For readers hoping for a darker development, specifically directed at Hila, know that I have no plans to do so.
Even in the original, Hila hurt Han Xiao much more than she hurt Ringo, to the point of breaking bones during every training session. Yet, he still forgave her because he knew she only wanted to help and had no real desire to hurt him.
So, if you read the original to the end and the fact that Han Xiao didn't torture her didn't bother you, I see no reason to be bothered by it now.
The MC will soon return to a normal personality, quite different from the current one, so don't expect an edgy MC who goes around killing people all the time. My MC is neutral, like all my novels. I'm sorry if that doesn't please you, but I have no interest in pursuing the story from that angle.
--x--
-Well, but what do you plan to do now? - He thought it might sound offensive and continued. - I'm going to Stardragon. I asked one of the guards and found out we're on the southern continent, near Stardragon.
-Stardragon... - Memories of two lives came flooding back, one written and one lived. He remembered the place. He didn't remember the exact plot, but at that point, he thought Stardragon wasn't very useful to him. Still, he needed to get his bearings for a while, then he could get stronger! - Sure, why not? I can follow you for a while.
Ringo could only remember fragments of his past, aside from a certain recurring nightmare, nothing that would lead him to discover who owned this body or if he had any family or friends.
Han Xiao felt safer with Ringo by his side, so he nodded. Despite the man's obvious madness, he seemed normal most of the time and was strong enough to protect him during his initial weak phase.
--x--
Hila arrived at the base with an irritated look on her face, the phone call with her boss telling her to return before she could even find her sister...
The base was desolate, there were no guards, everyone had died in Ringo and Han Xiao's advance. The ground was covered in blood, with missing body parts scattered randomly across the floor.
Some had their chests punctured, others had their throats slit, and even their heads crushed.
Hila saw a lot, but it almost made her vomit.
Even Han Xiao, at the time, held it in only because he'd seen much worse while playing Galaxy.
Ringo didn't care, not because it didn't affect him or because he'd gotten used to it, but because he was crazy. His madness was a form of protection for a reason. If he could laugh while the scientists removed pieces of his liver without anesthesia, then he could laugh at their brain material scattered across the floor.
Soon, a frightened researcher was brought in by Hila's guards. Still trembling, she turned to him and asked. -What happened?
-I really don't know, I just heard the narration over the comm. Surveillance was the first to go down, then security yelled from time to time before everything went silent. I didn't dare leave my hiding place. - The scientist shook his head, still trembling, and the rancid smell coming from him made Hila's irritated state even more disgusted.
-What do you know?! - she asked dangerously, wrinkling her nose.
-I heard them saying Zero rebelled. I thought it was absurd, but it was repeatedly confirmed, then... then Zero released Six. - The man swallowed hard.
Hila's eyes widened and her face fell, cold sweat running down her back and blood draining from her face.
-Six ran away?! - She screamed furiously.
-From what I heard, yes, they said... they said he didn't take bullet damage, didn't flinch from shock, could cut through steel with his claws, a lunatic with a smile on his face. I didn't hear much else, communications were constantly dying. - The researcher trembled even more. - I heard all the Six researchers had their hearts ripped out...
Hila trembled slightly, remembering Six's look at her, that madness, that... she didn't know if she was right, but she felt like Six's look at her was wrong, very wrong.
She felt like a piece of meat in front of him. She never really knew what that look meant, but Lin Wei Xian said it was probably physical attraction. He'd tested it with a few other women, but none of them attracted Six as much as she did, even when they took off their clothes.
Lin Wei Xian wanted to do some experiments on it, but she vehemently refused.
Now this lunatic was out there, even worse, she saw the scared boy turn into that. She remembers seeing him cry as he became "Six." She also remembers seeing the changes in his gaze over the following months. Fear and panic turned to numbness and confusion, until it reached... madness. She felt incredibly guilty about it, but there was nothing she could do. She had her sister to care for, so she pushed away any irrelevant feelings. Only her sister mattered!
But even thinking back to this point, Ringo's eyes on her... she always felt this wasn't over. She knew, felt it in her gut, he would come after her. It made her afraid, not for herself, but for Aurora... if she were gone... what would happen to Aurora?!
What if he decided to get revenge on her through Aurora?!
She turned suddenly. - Come on! Let's hunt them down!
She returned to the refueled helicopter to call her boss, buried beneath the fear and desire to kill Six before he got stronger. Even though she felt sorry for him, she knew that with his skill, it would only be a matter of time before he came looking for her, and she didn't know if she could withstand his fury.
As for thinking Six would forgive her for being attracted to her? She wasn't that naive, she knew he would probably vent everything out on her body before brutally murdering her.
What she didn't know was that through hormonal and psychological analysis, Lin Wei Xian had long ago discovered that Six not only wouldn't kill Hila, but viewed her possessively. His desire to possess her made the possibility of his killing her virtually zero.
Lin Wei Xian and the Leader were actually planning to use his "love" for her to try to control him, which is why he was still there. Hila would be the key to controlling him. Not that she knew it, but she could tell from Six's look that it wasn't love he felt, it was probably the deepest obsession born from a traumatic event, like clinging to a weapon after fighting in a war. But she wasn't sure what the lunatic would do to her. Regardless, she couldn't die! Not without saving Aurora! So she quickly called the boss and recounted the entire incident.
The boss was silent for a long time.
-Zero... you really caused me a lot of trouble.- The leader's enraged voice was still low, but his fury was unmistakable. The leader looked deeply at Hila before saying, - You go after them. I'll send the Night Owl to contain them and give you time to catch up.
Hila still wanted to see her sister. She instinctively wanted to complain, but she remained silent, knowing she had to deal with Six. There was no time for pauses now.
The leader was truly angry this time. Zero was irrelevant. Six, on the other hand, was not only a hidden danger, but also the perfect experimental subject! The leader had big plans for Six, but everything was interrupted by Zero, so the anger he felt for him at this point was far greater than in the original book.
The One nearby gritted his teeth. He didn't care about Six, despite his power. He was just another lab rat, but Zero... - Sir, let me pursue him too!
The leader looked at the one and agreed after some thought, but deep down, he was planning to re-brainwash all the test subjects. This time, they would use the harshest brainwashing methods, he couldn't take any more risks.
His vigilance for them also increased. If the reason for all this was the Valkyrie serum, he would need to keep an eye on this group of "cannon fodder."
...