Chapter Sixty-Four: Wealth That Cannot Be Taken Away

Wang Ling hid motionless in the ventilation duct, waiting for the commotion outside to subside. In a luxurious skyscraper like this, such ducts were indispensable; before breaking in, he had already planned to use them as a hiding place. Of course, he had prepared contingencies as well. If he couldn’t find a duct, he was ready to take a senior researcher hostage—or, failing that, to surrender. The researchers in this building would surely be interested in summoned individuals who had successfully mutated despite a ninety percent failure rate.

After all, only one week remained. Once that time was up, he could return to the Dream Space. Even if his attempt failed, Wang Ling was confident he could improvise and endure this brief stretch of time. It was pitch-dark when he’d stormed in, and with his summoned allies blocking pursuit, the security guards—delayed in their chase—hadn’t figured out how many people had actually entered the building. The technological level of the Double Dragon world allowed for guns and helicopters, but it wasn’t advanced enough to have security cameras or infrared alarms installed inside the building.

Having killed the hippie fat man, the mop-headed dwarf, and watched the brutish villain leap to his death, the guards searched every floor and knocked on every door. Finding no intruders left behind, they concluded that everyone who had entered was now dead.

Wang Ling quietly spent an entire day in the ventilation duct. Once he was certain there was nothing unusual outside, he climbed out. It was deep into the night again. The corridor lights inside the building flickered with a dim white glow. Wang Ling slipped off his shoes and, like a shadow, crept barefoot and soundless through the halls, making his way to the twentieth and topmost floor. There, he entered the restroom.

After all, everyone has to use the bathroom eventually.

Half an hour later, a drowsy researcher wandered in to relieve himself. As he finished and turned to leave, a sharp metallic weapon pressed against the back of his neck, its coldness shocking him awake. Just as fear spurred him to cry out, a firm hand clamped over his mouth.

“If you don’t want to die, don’t move or make a sound!”

Sensing the researcher’s struggle, Wang Ling continued, “I’ve infiltrated here only to obtain something. If you alert security, I’ll have no choice but to kill you out of spite.”

To emphasize his threat, the meteoric iron spearhead pricked the man’s skin, drawing a bead of blood. The researcher immediately froze, hairs standing on end. Wang Ling released his grip on the man’s mouth but kept the spearhead at his throat, closed the open restroom door, and dragged him into a stall.

“What do you want?” the researcher asked in a low voice.

Wang Ling studied his captive: a man in his fifties, scholarly in appearance, seemingly a shrewd and sensible person. He asked, “Are there any internal security forces in this building? What is your position? And what research do you conduct here?”

The old man whispered, “The building is tightly guarded on the outside, but to avoid disturbing our work, there’s no internal security. However, every week, a member of the Dark Fighters comes to inspect each lab. Can you move that weapon away from my neck? It’s really too dangerous. Don’t worry—most of us here are scientists kidnapped from all over by the Dark Fighters, not volunteers. We have no sense of belonging here and wouldn’t risk our lives for this place.”

Wang Ling shifted the spearhead away, and the old man breathed a sigh of relief—though his relief was short-lived when a pistol was immediately aimed at his head.

“My name is Kaspersky. I’m a Soviet biochemist—note, the Soviet Union hasn’t collapsed in this world—abducted by the Dark Fighters five years ago. I am now head of the Biochemical Mutation Department. There are three main research fields here: biochemical mutations, advanced metal alloys, and human modification…”

“Could we leave this place? Talking in the restroom isn’t exactly comfortable or safe—someone could walk in at any moment.”

After confirming that Kaspersky could not pull any tricks, Wang Ling followed him to his private quarters. This world had no bugs or surveillance devices, so the personal room was indeed far safer than the restroom.

Once inside and the door shut, Wang Ling immediately used his badge skill to summon three super Dark Fighters outside the door.

“Oh? Low-tier Dark Fighters who survived the enhancement serum—three of them, no less! How did you avoid death? These fighters are usually fiercely loyal to the organization. How are you able to control them?” Kaspersky’s scientific curiosity flared upon seeing the summoned men.

“You don’t need to know that. I’m here to obtain things like the enhancement serum. Once I have them, I’ll leave—I won’t interfere with your lives.”

After ordering the super Dark Fighters to encircle Kaspersky, Wang Ling sat on the sofa and glanced at a family photo on the coffee table. The photograph showed five people: the old man himself and, by their ages, his family and descendants.

Noticing Wang Ling looking at the picture, sorrow flashed in the old man’s eyes. “Since I was kidnapped, it’s been five years since I last saw my wife, my son, my lovely granddaughter.”

“If the Dark Fighters are destroyed, scientists like you could return home,” Wang Ling said, his tone unreadable.

“Too bad this evil organization is so powerful—it’s even infiltrated the US government. How could it ever be destroyed…” Kaspersky answered bleakly.

Wang Ling now believed the old scientist posed no threat. People can lie, but their eyes cannot. As a Dreamer, Wang Ling’s spiritual sensitivity was far above ordinary people’s, and he sensed no hostility from the man.

“My true identity is that of a secret agent for the International League—this world’s version of the United Nations. I was sent here on a mission to investigate the Dark Fighters’ secrets. I’ve seen many shocking things here, and once I return and submit my report, the International League will recognize the danger and take action against this evil organization. Don’t worry—you won’t be stuck here much longer.”

He spun his tale smoothly. If the old man really was a kidnapped Soviet scientist, learning this would not only keep him from sounding the alarm but might even prompt him to help cover for Wang Ling if danger arose.

“You’re really an agent of the League?”

“When I infiltrated, I changed clothes. To prevent exposure, I buried my credentials in the forest outside before coming in.”

“That’s wonderful!”

Kaspersky’s face lit up, every wrinkle smoothing with excitement. “You want research samples to prove how dangerous the Dark Fighters are… That’s not difficult. With my clearance, I can get up to three vials of enhancement serum. Also, my department has some results—like King Kong Potion, which can turn someone into a giant gorilla with immense strength, and Chameleon Potion, which renders the body invisible.”

“However, the biochemical mutation projects are all imperfect, with major flaws—the King Kong Potion causes death from total exhaustion after an hour, and the Chameleon Potion only lasts five seconds.”

Wang Ling considered for a moment. “Let me see the Chameleon Potion.”

“Come with me to the biochemical lab—no one’s there at this hour.”

The lab was on the same floor. Kaspersky unlocked the door with his special key, and after they entered, he locked it behind them and switched on the lights. Wang Ling was immediately taken aback: in the center of the vast room, inside a glass chamber, floated a humanoid figure immersed in liquid.

The face was unmistakably that of Billy the Dragon, but the skin was an unnatural, shadowy black—no longer purely human.

Kaspersky explained, “Using the blood of a powerful fighter, we developed this Shadow Warrior, now in the final cultivation stage. The Dark Fighters have been informed and will take him away tomorrow. You mustn’t interfere with this project.”

Several other vats contained assorted monstrous tissues: hands with ten fingers, arms sheathed in a bony carapace, even grotesque lumps of flesh bristling with tentacles—ghastly sights.

“These are all mutated biotissues, meant for transplantation onto humans. Unfortunately, the cells are extremely unstable and die off rapidly after grafting, so we’ve never managed to use them on actual Dark Fighters.”

As he spoke, Kaspersky took a vial of transparent, water-like fluid from a metal rack. “This is the Chameleon Potion—derived from chameleon DNA. For a short time, it synchronizes you with the ambient light, enveloping you in an invisible field—but it only lasts five seconds.”

Five seconds was more than enough for Wang Ling’s purposes.

He took the vial, but frowned. The potion registered as a story-world item—unable to be taken out of this world! He checked the other vials on the rack, touching each in turn: all were “story-world items, cannot be taken out.”

“Damn it—the system’s restrictions on shortcuts are too strict. If I can’t take anything out, what was the point of risking my life to come here?”