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"Clank, clank...!"
Illumi gave the order, and the researchers immediately operated the instruments to unlock the shackles in the laboratory.
"Roar!"
The two Avenger soldiers immediately leaped up from the operating table, roared at Amagiri Kōsuke, and took heavy steps.
"Thump... thump..."
The two Avengers' large feet stomped on the ground, causing a slight tremor.
In an instant, the two Avenger soldiers charged to Amagiri Kōsuke's sides, one on the left and one on the right. They raised their thick arms and, with fists clenched, slammed them towards Amagiri Kōsuke's head.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, just as the two heavy punches were about to land, Amagiri Kōsuke's figure instantly vanished from his original spot. Human eyes couldn't even catch an afterimage.
"Whoosh!"
The force of the punches whistled through the air, but Amagiri Kōsuke's figure was not among them.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."
Inside the laboratory, Amagiri Kōsuke's figure continuously flickered. Amagiri Kōsuke, who was constantly traversing space, caused the air to churn and vibrate, producing a buzzing sound like bees constantly buzzing in one's ear.
"Bang!"
Accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound of air tearing, the bulletproof glass in front of Illumi suddenly shattered.
"Swish, swish, swish..."
Dense, tiny glass fragments spun and flew towards Illumi's front.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, an afterimage unexpectedly attacked Illumi from the front.
"Boom!"
It was like the sound of lightning exploding out of nowhere indoors, shaking the ground and walls, and even the entire laboratory subtly trembled.
The people in the laboratory were initially in a panic, but when they saw the next scene, their hearts calmed down.
They saw that Amagiri Kōsuke, who had originally disappeared without a trace, was now standing in front of Illumi, his right arm raised parallel to his shoulder, standing in a straight punch posture.
His clenched fist was less than ten centimeters from Illumi's face.
However, these mere ten centimeters, at this moment, seemed like a vast distance.
"How can this be!?"
Amagiri Kōsuke's pupils trembled. Even he could barely react to the speed he had just displayed in the laboratory.
And this person before him, whom he had never seen before, actually...
"Speed and strength have undergone a qualitative enhancement, and even nervous system reaction speed has greatly increased—an all-around reinforcement."
Illumi extended his left hand and firmly grasped Amagiri Kōsuke's fist, simultaneously articulating his sensations from the strike.
"Roar!!"
The two Avenger soldiers in the laboratory sensed Amagiri Kōsuke's presence and roared as they charged over.
"Swish, swish..."
Pride, standing to Illumi's left, lowered his gaze. Instantly, chains emerged from the ground, binding the two Avenger soldiers in place.
"Ugh~!"
Seizing this opportunity, Amagiri Kōsuke's eyes widened. He suddenly pulled back his right fist, while his other hand transformed into a hand blade, stabbing towards Illumi's neck.
"Slap!"
But it was blocked by Illumi again, and this time, he even used two fingers to pinch his hand blade, just like a kung fu master in a movie who could pinch a blade's edge with just two fingers.
When Amagiri Kōsuke attacked Illumi with his left hand blade, his right hand was not idle. He quickly activated "Flow," and a large amount of Ki instantly gathered in his right fist, slamming towards Illumi's face.
Illumi's expression was calm. He no longer tried to catch it with his hand but activated the ability of his strongest shield, letting the carbon shield cover his face and neck.
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, a circle of grayish-white aftershocks burst from Illumi's face, spreading outwards.
"Crack, crack..."
Illumi's body remained perfectly still, but the ground beneath his feet suddenly erupted with dense, fine cracks.
In contrast, Amagiri Kōsuke's clothes on his arm "ripped" into scattered fragments and flew off due to the continuous transfer of counter-shock power, even before Illumi made a move.
"Hmph~!"
Amagiri Kōsuke immediately let out a pained grunt, his face instantly flushing red, even redder than if he had drunk ten bottles of high-purity liquor.
"Good, his resistance to attacks has also greatly improved."
Illumi's deep voice resonated in Amagiri Kōsuke's ears. With a "thump," he extended his hand and gripped Amagiri Kōsuke's wrist.
"Damn it!"
Amagiri Kōsuke, who was in a daze, immediately shook his head, clearing his mind. He struggled to pull his wrist free from Illumi's grip.
But unfortunately, his strength was insufficient.
Thus, Amagiri Kōsuke stopped struggling. Instead, he lifted his left and right legs, coordinating with his remaining hand to strike Illumi's entire body at various vital points with punches and kicks.
"Thump, thump, thump...!"
Amagiri Kōsuke's hands and feet moved like afterimages, making Illumi's entire body continuously erupt with thudding sounds.
But Illumi remained perfectly still, not even letting out a muffled groan.
"You...!"
Amagiri Kōsuke stopped his movements. He looked at Illumi, who was completely unharmed except for slightly disheveled clothes, and his heart trembled.
No matter how he attacked his vital points, no matter what power, methods, or martial arts he used, this person's body was like an iron man, not flesh and blood.
"Good, great progress."
Illumi praised, but he wasn't referring to Amagiri Kōsuke, but to Dr. Baldwin.
The power of a completed product and a semi-finished product was indeed not on the same level.
In general, Amagiri Kōsuke's current speed and strength, according to his estimation, were more than ten times what they were before he underwent the modification.
He possessed incredible speed and strength, reaching a non-human level compared to his previous self.
Of course, this level of power still differed greatly from Illumi's range. It was simply that the power Illumi obtained from the Seven Deadly Sins Nen Beasts was too strong.
Putting aside physical attributes, Amagiri Kōsuke's speed was simply not on the same level as his, who possessed high-speed abilities.
"Heh heh, that's natural."
Dr. Baldwin wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. He had just been greatly startled.
"Release me!"
Amagiri Kōsuke gritted his teeth. Illumi's lips curved, and he released his fingers.
The moment Illumi released his fingers, Amagiri Kōsuke immediately lightly tapped the ground with his toes and retreated.
"Clatter, clatter..."
But as soon as his feet left the ground, a large number of black chains drilled out from the ground behind him, instantly binding his limbs, making him fall to the ground with a "thump."
"Heh heh, now we'll be busy."
Dr. Baldwin rubbed his hands and squatted in front of the fallen Amagiri Kōsuke, looking at his face and body with excitement.
Illumi was also somewhat pleased. The human potential activation experiment had finally produced a completed product, showing him the feasibility of this path.
Moreover, the completed product possessed speed and strength completely incomparable to the Avengers. If combined with the cutting-edge technological equipment manufactured by the Weapons Research Institute, it would be enough to unleash single-combat capabilities far exceeding those of ordinary ability users on the battlefield.
"Who exactly are you!?"
Amagiri Kōsuke struggled for a while, then gave up. He looked at Illumi, gritting his teeth and asking.
"Me?"
Illumi stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at him.
"You don't need to know who I am. You only need to know that, as you are now, you have no right to ask questions."
"Take him away."
"Yes, boss."
Two guards stepped forward, their rifles pointed at Amagiri Kōsuke. With two "thump-thump" sounds, they fired two specialized anesthetic darts. The darts embedded in his neck. The specialized anesthetic, which only required 0.01 milligrams to anesthetize an elephant, quickly took effect.
Amagiri Kōsuke shook his head, trying hard to stay awake, but he still closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
"Click..."
Not only that, but the guards also shackled his hands and feet with Mana Alloy shackles, to prevent him from waking up midway and escaping.
"Dr. Baldwin. If humans were replaced by animals... if various other creatures were used as hosts for the special spores, could it be done?"
After the guards escorted the unconscious Amagiri Kōsuke away, Illumi had an idea.
"Other creatures, you mean those strange beasts or the giant ferocious birds and beasts in the primeval forests?"
Dr. Baldwin heard this, stroked his chin, and instantly became interested in Illumi's idea.
"You're right. We should find more other creatures to experiment on."
"It's just... experimenting with lower animals as test subjects, even if the experiment is successful, their intelligence would definitely not be comparable to that of successful humans."
"In fact, it might just be a more powerful, berserk beast."
Illumi frowned and pondered for a moment. Dr. Baldwin's words indeed made sense.
In the Hunter world, many animals' physical qualities far surpassed humans, but animals' intelligence was ultimately incomparable to humans. Even if a large number of completed products were successfully created this way, their effectiveness for future diversified combat needs would definitely not be strong.
However, he thought it wouldn't hurt to try. He could then throw them into the Dark Continent and see whether nature's creations were stronger, or artificially modified creatures were stronger.
Over the next week, at Illumi's instruction, the research institute staff quickly compiled a list of animals, including a large number of strange beasts and giant ferocious birds and beasts from primeval forests.
At the same time, Illumi, King Bradley, Pride, and others also arranged everything and set off for the Kakin Empire.
Island Nation, Amagiri Village.
"Rustle... rustle..."
On a mountain path covered with fallen leaves, a man with shoulder-length hair, dressed in a dark blue Iro-muji (plain-colored) kimono, looked up ahead. His hand, gripping the hilt of the katana at his waist, tightened.
"You all be careful..."
An old man wearing a straw hat and carrying a basket on his back walked past him and called out over his shoulder.
"Haha, let's see who gets to the mountaintop first."
"The first one to arrive gets to play general today. The last one to arrive gets to play monster."
Four or five boys and girls, all under ten years old, held wooden swords in their hands and cheerfully ran past the man, along the mountain path towards the mountaintop.
"Heh..."
The man looked at the cheerful and lively children, chuckled softly, then took a light step and followed them.
"Chirp, chirp..."
"Chirp, chirp..."
In the mountain forest, birds chirped happily.
This was a secluded paradise within the island nation, far from the cities and noise. Most of the people here were from the Amagiri family, so this place was also called Amagiri Village.
On the mountaintop of Amagiri Village, there was a large temple.
Four hundred years ago, the ancestors of the Amagiri family came here, found the scenery beautiful and the land fertile, and settled down.
And this temple was built by the ancestors of the Amagiri family over fifteen years. During this period, it continuously experienced collapses, repairs, and expansions, and now it has a history of three hundred and eighty-five years.
"Haha, I'm first! I'm the general today!"
"Ah~ you've been general for three days in a row already."
"Who told you you can't outrun me?"
The short-haired man followed the children to the mountaintop temple. Looking at the children playing in the temple courtyard, a smile bloomed on his face. He then turned and walked towards the courtyard on the left side of the temple.
At the courtyard entrance stood two men also dressed in Iro-muji kimonos, with two katanas at their waists.
The two samurai saw the man approach and bowed. The man also nodded slightly in return.
In the courtyard, a large number of cherry blossom trees were planted. A few petals drifted down with the breeze, fluttering in the wind.
In the courtyard, a bluestone path divided the courtyard into two sections. The path was lined with oval-shaped pebbles.
"Tap... tap..."
The man walked on the bluestone path in the courtyard. There were some small碎石 (pebbles) on the bluestone, making a faint "rustling" sound when stepped on.
"A perfect cherry blossom is rare."
"As long as you pursue it throughout your life, that life will not have been lived in vain."
A middle-aged man with a crew cut, dressed in a dark blue Iro-muji kimono, stood in the courtyard, reaching out to catch a falling cherry blossom petal.
"I will be leaving the village for a while."
The short-haired man stopped three meters behind the middle-aged man. He looked at the middle-aged man, who was meditating with his eyes closed, and said softly.
"I wrote a poem for my dream."
The middle-aged man did not answer immediately. He slowly opened his eyes and slowly turned around.
"My eyes were wide like a tiger's, they came across the vast ocean."
"I can't think of the last line. Do you have any suggestions?"
The short-haired man gripped the hilt of his katana, gritted his teeth, pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"I'm not a writer."
The middle-aged man's lips curled into a faint smile.
"You've written a lot since you came back."
The short-haired young man lowered his head and frowned. He took a deep breath and said.
"What else did she say?"
The middle-aged man slowly walked over, tilted his head, and gazed into his eyes. His voice was filled with the unique magnetism of a middle-aged man.
"You still have nightmares."
The short-haired young man looked up and smiled.
"Everyone has nightmares."
The middle-haired man shook his head, took two light steps, and said.
"Only when one feels guilty, does one have nightmares."
"You don't know what I did."
The short-haired man shook his head. His eyes were deep. Although he was only in his twenties, he seemed to have experienced the vicissitudes of life for forty years.
"Chirp, chirp..."
Birds in the mountain forest flew onto the courtyard roof, glanced at the two men in the courtyard, and chirped clearly, like warblers singing.
"You've experienced too many terrifying things."
"Yes."
"You're not afraid of death, but sometimes you want to die."
"Yes."
"Me too."
The middle-aged man walked around him with light steps, looking up at the bright sky.
"We only think this way when we have faced death."
"However, when I returned to my ancestors' homeland, I had an epiphany."
"Just like these cherry blossoms, every life will wither."
"Every breath, every cup of tea, every person killed, allows one to comprehend life."
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