MTLNOVEL CHAPTER 245
Chapter 245: The Unveiling
As Green Ivy's words echoed through the laboratory, the lush indoor forest began to writhe and twist, its beauty turning into a grotesque mockery of nature.
Lu Ming remained motionless, seemingly frozen in shock.
"Because it's food," Green Ivy continued, her voice still gentle, "I don't care about my attitude towards you, or your attitude towards me."
"Whether I'm kind or cruel, it doesn't matter."
"If I'm interested, I can chat with you, even cater to your desires."
"But now, I'm hungry."
The air crackled with a predatory intent.
"So, Mr. Lu... Can I eat you?"
Despite the question, there was no indication that Green Ivy was seeking his consent.
Countless flowers, plants, and trees twisted and contorted, forming a giant, grasping claw that slowly reached towards Lu Ming.
Green Ivy, the sophisticated diner, was ready to savor her meal.
Suddenly, Lu Ming snapped out of his stupor.
"I have another question," he said, his voice steady.
"Please speak," Green Ivy replied, her tone still deceptively gentle.
"Here," Lu Ming pointed to the ground beneath his feet. "From here, going forward, are Labs Four, Three, Two, and One."
"Do those laboratories also contain alien life forms like you?"
"Yes," Green Ivy answered, the plant claw inching closer.
"And do they share your attitude towards me? Do they... see me as food?"
"Pretty much," Green Ivy confirmed, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"I see..." Lu Ming sighed, a hint of resignation in his voice. "Then I know what to do."
Meanwhile, in Laboratory One, the Dream Source and Crimson Queen had turned their attention away from Lu Ming after he ventured down the path.
In their eyes, he was as good as dead.
Lu Ming was unaware that the entire indoor forest in Laboratory Five was, in fact, the body of Green Ivy. By stepping onto that path, he had willingly entered her domain.
There was no chance of survival, let alone victory.
The Dream Source was about to speak when a sudden, earth-shaking bang reverberated through the entire research institute.
The ground trembled, and the entire First Research Institute shook violently.
Out of the corner of its eye, the Dream Source caught a glimpse of something alarming. It quickly turned its attention back to the screen.
Laboratory Five was undergoing a grotesque transformation.
From the outside, it had become a massive green sphere, composed entirely of intertwined and writhing plants. The surface of the sphere even bore the semblance of a monstrous face, its features twisted in a horrifying grin.
This was Green Ivy's true form!
And at that moment, Lu Ming was trapped inside her.
A melodious female voice filled the laboratory, its tone laced with a strange, seductive undercurrent. It was Green Ivy's excited cry, celebrating the prospect of a long-awaited feast.
Inside her transformed body, a multitude of resilient plants coiled around Lu Ming, their thorns digging into his flesh.
As soon as these thorns pierce his skin, Green Ivy thought, I'll devour him completely.
The plan was flawless, the strategy sound.
There was just one problem.
Green Ivy's offensive capabilities were lacking.
Cracking sounds echoed through the chamber as the plants struggled against Lu Ming's Divine Fire Shield.
"Her lethality is comparable to Li De's," Lu Ming mused, but it's not his Yang Spirit Finger. It's more like his regular punches and kicks, without the added power of Spiritual Pressure...
In other words, Green Ivy's attacks were roughly equivalent to those of an eighth or ninth-level Spirit Realm expert.
If Lu Ming had encountered her before entering the Flame Clan Ruin, her attacks might have posed a threat.
But now, his physical strength had nearly doubled, and his Body Protection Techniques had been upgraded.
Green Ivy's attacks felt insignificant.
"What a pity," Lu Ming thought, a hint of disappointment on his face.
"A pity indeed," Lu Ming's voice echoed through the verdant prison. "I thought you were a creature I could reason with. It would have saved me the trouble of fighting."
Green Ivy's laughter died in her throat. She strained, her attacks growing more frantic, but Lu Ming remained unscathed.
Then, a swelling sensation erupted from within.
Lu Ming's voice boomed from inside her body.
"Monsters are monsters. Humans don't seek to harm tigers, but tigers harm humans!"
"In that case," he continued, his voice laced with a chilling finality, "I'll have to deal with you in the way I dislike the most, but am best at!"
Green Ivy's movements froze.
Her body began to expand rapidly, as if something was growing and strengthening within her.
The growth was violent, unstoppable. Before Green Ivy could react, her form shattered, exploding into countless fragments.
BOOM!
The force of the explosion shook the entire research institute.
When the dust settled, Green Ivy was gone, replaced by a monstrous abomination.
It stood nearly thirty meters tall, with three heads and six arms, a nightmarish figure from ancient myths.
Tough bone armor covered its body, extending into a grotesque mask over its face.
Sharp thorns, like swords, jutted from its back.
This was Lu Ming, unleashed in his Explosive State.
He turned his head slightly to the right, and a deep, resonant voice boomed from his monstrous form.
"Laboratory Four, Laboratory Three, then Laboratory Two... and finally, Laboratory One..."
A predatory grin spread across his three faces.
"Laboratory One should be my final destination."
With that, Lu Ming propelled himself forward with explosive force, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
In Laboratory One, the Dream Source watched the monitor, its single eye filled with a growing sense of unease.
Lu Ming's ferocious appearance in the Explosive State made it mutter in disbelief, "What is that thing?!"
Before it could receive an answer, another deafening roar shook the laboratory.
Red alarm lights flashed, and the Crimson Queen's voice, devoid of emotion, announced, "He has breached the walls and reached Laboratory Four."
"Laboratory Four has no biological guardians. It has undergone deep fusion transformation with Laboratory Two."
Another earth-shattering boom reverberated through the facility.
"He has shattered the wall again and entered Laboratory Three. The name of the project in Laboratory Three is..."
BOOM!
"He has once again..."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The entire research institute trembled violently, the tremors mirroring the relentless advance of the unstoppable force that was Lu Ming.
The Crimson Queen's voice struggled to keep up with the rapid succession of breaches.
"He..." The Crimson Queen's voice faltered.
BOOM!
The deafening sound reverberated through the laboratory, jolting the Dream Source from its trance. It whipped its massive eye towards the source of the commotion, and its single pupil contracted in alarm.
The solid wall to its right had been obliterated. A towering figure, almost reaching the ceiling, lumbered towards it, clutching two grotesque objects in its hands.
In its left hand was a humanoid corpse, muscles bulging and contorted in a grotesque parody of Lu Ming's normal form.
This was Project Three, an experimental subject designed to push the limits of physical strength—codenamed "Extreme Dao."
With a sickening squish, Lu Ming crushed the corpse in his hand, its remains splattering against the floor.
In his right hand, he held another humanoid creature, its entire body a mass of razor-sharp blades.
Project Four: "Soldier."
A fusion of flesh and steel, it was a half-human, half-weapon killing machine.
The Soldier still clutched a long saber in its hand.
This was Project Two, the "God Slaying Blade," an incomplete prototype of a weapon designed to kill deities.
Grind, grind.
Lu Ming's right hand moved, and the Dream Source watched in horror as the Soldier and the God Slaying Blade were ground together, their forms warping and twisting under the immense pressure.
It was like watching someone casually crush walnuts in their palm.
Finally, with a loud snap, Lu Ming discarded the mangled remains, now fused into a single, perfectly spherical object, smooth and gleaming.
"And you must be Project One," Lu Ming said, his voice a low rumble as he advanced towards the Dream Source.
He hadn't even glanced at the other projects, his focus solely on the entity before him.
"I have to say," he remarked, his tone nonchalant, "the projects here are quite underwhelming..."
End of Chapter 245