to achieve similar effects.
Ian's physical strength was already five to six tons. With the mechanical assistance of the armor, his strength was nearly on par with Apocalypse.
Matching strength, superior speed, and better armor meant Ian and Apocalypse were locked in an evenly matched battle for the time being.
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(End of Chapter)