"…That’s basically the situation. To prevent him from self-detonating, we never pulled the dagger out. So far, we've completely severed all the connection points in his limbs and circuitry, and we’ve dissected his chest cavity to remove any potential self-detonation devices. Zhao Yingkong had already severed his brain and body circuitry, but just in case he tried to use brainwaves to trigger the device, it was better to remove all the weaponry inside his body…" Xiao Honglü calmly wiped the engine oil and fresh blood from his hands with a handkerchief, his gaze fixed on the wiring deep within the big man’s abdomen.

Zheng Zha gave a wry smile. "You know that's not what I meant… I want to ask, how can you dissect him? Do you have that kind of knowledge and skill? And… doesn't it feel a bit…" Xiao Honglü sneered. "Disgusting? Or cruel? Stop being naive. He’s the enemy… Besides, I wasn't dissecting him for sport or anything else. If he truly had an explosive device, he could have taken all of us out by himself. Do you want us all to be put in danger just because of some squeamish notion you have? Don't joke."

Zheng Zha nodded with a bitter smile. He said, "Yes, I just found it somewhat repulsive… but you did the right thing. If any of my future actions don't align with the team's best interests, please remind me at any time… Now? Is he still alive?" "Of course. I wasn't performing an autopsy on a living person; this should be categorized as an extraction procedure."

Xiao Honglü chuckled. "In a sense, he no longer belongs to the category of human. He should be considered a cyborg. His internal skeleton, nerves, and some muscle tissues have been converted to metal or high-strength plastics. Almost all his internal organs have been replaced by electronic instruments; only some structural muscle tissue remains flesh… I grew up around hospitals, after all, so I’ve seen autopsies several times. As long as the weapon components are carefully removed, his mechanical structure itself won't suffer significant damage."

As the two were still talking, the door was suddenly forced open again. Zhao Yingkong walked in quietly from outside. The little girl silently looked at the incision in the big man’s stomach. She asked, "Have you removed the self-detonation device?" "We can't be certain, but we’ve taken out essentially all the weaponized parts. Now we just need to see if he wakes up, assuming he’s not dead…" Xiao Honglü waved his hand.

Zheng Zha took a breath, watching Zhao Yingkong approach the big man’s head and gently withdraw the dagger. The moment the flame-wreathed dagger left the back of the big man's head, he jolted awake, his eyes flying open. He even managed a slight twitch of his neck, but unfortunately, because his connecting circuits were severed, the rest of his body below the neck was completely paralyzed.

The big man seemed to realize what had happened. He didn't shout or cause a scene; instead, he silently observed the people before him. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Why haven't you killed me? Do you think you can get anything from my mouth? Don't joke; a true warrior of the Faith would never…" Before he could finish his sentence, Zhao Yingkong drew the dagger and plunged it into his arm. As the flames on the blade began to burn his flesh, the big man erupted in a frantic scream, his neck shaking wildly. Only after the dagger was withdrawn did the big man slowly quiet down, his face utterly drained of color. Zhao Yingkong sneered, "You know about our Assassin Family… so you should also know that the word 'mercy' doesn't exist in our vocabulary. Tell us everything we want to know, or I will make you endure this pain for a full day and night before I finally kill you!" The big man stared fixedly at Zhao Yingkong, his eyes filled with malice. After another long silence, he spat out fiercely, "You wouldn't dare do anything to me. Your captain should have already received a message from our team, right? Your team isn't weak; a fight between us would likely result in mutual destruction. Our team should have reached an agreement with your captain: if you release me, both sides will maintain a peaceful distance until the end of this horror film…" Everyone immediately turned to look at Zheng Zha. He quickly said with a wry smile, "That’s right. A blond doctor from their team stopped me on the road and said that if we release this Muhammad Yulif… they would keep their distance from our team until this horror film concludes. If… if we hadn't already lost a point, perhaps we should have agreed to that proposal."

The big man, who had initially looked rather smug, turned pale when he heard the last sentence. Especially when he saw Zhao Yingkong draw the flaming dagger again, he was left speechless, his upper and lower lips trembling violently as if warring with each other.

Xiao Honglü clapped his hands. "Just as you know, there’s no possibility of us letting you go. If you want a quick death, tell us everyone on your team’s roles, strengths, enhancement directions, and items they possess. Once we know all that, we’ll grant you a peaceful end. Otherwise, I won't mind using agony to break your sanity, after which any secret can be easily extracted from your mouth. Think it over."

The big man clenched his teeth, casting a fearful glance at the burning dagger. The pain of having one's soul scorched was unspeakable to outsiders. Compared to death, he feared prolonged exposure to that suffering—it was the most terrifying punishment of hell itself…" "I agree… Hello everyone, let me introduce myself. My name is Shivagantyan, Captain of the Indian Squad. While I hate to admit it, it seems my reckless teammate was captured by you… I heard what you said just now. Because this is our first team battle, did you accidentally lose a point while handling a rookie as you usually do? It doesn't matter; we’ll… we’ll give him up to you, but we will erase his memories. That’s better for both sides. Shall we maintain peace until the end of this horror film? Do you all agree to my proposal?" The big man was just about to agree when his expression suddenly froze. When he spoke again, his demeanor was utterly placid. He wore a look that was half-smile, half-smirk, and said, "Of course. At the cost of one veteran member, this horror film should be completed by our team. I assume you all have no objection, right?" Zheng Zha and the others were momentarily stunned. It was only then that Zheng Zha snapped back to reality. He quickly asked, "Your horror film mission? Is it also to bury the Undead Priest Imhotep? If so, I, representing our team, agree to your proposal…" "No, our team mission will only display upon Imhotep's arrival in Cairo…" Before the voice from the big man’s mouth could finish, the others suddenly saw countless burning stones falling from the sky—it was a meteor shower. These stones descended sporadically into Cairo, and looking down from the clock tower, they saw fires blazing everywhere in the city. All these strange phenomena were precursors to the arrival of the Undead Priest Imhotep in Cairo! The big man’s watch suddenly flashed. The others exchanged glances. Xiao Honglü was the first to pick up the watch and recite, "…Retrieve the Book of the Dead, resurrect Anck-su-namun… If the Book of the Dead has been used by a non-plot character, kill the Death Mark holder and reclaim the right to use the Book of the Dead…" —(Recommendation: Mutation Tide, Book ID: 114922) Click to view image link: cmfu/smenhu.cn?bl_id=114922 Jump to Mutation Tide