Chapter 186: The Knock at the Door

The setup resembled the Star Alliance’s conference room, but it was even more advanced on closer inspection. Some of the technology in use was beyond anything the Star Alliance had.

In this sophisticated space, a large number of anomalies had gathered. Not only that, but several were Spirit-rank. The creature seated at the head of the table, however, was at a level the Star Alliance classified as Devil-rank. 

The whole scene was nothing short of surreal.

Though varied in appearance, the Spirit-rank aberrations shared a strikingly simple style—a simplicity that seemed to imply their strength. 

There’s truth in the saying: the simpler the look, the stronger the character.

At that moment, the Devil-rank mutant seated in the head position made a move.

Even while seated, his massive frame was intimidating. Now that he stood up, he easily reached four or five meters in height.

His entire body was a deep, ominous red. He had a humanoid form, but his head was that of a strange, monstrous creature. Black armor was embedded into his skin, fusing seamlessly with his body, with a crimson cape draped behind him. Apart from the black armor, his whole figure looked as if it had been drenched in blood, making for an unsettling sight.

“Doctor, what’s the status?” the Devil-rank aberration asked.

The man they referred to as “Doctor” didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he made his way straight to the head seat, taking his place without hesitation.

The Doctor looked completely at ease. Seeing him so calm gave the others some reassurance. Still, they needed to hear him confirm it directly.

As he approached the Devil-rank mutant, that creature respectfully stepped aside.

The Doctor shot him a glare. 

“Second Brother, why do you always like sitting in my seat?”

The “Second Brother” he was referring to was Slayer Demon, the red Devil-rank monster standing before him. Slayer Demon held the second rank, but the Doctor was the true leader. This was why so many aberrations respected him so highly.

“Alright, everyone, take your seats,” the Doctor said casually.

Slayer Demon and the other quickly sat back down, their eyes fixed on the Doctor, waiting for his answer.

The Doctor’s recent visit to the surface had been to investigate the rumored X-rank hero.

Not one to keep them guessing, he came right out with it.

“Based on all the information I’ve gathered, there is no such thing as an X-rank hero.”

Slayer Demon and the others didn’t react much. Truth be told, the Doctor was the only one who had been concerned about this X-rank hero. But as their leader, they followed his directives without question.

Slayer Demon crossed his arms, sneering. 

“Who cares if there’s an X-rank hero or not? As long as we’re around, we can take care of any problem that comes our way.”

At that, a Spirit-rank anomaly couldn’t hold back any longer and eagerly addressed the Doctor.

“Doctor, if that’s the case, what are we waiting for? Let’s launch the final attack right now!”

“Exactly, Doctor!”

The Doctor gave a confident smile. 

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves. What I learned this time isn’t just about the X-rank hero. The Star Alliance held a secret meeting today for S-rank and A-rank heroes. They’re planning to split into three teams tomorrow to launch an attack on us.”

Slayer Demon sneered once again, “Ridiculous. Do they really think they can break through our defenses with that small force? I’ll take care of them myself.”

Another Spirit-rank aberration chimed in, “With the interference device you developed, Doctor, they have no idea we’ve gathered every anomaly in the Yinshuang region here. No need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Leave this to me.”

The Doctor shook his head. 

“No, among them is also Jing Xin. That little girl isn’t someone to be underestimated. We’ll stay put and wait for them to come to us. When they do, we’ll wipe out their main force in one fell swoop, and Yinshuang will be ours…”

At that point, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Boom!!!

A massive explosion interrupted the Doctor. The sound of chaotic noises from outside the room followed.

Everyone’s attention snapped to the closed conference room door.

“What’s going on out there? Why all this commotion?”

A Spiri-rank aberration, seated near the door, stood up. 

“I’ll check it out.”

He left the room but didn’t return. Outside, the noise abruptly stopped, leaving an eerie calm.

No one spoke. They all continued to stare at the closed door. Expressions marked with a hint of tension.

Among them, Slayer Demon seemed the most at ease. But the Doctor—having experienced his fair share of high-stakes situations—looked a bit unsettled.

The silence outside was mirrored in the conference room. It was so quiet it felt as if every living thing had vanished. The eerie stillness was enough to put anyone on edge.

“What’s taking him so long? He should be back by now,” another Spirit-rank aberration muttered.

He stood up and made his way to the door. He decided to check it out himself. Just as he reached for the handle, the door was suddenly struck from the outside.

Bang, bang, bang!

Of course, there wasn’t an actual doorbell here. This so-called “doorbell” was actually the relentless pounding of some enormous force hammering against the specially reinforced door.

With the first impact, the door was already dented out of shape. The second strike sent chunks of the door frame splintering away. By the third hit…

Boom!!!

The door broke free, crashing down toward the Spirit-rank aberration.

Thud!

With a quick swipe of his claws, the aberration easily shredded the door into pieces, scattering the fragments across the room.

“Whoa! Tough door you’ve got here. Three hits and it still didn’t break. What’s this thing made of?” 

A clear voice rang out from the doorway.

The room’s occupants were stunned, but their shock wasn’t directed at the figure standing in the doorway. Instead, their eyes were drawn to the scene behind him—a massive heap of crushed aberrations.

The sprawling plaza, once filled with thousands of aberrations of various forms and ranks, was now piled up and compressed into a single ball of creatures, all squished together as if they’d been molded into one giant mass.

The entire plaza was now dominated by this massive, motionless ball of compressed aberrations. The surrounding area was completely empty. Nothing but open space. The ball stood quietly in the center, utterly still.

Several Spirit-rank aberrations stared wide-eyed. Slayer Demon was visibly stunned. 

The Doctor, too, had slowly risen to his feet, his reaction the most intense of all.

He was struck by the sheer speed of it. From the moment he’d left the plaza to now, it had only been a short while. Just earlier, when he passed through, thousands of aberrations had greeted him with respect. But now? They were all…

His gaze shifted slowly to the young man standing before him.

“What…”

The Doctor was speechless. He looked at the boy, unable to find the words.

How… how could it be him?! Hadn’t he already been dealt with…?

The Doctor was stunned to realize that this young man was the same one he had encountered earlier.

Shi Ji scratched the back of his head, giving an awkward grin.

“Uh, sorry about that. They kinda attacked me first, and I, well… got a bit carried away.”