Chapter 44: Chapter 44 - 38: Orthodontic Restoration

The scent of the liquid instantly diffuses with the air.

The beastmen struggling against the mutant species suddenly realized that those mutant creatures had lost interest in them, shifting their attack target, and roaring towards that experimental subject.

Thousands of mutant species swarmed onto the experimental subject like a tide, biting frantically, causing the subject to let out an angry shrill roar. Its claws slapped down hard, instantly crushing a dozen mutant species into blood pulp.

But, there are too many mutant species, even an elephant fears a thousand nests of ants.

The beastmen seeing this scene all put down their equipment, dumbfounded.

"What’s going on? Why are they fighting among themselves?"

"Who cares, as long as these disgusting things are killing each other, it’s good news for us."

"These mutant species should be able to hold the experimental subject for half an hour, enough time for us to escape."

"Go, go, let’s run and not waste any more time!"

Just as Lu Xiao was planning to leave with Shen Tang, she urgently patted his steel-like eagle claws and anxiously said, "No, don’t leave yet, put me down first!"

"Shen Tang, now is not the time for you to be willful, if we don’t leave now, it will be too late!" Lu Xiao’s deep voice carried a hint of anger.

Shen Tang felt helpless inside, Lu Xiao surely thought she was trying to sabotage things again, she pursed her lips, glancing towards the abandoned factory, "Do you remember the Energy Core? Now while that experimental subject is entangled and can’t move, let’s quickly go to the underground laboratory and get the polluted core!"

"You quickly put me down, otherwise it’ll really be too late!"

Lu Xiao hesitated for a moment, but did not put Shen Tang down, and directly dove into the abandoned factory with her.

Upon landing, he transformed into human form, the specially made combat suit instantly wrapped around his robust and elongated body, Shen Tang didn’t have time to see any good stuff.

Lu Xiao didn’t miss her somewhat regretful gaze, his brows furrowed as he quietly said, "Behave yourself."

Shen Tang awkwardly turned her head away, no longer looking at him.

There are no stairs leading underground, to go down one must use the elevator.

They walked to the ruined elevator entrance, the elevator was completely broken and could not be used.

The shaft below was vacant, you could see all the way to the bottom, with broken circuits and steel pipes hanging on the walls.

Shen Tang’s fear of heights was almost triggered, "How are we supposed to get down there?"

"Don’t make a sound later." Lu Xiao grabbed her by the collar, leaped forward, and jumped down the elevator shaft.

What the hell!

He jumped just like that!

Big bro, can’t you at least discuss this?!

Shen Tang forcibly suppressed her instinct to scream, afraid of attracting the experimental subject from outside.

Lu Xiao landed smoothly with Shen Tang.

Shen Tang’s legs went weak and numb, she stumbled forward, her weight almost causing Lu Xiao to topple too.

Lu Xiao frowned, silently retracting his hand, looking ahead at the laboratory. He had been here once before, but was forced to retreat due to the experimental subject.

Shen Tang marveled at the abandoned laboratory before her, with flickering pale lights above, the corridor flanked by rows of glass pods filled with various deformed organisms, some humanoid embryos with fish gills, others mammals with extra legs, all with closed eyes, seemingly asleep.

Most striking was the cylindrical glass chamber at the room’s center, much larger than the ones in the corridor, it was empty with its walls smashed open, scattering glass shards everywhere, and some viscous green liquid remaining at the bottom.

This glass chamber must have held the experimental subject.

Lu Xiao didn’t pay much attention to these things, striding straight to the reagent shelf, upon which various instruments were placed, along with some broken test tubes, the liquid within having dried, leaving dark brown traces on the floor.

Curious, Shen Tang asked, "Who started this laboratory?"

This large-scale illegal laboratory likely wasn’t the work of an individual, there must be a group behind it.

"Not sure, operating an illegal laboratory researching mutant species is a serious crime anywhere, once caught, the law will certainly deal with it." Lu Xiao said indifferently, turning the glass bottles on the shelf one by one.

Upon twisting the third row’s empty glass bottle, a secret passage opened on the wall ahead.

Following him into the passage, Shen Tang saw at the far end, the Energy Core stored within a bulletproof glass container.

It looked like a spherical object emitting a faint blue glow, its surface entwined with yellow-green patterns—the Energy Core was corrupted and polluted, it needed purification before use.

Lu Xiao conjured a Wind Blade in his palm, cutting the glass and extracting the Energy Core.

Soon, Shen Tang heard that familiar sharp shrieking again.

Oh no!

The experimental subject is pursuing us, quick, run!

Lu Xiao left a miniature bomb in the laboratory, swiftly transforming into beast form, grabbing Shen Tang and flying towards the elevator entrance. As they were about to exit the door, they passed by the pursuing experimental subject.

The experimental subject let out an angry sharp roar, swinging its claws towards the sky, Shen Tang narrowly escaped calamity, luckily the Golden Eagle quickly made a sharp turn to avert disaster, avoiding the tragic fate of Shen Tang’s skin being torn to pieces.

The sky is the battlefield for hawks and falcons!

At the moment the factory exploded, Lu Xiao’s speed surged like a supersonic fighter jet, sonic booms burst forth, creating waves of energy ripples in the air!

In the blink of an eye, the factory, now billowing smoke, quickly vanished into a black dot, while Shen Tang’s body abruptly lost weight, foaming at the mouth, nearly fainted into unconsciousness.

"Slow...slow down... Big bro, slow down!"

She didn’t die at the hands of mutant species, but nearly perished in his hands.

Remembering he still had her, Lu Xiao reduced speed, flying toward a certain direction in the dense forest.

The team escaped safely, the Light Computer regained signal.

They reached a location for meeting up.

Hearing an eagle’s cry high in the air, the people below looked up to see Lu Xiao returning with Shen Tang, cheering loudly.

Lu Xiao landed on the ground, returning to human form, Shen Tang’s legs gave out as she collapsed and vomited incessantly. Fortunately, she hadn’t eaten much that day, only spitting a few mouthfuls of acid, she looked worn-out and slightly thinner.

Seeing her pitiful state, everyone felt a sense of pity.

"This time we’re grateful to you, Shen Tang, without you we wouldn’t have made it out alive."

The beastmen’s view of Shen Tang changed.

Previously, Shen Tang was fat, ugly, and dumb, like a sewer rat, people and beasts alike avoided her.

But now she looked quite a bit better, and with her helping them escape the factory, the beastmen’s disdain for her dissipated.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden mission: Winning Hearts (2), Reward: Dental Orthodontic Repair, would the host like to receive the reward now?]

Shen Tang heard the system’s notification in her mind, joyfully delighted, this reward was great!

She had long been bothered by her bad teeth, crooked and full of cavities, with some gums even rotting, no matter how many times she brushed daily, there was always a faint taste.

Shen Li, that dog man, once said her teeth were too ugly, told her to shut up and stop smiling, wounding a young girl’s pride.

She now wanted to fix her teeth, making those dog men regard her anew!