As the Skull Man seemed to ignite with a burning halo around his form, as if Fang Senyan’s attacks were merely charging a battery, he roared. His eyes were crisscrossed with fine, dense blood vessels, and his bellowing voice seemed intent on sweeping through the surrounding forest.

His massive hands clamped down on Fang Senyan’s shoulders like iron vices, hoisting his body onto his shoulder before executing a full-force shoulder throw. The air itself recoiled in fear as he forcefully slammed the helpless Fang Senyan onto a nearby rock!

With a deafening CRACK, the impact fractured the ground spanning more than ten square meters!

Shards of stone flew and scattered wildly, one even striking an ordinary man nearby, who immediately cried out in agony, clutching his face as blood gushed out in a gruesome display.

Not content with that, the Skull Man still held fast to Fang Senyan, pushing his strength even further. Under the immense pressure, the dry earth beneath his feet exploded, and he violently hurled Fang Senyan toward the sky.

This upward launch was extraordinary. Fang Senyan was flung high into the air, spinning head-over-heels like a top, his entire body completely paralyzed by the momentum, trapped in a high-speed, inverted rotation.

In this wretched state, even someone as formidable as Fang Senyan was utterly out of control! Anyone with weaker constitution would surely have begun vomiting violently from the sheer rotational force. The subsequent fall would guarantee devastating injuries, perhaps crippling damage to his skull, brain, and cervical spine!

This entire sequence was captured by the optical sensors of Android No. 1 and relayed with perfect clarity to the Little Eagle base, 2.7 million kilometers away.

At that moment, Lord Pombal had completely shed his flippant demeanor. He stared wide-eyed, fixed intently on the man wearing the beast-bone helmet displayed on the screen!

His focus was so intense, so meticulously cautious, that he seemed terrified of missing the faintest twitch in the man’s facial pores. Where was the casual air from before? The promised afternoon tea was surely long forgotten.

When Lord Pombal finally spotted the strange, extra organ on the Skull Man's chest, he sharply commanded, "Stop!"

At his word, Monggo immediately hit the pause button, stepping back respectfully to wait.

At this point, even a fool could tell that Monggo hadn't fabricated the video; the information he sent was entirely genuine!

Lord Pombal took a deep breath, then quietly ordered, "Except for Monggo, everyone else must leave immediately. Get out now!"

Fei Ji’s face changed drastically. He burst out, "Your Excellency, I was actually involved in tracking this project. The man in the video, Ronnie, was brought in entirely by me... No!"

Fei Ji, hoping to salvage the situation, watched in terror as the dark muzzles of the ceiling-mounted weapons swiftly tracked him. Terrified, he turned tail and fled! Pombal looked at Monggo and said slowly, "What you have uncovered here touches upon the core secrets of the Ten Strongest Project. While I can still largely make decisions, it is best that I consult my superiors in the Directorate. For now, I will transmit some relevant data to you so you can understand the context."

At this time, Pombal’s holographic image flickered slightly: "I must immediately report your findings to my mentor! The Big Ben Research Institute will formulate a response plan as quickly as possible. Thus far, you have performed admirably. Do not feel any pressure; I am still transferring the highest security clearance for the Little Eagle base to you. Furthermore, if you encounter any resistance in your actions, contact me via the encrypted A8 channel!"

Simultaneously, Pombal transmitted a cascade of data. The first to appear were a series of photographs of the Skull Man, spanning from his infancy through childhood and adolescence while he was still active on the planet...

The final photograph showed the Skull Man at his high school graduation, smiling happily with a group of classmates.

That was the last picture of him looking like a normal person. At that time, his name was the rather common ‘Tom.’

Then, during his senior year physical, his blood sample showed an anomalous reaction. After layers of vetting, it was finally verified by the Big Ben Research Institute as meeting the criteria for one of the Ten Strongest—the Barbarian test subject.

Consequently, in a staged car accident, Tom was declared dead and quietly transported to the Institute.

The following images showed the process of his modification and conditioning.

For Tom, every day back then meant agony: disinfectant, coma, and his internal structure becoming progressively less human. His designation became Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7.

A month later, out of the 108 test subjects captured, only eleven survived—a staggering 90% fatality rate. Three months later, only Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, remained alive.

A year later, the entire Big Ben Research Institute concluded that Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, was likely the most genetically suitable candidate for Barbarian conditioning they had ever found, bar none!

However, genetic suitability for conditioning only guaranteed the maximum capacity to withstand the process; it did not imply a perfect symbiosis!

Although Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, could endure the terrifying conditioning process, he couldn't extract the level of power the Big Ben Research Institute had hoped for.

So, after deliberation, the researchers began attempting to fuse Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7’s cells with another type of cell.

This second cell type was no less remarkable.

When the spatial fracture occurred, bordering on collapse, humanity seized the opportunity. Not only did they acquire the Ten Strongest modification methods from fragments of the collapsed spatial matrix, but they also seized a database of successful Ten Strongest specimens collected from within that space!

The cell implanted into Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, was taken from another successful Ten Strongest specimen identified by the Nightmare Space—naturally, after numerous rounds of replication and proliferation.

Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, clearly rejected the foreign implanted cells, but his incredible "hardy" constitution kept him alive. Eventually, a compromise was reached: the cells from the other Ten Strongest formed a parasitic organ on his chest exterior, surviving by drawing nutrients from his body.

In return, Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, could draw power from this bizarre organ and even utilize some of that strong individual’s signature combat techniques, driven by the instinct of the organ formed by the strong individual's cells!

This was something even the Big Ben researchers had not anticipated.

Thus, Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, seized this unexpected advantage, ripped through his confinement with unanticipated strength, wreaked bloody havoc, and then mysteriously vanished while being pursued by heavily armed guards...

Finally, Pombal seemed to realize that an Imperial General was scrutinizing this project. Out of caution, he transmitted a directive to him—an electronic order that looked simple, containing only one sentence: The matters being conducted by the holder of this directive are beneficial to the Empire and must not be interfered with without due cause.

Gonsashar Loddo? Mukabart? Jane? Grimbalto? Ah, the greatest deterrent of this electronic mandate lay in the final signature.

No one dared forge this document unless their entire family, relatives, and friends had collectively lost the will to live and possessed a masochistic streak!

It bore the signature of the current Imperial Emperor.

As a side note, if any politician learned that Pombal could casually produce this document, Mr. Pombal’s odds of ascending the throne would instantly increase by another 3.1 percentage points.

Having learned the truth, Monggo easily concluded that the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Tom, Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, was likely because his formidable individual combat prowess had caught the attention of the Iron Blood Aliens, who deemed him an exciting and worthy prey. They must have spirited him away and dropped him onto the planet Epros.

Undoubtedly, Experimental Subject Type E, Number 7, Tom, was the Big Ben Research Institute’s most successful experiment to date. Therefore, even for someone as potentially powerful as a member of the Royal Family like Pombal, he could not act unilaterally; he had to report to higher command.

Naturally, General Monggo's standing soared upon discovering all this.

The Empire had survived and endured for so many years simply because successive Emperors adhered to the principle of "clear rewards and punishments." While this principle could not be absolutely fair, achieving even 80% impartiality was remarkable.

Monggo himself certainly possessed a complex network of connections. While his network might not match Fei Ji’s strength, it was sufficient to ensure that his achievements would not fall into that 20% unfair margin. That was all that mattered.

Monggo reclaimed his rightful position, savagely wiping at the cut on his face with his finger, then slowly licking the blood seeping from the wound. His eyes were now utterly ruthless.

He wasn't inherently forgiving; he had simply lacked the inclination for cruelty before. Now, he possessed both the mood and the justification, and more importantly, sufficient authority!

In the face of an order bearing the Emperor’s signature, not only were the Lieutenant Generals who came with Fei Ji subdued, but even the old man was completely overshadowed!

Thus, Monggo immediately initiated a purge aboard the Little Eagle!

When Monggo finally turned back to the monitors, his pupils contracted sharply. He had never expected that in less than forty minutes away from surveillance, the situation before him had... had devolved into this hellish scene! (To be continued)