Chapter 370: Harder Better Faster Stronger
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Morin leaped up with a kip-up, landing on one knee. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for air.
He felt like he had been tossed into a washing machine, spun three hundred times, and wrung dry. Every single part of his body ached.
Yet at the same time, an unprecedented, savage power frantically surged from every cell in his bones and limbs!
It felt like a parched riverbed suddenly welcoming a torrential flood.
He could clearly hear the violent "thump, thump, thump" of his own heartbeat. Each beat pounded like a drum, pumping blood filled with explosive power throughout his body.
The world before him, previously blurred by the negative energy erosion, now snapped into unnatural clarity.
The dim light in the passage, the dust floating in the air, the tense expressions on the distant soldiers’ faces, and even the faint ripples left by bullets cutting through the air—he could see all of it with crystal clarity.
Even more wonderfully, his mind felt sharper than ever before.
Countless chaotic thoughts and illusions flooded into his mind like a tide.
"This... this is too good!!!"
Morin jerked his head up and let out an incomprehensible low roar at the ceiling.
It was a language from another world that no one around him could understand.
A sudden silence fell over the surroundings once again.
Kahn was dumbfounded.
Master Haber was dumbfounded.
Seeing this, the Section III intelligence operative facepalmed.
He looked at the young Lieutenant Colonel who had suddenly stood up and started speaking gibberish, his face scrunching up like a bitter melon.
Turning to Master Haber, wanting to cry but lacking tears, the Section III Captain complained, "Look at this, Master... I told you we shouldn’t use unknown drugs! Great. You saved his life, but you turned him into an idiot."
Master Haber also looked completely bewildered.
Looking into Morin’s eyes, which flickered with an eerie light, he felt a wave of apprehension.
Did this potion... have hallucinogenic or brain-damaging side effects on top of physical enhancement?
It’s over, it’s all over. I’ve caused a massive disaster.
Did I just turn a rising star of the military into a fool?
Setting aside whether they could even make it back alive, if they did, wouldn’t His Majesty the Emperor and the military brass hang him from the Dresden bell tower to air-dry?
Just as the two men turned ashen, pondering how to clean up this mess...
Morin, who had fallen into some sort of manic state under the potion’s influence, suddenly calmed down.
He slowly turned his head. His still-bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at the intelligence operative.
"Who said I’m an idiot?"
His voice sounded a bit hoarse, but his enunciation was clear, and his logic seemed perfectly normal.
"Huh?" The operative froze.
"I’m perfectly fine."
Morin stood up straight and stretched his limbs, producing a series of popping sounds like firecrackers.
He felt better than ever before.
The wound on his chest corroded by negative energy had already begun to heal slowly. The surging vitality within his body slowly repaired old injuries.
Heinrich hadn’t lied about this; the vitality and resistance of the ’Sentinels’ stemmed from this technology. The second-generation ’Sentinel’ modification potion was indeed his latest technological masterpiece. Without needing modification surgery, the potion’s power alone demonstrated human enhancement effects in a short amount of time.
Morin felt filled with endless strength, confident he could punch a cow to death right now.
His mind reached a peak state of excitement, feeling as though he could stay awake for three days and three nights, then go run a triathlon.
[Second-Generation ’Sentinel’ Modification Potion Activated]
[Current Modification Level: 5%]
[Without guidance from additional enhancement methods, the short-term modification limit is 20%]
[Potion impurities and addictive effects have been purified; long-term injections are not required to maintain the enhanced state]
[Strength, Constitution, Agility, Reflexes, and Magical Affinity have increased]
The system interface refreshed several messages in a row. Morin noticed the "guidance from additional enhancement methods" in the third message, which likely referred to the supplementary training required after injecting the potion.
In other words, to reach a 100% modification effect, he would still need a period of supplementary training later.
The fourth message about purifying impurities and addiction left Morin with a wave of lingering fear. He couldn’t help but marvel at how reckless Master Haber had been, while silently thanking the "System’s Divine Power" in his heart.
In this bizarre world, it would be truly hard to survive without a cheat.
"Sir!"
"Your Excellency, Lieutenant Colonel!"
Seeing their commander "return from the dead," the surrounding instruction unit soldiers let out cheers of surviving a disaster.
Their depressed morale ignited instantly!
"Alright, stop shouting. We aren’t out of danger yet!"
Morin waved his hand, quickly putting his military uniform and chest rig back on.
He glanced at the battlefield; the situation remained unoptimistic.
Although the instruction unit soldiers temporarily blocked the ’Sentinels’ charge using the wall of fire, the flamethrower teams’ fuel was bottoming out.
"Flamethrower teams! How much longer can you hold?!" Morin shouted.
"Reporting, sir! The pressure gauge has reached the red line; two more bursts at most!" a flamethrower soldier yelled back.
Two bursts. Including the continuous burning time, that only meant another half a minute of fire.
Once the wall of fire vanished, those fearless ’Sentinels’ would charge up again.
On the other side, the two Highland Mages entangled by the [Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound] had disappeared. Only the giant German Shepherd composed of mana stood guarding the other side of the passage.
Time pressed; they needed a quick resolution...
Morin quickly stretched his body. After confirming his motor skills were fine and that he had even gained a minor boost to his strength, constitution, and agility, he began to prepare his "buff stacking routine."
[Magic Weapon (Upcast)][Enhance Ability][Haste][Blade Ward][Greater Invisibility][Mage Armor (Empowered)]...
As the casting of [Greater Invisibility] succeeded, Morin’s figure vanished into thin air right before everyone’s eyes.
Simultaneously, the wall of flames at the front of the passage slowly extinguished as the fuel ran out.
"Roar!"
The suppressed ’Sentinels’ let out frenzied roars, charging the instruction unit’s position once more!
However, just the instant the ’Sentinel’ leading the charge was about to step out of the flame zone...
"Bang!"
A muffled, powerful gunshot erupted without warning in the passage.
A massive, bloody hole burst open on that ’Sentinel’s’ chest. Like being struck by an invisible sledgehammer, he flew backward, crashing heavily into his companions behind him.
It was a slug from the double-barreled shotgun!
But the problem was, neither the instruction unit soldiers nor the attacking ’Sentinels’ could see Morin.
This was the defining trait of [Greater Invisibility]—attacking did not break the invisibility effect.
The first blast of the double-barreled shotgun played the prelude to the harvest in the narrow corridor.
"Bang! Bang!"
"Bang! Bang!"
The double-barreled shotgun’s unique, rhythmic "double-tap" echoed continuously down the passage.
With every round of gunfire, a charging ’Sentinel’ let out a frustrated roar and dropped to the ground.
Though surgically enhanced, the ’Sentinels’ still fundamentally fell within the realm of carbon-based lifeforms.
Perhaps they could tank several rifle bullets with their physical bodies. But facing bear-hunting slugs, especially ones reinforced by [Magic Weapon]...
What they couldn’t withstand, they still couldn’t withstand.
The terrifyingly powerful enchanted slugs blew hideous, bloody holes through their chests and heads.
The out-of-control ’Sentinels’ were completely stunned.
They sensed the deadly attacks nearby, but their eyes could not catch the enemy’s figure.
That invisible enemy roamed freely through their formation like a ghost. Every strike inevitably took a companion’s life.
The out-of-control ’Sentinels’ descended into chaos. They stood back-to-back, firing wildly in all directions, attempting to flush out the unseen enemy. But it was all in vain.
Under the multiple buffs of [Greater Invisibility], [Haste], and [Enhance Ability], Morin transformed into a true phantom.
Not to mention the physical enhancements brought by the second-generation modification potion.
While singling out each buff might not seem like much, stacking them all together yielded unexpected results, much like a traditional "buff stacking routine."
The "status bar" at the bottom of his vision bristled with "Buff icons," looking just like a raid in DNF.
However, although those ’Sentinels’ had lost control, the combat logic branded deep into their souls still functioned.
After consecutively losing seven or eight companions yet failing to lock onto the invisible enemy, they quickly chose the optimal solution for the current situation.
Since they couldn’t hit the invisible enemy, they would first eliminate his visible companions!
The remaining ’Sentinels’ suddenly abandoned their search for Morin. Roaring, they charged toward the rest of the instruction unit with clear targets!
They intended to shred this defense line in the shortest time possible to force the hidden enemy out!
"Oh no! They’re charging us!" Kahn’s face changed. He shouted loudly, "Stop them! Fire at will!"
The soldiers reacted instantly, pouring all their firepower into the charging ’Sentinels.’
But this time, lacking the area-of-effect suppression of the flamethrowers, the ’Sentinels’ displayed powerful frontal assault capabilities.
They no longer charged blindly in straight lines. Instead, they adopted a scattered formation, utilizing zigzag movements to continuously evade bullets.
They were too fast, drawing blurry afterimages in the narrow corridor.
In the blink of an eye, they crossed the distance where they had been suppressed, charging within a ten-meter range—the casting distance of [Steel Wind Strike].
And once they broke in, Kahn and the others knew very well that they were no match for these ’Sentinels’ in close-quarters combat!
At this critical moment.
A massive, faintly glowing phantom suddenly appeared out of thin air on the ’Sentinels’’ flank.
It was a giant hand composed of pure force field energy, as large as a small radiant crystal vehicle!
Tier-5 Evocation School Spell: [Bigby’s Hand]
[You designate an unoccupied space you can see within range, creating a faintly glowing giant hand there. The hand remains for the spell’s duration and obeys your commands, moving in a manner that mimics your hand.]
The spell scroll Morin had seized from a Britannian Highland Mage back during the Battle of Amiens finally came into use at this moment!
The instant the giant hand appeared, it swept out with overwhelming force toward the charging ’Sentinels’!
"Boom!"
The scene looked like an adult swatting away a swarm of annoying flies.
The several ’Sentinels’ charging at the front didn’t even have time to react before the giant hand’s sweep brutally slammed them against the wall.
The sturdy concrete wall cracked into a spiderweb pattern upon impact.
The bodies of those ’Sentinels’ were crushed like they had been run over by a steamroller. Their bones shattered and their flesh mangled, they turned into piles of mush that slid down the wall.
The ’Sentinels’ behind were startled by the sudden giant hand. They hit the brakes, trying to dodge.
However, the speed, strength, and "hit points" of the giant hand scaled with the caster’s stats.
Meaning, this current [Bigby’s Hand] was enhanced according to the stats of Morin, this "Captain Saxony."
Sweeping, slapping, grasping, crushing...
The actions were simple and crude but packed with devastating power.
There wasn’t much room to evade in the underground passage, and the giant hand’s attack range was boundless. Thus, in just a few short seconds, another five or six ’Sentinels’ were swatted against the wall by the merciless giant hand.
As the giant hand appeared, the effect of [Greater Invisibility] on Morin finally ended its one-minute duration.
His figure reappeared in everyone’s vision—
He maintained his one-handed shooting posture, while loosely gripping with his other hand to control the translucent giant hand.
His face bore a trace of pallor from intense mental focus, yet his eyes shone terrifyingly bright.
The tide of battle completely reversed at this moment.
The previously fearless ’Sentinel’ unit finally broke after suffering back-to-back stealth attacks and the crushing force of the giant hand.
One could say that in January 1915, the undisputed "Bigby’s Hand of the Year" had already been born...
The number of out-of-control ’Sentinels’ plummeted to three.
The combat logic implanted deep within their minds told them they could not defeat the enemy before them.
Retreat!
This was the first time the thought of retreating surfaced in their minds since losing control.
The three ’Sentinels’ turned around without hesitation, withdrawing into the darkness from which they came.
Morin snorted coldly. Controlling [Bigby’s Hand], he executed a "telekinetic grapple," catching the slowest ’Sentinel’ in its grasp.
Then, the five fingers closed.
"Crunch!"
A crisp sound of bones fracturing rang out as the ’Sentinel’ turned into a twisted mass of flesh under the giant hand’s squeeze.
The remaining two ’Sentinels’ took this chance to vanish into the deep darkness of the corridor without looking back.
Morin did not pursue them further.
The duration of [Bigby’s Hand] was only one minute, and it was now counting down. Furthermore, his mental energy drain was massive.
Most importantly, they had to evacuate immediately!
He glanced at the other end. The two Highland Mages were long gone, likely slipping away when they saw the situation turning sour.
Controlling the giant hand, Morin made a "retreat" hand signal toward Kahn.
Kahn understood immediately.
"Everyone! Alternating cover! Retreat toward the personnel passage!"
"Wounded first! Go, go, go!"
Under Kahn’s command, the surviving instruction unit soldiers began to move in an orderly fashion toward the passage entrance they came from.
They collected the IDs and dog tags from their fallen comrades, then quickly withdrew toward the personnel passage with the wounded.
A few of them, at Kahn’s gesture, swept several bursts into Heinrich’s corpse on the ground to finish the job.
"Is this good enough?"
"Let’s put another magazine into him..."
"If you ask me, we should chop off his head!"
"Too inefficient..."
Canceling the effect of Bigby’s Hand, Morin glanced at Heinrich on the ground and said,
"Just burn him!"
"Yes, sir!"
A flamethrower team that still had surplus fuel hurried over. Once the others stepped back to a safe distance, they directly spewed flames onto the necromancer on the ground.
In an instant, the entire corpse caught fire, quickly giving off a scorched smell.
"This should do it, right?"
"Throw in a few more grenades."
Soon, amidst the sounds of exploding grenades, Heinrich’s carbonizing corpse was completely blown to bits.
Morin and the others then withdrew into the ’Z’ shaped upward passage.
The second underground floor returned to silence.
Only the bullet casings, corpses, and the heavy smell of blood and charred flesh hanging in the air told the tale of the brutal battle that had just occurred.
"Hah... hah..."
Heavy panting echoed in the narrow and oppressive Z-shaped passage.
The relief of surviving intertwined with the grief of losing comrades, forming a suffocating silence.
No one spoke.
The surviving instruction unit soldiers silently supported the groaning wounded, climbing upward step by difficult step.
Morin walked at the back of the group. His face remained pale, but his eyes were unusually calm.
The massive attribute boost initially provided by the injection of the second-generation ’Sentinel’ potion was dropping to a suitable range as his body slowly adapted.
The extreme spike in physical attributes over a short period was clearly not something his current flesh could bear, which was why Heinrich had previously stated that this potion required long-term training to guide it.
So right now, what replaced it was a bone-deep sense of exhaustion.
But now was not the time to collapse... At the very least, he couldn’t fall until he led these surviving soldiers safely out of this hellhole.
Although there were still two Highland Mages underground, there was no time to deal with them now.
The exploration of the Paris underground research institute had yielded a considerable harvest, but the casualties were also severe. He didn’t want to lose any more of his soldiers.
The team quickly returned to the passage entrance, where the sentry post was set up.
The combat squad and flamethrower team stationed there looked pleasantly surprised to see them return.
But when they saw the sharply reduced numbers and the wounded, the smiles on their faces instantly froze.
"Sir... this..." Seeing the situation, the stationed sergeant couldn’t help asking.
"Don’t ask. Prepare to evacuate." Morin interrupted him directly, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
"Yes, sir!"
The stationed squad immediately joined the team and retreated together toward the first floor.
Who knows how much time passed.
On the second underground floor, the circular passage that had just witnessed a bloody battle remained deathly silent.
Suddenly, at the end of the corridor, two blurry figures silently emerged.
It was the two Highland Mages who had slipped away in the chaos.
They seemed very familiar with the structure of this underground research institute, so during the previous multiple battles, they managed to find suitable areas to hide themselves.
Now, these two equally exhausted Highland Mages cautiously stepped out from the shadows. Holding Webley revolvers, they vigilantly scanned the surroundings. After confirming there was no danger, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"It looks like the Saxons really left."
The slightly older mage said, his voice carrying the relief of surviving a disaster.
"Those Saxon barbarians... they’re simply a bunch of monsters!"
The younger mage said with lingering fear:
"Was that leader the ’Mage Killer’? No wonder he could single-handedly suppress so many ’Sentinels’..."
"It’s highly likely that man. Since he appeared here, it means the hunting operation over in Rouen failed..."
"Hmph, I knew those ’Spell Jaegers’ wouldn’t succeed!"
The young Highland Mage said grumpily:
"Wasted so many resources, only to train two squads of trash..."
The older mage nodded noncommittally. Then his gaze fell upon the ’corpse’ lying on the ground not far away.
Or rather, it could no longer be called a corpse, but a pile of charred flesh fragments.
The two Highland Mages exchanged a glance, then slowly walked over, attempting to locate the vital parts among the fragments on the ground.
"Is he... really dead?" the young mage asked uncertainly.
"Yes, his corpse is in this state."
"Then hasn’t our plan... failed?" A trace of disappointment appeared on the young mage’s face.
The most important reason they risked infiltrating this place under the escort of the Coldstream Task Force Company was to retrieve Heinrich.
The Britannian intelligence agency had long established a connection with this old mage who harbored resentment toward both Saxony and Gaul.
They promised that as long as Heinrich was willing to defect to Britannia with the core technology of the ’Sentinel Project,’ they would grant him treatment ten times better than the Gauls, and even confer him a hereditary noble title.
Heinrich agreed.
According to the original plan, he would use a laboratory accident to create chaos, destroy the defense forces of this underground research institute, and use [Feign Death] to deceive everyone.
He would then be retrieved by the Highland Mages who infiltrated the underground research institute, finally taking the core data and potions to evacuate through a secret passage known only to a few top brass.
But no one expected that the second-generation ’Sentinels’ would directly lose control.
Although it indeed completely destroyed the defense forces of the underground research institute according to Heinrich’s wishes, it also trapped the old mage underground.
Afterwards, it completely routed the Britannians who came to retrieve him. Had they not obtained the detailed structural blueprint of the underground research institute in advance, the Highland Mages of the task force might have all perished here.
What surprised them even more was that the Saxons had actually acquired the relevant intelligence for this operation, and a Saxon unit with such ferocious combat power had also fought their way in here.
All plans were thrown into disarray...
"What do we do now?" the young mage asked.
"The primary mission has failed. Let’s evacuate too. Once we leave the area of this underground research institute, we should be able to use a [Teleportation Circle]..."
The older mage pondered for a moment, then looked at the surviving mage beside him.
"What about the backup documents Heinrich prepared? Although we failed to bring back the potions and the necromancer, we can’t leave empty-handed."
"They’re in the hiding spot. But are those documents really useful? According to Heinrich, the main achievements are all in his head..."
Saying this, the young Highland Mage glanced at the fragments on the ground. Obviously, finding a brain among them was highly unlikely.
"Those documents can at least serve as some guidance. Since things have come to this, being able to bring the information back is what’s most important."
"Understood, Teacher."
(End of Chapter)
