Chapter 55: Quelling the Turmoil with a Single Move

The red light signifying an emergency alarm flashed incessantly in the corridor, signaling that the Bureau of Defense had entered its highest alert. Ye Mi, in her true form, donned her mask and her body gradually became transparent.

Thanks to the arrangement she had orchestrated using Ian’s body, she easily stepped out of that damned room where she had been confined for nearly half a year.

In that moment, Ye Mi felt as if the air around her was suddenly fresher, especially as the roars of monsters and the screams of Bureau staff echoed in her ears. The scent of blood in the air felt, to her, like a gift.

There was not a trace of pity in Ye Mi’s eyes as she walked calmly through the pools of blood.

She wasted no time, heading swiftly for the emergency stairwell—without an employee card, she couldn’t take the elevator directly downstairs.

Her body was still too weak. If she had Gina’s body, even with just the physical enhancement of a D-rank ability user, she could have jumped straight from the third floor where she’d been held.

Once she got out, she would have to find a way to strengthen her physique, Ye Mi thought, reaching the emergency exit. She found that the door had already been thrown open by fleeing Bureau staff—now it was deserted, fresh bloodstains stark and scattered.

Ye Mi frowned. This meant there was now a monster here.

A second later, a roar nearly shattered her eardrums.

As expected.

She held her breath, freezing at the stairwell’s bend.

A blind bear, more than two meters tall, blocked the landing below. Its eyeless head was covered in hideous scars, and a half-eaten human hand still hung from its bloody jaws.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay, making Ye Mi’s stomach churn.

Its matted fur was caked with dark red clots, leaving sticky footprints with every step.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The blind bear’s heavy footfalls drew ever closer.

Though invisible, any slight sound Ye Mi made was painfully clear in the deathly silence of the stairwell. So, the moment she saw the blind bear, she stopped moving.

She had seen this monster in Ian’s files—a mutation that sacrificed its sight to greatly enhance its other senses. It was extraordinarily sensitive. In front of it, Ye Mi dared not make a single sound.

She could feel cold sweat trickling down her back, soaking her thin hospital gown.

It was too quiet here.

So quiet that Ye Mi could hear her own faint heartbeat. The blind bear, evidently, could hear it too.

The beast suddenly halted, its massive nose twitching sharply as it slowly turned toward Ye Mi’s position. Drool dripped from its fangs, splashing audibly to the floor.

But perhaps it was sated, for the blind bear did not immediately charge.

Damn it.

This was too dangerous.

If only she had a body with abilities.

She needed to find a solution, fast.

In the span of a second, four thoughts raced through Ye Mi’s mind.

In the confined space of the stairwell, even if the blind bear moved at a leisurely pace, it would reach her within four or five seconds.

As it closed to within two meters, just about to pounce, inspiration struck.

Silver liquid slipped from her fingertips, crawling up the handrail and flowing swiftly.

The soft, rustling sound immediately caught the blind bear’s attention. It roared again, slamming a paw at the railing—only to catch nothing. Seizing the moment, Ye Mi timed her step with the noise from the shattered stair, using the racket to slip out of the stairwell.

The silver body quickly solidified, imitating human footsteps as it ran upstairs.

The blind bear instantly redirected, charging madly after the sound.

It chased two flights before finally pouncing on the silver body.

Feeling the icy touch beneath its paw—so different from its usual prey—the blind bear froze, bewildered.

Meanwhile, Ye Mi tiptoed downstairs, only exhaling in relief once she was safely away from the emergency exit.

From then on, her path was smooth—the chaos had drawn everyone’s attention, just as she’d hoped. No one noticed an experimental subject quietly making her escape.

Ye Mi soon reached the side of Rust Tide’s avatar, which had already merged with Gina again. Immediately, a strong metallic arm scooped up Ye Mi’s true body, and she vanished into the boundless night.

The night wind on her face filled her with an unprecedented sense of freedom.

Controlling three bodies at once, all while the mask drained her mental energy, had left Ye Mi nearly exhausted. She closed her true eyes, the images in her mind diminishing, and finally felt some relief.

Then, through Ian’s vision, she witnessed a startling scene—

Zero Watanabe stood in the middle of the corridor, katana in hand. Her long black hair was whipped up by the wind pouring through a shattered window, and her eyes blazed with red light. “Stop!”

With those two simple words, the rampaging monsters froze in place as one.

The carnage, which had turned the place into something out of hell, ceased at her command alone.

In the monitoring room, Ye Mi—Ian—watched in silence, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.

The greater the Bureau’s losses, the better for her. But alas, Zero Watanabe was simply too powerful; with a single command, every monster had been forced to halt.

Soon, the security team burst in.

“Dr. Ian! Explain what happened! Why did the containment area under your management experience a collective monster riot?”

The deputy director’s furious voice exploded from the communicator.

Ye Mi, controlling Ian, turned slowly to see Zero Watanabe—who had quelled the chaos with a single move—now standing in the doorway, blade pressed to her throat.

“That was quick,” Ye Mi replied with a careless smile, looking at Zero Watanabe.

“Why did you do this?” Zero tilted her head, her black pupils unfathomable.

Ye Mi curled her lips and, using Ian’s voice, answered softly, “For… freedom?”

Her tone and answer were utterly nonchalant. Zero Watanabe’s eyes flashed with confusion, but knowing she’d get no answer, she pressed no further. She readied herself to personally escort the instigator, Ian, to the deputy director.

Just as her pale but powerful hand gripped Ian’s arm, preparing to restrain her, silver liquid suddenly shot from the sleeve of the lab coat!

Zero Watanabe was, after all, a B-rank ability user. Even if her power leaned more toward function than force, her enhanced body reacted with lightning speed. Her blade flashed coldly, severing the silver liquid.

Even so, caught off guard, a few droplets spattered onto her wrist, instantly seeping into her skin. At a glance, nothing seemed amiss—her fair wrist still only traced with pale blue veins.

But Zero Watanabe had clearly seen the silver liquid disappear.

“What was that?”