"System Prompt: Viscount of Darkness activation in progress, proliferation process initiated, detection of unidentified force, identified as dark attribute, perfect match, absorption in progress..."
Qiao Qiao took a deep breath.
On the ground, within those shattered containers, the various blue and green liquids suddenly seemed attracted by some force, drawing thin streams of liquid toward them, floating in mid-air, and heading straight for Qiao Qiao!
Qiao Qiao instinctively opened her arms, and the streams of liquid wrapped around her body, and suddenly... Boom!
A black flame erupted above Qiao Qiao's body!
All the liquid streams that had formed quickly burned within the black fire surrounding Qiao Qiao, turning into wisps of mist, directly inhaled through her mouth and nose.
This process lasted for less than ten seconds.
Then Qiao Qiao opened her eyes, and this time, her pupils had turned pure black! It was as if the whites of her eyes had disappeared, and her two eyes were like two black crystals embedded in them, deep and abyssal...
Roddy lay on the ground, only a few steps away from Qiao Qiao, and almost at the same time those "virus liquids" were absorbed by Qiao Qiao, green mucus appeared at the corners of Roddy's mouth, and green mist emerged from his body, forming a green line that rushed towards Qiao Qiao...
After a dozen seconds, Qiao Qiao finally moved.
In her deep black eyes, there seemed to be a strange light.
"System Prompt: Unidentified force absorption complete, Viscount of Darkness attribute activation. Note: Darkness attribute is a permanent fixed attribute, irreversible, unchangeable, and incompatible with other attributes.
Viscount of Darkness preliminary completion, 1.6%, entering activation state! Enter the state of Dark Incarnation!"
Qiao Qiao stepped to the edge of the glass room, extended her right hand, and lightly touched the glass wall. After touching it, Qiao Qiao seemed to furrow her brows - evidently, her consciousness wasn't very clear at the moment.
But the next moment, she made a bizarre move!
With a swift motion, Qiao Qiao's entire body suddenly collided with the glass wall!
However, there was no expected impact or obstruction; her body just inexplicably passed through the glass wall!
Whether it was the glass wall or the layer of metal fence outside the glass wall, neither posed any hindrance to her!
She found herself standing outside the glass room!
Inside the laboratory, it was all in ruins, with collapsed walls deforming the entire space. Qiao Qiao walked along the walls, finally standing at the entrance of a collapsed corridor - the passage leading outside was completely blocked.
Qiao Qiao's black eyes coldly stared at the collapsed walls before her.
"System Prompt: Viscount of Darkness identification, discovering the potential fusion of unidentified forces, prioritizing attribute compatibility..."
These system messages kept flashing in Qiao Qiao's personal system, while Qiao Qiao herself seemed completely unconscious. She just coldly stared at the blocked passage outside, and a hint of... strange longing gradually appeared in her eyes?
She extended her hand again, her right hand, her index finger.
Qiao Qiao took a deep breath, and her index finger touched the collapsed wall in front of her.
Under the touch of her finger, the thick concrete material...
Suddenly, it shattered!
A lump of concrete disintegrated directly, turning into powder and falling at her feet, while Qiao Qiao continued to step forward.
"System Prompt: Viscount of Darkness power projection in progress, activating sub-skill 'Antimatter.' Consuming Dark Energy..."
Qiao Qiao took five steps forward.
In just those five steps, the rubble of concrete blocking her path was cleared, creating a narrow passage that could barely accommodate her alone.
However, the powder covering the ground was truly astonishing!
When Qiao Qiao finally emerged from the blocked passage of debris, she was standing in the oval-shaped hall outside.
Hearing the distant echoes of explosions, a slight curve formed at the corner of Qiao Qiao's mouth. She turned her face in a certain direction and then floated lightly in that direction, heading towards something.
Behind her, on the wall, her shadow was reflected in the firelight.
However, strangely, Qiao Qiao's actual form didn't seem to have changed much, but the shadow cast on the wall... behind her body, there appeared to be a pair of... wings!
...
A wall of fire blocked the enormous fleshy mass in front of her. When the mass came into contact with the wall of fire, it seemed to be in extreme pain. Its massive body twisted violently a few times, and the surface of its rotten flesh seemed to shake off, while some parts were charred, producing black smoke.
They were in a corner now.
Lun Tai and the others were cornered, and standing in front of them was none other than... Soo Soo!
The little girl's face had turned cold, her eyes icy as she looked ahead.
Soo Soo clenched her fists, her small body standing there like this, and the wall of fire in front of her surged again!
Then, Soo Soo suddenly struggled and extended her hands, and the wall of fire swept out!
The enormous fleshy mass seemed extremely frightened and immediately rolled backward, while the wall of fire swept over, crushing the mass along the way.
Lun Tai and the others took the opportunity to run out of the corner and pulled out their firearms to continue shooting at the mass...
This kind of shooting didn't hope to harm the mass, but it was to cause some trouble for it, preventing it from escaping and buying time for the wall of fire to engulf it.
Soo Soo's body was trembling.
It was evident that the little girl was struggling to control her own power.
"Lun Tai, Uncle Lun Tai... you all need to leave here quickly," Soo Soo's breathing was heavy and rapid. "I... I'm losing control... the fire, the fire... it will burn you all."
Lun Tai's face turned pale, and he shouted, "Everyone, retreat! Move fast!"
Xia Xiaolei said, "Soo Soo?"
Soo Soo suddenly screamed, "Get out! You'll die!!"
After the sharp cry of the little girl, the wall of fire suddenly roared! Suddenly, a clear and melodious cry, as if there was a fiery figure like a phoenix, emerged from within the flames!
Instantly, the temperature in the entire underground space soared! In just a brief moment, the others felt their breathing becoming difficult.
Soo Soo trembled with effort and continued to mutter, "Go, go... everyone, please hurry, I'm losing control..."
The fleshy mass was being forced into a smaller and smaller space by the spreading wall of fire.
However, its movements were quite peculiar, as if it always dodged a few times but actively approached the wall of fire and then pushed it away...
It was as if it was intentionally provoking Soo Soo to release the flames!
After the appearance of the fire phoenix, it soared into the sky, but soon, considering the limited height of the underground space's ceiling, it transformed from a loud, clear cry into circling near the ceiling.
The flames grew increasingly intense!
Lun Tai had already realized the situation and grabbed the others, turning around to run outside.
Although the direction of the exit had collapsed in various places, Lun Tai had promptly activated his abilities. With the burst of his muscle-based powers, Lun Tai transformed into a burly small giant in an instant. He dropped the gun he held and effortlessly lifted a collapsed concrete block, tossing it aside. Then he shouted loudly, "Run outside!!"
The wall of fire had confined the fleshy mass to an area of less than five meters. The fleshy mass was spinning in place, while the circling fire phoenix approached it!
After a few bounces, the fleshy mass suddenly leaped and charged head-on towards the fire phoenix!
Soo Soo's face suddenly changed, and she screamed, "It's about to ignite!"
She suddenly clenched both her hands.
While the fleshy mass was headed towards it, the fire phoenix suddenly dodged backward...
However, with just that one move, Soo Soo, who was standing on the ground, suddenly turned pale. She opened her mouth, and from her mouth, she unexpectedly spat out blood with golden flames!
"Run, run... everyone, please run..." Soo Soo muttered to herself.
"It's too late!" Lun Tai shouted loudly, suddenly grabbing Qimu Xi, who was running last, and threw her towards the exit gate with force. At the same time, he positioned himself in front of the gate, taking out two blast-resistant shields and stacking them together. He inserted them into the ground in front of him and braced with both hands!
...
Boom!!!
The fire finally erupted completely!
The fire phoenix was no longer suppressed by Soo Soo, and it suddenly spread its wings and pounced on the fleshy mass. In an instant, amidst the scattered flames, the fleshy mass was rapidly consumed by the flames, turning into several clusters and completely bursting apart!
At the same time, the scorching flames began to rage throughout the underground space!
Fire tongues spewed and danced, and soon, the flames were seen being sucked into the ventilation ducts on the ceiling!
Then a wave of fiery shock hit the passage where Lun Tai and the others were running!
The flames fiercely collided with the blast-resistant shields in front of Lun Tai!
The first shield almost shattered into pieces in the first instant!
Lun Tai, however, gritted his teeth, bent his legs into a stance, and firmly pressed the shield with both hands!
Activating his muscle-based abilities to the fullest, the muscles on his arms bulged, and his tendons became visible!
The shockwave pounded relentlessly, with Lun Tai using the blast-resistant shield to firmly block it at the forefront. Behind him, in the narrow gate passage, Xia Xiaolei, Qimu Xi, and Will were all crouched behind Lun Tai, trying to stay close to the ground.
All of them had donned peculiar masks—otherwise, in such extreme temperatures, even if they weren't burned directly, the heat was so intense that a single breath would scorch their trachea and lungs!
Lun Tai clenched his teeth tightly, holding his breath, but the shockwave gradually pushed his rock-solid body backward. His skeletal joints made creaking sounds as they struggled under the strain.
Lun Tai, however, did not give up, maintaining the same position, using the blast-resistant shield and his own body to serve as the last line of defense for his teammates!
...
The fleshy mass was completely incinerated! Not a single trace remained, turning into nothingness!
However, the rampage of the phoenix was not over. Soo Soo stared wide-eyed at the fire phoenix circling in the underground space, tears almost welling up in her eyes.
"Come back, come back quickly... why aren't you under my control! Come back!!"
The fire phoenix, seemingly completely triggered by some force, after circling once, let out a howl and crashed fiercely into a certain passage in the underground space!
With a resplendent trail of flames, it shot in like a shooting star!
It appeared that something in that direction was strongly attracting the fire phoenix! It was so powerful that not even Soo Soo, the host, could control this level of attraction!
Finally... at the end of the passage, a series of loud noises echoed!
A fully metallic, square-shaped object, with the fire phoenix wreaking havoc outside, began to soften and liquefy the metal surface...
Finally, it collapsed completely!
Just as a corner had collapsed, a liquid-like black aura oozed out. The fire phoenix immediately charged at it as if it had encountered an arch-enemy!
With a thunderous sound, the black aura was forced back under the fire phoenix's flames. However, under the impact of the fire phoenix, the metal box finally cracked open!
The room had been filled with flames, but in just a moment, the temperature suddenly plummeted!
The surrounding walls and the ground silently formed a layer of ice! This dark and chilling aura emanated from the cracked metal box!
The momentum of the fire phoenix suddenly weakened. Although it continued to circle and let out a loud cry, its flames began to dim, and even its body shrank slightly!
At this moment, Soo Soo, who was standing still, suddenly relaxed.
She felt her fire phoenix weakening... but because it had weakened, she regained control.
Without hesitation, Soo Soo immediately controlled the fire phoenix to retreat rapidly and then disappear into the air.
After completing all of this, Soo Soo was covered in sweat. She plopped down on the ground, gasping for breath, and lowered her head.
In the room at the end of the passage, the metal box had completely split into two halves!
The temperature in the room suddenly became bone-chilling cold! The layer of ice on the walls and floor became thicker, even extending outwards towards the passage leading out of the room!
A black object floated out from the shattered metal box.
It was black, an intensely pure black!
A black so deep it made people feel uneasy, fearful, cold, and... entranced!
It floated gently and moved towards the room's exit.
It was slowly expanding and growing larger.
While floating in the room, it seemed like nothing more than a black shadow.
But as it drifted out into the passage, its form seemed to become less ethereal and more substantial.
At the same time, it was gradually elongating and expanding!
Finally, when it floated to within about ten meters in front of Soo Soo, just outside the passage, it came to a stop and hung there.
Towards the direction of the gate, Lun Tai had already discarded the shattered blast-resistant shield. His arms, palms, were all charred, his body covered in burns, and a faint wisp of smoke hung in the air.
He plopped down on the ground and at that moment, Xia Xiaolei crawled up from behind, producing a healing potion and forcibly stuffing it into Lun Tai's mouth.
Lun Tai bit down hard, sighed, and mumbled in a hoarse voice, "We... might have fallen into a trap! That meatball was a setup! Hurry, go save Soo Soo!"
...
Feathers.
As the black substance finally solidified completely, its appearance, outline, and shape became increasingly clear.
It was undoubtedly a feather.
A black, entirely black feather!
And in front of Soo Soo, this feather began to change.
On its body, black shadows began to appear, these shadows slowly writhed, expanded, and transformed...
Finally, they morphed into a pair of wings!
Although on these wings, only this one black feather was substantial, and the rest of the parts were black, ethereal shadows.
Following that, the wings transformed into two.
Then, on these two wings, a human-like shadowy outline began to appear.
In the end, when the transformation ceased, what stood before Soo Soo was...
A shadowy figure with wings, its form indistinct.
The entire body was covered in semi-transparent black shadows, with the only tangible element being a single feather on one of its wings.
"A very pure light flame... Should I say thank you? Thank you for awakening me from my slumber. To wake up, I've waited for far too long."
The black shadow suddenly uttered these vague words.
Soo Soo struggled to lift her head.
"No need to force it," the voice of the shadow carried a hint of amusement. "You are powerful, but not yet strong enough to purify me. My slumber couldn't be awakened by ordinary means. I have been in the hands of those foolish mortals who tried various methods to awaken me, but they failed until your arrival, the child bearing the flame of light. Your light has activated my darkness, and as a token of gratitude, I will merge with you and lead you into the depths of blissful darkness."
Soo Soo laboriously raised one hand, and in front of the black shadow, a white flame appeared.
"It's futile," the shadow continued to smile. "Your flames will only activate more of my power. My power source is broader than yours, your little flame can't illuminate the deep abyss of darkness."
As it spoke, it gently extended a hand... Despite being a mere illusion of a black shadow, this hand effortlessly passed through the white flame barrier that Soo Soo had created!
A hissing sound followed, as the shadow emitted black smoke within the flames.
"Oh, the sweet, scorching agony! What a delightful taste! You don't understand; the harm you inflict upon me, the suffering you bring, only serves to deepen and broaden my abyss of darkness. Your power is not enough to cleanse me at this stage; instead, you become the source that fuels my growth!
Come on, intensify your flames, make me suffer more! I crave that exquisite feeling to fully awaken!"
The black hand passed through the white flame barrier, seemingly appearing right in front of Soo Soo. The hand was about to reach for Soo Soo's neck when a voice from another passage interrupted.
"Release her, your filthy hands, don't touch my sister."
The voice came from another corridor.
As the voice echoed, Qiao Qiao's figure slowly emerged from the dark passageway, one step at a time.
Her deep black eyes were fixed on the black silhouette before her.