Even within the Seal, one could almost feel the terrifying will beneath those eyelids, a will capable of incinerating a Soul!
An invisible pressure, stemming from an absolute suppression at the life-form level, swept forth from the frozen behemoth like a tangible tsunami!
This pressure was not a physical impact, but rather acted directly upon the depths of the Soul.
Te Ye felt as if an invisible giant hand had fiercely clutched his heart, tightening it sharply. Blood rushed to his head instantly then receded rapidly, and his vision swam with black.
His legs gave out, and he stumbled back a step, leaning heavily against the cold circular wall, gasping for air. The icy air burned his throat, yet it could not alleviate the suffocating sense of oppression.
Billy collapsed directly onto the ground, his cold-weather gloves clutched to his chest, emitting gasping sounds, his eyes unfocused.
Mike, meanwhile, gritted his teeth, his body trembling violently. Only through powerful willpower did he manage not to kneel, but the gun in his hand had already drooped, pointing at the ground.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through all their thermal linings, and a bone-chilling cold spread from within.
Time seemed to freeze, with only the supreme majesty emanating from the three ice-sealed Dragon heads silently crushing the intruders' fragile nerves.
Just at the moment when their minds were being torn apart by the Dragon's Pressure, almost to the point of collapse!
“Clack… Clack… Clack…”
Clear, rhythmic, unhurried footsteps.
Like the precise ticking of a pendulum, they suddenly came from the entrance of the dark passage they had just exited!
On this platform, silent as a tomb, this sound was nothing short of a thunderclap from a clear sky!
Te Ye's heart almost leaped out of his throat!
He whipped his head around, the beam of his powerful flashlight shaking violently like a startled beast, instantly locking onto the source of the sound!
At the end of the light beam, several figures were clearly illuminated.
The leader wore a clean, crisp white Antarctic expedition-specific cold-weather suit.
Over it was a spotless white research coat, and a pair of rimless glasses rested on his nose.
The lenses reflected a chillingly calm light under the lamp—it was Yuan Mei, the Freemasons leader, after being parasitized!
However, standing behind Yuan Mei were not humans at all!
Four “giants” nearly three meters tall!
Their bodies were covered in dark green, heavy scales that seemed to be cast from metal, gleaming with an oily, cold luster under the light.
Their heads resembled enlarged lizards, with protruding snouts, and vertical golden pupils that scanned Te Ye and the others with the precision of the most accurate instruments, devoid of any biological emotion.
They held not firearms, but strangely shaped, entirely black metal polearms that shimmered with energy currents, topped with structures resembling claws or energy emitters.
Their posture was casual and relaxed, yet they exuded a naked predator's aura, colder than glaciers.
“Who’s there?! Stop! Don’t move! Drop your weapons!”
Te Ye’s roar was completely distorted, sharp, terrified, and filled with a hysterical desperation bordering on collapse.
He, Mike who had barely managed to stand, and Billy who struggled to get up, almost instinctively raised their guns again, their barrels trembling violently as they pointed at Yuan Mei and his group.
“What is this place?! What are you things?! Answer me!”
Billy’s voice was tearful, fear having completely overwhelmed his reason.
Yuan Mei stopped.
He stood precisely at the boundary of light and shadow on the edge of the platform.
There was no expression of surprise on his face.
Instead, he slowly, and extremely incongruously, stretched his lips upward, revealing a cold smile mixed with pity, mockery, and a gaze that regarded them like experimental lab rats.
He didn't even glance at the dark muzzles of the guns, merely waved his right hand gently, as if brushing dust from his shoulder.
The four Lizardmen behind him moved instantly!
No roars, no unnecessary movements.
Their acceleration exceeded the limits of human visual perception!
One second they were in place, the next they had transformed into four blurry, dark green afterimages, rushing towards Te Ye and the others with a low, air-tearing whistle!
“Fire! Fire!”
Te Ye desperately pulled the trigger, and the popping gunfire instantly tore through the platform's silence!
“Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!!”
Mike’s assault rifle spat fire, and Billy also struggled to raise his shotgun and fire with a boom!
The dense bullets, like a metal storm, slammed into the dark green scales on the chests and abdomens of the two foremost Lizardmen!
Ear-splitting, teeth-grinding metallic impacts and dazzling sparks erupted instantly!
However.
Bullets capable of tearing through steel plates and piercing light armor, when they struck those scales, were like raindrops hitting a fine steel shield!
The bullet heads instantly deformed, shattered, or even ricocheted off!
Leaving only a few insignificant, almost invisible shallow marks on the mirror-smooth dark green scales!
The Lizardmen didn't even show a tremor from the impact, their speed undiminished!
“No! Impossible!!”
Mike let out a heart-wrenching wail, despair drenching him like ice water.
Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep!
Giant, scaled claws struck with immense force, precisely knocking away the rifles from Te Ye and Mike's hands. The shotgun flew out of Billy’s grasp, hitting the metal wall with a loud clang.
Billy didn't even have time to react before a giant claw clamped his neck, lifting him off the ground like a small chicken. The sensation of choking made his eyes bulge, and his face instantly turned purple.
Te Ye was pressed fiercely onto the cold metal ground by another Lizardman's massive palm, half his face pressed against the floor, his sturdy helmet groaning under the immense pressure.
He could clearly smell the cold metallic scent of rust from the ground and the faint, reptilian odor emanating from the Lizardman.
Excruciating pain and irresistible force instantly robbed him of his ability to resist, leaving him only to twist his body futilely, hoarse roars escaping his throat.
“Let us go! Bastards! What do you want?! Are you crazy?!”
Te Ye screamed with all his might, his peripheral vision glancing at Yuan Mei.
Just then, on the inner side of the circular platform, a huge metal door, almost seamlessly integrated with the wall, silently slid open to both sides, revealing a soft white light behind it.
More figures streamed out.
There were humans wearing white research coats similar to Yuan Mei's, their faces expressionless, their eyes hollow and numb;
There were humanoid beings with skin so pale it was almost transparent, pointed ears, and tall, slender figures, with a detached curiosity in their eyes;
There were insectoid humanoids whose bodies were covered in chitinous carapaces, with joints that glowed eerily, and compound eyes that flickered like multifaceted prisms;
They stood calmly at the entrance, watching the scene unfolding on the platform, without any surprise or intention to intervene.
As if this was just another routine sample collection process in a laboratory.
In extreme terror and agonizing pain, Te Ye's gaze frantically swept over these figures, his pupils suddenly constricting to pinpricks!
Among the group of human researchers in white coats, he saw a face that absolutely should not have been there!
