Chapter Seventy-Three: The Thunder Fiend

"I've long heard of Professor Ten-Thousand Volts Yang's extraordinary gifts, and now that I see you today, you truly are remarkable. Your reputation hardly does you justice..."

Lowering his right hand, Faeron watched the creature before him with a faint, ambiguous smile. As the thick fog dissipated, the true form of the shadow was revealed. It was a massive man, his upper body completely bare, muscles bulging as if inflated. His mouth hung wide open, a vivid red tongue lolling out like a dog’s. Sticking out of his back were four or five thick, baton-like rods, sparking with blinding electrical light. A cascade of sparks erupted, and the creature’s body convulsed violently under the current, howling in pain, its blood-red eyes fixed on Faeron. Then, with a sudden, furious roar, it lunged straight at him.

At the same time, Faeron swiftly retreated, raising his left hand. With a sharp motion, several scalpels shot towards the monster. Yet none found their mark; the creature merely roared, and the rods on its back erupted with arcs of lightning that blasted the scalpels aside.

Witnessing this, Faeron raised an eyebrow.

So, it can even unleash a thunderbolt like Pikachu. What a troublesome ability.

More importantly, Faeron had already discovered through the fog that this creature was not alone.

It seems the time has come.

Without hesitation, Faeron spun around and vanished into the mist, quickly opening his system interface and accessing the communications channel. He expanded the group labeled "Harem Live Specimens."

"Eluca, can you hear me?"

Eluca's energetic voice responded almost instantly. "Yes, Commander! What are your orders?"

"Drive the Harmony from the west side to pick me up. The game is over. Now it's time for our lady driver to show her skills. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, Commander! I promise I won't let you down!"

Eluca, who had been timing her tea steeping, leapt up with excitement at Faeron’s command and dashed straight into the cockpit without so much as a backward glance.

"What is it, Eluca? What happened?" Krista and Corona were startled by Eluca’s sudden movement. Eluca, barely able to contain her excitement, rubbed her hands together and gripped the steering wheel.

"Commander has ordered the Harmony to charge at full speed. We're heading out!"

"What? Commander? No... Eluca, wait—don't—ahh!"

Corona’s face went utterly pale at the news. She hurried to her feet to protest, but before she could utter another word, Eluca floored the accelerator. The Harmony roared to life like a beast rudely awakened, surging forward with explosive force. Corona felt as if a monster’s hand seized her, flinging her small frame backwards. The poor girl barely had time to scream before she tumbled onto the sofa, clutching her head in confusion. On the other side, Krista frantically buckled her seatbelt, her face set with the grim resolve of a condemned prisoner awaiting execution, eyes fixed on the blur of night racing past the window.

Meanwhile, within the settlement, Faeron was running a deadly race with death itself.

Rat-tat-tat...

He flitted through the fog like a ghost, sprinting over rooftops at breakneck speed. Behind him, several dark shapes pursued relentlessly, snarling as they ran. Though their forms were vaguely human, the way they sprinted on all fours was more akin to dogs or wolves. Normally, humanoid creatures would find it hard to run so quickly on all fours, but these monsters defied all expectation. Not only that, Faeron noticed they seemed to possess some special means of communication. Over time, more and more monsters joined the chase, attacking from the sides and even trying to cut him off ahead.

How many of them are there, anyway?

From his brief encounters, Faeron was certain these monsters could emit high-voltage currents, and that this ability was not some mutation but the result of artificial modification. The reason was clear enough: every time they discharged, the rods on their backs would rise and spark. It was a matter of design.

Troublesome creatures, indeed...

As he sped forward, Faeron abruptly ducked low—just in time to dodge a claw that swiped past where his head had been. He did not counterattack. Instead, with his left hand, he pressed against the ground and launched himself upwards like a black bird piercing the sky, propelled by the mist at a speed and angle that defied physics. In midair, he spun around, and with a flick, several scalpels flashed from his sleeves towards his pursuers. Almost simultaneously, a shadow appeared before him, jaws wide, claws crackling with electricity, swiping straight at him.

They were so close now that Faeron could smell the fetid breath from the monster’s maw. But the sudden attack gave the creature no chance to react. Before its claws could reach him, the scalpels pierced the strange rods on its back. With a bang, the sparking rods exploded, and Professor Ten-Thousand Volts Yang howled, his body twisting and bursting apart like a ragdoll, crashing lifelessly to the ground.

This kind of game is hard on the heart...

Faeron paid his success no mind. Instead, he stepped into the air and activated "Shadow Glide." His cloak flared behind him like wings, and he soared forward, narrowly dodging another bolt of lightning.

The roars below rose and fell in waves, interspersed with wretched, hopeless screams. Evidently, the monsters, unable to reach Faeron, had turned their rage on others. Whether the victims were locals, soldiers, or slaves, Faeron did not care. He didn’t even glance down, but sped onward, ghost-like, through the fog. Using the rusted iron scaffolding as footholds, he quickly climbed higher until he reached a crane on the edge of the settlement. There he paused, squinting into the distance.

The appearance of these Professors Yang didn’t surprise him. After the Cataclysm, Faeron had seen every variety of mad faction: those who wanted to fuse humans with summoned beasts, those seeking to evolve humanity into higher beings, and even some who, inspired by too many apocalypse novels, thought eating pathogens raw would grant them power. But none of them ever had a protagonist’s luck, and most met their doom. Everything the Federation did now was just another desperate attempt by these madmen, nothing out of the ordinary.

Still, there certainly are a lot of them...

From their recent skirmishes, Faeron had estimated their strength: their electrical attacks rivaled those of Level Two ability users, and without the restraints of reason, their raw power and speed approached Level One physical enhancers. In other words, these creatures were almost on par with Faeron’s current abilities. If they possessed intellect, they would be formidable foes indeed. But it seemed such enhancements came at a steep price. Judging by their vacant, ruined minds, Faeron doubted they could think much at all—at best, they were attack dogs.

Unfortunately, their abilities countered his own. Faeron’s "Severance" required close contact to work, while these monsters could project high-voltage attacks from a distance. In any direct confrontation, the odds were unfavorable. His scalpels were metal—conductive, of course. While Faeron was confident he could cut through lightning, he wasn’t sure he could avoid getting hurt in the process. His fingers had already been scorched once; quick as he was, he was still no match for electricity.

No matter. If he couldn’t handle them himself, he’d let those who could take care of it.

With that thought, Faeron looked toward the distant wilderness.

In the darkness, bright lights shone like monstrous eyes. In an instant, the Harmony burst through the perimeter wall like an enraged bull, charging into the heart of the settlement.