124. Physical Examination
Watching Ganesha slowly disintegrate into data fragments, Elysia's eyes were filled with shock.
This was an Emperor-class Honkai Beast! It had been killed by a child, not even ten years old, with his bare hands.
Ling was panting heavily, his body already somewhat exhausted.
"Below the Emperor, all are ants"—this phrase best describes Emperor-class Honkai Beasts.
The difference between a Templar-class Honkai Beast and an Emperor-class Honkai Beast is not on the same level.
To put it bluntly, even if ten Templar-class Honkai Beasts attacked a single Emperor-class Honkai Beast, they probably wouldn't be able to suppress it.
Moreover, unlike the fixed abilities of Templar-class Honkai Beasts, each Emperor-class Honkai Beast possesses its own unique abilities.
Ganesha was likely a physical-type Honkai Beast that relied on ramming attacks, possessing immense attack and defense capabilities; ordinary weapons couldn't even penetrate its defenses.
Others, like Parvati, who can control ice and snow, and the Lava Emperor, who can spew magma at temperatures of thousands of degrees Celsius, etc...
"Ling, would you mind if I took you for a physical examination?" Elysia asked softly.
"No, I'm fine," Ling shook his head in rejection.
Ganesha's attack hadn't hit him, but its hide was too thick, making Ling's attacks somewhat futile; its defense completely wore him down.
"Of course I know Ling is fine, but Ling, you're really too powerful, so powerful that... um, it makes me feel like you're a Honkai Beast in human skin?" Elysia found an adjective for the situation.
This adjective is actually more suitable for a MANTIS Warrior, but Ling's performance is similar.
Actually, she was quite curious about who Ling and Kalpas really were, or rather, whether they were even human...
"..." Ling hesitated.
"Don't worry, it definitely won't harm your body in any way!" Elysia emphasized again.
"Please come with me, okay? Let's satisfy Sister Ely's curiosity." Elysia gently placed her hand on Ling's shoulder and began to shake it.
Seeing Elysia's expectant gaze, Ling nodded.
"Great! I knew Ling wouldn't refuse the beautiful Sister Elysia! Let's go now!" Seeing Ling agree, Elysia eagerly pulled him towards the distant laboratory.
"Mobius, could you please do Ling a physical exam?" Elysia had found the most skilled biologist at the Fire Moth.
"This isn't some patient's meeting place. Go to a hospital if you want a checkup." Mobius refused Elysia's request without even looking up.
"Ling isn't a patient, you know~" Elysia leaned forward slightly, whispering something in Mobius's ear.
Mobius raised an eyebrow, a look of interest in his eyes.
Killed an Emperor-class Honkai Beast with his bare hands, and is related to that Kalpas?
Elysia's words successfully caught Mobius's attention.
Under Elysia's enticement, Mobius began a physical examination on Ling.
"Please lie down on this," Klein said calmly.
"Okay," Ling nodded and lay down on an operating table.
Above the operating table, sophisticated instruments began a comprehensive scan of Ling's body.
Mobius carefully examined Ling's various physical indicators.
She quickly noticed something was wrong.
Because Ling was completely human...
However, this unusual physical strength was beyond human capabilities.
Even Mei's little follower couldn't achieve this level.
Its peculiarity was somewhat similar to that of Elysia and Kalpas.
Furthermore, she compared Ling's DNA with the collected blood sample from Elysia; there was no match.
In other words, he and Kalpas weren't related by blood.
"You and that Kalpas aren't related by blood?" Mobius asked.
"...Bloodline isn't the standard for judging family," Ling's words left Mobius speechless.
Although Mobius felt somewhat deceived, the fact that Ling could reach this level with a human body suggested there might be better ways to enhance the strength of the Fire Moth soldier.
After all, not everyone can accept becoming an 'MANTIS Warrior,' which means having the courage to abandon being 'human' and the resolve to face death.
Mobius suddenly felt an urge to dissect Ling, to study everything about him, to understand why he was so strong.
"Ling is just an ordinary child? To be able to train to this level is truly unbelievable." A smile played on Elysia's lips, her eyes flashing with surprise.
"If I continue this research, I might be able to uncover the mechanism behind his increased strength, which could be quite helpful to my research."
Mobius's face flushed, her gaze towards Ling now filled with naked greed.
"Ah…" a voice came from inside.
It was Klein who had stepped on a syringe and fallen face-first to the ground, but fortunately Ling caught her in time.
Mobius was puzzled.
Why would there be a syringe left on the lab floor? The lab was nothing like the living quarters.
Their living quarters were notorious for being chaotic, but the lab was always spotless. Given Klein's work ethic, she would never tolerate such a minor mistake.
"I'm sorry…" Ling helped Klein up and gave Klein an apology.
"?" Klein tilted her head, somewhat confused as to why Ling was apologizing.
Shouldn't she be thanking him for catching her before she fell?
"Why are you apologizing?" Klein finally asked, voicing her doubts.
"It must be because of me that you tripped and fell." Ling lay back down on the lab table.
"It was my own carelessness; it has nothing to do with you," Klein said expressionlessly.
"Also, thank you." With that, Klein started to walk outside.
However, she tripped again, bumping into a glass tube of some unknown liquid, and fell backward.
Ling seemed to have anticipated this, or rather, he was constantly watching her and caught Klein immediately, preventing her from hitting the ground.
"...I'm sorry," Ling repeated.
"…" Klein.
"Klein, come out first," Mobius instructed Klein.
This time, Klein carefully watched her step, but still bumped into the lab door frame…
"I…I think I'm having a bit of bad luck today," Klein rubbed her forehead.
Such a small mistake was made three times in just one minute...
Ling sat on the lab table, his eyes dim, knees bent, chin resting on his knees, his hands gently hugging his calves, curling himself into a ball.
...