Chapter 261: Aurora Jun's Identity

Chen Ling walked back in a daze, looking exactly like an awkward university graduate entering the workplace for the first time, his eyes clear but foolish.

As he got closer to Han Meng, the latter extended a hand and expressionlessly patted Chen Ling's shoulder.

"Chen Xin, I have high hopes for you."

"..." Chen Ling blinked.

"Asura is a very promising path, and I believe your future achievements will far exceed this..."

"But Deputy Captain, I've been stuck at Tier 1 for three years."

"...A dragon hidden in the abyss gathers strength to soar." Han Meng struggled for a long time before finally uttering these words.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I plan to train you well. You can follow me for a while, and I'll teach you how to develop your potential. When we return to headquarters, I'll introduce you... How does that sound?"

Chen Ling's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, Deputy Captain!"

"It's nothing," Han Meng said. "But you've probably noticed that Captain Qiong Xuan seems to be deliberately targeting me. So, if you report everything to him, it will give him leverage against me..."

"Deputy Captain, you've shown me such kindness and recognition. I will definitely stand by you!" Chen Ling replied firmly.

Han Meng saw the excitement in Chen Ling's eyes, nodded slightly, and knew he had successfully bluffed his way through this. He then turned and walked towards the third floor.

Chen Ling followed closely behind him without hesitation.

"Why did you follow?" Han Meng was startled.

"Didn't you say you wanted me to follow you for a while?"

"..." Han Meng was about to speak when he heard footsteps approaching from not far away. Deciding not to waste any more time, he walked straight into the depths of the corridor. "Fine... just stick close to me, and don't tell anyone about today's events, understand?"

"Understood!"

A faint smile played on Chen Ling's lips.

He wanted to go to the third floor even more than Han Meng, but he couldn't pass through the ritual artifact checkpoint. According to his original plan, he should have waited for Jian Changsheng to coordinate with him from the inside. But now that Han Meng, a variable, had appeared, there was another possibility: going in with Han Meng. He latched onto Han Meng's reluctance to let others know he had been to the third floor, constantly stalling for time, and with a "give it a try" mentality, he unexpectedly managed to slip in, which was a pleasant surprise.

As they passed through the corridor, the third floor of the Aurora Base appeared before them. Although the white-coated researchers coming and going were a little surprised to see them, upon seeing the Deputy Captain's insignia on Han Meng's chest, they looked away and continued with their work.

The black enforcer's trench coat moved through the corridor. Han Meng's peripheral vision caught the doors on either side, and through the glass, he saw the experimental subjects inside, his eyes slightly narrowing.

His expression visibly darkened.

Chen Ling also took in this scene. He had known about the human experiments at the Aurora Base before coming, so he wasn't surprised. But judging by Han Meng's expression, he seemed completely unaware of it.

Could he have entered the base specifically to investigate this?

Just then, the door of a laboratory was pushed open, and several figures in white coats emerged, pushing a medical bed.

"I think the dosage this time was a bit too much."

"It's only the first experiment, yet it caused such a violent reaction. I've never encountered a situation like this before."

"That was a full double dose... And he already had those incantations inside him. Combined, the actual content in his body has already exceeded the warning line!"

"Indeed, at this concentration, he could even irreversibly transform into a Calamity and completely lose control."

"Fortunately, his vital signs eventually stabilized..."

"The situation is too tricky; let's have Dr. Yi take over."

As they pushed the medical bed, they conversed seriously, paying no attention to Han Meng and Chen Ling walking by. As the two men's gaze fell upon the bed, their minds trembled.

The originally pristine white bedsheet had been stained pitch black. A figure completely covered in mysterious incantations lay on it like a corpse, its entire body swollen as if by water, its original appearance unrecognizable. Added to this was the mysterious black liquid constantly writhing behind it, sometimes turning into seaweed, sometimes into tentacles, and sometimes into an eyeball with three pupils, making anyone who saw it feel their scalp tingle.

After only a hasty glance, the white-coated researchers pushed the bed away, leaving Han Meng and Chen Ling staring blankly in the direction the monster had gone, even stopping in their tracks for a moment.

Even Chen Ling had never seen anything so bizarre... or rather, anyone?

"Deputy Captain..." Chen Ling couldn't help but ask, "What is the Aurora Base doing?"

Han Meng didn't answer. Beneath the cuffs of his enforcer's trench coat, his hands were clenched tightly, and fury blazed in his heart.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He strode directly towards the figures in white coats. Just as he was about to stop them and question them, a loud burp echoed from the adjacent corridor.

"Hiccup... Isn't that Deputy Captain Han Meng? What are you doing here?"

Han Meng turned his head. He saw Dr. Yi, bottle in hand, looking at them drunkenly, his eyebrows involuntarily raised.

"Dr. Yi," Han Meng said coldly, "You'd better give me an explanation."

"An explanation? An explanation for what?"

"These experiments."

"Oh, you mean these," Dr. Yi chuckled. He stepped forward, his stubbled face almost touching Han Meng's, staring into Han Meng's eyes. "What's wrong? Are you angry?"

"You're secretly conducting human-Calamity fusion experiments. How is this any different from the Fusion Faction, which is wanted by the Nine Great Realms?"

"Different? Of course there's a difference," Dr. Yi said, spreading his hands. "The Fusion Faction's goal is for humanity to merge and coexist with Calamities, to adapt to the living environment of the Grey Realm through species evolution... This is a heretical path that would completely dilute and collapse human genes, leading to species extinction. But we conduct experiments simply to protect the Aurora Realm."

"Conducting these experiments to protect the Aurora Realm?" Han Meng didn't believe a word of his nonsense, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. "Tell me, what does the Aurora Realm have to do with Calamity fusion??"

"You don't know?"

Dr. Yi raised the liquor bottle in his hand, took a deep swig, then slowly spoke with a heavy scent of alcohol, his tone full of self-mockery and sarcasm:

"The Aurora Lord, who created the entire Aurora Realm... is the very 'fusionist' you speak of, whom everyone condemns."

The moment his words fell, Han Meng and Chen Ling both froze in place.