Upon seeing the people encased within glass chambers, Chris had a gut feeling that the Hall of Valerian headquarters held a massive, sinister secret.
Chris glanced at his team and said, “Everyone, stay alert. This place is far from ordinary.”
Hearing this, the group nodded silently.
Leading the way, Chris advanced with Tiger and the others.
Although they encountered a few Hall of Valerian members armed with firearms, the team’s protective suits helped them blend in, avoiding suspicion.
The deeper they went into the facility, the more astonished they became.
When they reached the heart of the headquarters, Chris saw thousands of workers clad in protective suits, all bustling with activity.
The space was filled with an array of advanced instruments, and live subjects were being used for various experiments.
“What is going on here?”
Chris’s mind swirled with questions.
The Hall of Valerian headquarters resembled a research facility far more than the command center of a shadowy organization. For a moment, Chris doubted he was in the right place.
Lynx approached Chris and whispered, “Boss, all those missing scientists we’ve been hearing about… They’re all here.”
“What?”
Chris’s face turned pale with shock.
For months, the mysterious disappearance of scientists from around the world had been making headlines. Nations had mobilized military forces to investigate, but no trace of the missing was ever found.
Yet here they were-all of them, gathered by the Hall of Valerian.
What could the Hall of Valerian possibly want with so many scientists?
As Chris scanned the scene, he noticed countless scientists operating high-tech equipment. The people trapped in the glass chambers resembled lab rats, their bodies pierced with tubes connected to various machines.
But it wasn’t just humans.
There were also wild animals-tigers, lions, elephants-fierce predators, all confined within the facility.
The scientists were transplanting body parts from these animals onto human subjects, stripping away their humanity, and awakening their primal instincts.
At last, Chris realized the horrifying truth.
The Hall of Valerian was creating super soldiers-beings enhanced far beyond normal human capabilities.
These super soldiers would be stripped of their humanity, driven solely by animalistic savagery. Their only purpose: destruction.
Rage surged through Chris as he clenched his fists.
Although he had taken many lives in the past, experimenting on living humans crossed an unthinkable line. This was a direct affront to the very essence of humanity.
Chris couldn’t believe Daniel Williams had the audacity to conduct such atrocities. Did he not fear the consequences if word of this leaked out? Did he not realize he would become humanity’s greatest enemy?
Now it was clear why Daniel had chosen the remote Island of Death as the headquarters for the Hall of Valerian. It was a fortress designed to conceal unspeakable horrors.
Chris’s expression darkened as he commanded, “Be cautious. Do not act recklessly. Our priority is to find Judge. Only then can we uncover the Hall of Valerian’s full scheme.”
Though his anger simmered, Chris suppressed it, focusing on their mission.
As they continued forward, Chris suddenly froze.
In the distance, encased in a glass chamber, lay a woman.
The sight of her made Chris’s heart sink.
It was Seraphina, the daughter of his master.
Seeing her there, lifeless with her eyes tightly shut, Chris felt a cold fury rise within him.
If anything happened to Seraphina, how could he ever face his master?
But Chris knew this was not the time to act. The mission came first.
Approaching the chamber, Chris gazed at her and murmured, “Seraphina, I swear, I’ll get you out of here.”
—
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the facility, Judge stood by a massive glass window, observing the scene below.
A hint of unease crossed his face.
Turning to Stephen Rivers, he muttered, “Healing Hand, don’t you think those people look… off?”
Stephen Rivers followed Judge’s gaze, watching the bustling workers below. Among them, a group of individuals clearly stood out.
With a grim expression, Stephen replied, “I know everyone here. Those people… they’re not one of us.”
“What?”
Judge’s face turned ashen.
“This is the Hall of Valerian headquarters. If they’re not ours, they must have infiltrated from outside. Damn it! Someone has breached the headquarters!”
The realization hit hard.
The Hall of Valerian’s headquarters was supposed to be impenetrable, surrounded by the sea on the isolated Island of Death.
This was where Judge and his team carried out the super soldier experiments. If the secret got out, it would spark global outrage.
Even Daniel Williams himself would be powerless against the fury of the world’s nations.
Judge’s expression grew dark as he yelled, “Guards!”
Moments later, a subordinate entered, bowing respectfully. “What are your orders, my lord?”
Pointing toward Chris and his team, Judge barked, “Arrest them! All of them!”
“Yes, my lord!”
The subordinate quickly left to carry out the order.
—
Back on the ground floor, Chris and his team were still exploring when a large group of Hall of Valerian guards armed with firearms stormed in.
The team instantly knew they had been discovered.
Tiger and Lynx exchanged glances before looking to Chris.
Chris gave them a subtle nod.
There was no choice now but to fight.
With a commanding roar, Chris shouted, “Attack!”
At his signal, the Guards of Death raised their weapons and unleashed a torrent of gunfire on the advancing Hall of Valerian guards.
The sound of gunfire erupted, filling the air with deafening chaos.
Screams rang out as one Hall of Valerian member after another fell in pools of blood.
But the enemy was relentless.
The Hall of Valerian guards retaliated fiercely, turning the battle into an all-out war.
The once-sterile facility descended into utter chaos.
From all directions, more Hall of Valerian guards poured in, weapons raised, ready to confront the intruders.