Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Shen Hui glanced at Yan Gui's watch—2 hours and 40 minutes left.

If he didn’t want to put on a live sex show in front of everyone, he only had an hour and 40 minutes.

At this point, anyone who dared utter a word of nonsense in front of him would be executed immediately.

He quickly sorted through all the clues so far, then turned to Gu Xun: "How do we destroy that archangel?"

For the first time, Gu Xun felt that talking to smart people was efficient—no need to explain why destroying Raphael alone would end Chen Shenzhi’s entire plan. He answered immediately, "Raphael’s survival conditions are extremely demanding. It relies entirely on that pool of nutrient fluid to stay alive. Just drain the pool, and it’ll wither and die within half an hour."

"What is that thing?" Yan Gui frowned. "Can’t we just burn it?"

Five minutes later, Yan Gui stared at the ten-story tall fleshy mass and gave Gu Xun a look of utter disbelief. "You call this thing an angel?"

Would Gabriel agree?

Shen Hui asked, "Can we burn it?"

Yan Gui stalled. Actually, no. After entering the base, his evolved abilities had been suppressed to one percent of their power, and the closer he got to this mass of flesh, the more severely they were suppressed.

Gu Xun answered for him directly: "No. Raphael has a self-defense mechanism. Any evolved gland’s abilities that get near it turn into ordinary glands."

Shen Hui looked surprised and formed a cluster of ice crystals. "But I don’t seem to be affected."

"Put it away now!" Gu Xun grabbed his wrist and dispersed the ice crystals. "You and Raphael share the same origin. Using your ice crystals to attack it is like feeding it ice cream. Plus, the inhibitor’s effects will shorten the more you use your gland."

Shen Hui immediately retracted the ice crystals obediently.

Fine, then they’d just have to go drain the nutrient fluid.

Fortunately, the research institute was under attack, and all the guards were on the perimeter. The controls for the nutrient pool were right next to the entrance and exit on the lowest level.

Yan Gui glanced at the height and instinctively moved to hold Shen Hui and jump down. After evolving, this height meant nothing to him.

But he reached out and found empty air. Shen Hui and Gu Xun were already heading back, both looking at him puzzled as they saw him leaning on the railing, ready to jump.

"What are you doing?" / "What are you two doing?"

Neither side could understand the other.

Gu Xun carefully suggested, "Maybe... there’s electricity here? And an elevator?"

*Ding—* The three of them stood side by side in the elevator, no one saying a word.

Silence was their Cambridge at that moment.

But the moment the elevator doors opened, Cambridge became a battlefield of enemies.

Chen Shenzhi stood facing them unexpectedly, accompanied by two alphas.

Clearly, Chen Shenzhi also knew about the elevator.

The silence lasted only a moment before Yan Gui made the first move, blasting a fireball right into Chen Shenzhi’s face. Shen Hui followed up immediately, an ice-bladed tang sword slashing through the flames straight at Chen Shenzhi’s face, forcing him back two steps.

The three quickly stepped out of the elevator. Shen Hui and Yan Gui positioned themselves in front of Gu Xun. "We’ll hold him off. You go open the drain gate."

Gu Xun nodded and immediately ran toward the control room.

Chen Shenzhi saw through their plan at a glance and let out a cold laugh. "So it’s you."

When he saw the evolution being erased in the monitoring room, he’d already sensed something was wrong. He immediately sent someone to fetch Yang Bai, only to be told that Yang Bai had escaped. A sense of foreboding washed over him, and he rushed to find Shen Hui, only to run straight into the three of them.

Talk about all the pieces falling into place.

Love rivals meeting, eyes blazing with hostility. Chen Shenzhi charged straight at Shen Hui, determined to seize him first. Yan Gui stepped in front of Shen Hui, gripping Chen Shenzhi’s wrist, a menacing smile on his face.

Shen Hui didn’t fully understand the mentality of male alphas. He swiftly disabled an evolved alpha who was trying to chase Gu Xun and prepared to go assist him.

Just as he turned, he heard very faint but dense footsteps. Years of combat experience made him instinctively tackle Gu Xun to the ground while throwing his sword toward Yan Gui.

The moment the sword hilt touched Yan Gui, it transformed into a layer of ice shield, completely enveloping him.

The next second, hundreds of machine guns opened fire simultaneously.

*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!*

Evolved alphas stood on every floor, surrounding them, firing expressionlessly at Gu Xun and Yan Gui.

Chen Shenzhi calmly retreated to a safe area, brushing non-existent dust from his sleeve. "You didn’t really think I’d compete with you using such methods, did you?"

He never liked using physical force to solve problems—it was crude, messy, and primitive, no different from wild beasts.

The first volley of bullets ended, and the next round immediately followed. In those few seconds, Yan Gui tried to fall back toward Shen Hui, but Chen Shenzhi instantly threw up a water wall to block him. The next wave of bullets came right at him.

Chen Shenzhi wanted him dead here.

With no cover around, and the mysterious ice Shen Hui had thrown already shattered by the previous round of gunfire, Yan Gui was about to be riddled with bullets.

He took a step back, a fierce and ruthless smile on his face. A massive fireball shot straight at the water wall. With a sizzle, steam rapidly billowed and spread, obscuring Yan Gui’s figure.

The gunners lost their target, firing wildly but hitting nothing.

Chen Shenzhi sneered, "Idiot!"

He clenched his five fingers, and the spreading steam suddenly stilled and contracted, condensing into a water ball that trapped Yan Gui inside.

The water ball spun and compressed at high speed. Caught off guard, Yan Gui let out a stream of bubbles. He struggled to break free, but Chen Shenzhi gave him no time to react, directly propelling him high into the air.

"In your current state, what do you think will happen from this height?" Chen Shenzhi’s eyes were full of mockery and scorn.

He wanted Yan Gui to be shattered into pieces in front of Shen Hui, crushed into pulp, groveling at his feet in agony and begging for mercy.

That would be true victory.

Every omega fed to Raphael bore his mark, so he was considered Raphael’s temporary mate. In its domain, he had absolute immunity. A powerless Yan Gui was nothing but worthless trash to him.

"Don’t worry, I won’t let you die so easily," Chen Shenzhi said casually. "I still need you at the head table for Ah Hui’s and my wedding banquet."

He pressed his index finger downward, and the water ball shot toward the ground like a cannonball, but at the moment of impact, it suddenly stopped.

Chen Shenzhi sensed something and waved his five fingers, commanding the water wall to rush toward the water ball, enveloping it layer by layer. But it was already too late.

From the inside out, the water ball froze solid inch by inch, then shot toward Chen Shenzhi along the ground, exploding into countless ice shards that obscured his vision.

A water screen rose instantly in front of Chen Shenzhi, but the moment it touched the ice shards, it froze into ice, spreading inch by inch.

At the same moment, Raphael's heartbeat intensified, throbbing like rapid breaths that echoed throughout the vast space. The surrounding evolved Alphas were momentarily bewitched, ready to offer themselves as sacrifices.

Chen Shenzhi snapped his fingers, erecting a water wall around Raphael to block the Alphas.

This split-second opening was enough. Yan Gui, gripping an ice blade, shattered the ice wall without losing momentum, the sharp edge gleaming coldly as it pierced Chen Shenzhi's chest.

Blood splattered. Through the flying droplets, Chen Shenzhi saw Yan Gui's murderous intent and the blade that belonged to Shen Hui.

Drenched and panting, Yan Gui moved with swift precision, following up with a second slash aimed at decapitating Chen Shenzhi.

Chen Shenzhi pressed his hand against the wound on his chest and abdomen, raising his arm to form a water shield. The moment the blade touched the water, it froze into brittle ice, forcing him into repeated retreat.

Shen Hui disregarded Raphael's frenzy, determined to help Yan Gui kill him.

This realization instantly enraged Chen Shenzhi. A tidal wave surged forth from behind him, rushing toward Yan Gui, continuing to advance even as it froze.

Raphael grew increasingly excited by Shen Hui's pheromones, eager to possess and devour him. He circumvented Chen Shenzhi's control and commanded the surrounding Alphas to capture Shen Hui.

Shen Hui was instantly surrounded by multiple layers of Alphas. Yan Gui, losing his support, was once again restrained by Chen Shenzhi. As Shen Hui tried to break through the Alphas to assist Yan Gui, one of them pressed a dagger against his neck.

"Don't move."

Chen Shenzhi telekinetically gripped the water sphere restraining Yan Gui, reclaiming control over the Alphas and subduing Shen Hui. Ignoring the large bloodstain on his chest, he flashed a victorious smile: "I've won."

Shen Hui leaned back slightly to avoid the blade but failed.

Complete victory naturally pleased him. Chen Shenzhi extended his hand to Shen Hui: "Come here."

Shen Hui resisted moving, but the Alpha behind him forced him toward Chen Shenzhi with the dagger. Yan Gui struggled inside the water sphere, trying to burn through the prison, but with Raphael's frenzy, he couldn't muster even a spark.

Forced to stand before Chen Shenzhi, Shen Hui's face was cold and resistant, yet his wrist was firmly grasped, and his palm was opened toward Yan Gui: "Kill him."

Shen Hui remained still. Chen Shenzhi leaned close to his ear and whispered: "Do you want him to fall into my hands? If so, I’d be very happy."

In this intimate posture, he keenly noticed Shen Hui's lips curling into what seemed like a smile.

"What are you smiling at?"

Shen Hui's voice was sly and pleased: "Haven’t you noticed someone is missing?"

Chen Shenzhi turned abruptly and realized Gu Xun had somehow entered the control room, protected by a layer of black ice. The next moment, the massive machinery roared to life. The nearly 1,000-square-meter nutrient pool bubbled violently, then formed countless whirlpools rushing toward the drainage outlet below!

In an instant, the water level dropped by one or two meters. Chen Shenzhi immediately tried to intervene, but Shen Hui made his move.

A cold gleam flashed as the ice blade swept fiercely, Shen Hui's eyes blazing with murderous intent. Simultaneously, he broke Yan Gui's water prison with a backhand strike.

The two pinned Chen Shenzhi down.

Raphael also sensed the danger and once again commanded the evolved Alphas to assault the control room, but they couldn’t break through the black ice Shen Hui had prepared, crowding densely outside.

Gu Xun, initially frightened, grew bolder seeing they couldn’t get in. He opened the drainage outlet to the maximum and even redirected the nutrient pool’s inlet to also function as an outlet.

With a loud splash, the water level dropped another meter in an instant.

Raphael's crimson flesh rapidly turned decayed black, its size shrinking accordingly. The heartbeat, once urgent and rapid, grew weaker and weaker, emitting piercing shrieks of agony.

Without Raphael's soothing influence, all the Alphas instantly entered a berserk state. Bestial traits began spreading across their skin, accompanied by endless screams and roars, so terrifying it made their hair stand on end.

Worst of all, freed from command restraints, they began attacking everyone indiscriminately.

The three exposed individuals instantly became targets.

Due to Raphael's weakness, Yan Gui's power quickly recovered. He conjured a fire dragon with one hand, pulling Shen Hui onto the corridor. Chen Shenzhi simultaneously fought his way out, charging toward Raphael.

Shen Hui hurled several long knives, forcing him back to the ground. In that brief interval, Yan Gui gathered cyan flames in his palm and ignited Raphael.

Chen Shenzhi tried to stop it but was too late.

Flames reaching over 3,000 degrees Celsius enveloped Raphael entirely. The flesh mass, devoid of any vocal organs, emitted extremely agonized screams and pleas for help.

Shen Hui's heart clenched in pain, as if he himself were burning. He unconsciously stepped forward but was pulled back by Yan Gui: "What's wrong?"

His voice brought Shen Hui back to his senses. He took a deep breath and slowly shook his head.

Raphael might truly share the same origin as him, but it no longer mattered.

The nutrient pool dried up completely, the flames extinguished, and Raphael became a lifeless mass of flesh, utterly useless.

The two looked at Chen Shenzhi: "You've lost."

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Author's Note: Countdown to the finale—likely two or three more chapters + a bonus side story.