Silas stepped off the metal walkway and dropped directly into the crimson moss below.Thick vines lashed out at him from every direction. He didn't bother looking at them. His body blurred, weaving through the deadly organic net with millimeter precision."Cover his advance!" Rex roared.Plasma fire and frozen bullets shredded the mutant flora trying to close the gap behind Silas. He moved relentlessly toward the cluster of glowing purple pods at the center of the dome.The dense foliage suddenly parted. A raised biological platform sat in the middle of the clearing.A woman stood on the platform, watching his approach. She wore a skin-tight black leather dress that left her shoulders completely bare."You have a terrible bedside manner, Doctor," the woman said. Her voice amplified through the dome's hidden speakers.Silas stopped walking. He looked at her back.A dozen thick, pulsating organic cables extended from the glowing purple pods. The fleshy cords burrowed directly into the w

Ghost fired his twin shoulder cannons. Two high-explosive plasma rounds slammed directly into the heavy pneumatic locks of the double doors.The thick steel entryways blew inward with a deafening screech of tearing metal. Black smoke poured out from the breached threshold. Sparks rained down from the ceiling as the heavy doors collapsed entirely.Silas stepped through the smoke. His leather oxfords crunched over the twisted steel plating.The inner sanctum was not a grand throne room. It was an advanced intensive care unit. The tactical clock on the wall monitor read exactly 02:15 AM.A frail, emaciated old man sat slumped in a high-backed mechanical chair at the far end of the room. His skin was deathly pale, covered in dark, necrotic age spots. Dozens of transparent medical tubes pierced his arms, chest, and neck. Thick synthetic blood pumped continuously into his failing veins."You made quite a mess of my greenhouse, Doctor," the First Elder rasped. His voice was weak, heavily fil

Eve staggered backward. Plumes of black smoke hissed from the tight seams of her white bodysuit."Her core is failing!" the First Elder screamed. He gripped the armrests of his mechanical chair, his frail body shaking.The orange glow beneath Eve's chest shifted to a blinding, volatile red. The synthetic rubber encasing her muscles began to warp and blister rapidly under the extreme internal heat."I did not attack her core," Silas walked slowly toward the trembling homunculus. "I merely forced her to internalize her own friction."Eve dropped heavily to her knees. Her perfectly expressionless face contorted into a sharp, unfamiliar grimace. Her hands clawed desperately at the silver needles embedded in her collarbone."Do not touch the sutures," Silas stepped over her reaching hand. "Your synthetic myelin sheaths are melting. You are developing a human nervous system."The ultra-dense rubber insulating her artificial nerves liquefied completely beneath her skin. The white bodysuit to

Silas aimed his glowing fingers directly at the center of the wildly pulsating red tumor. His right hand maintained its iron grip on the massive steel arm, not shifting a single centimeter from where he stood."Die!" the First Elder roared from within the mass of slimy flesh.A rain of metal debris and sharp concrete fragments plummeted from the ceiling due to the tremors. Slabs of steel weighing hundreds of kilograms endlessly bombarded Silas's position.Silas didn't bother dodging.He blurred straight forward through the falling debris. Concrete fragments shattered into pieces upon striking his bare chest and shoulders. Silas forcefully yanked the monster's steel arm, throwing the giant body completely off balance.Silas pressed his left palm directly against the center of the tumorous monster's chest."You want to heal me?" the First Elder's voice mocked loudly from behind the thick meat. "You cannot cure my absolute evolution!""I have no intention of healing you," Silas replied f

Silas tapped his finger on the armrest of his leather chair. The auction stage remained completely empty.The young aristocrat from the Vane lineage had not left the VIP section. He returned exactly ten minutes later. Three older men wearing the silver crest of the Vane family walked closely behind him.The tallest man among them glared at Silas. He looked at Seraphina's exposed thighs, then shifted his gaze to Eve."You embarrassed my cousin," the tall man stepped forward. "I am Cedric Vane. You are sitting in our designated sector."Silas kept his eyes on the empty stage. He did not bother to acknowledge the man's presence."Are you deaf?" Cedric slammed his hand on the glass table.The champagne glasses rattled. Several nearby merchants turned their heads toward the commotion."Your heart rate is elevating rapidly," Silas spoke calmly. "Step back before you provoke a physical response from my staff."Cedric sneered. He leaned closer to Eve, his eyes scanning her spotless white dres