196 - Cinderella’s Dream: Together Forever

Title: Transforming into a Scumbag A in the Wasteland Novel - Chapter 196 “How is that possible? Sure, Stone has wronged the First District, but to say he’s heartlessly experimenting on live humans with these people—I just can’t believe it.” Despite over half a year of knowing him, Wei Siyu couldn’t bring herself to believe that Stone was capable of such deeds. “Siyu, people can change. To be safe, we should take down their base before they realize it. But, we might need to call Yiyi to help us out. Since that man had a device to block superpowers, I’m worried their base might have one too.” With that thought, Chen Wan reached out to contact Yiyi, instructing her to settle Zai Zai and the others, keep everyone safe together with Huahua, and bring the motorhome over. The First District wasn’t far from this small town, and it wasn’t long before Yiyi arrived with the motorhome, taking under forty minutes. Seeing Yiyi had arrived, Chen Wan announced to everyone, “Let’s head out now and take down the headquarters of this ‘New Heaven and Earth.’ Be careful, don’t let your guard down. Have your guns ready to fire at any opponent we encounter.” “Yes.” The soldiers responded in unison. The military had entrusted Chen Wan and her team with full control of the operation, meaning Chen Wan was the one issuing orders. Quickly, Chen Wan, Jiang Yanxin, Qin Ke, and Shen Mingyan boarded the motorhome, while Wei Siyu and the others followed in an armored vehicle, with Yiyi leading the way. The convoy made its way slowly toward the county hospital. Before long, Chen Wan and her team reached the entrance of the county hospital. The motorhome was the first to come to a halt, and Chen Wan, using the walkie-talkie inside, gave orders to the soldiers, “In a moment, leave thirty soldiers to guard all exits of the hospital. The remaining twenty will follow us upstairs to search. Everyone, stay safe.” Having given these instructions, Chen Wan and her team swiftly exited the vehicle, followed by the soldiers. They quickly divided into two groups: one went upstairs with Chen Wan, and the other secured the hospital's exits as instructed. As soon as Chen Wan and the others entered, Dr. Wu and his team sensed something was amiss. His assistants alerted, “Doctor, the military is inside.” “Of course, I know. Why panic? Summon Huang Xiao, Stone, and Kate. We’ve kept these dogs for long enough; they can be of use now.” Dr. Wu spoke nonchalantly, even as he surgically extracted two organs from a living subject on the operating table. Receiving messages from the assistants, Huang Xiao, Stone, and Kate promptly headed to the sixth floor. Huang Xiao and Kate seemed dismissive of the military’s capabilities, but Stone was clearly anxious. Others might not understand Chen Wan and her team’s strength, but Stone did. Just Jiang Yanxin alone posed a challenge they couldn’t handle. Seeing cold sweat on Stone's forehead, Huang Xiao scoffed, “What are you nervous about? It's just a few soldiers; what's there to fear?” Stone shook his head, “No, it's not like that. You have no idea how powerful Jiang Yanxin’s abilities are. We can't even handle her alone. Doctor, we need to leave now.” Dr. Wu shot him a cold glance, a rare absence of his usual smile. “Leave? And go where? Don't you know that my experiments are my life, Stone? I warn you, your body is under my and the Underworld King's control, so don’t think you can run. Don’t worry, I’ve activated the signal blocker in the building. No matter how strong their superpowers are, they won’t work here. Soon, it’ll all be up to you.” The assistant retrieved firearms from a nearby storage cabinet. Dr. Wu and his team took one each for defense, while Stone, Huang Xiao, and Kate guarded the sixth-floor laboratory entrance. As Stone and the others spoke, Chen Wan and her team had already made their way up. Kate faced off against Chen Wan and her group, mocking them with disdain, “You're really here to die, aren’t you? Better hurry up, you're wasting my lunch time—a real nuisance.” Chen Wan’s gaze lingered on Stone. Stone returned it with a look of hatred, his eyes full of venom toward both Wei Siyu and herself. In the blink of an eye, Kate’s figure flashed, aiming a swift punch at Chen Wan’s face, faster than anyone could see. Chen Wan dodged swiftly and captured Kate’s fist, “Did you enhance your strength and speed?” “How could you dodge? The hospital should’ve blocked all powers.” Kate was shocked, realizing that she couldn't even match Chen Wan’s speed and strength despite her enhancements. Chen Wan remained silent, her hands moving quickly to dislocate Kate’s right arm. Not intending to spare her, Chen Wan used a swift kick to deflect Kate’s charging leg, landing a solid punch on her face. Using full force, Chen Wan knocked Kate to the ground; her eyes vacant, staring blankly at the ceiling, before blood trickled down her head moments later. The confrontation between Chen Wan and Kate took merely seconds, their moves so swift only lingering shadows were left for an ordinary eye to grasp. Qin Ke reacted first, raising her rifle to fire upon Stone and Huang Xiao, who quickly dodged. Chen Wan grabbed her own handgun; despite Huang Xiao and Stone’s modifications, they couldn’t match her speed. With two quick shots, Chen Wan hit Huang Xiao in the thigh and abdomen, slowing him down noticeably. Soldiers alongside Chen Wan then unleashed a barrage, and Huang Xiao soon lay motionless. Meanwhile, amidst the chaos, Stone had taken two bullets. He tried retreating to the laboratory, but Dr. Wu had locked the door. Stone slammed into the glass door, breaking through with a crash, and once inside, his body convulsed uncontrollably as if electrified. Chen Wan signaled ceasefire, examining the laboratory scene. While in her mind, Yiyi updated her on the situation. Chen Wan gestured to Yiyi, who then stealthily left. Chen Wan turned back to the room where Dr. Wu finally spoke, “First District, huh? You dare touch my dogs? I’ll make sure to dissect each of you alive and use you as my test subjects.” Dr. Wu’s sharp gaze swept over to Stone, smiling coldly as he said, “You disobedient watchdog. I didn’t invite you in, yet you break my lab door. That’s a little lesson for you. Next time, I’ll let you die a more gruesome death than your girlfriend.” Stone lay there, sweating profusely, his body overwhelmed by the electric current. He pleaded desperately, “Dr. Wu, I won’t do it again, I promise. Please, spare me. I can protect you, I can protect you all.” Dr. Wu snorted derisively, finally releasing the remote button. The little monster, sitting on a nearby sofa, grew restless and hurried to Stone’s side, its small bluish-purple hands shaking him, issuing several incomprehensible sounds. With the electric current gone, Stone slowly sat up, casting a look at the grotesque creature before grabbing it and hurling it violently at the wall. The creature hit the wall, emitting muffled whimpers. Dr. Wu chuckled, “Ungrateful, aren’t you? Can’t see your son caring for you? It’s your own blood, no need for such brutality.” “No, it’s not my son, it’s a monster, a monster.” Stone shook his head fiercely, his gaze shifting to Chen Wan and the others outside. Glaring with bloodshot eyes, Stone pointed accusingly at Chen Wan and her team, “It was you! You made me like this! You killed Keqing and my son. Wei Siyu and Chen Wan, I won’t let you go.” Chen Wan, yet to receive an update from Yiyi, engaged Stone, “You brought yourself here. The troubles that led to your banishment from the base were your own doing. How dare you point fingers?” “Shut up! If you hadn’t kicked us out from the First District, we wouldn’t be like this,” Stone growled, “I’ll take you down with me, even if it means dying.” While both sides remained in a standoff, a masked man emerged at the hallway’s end. His voice, calm and eerie, said, “Today, ‘New Heaven and Earth’ is bustling indeed. Let’s see who’s here to die.” Seeing the Underworld King, Dr. Wu immediately straightened with respect. The lab featured a staircase leading directly to the Underworld King’s seventh-floor office, allowing his seamless arrival. Faced with the Underworld King's advance, Chen Wan's vigilance sharpened. He approached Stone, seemingly confirming something, then turned to Dr. Wu. Dr. Wu’s hands retracted into his lab coat pockets, discreetly pressing a button to deactivate the power-blocking device. As he did, the Underworld King’s gaze met Jiang Yanxin’s. In just a brief moment, Jiang Yanxin's gaze began to dull. Instinctively, Chen Wan snatched the ancient Greek gods art book from Jiang Yanxin's back and tossed it swiftly to Qin Ke, while shouting to Wei Siyu, “Siyu, activate your power!” Wei Siyu immediately engaged her immunity ability, and in seconds, Jiang Yanxin's consciousness returned to normal. Just when the Underworld King believed he had the upper hand, the situation shifted unexpectedly against his assumptions. Chen Wan raised her rifle and started shooting into the room. Even though Dr. Wu quickly reactivated the device to block superpowers, it couldn’t stop the real bullets. “It’s impossible! How could you withstand my soul-capturing ability? Impossible.” The Underworld King was in disbelief when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder; he realized he had been shot at some point. The laboratory's assistants were either killed or injured, leaving only Dr. Wu unscathed due to his timely dodging. Frowning, Dr. Wu glared at Stone and kicked him hard in the back, sending him sprawling to the laboratory entrance. At the same time, he pressed the button to detonate the invisible bomb on Stone’s body.