The clone's steps were slow and heavy. Every step he took made the floor of the laboratory tremble slightly. The thick dark energy around him spread like a tangible entity. Everywhere it passed, the indicator lights on the experimental instruments flickered chaotically, and even several small instruments directly short-circuited, emitting a harsh current sound. His eyes were empty and lifeless, without any emotional fluctuations. Only the dark energy around him, like a hungry beast, locked tightly on Liam, exuding a terrifying sense of oppression.
"Liam, be careful! His brain development has reached 40%, and he is completely controlled by dark energy. He has no consciousness at all and will only execute killing orders!" Dr. Gray quickly stood in front of Liam, reminding him anxiously. At the same time, he rummaged through his backpack for usable energy weapons, but after running all the way, most of the weapons in the backpack were lost in the chaos, leaving only a few energy bombs and a spare energy syringe, which were simply no match for the clone.
Wang supported the cold experimental platform and struggled to stand up. Blood was still overflowing from the corner of his mouth. Looking at the clone who looked exactly like Liam, his eyes were full of shock and worry: "It's too terrible... The Shadow Leader actually used genes to cultivate such a powerful clone, and he can even forcibly develop his brain to 40%. If this clone gets the spiritual energy crystal fragment, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Logan stood in the corner of the laboratory, arms crossed, a mocking smile on his lips, and said in a cold tone: "Now you know how to be afraid? It's too late! This clone is a perfect experimental product that the leader spent countless efforts to cultivate. His physical body has been strengthened by dark energy, which is even stronger than Liam's. Moreover, his brain development is higher, and the dark energy he controls is more pure. Today, let you watch with your own eyes how Liam is defeated by his own clone, how he becomes the nourishment for the clone to enhance its strength!"
As soon as the words fell, the clone suddenly moved. His figure flashed like a ghost, and he rushed to Liam in an instant. His fist, filled with thick dark energy, smashed hard at Liam's chest. The speed was far beyond Liam's reaction limit. Liam didn't even have time to urge the energy in his body before he was hit by the fist. His body flew backward like a broken kite, hitting the experimental cabin behind him hard. With a crisp "click", the glass of the experimental cabin shattered instantly, and the nutrient solution inside gushed out. Liam spit blood, and the energy in his body became chaotic instantly.
"Liam!" Dr. Gray and Wang shouted in unison, their eyes full of anxiety. Dr. Gray immediately picked up an energy bomb and threw it at the clone. With a loud "boom", the energy bomb exploded, and a thick energy shock wave swept the entire field. But the clone only turned slightly sideways, and the dark energy around him automatically formed a solid energy shield. The impact of the bomb couldn't hurt him at all. Instead, it was rebounded by the dark energy around him. Dr. Gray and Wang were thrown away by the shock wave, hit the ground hard, and their injuries worsened again.
Liam struggled to stand up. There was a sharp pain in his chest, and the golden and black energy in his body was in chaos. A sharp pain came from his brain, as if countless needles were piercing crazily. Looking at the unharmed clone in front of him, his eyes were full of shock and unwillingness——his brain development had just reached 34%. Although he could take the initiative to control the symbiotic energy in his body, compared with the clone's 40% development, the gap was too big. Moreover, the clone had no consciousness, no scruples at all, and his shots were ruthless and decisive, not giving him any chance to breathe.
The clone didn't stop at all. He rushed to Liam again, gathered thick dark energy in his hands, formed a huge energy claw, and grabbed Liam hard. Liam gritted his teeth, forced himself to calm down the chaotic energy in his body, urged the symbiotic energy in his brain, formed an energy shield around him again, and gathered the remaining energy in his fist, smashing hard at the clone's energy claw.
"Boom——" The golden and black energy collided violently with the dark energy, making a deafening explosion. The energy shock wave swept the entire field. The experimental instruments in the laboratory were all overturned. Broken test tubes and scattered experimental data flew all over the sky. Liam only felt a huge force coming from his fist, his arm went numb, and his body couldn't help but take more than a dozen steps back. Blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth again. The sharp pain in his brain became more and more intense, and the dark energy in his body became restless again, showing signs of backlash.
As for the clone, he only took two steps back slightly. The dark energy around him was still thick, and his eyes were still empty, as if the collision just now had no effect on him. He raised his hand, wiped the non-existent blood from the corner of his mouth, and rushed to Liam again. His shot speed was faster than before, and his strength was even stronger. Every attack was full of destructive momentum, forcing Liam to retreat repeatedly, with no chance to fight back.
"It's useless, Liam, you are no match for him at all!" Logan sneered and said in a mocking tone, "Give up resistance, obediently become his nourishment, and maybe I can let you die a little easier! Otherwise, you will only be torn to pieces by him bit by bit, watching your energy being absorbed by him bit by bit, watching your brain being completely swallowed by dark energy!"
Liam's face became paler and paler. His physical strength and energy were rapidly consumed. The hum in his brain became more and more intense, and his vision began to blur. Looking at the clone approaching step by step in front of him, looking at Logan mocking in the corner, looking at Dr. Gray and Wang who were injured on the ground, the unwillingness and anger in his heart kept surging. He thought of Elena who was controlled, of Kane who was in a coma, and of the Shadow Leader's evil conspiracy. A powerful force was quietly awakening in his body.
"I can't give up..." Liam muttered to himself, his voice weak but firm, "I have to rescue Dr. Elena, I have to rescue Kane, I have to stop the Shadow Leader's conspiracy, I can't be defeated like this!" As soon as the words fell, a strong hum suddenly came from Liam's brain. The symbiotic energy in his body surged instantly. The golden and black light on the collar flickered frantically, the crack expanded again, and even golden light overflowed from the crack. The golden and black energy around him became thicker and purer than before.
At the same time, on the experimental platform in the center of the laboratory, the spiritual energy crystal fragment in the transparent container suddenly emitted a dazzling pure light. The light became brighter and brighter, penetrating the transparent container and spreading towards Liam. The energy of the crystal fragment was pure and warm, resonating strongly with the symbiotic energy in Liam's body, as if responding to the obsession in Liam's heart, as if helping him control the energy in his body and improve the progress of brain development.
"What is that?!" Logan's face changed drastically, his eyes full of shock. He never thought that the spiritual energy crystal fragment would take the initiative to emit light and resonate with Liam's symbiotic energy. "No! Stop him quickly! Don't let Liam absorb the energy of the crystal fragment, otherwise, the clone will not be his opponent!"
Logan quickly winked at the Shadow members around him. Several Shadow members immediately raised their energy weapons and shot at Liam, trying to stop Liam from absorbing the energy of the crystal fragment. Seeing this, Dr. Gray immediately struggled to stand up, picked up an energy bomb on the ground, and threw it at several Shadow members. With a loud "boom", several Shadow members were hit by the bomb, fell to the ground, and lost their combat effectiveness. But Dr. Gray also fainted again because he was exhausted.
Wang looked at Dr. Gray who was in a coma, his eyes full of anxiety. He struggled to crawl to an experimental instrument that could still be used, trying to start the instrument to interfere with the clone's actions. But just as the instrument was started, it was hit by a dark energy beam waved by the clone casually. The instrument short-circuited instantly, emitting a harsh current sound, and was completely scrapped. Wang was hit by the current, his body twitched slightly, blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth again, and he had no strength to stand up anymore.
At this time, Liam was already wrapped in the light of the spiritual energy crystal fragment. The pure crystal energy poured into his body continuously, merging with his symbiotic energy, repairing his damaged physical body, stabilizing the chaotic energy in his body, and at the same time promoting the progress of his brain development, increasing little by little. He could feel that the connection between his brain and symbiotic energy was becoming closer and closer, the golden and black energy in his body was becoming stronger and stronger, and the previous fatigue and pain were disappearing little by little.
Seeing this, a strange light flashed in the clone's eyes, as if stimulated by the energy of the spiritual energy crystal fragment. He suddenly accelerated his speed and rushed to Liam. He gathered more powerful dark energy in his hands, formed a huge dark energy ball, and smashed it at Liam hard, trying to shatter both Liam and the light of the crystal fragment.
Liam slowly opened his eyes, and his eyes were shining with dazzling golden and black light. His brain development progress had been increased to 38% with the help of crystal energy! He could clearly perceive the clone's attack, easily control the symbiotic energy in his body, and even perceive every trace of energy fluctuation around him. He raised his hand and waved gently, and the golden and black energy around him instantly gathered into a huge energy shield. At the same time, he integrated the crystal energy into it, making the shield more solid and dazzling.
"Boom——" The dark energy ball smashed hard on the energy shield, making a deafening explosion. The energy shock wave swept the entire field. Dense cracks appeared on the walls of the laboratory, as if they would collapse at any time. This time, the clone was thrown away by the shock wave, hitting the wall of the laboratory hard. The wall shattered instantly. The clone spit black blood, and the dark energy around him became chaotic instantly, obviously suffering considerable damage.
Liam slowly stood up. The golden and black light around him was still dazzling. His face had recovered a little ruddy. The energy in his body was stable and powerful. The sharp pain in his brain disappeared completely, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and sense of control. Looking at the injured clone in front of him, there was no mercy in his eyes, only a firm gaze——this clone was an evil product of the Shadow Leader, a tool used to hurt his companions and realize his conspiracy. He must destroy him.
"Impossible... This is impossible!" Logan's face turned pale, his eyes full of shock and disbelief, "How could you increase your brain development to 38% in such a short time? How could you control the energy of the crystal fragment? This is impossible!" Logan's tone was full of fear. He never thought that things would reverse like this. He originally thought that he was sure to win, but now, Liam's strength was far beyond his imagination.
Liam ignored Logan's shock and fear. He walked slowly towards the clone. The golden and black energy in his body surged slightly. Every step he took, the energy fluctuation around him became stronger and stronger. The clone struggled to stand up, and the dark energy around him gathered again. His eyes became more empty and violent. He rushed to Liam again. This time, he tried his best to make a final counterattack.
Liam's eyes condensed. His figure flashed and he rushed to the clone in an instant. His speed was several times faster than before, even exceeding the clone's reaction speed. He reached out and firmly grabbed the clone's arm. The golden and black energy poured into the clone's body continuously along the arm, trying to destroy the dark energy in the clone's body and the dark chip in his brain.
The clone struggled violently, making a low roar. The dark energy around him was frantically restless, trying to resist Liam's golden and black energy. But at this time, Liam's brain development had reached 38%. The golden and black energy he controlled, combined with the pure energy of the spiritual energy crystal fragment, was simply not something the clone could resist. The golden and black energy poured into the clone's body like a tide, swallowing his dark energy bit by bit, and destroying his body bit by bit.
"No——!" Looking at this scene, Logan's eyes were full of despair. He knew that the clone had completely lost the chance of winning. If the clone was destroyed, he could not explain to the Shadow Leader at all. He gritted his teeth, picked up an energy rifle on the ground, injected all the remaining energy in his body into the rifle, and shot hard at Liam's back, trying to sneak attack Liam and save the clone.
Just as the energy beam was about to hit Liam's back, a familiar figure suddenly rushed over, stood in front of Liam, and blocked the energy beam with his own body. "Puff——" The energy beam hit the body, making a dull sound. The figure groaned, spit blood, and slowly fell down.
"Dr. Elena!" Liam shouted loudly, his eyes full of shock and grief. He quickly let go of the clone and rushed to Elena, holding her tightly in his arms. Elena's face was as pale as paper, her breath was weak, and her body was covered with scars. Obviously, she broke free from the Shadow Leader's control, tried her best to rush here, and saved him.
Elena slowly opened her eyes, looked at Liam, and a weak smile appeared on her lips. She said weakly: "Liam... It's good that you're okay... I knew you could do it... You must... You must get the spiritual energy crystal fragment, you must stop the Shadow Leader's conspiracy... You must... Protect everyone..."
"I know, Dr. Elena, I know!" Liam's eyes were full of tears, and he said firmly: "Don't worry, I will definitely do it, I will definitely rescue everyone, I will definitely stop the Shadow Leader's conspiracy, you must hold on, Dr. Gray will save you, we will all save you!"
Logan looked at Elena lying in Liam's arms, his eyes full of anger and unwillingness. He didn't expect that Elena would break free from control and rush here to ruin his plan. He raised the energy rifle again, wanting to shoot again, but at this moment, a cold and familiar voice suddenly came from the door of the laboratory, with a suffocating pressure, instantly covering the entire laboratory.
"Logan, you are such a loser. You can't even do such a small thing well. You even let Elena break free from control and let Liam's brain development progress increase again. How dare you see me?"
Everyone looked up and saw the Shadow Leader slowly walking in from the door of the laboratory. The dark energy around him was thicker than before. His scarlet eyes emitted cold light, and his eyes were firmly locked on Liam and Elena, his tone full of anger and killing intent. His dark energy shield had been repaired, and there were no scars on his body. Obviously, he had recovered all his energy, even stronger than before.
Logan trembled all over, quickly put down the energy rifle, knelt on the ground, shaking all over, and said in a terrified tone: "Leader... I'm sorry, I was wrong... Please give me another chance, I will definitely kill Liam, I will definitely get the spiritual energy crystal fragment, and make up for my mistakes!"
The leader sneered, his scarlet eyes swept over Logan, and said in a cold tone: "Chance? You have no chance left." As soon as the words fell, the leader raised his hand and waved, a dark energy beam shot at Logan instantly. Logan didn't even have time to react before being hit by the energy beam. His body was instantly swallowed by dark energy, turned into a pool of black water, and completely disappeared on the floor of the laboratory.
Watching Logan being killed instantly, Liam's face became solemn. He held Elena tightly and protected her behind him. The golden and black energy in his body gathered again. He stared firmly at the Shadow Leader and said in a cold tone: "Shadow Leader, your opponent is me. If you have any skills, just come at me! Don't hurt my companions, don't try to get the spiritual energy crystal fragment, your conspiracy will never succeed!"
The leader sneered, his scarlet eyes swept over Liam, his tone full of disdain and greed: "Liam, do you think that with your 38% brain development progress and that little crystal energy, you can compete with me? Too naive! Today, I will not only get the spiritual energy crystal fragment, but also absorb the symbiotic energy in your body, destroy your brain, make you a sacrifice for my experiment, let the clone completely replace you, and realize my great conspiracy!"
As soon as the words fell, the leader raised his hand and waved. The dark energy around him surged instantly, converging into countless dark energy beams, shooting at Liam, Elena, Wang, and Dr. Gray who was in a coma. At the same time, the clone seriously injured by Liam also struggled to stand up. The dark energy around him became restless again, rushing towards Liam's back, forming a pincer attack.
Liam's face changed drastically. He had to protect his companions behind him, deal with the leader's attack, and guard against the clone's sneak attack from behind, falling into an unprecedented desperate situation. He could feel that the leader's strength was far stronger than the clone's. Even if his brain development reached 38% and he fused with crystal energy, it was difficult to deal with the attacks of both at the same time.
At this critical moment, the spiritual energy crystal fragment in the center of the laboratory suddenly emitted a more dazzling light. The light penetrated the entire laboratory, even illuminating every corner of the second basement floor. The crystal fragment slowly rose from the transparent container and floated in the air. Pure energy gushed out continuously, not only spreading towards Liam, but also towards Elena, Wang, and Dr. Gray, repairing their damaged bodies and enhancing their energy fluctuations.
Liam could feel a powerful energy coming from the spiritual energy crystal fragment, integrating into his body. His brain development progress was rapidly increasing, 38%, 39%, 40%... In the blink of an eye, it increased to 40%, which was the same as the clone's development progress! Moreover, the golden and black energy in his body became more pure and powerful. The connection between his brain, symbiotic energy, and crystal energy became unprecedentedly close. He could even feel that he could control every trace of energy around him and predict every attack of the leader and the clone.
"What... What's going on?!" The Shadow Leader's face changed drastically, his eyes full of shock and fear. He never thought that the spiritual energy crystal fragment would suddenly awaken, burst out such powerful energy, and even take the initiative to increase Liam's brain development progress. "Impossible! How could the spiritual energy crystal fragment have such powerful strength? This is impossible!"
Liam slowly stood up, wrapped in golden and black light and crystal light. His eyes were firm and cold, and his tone was full of strength: "Shadow Leader, there are many things you don't know. The strength of the spiritual energy crystal fragment is far stronger than you think. It will not be controlled by evil. It will only help justice and stop your conspiracy! Today, let me end you, end your evil experiments, and avenge those innocent people!"
As soon as the words fell, Liam's figure flashed and he rushed between the leader and the clone instantly. The golden and black energy in his body merged with the crystal energy, converging into a huge energy beam, shooting hard at the leader and the clone. The leader and the clone's faces changed drastically. They quickly gathered dark energy to form a huge energy shield, trying to resist Liam's attack.
"Boom——" The golden and black crystal energy collided violently with the dark energy, making a deafening explosion. The energy shock wave swept the entire field. The walls of the laboratory collapsed completely, gravel flew all over the sky, and the ice layer on the second basement floor trembled accordingly, as if the entire underground base was going to collapse. The leader and the clone were thrown away by the shock wave, hit the ground hard, spit blood, and the dark energy around them became chaotic instantly, suffering fatal injuries.
Liam stood in place, the light around him was still dazzling. His brain development progress had increased again to 41% in the attack just now! Looking at the injured leader and clone on the ground, there was no mercy in his eyes, only a firm gaze. He knew that the battle was not over yet. The Shadow Leader had not been completely defeated. He must pursue the victory, completely end this evil conspiracy, rescue all the controlled people, and return peace to the world.
At this moment, the second basement floor suddenly trembled violently. The ice layer began to collapse on a large scale, and gravel kept falling from the top. Obviously, the energy collision just now had damaged the structure of the underground base, and the underground base was about to collapse. Liam's face changed drastically. He knew that they didn't have much time left. They must defeat the leader and the clone as soon as possible, rescue their companions, and leave here. Otherwise, everyone would be buried in the underground base and become eternal sacrifices.
A more intense battle was about to break out again; a decisive battle related to everyone's fate was quietly staged. Liam's brain development path was still continuing, and his mission had just begun. Could he completely defeat the Shadow Leader and the clone? Could he get the complete spiritual energy crystal fragment? Could he rescue all his companions? Could he stop the evil conspiracy of the Shadow Organization? Everything would be revealed in this desperate decisive battle.