Someone Came Knocking, Asking for a Beating?

Time passed, and as the effects of the anesthetic wore off, the experiment subject, who had undergone modifications under Dr. Stylish's hand, suddenly opened his eyes wide, revealing bloodshot veins. His fists clenched tightly, and his muscles swelled, veins bulging, but unfortunately, with all his joints replaced by metal, he couldn't move without activation.

"Roar—!"

Especially after spotting the silver-white figure standing beside the operating table, the experiment subject roared furiously, struggling frantically with a crazed, hysterical expression.

"Even though you were the one who performed the modification surgery, why does he seem to hate me so much?" Selene asked, genuinely puzzled, as she had no recollection of this experiment subject.

Dr. Stylish remained silent, inwardly lamenting her apparent forgetfulness. The prisoner had likely lost everything due to the recent purge initiated by Selene and Minister Honest, so of course, he would harbor deep resentment toward her!

Naturally, Dr. Stylish dared not voice these thoughts aloud. Instead, he responded awkwardly, "Uh..."

"Alright, release his joint restraints," Selene commanded.

"Understood... but, General, please go easy on him," Dr. Stylish replied, knowing full well Selene's strength. He wasn't concerned about her safety but rather feared that she might accidentally demolish his entire workshop.

After all, Selene had a notorious history: nearly blowing up the capital while rounding up bandits and spies, almost leveling the southwestern mountains during the Battle of Yue Mountain Pass, and wiping out entire tribes during the suppression of the southwestern rebellion...

In short, rumors about Selene had grown increasingly exaggerated. To most, she was seen as a powerful yet violent military leader of the Empire.

Click—

As Dr. Stylish released the restrictions on the metal limbs, the experiment subject's joints emitted a series of clicking sounds. In the next instant, the subject sprang up, raising his metal-reinforced fist to strike directly at Selene's face.

The muscles beneath the metal plating resembled layers of stone, glistening under the laboratory lights.

"Roar—!" Whether due to the side effects of the modification or not, the experiment subject seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

Clang.

Selene stopped the attack with just one finger, feeling the force behind it. It was around 600 kilograms.

For a former civil servant with no physical strength to have gained such power after modification, the potential of these metal limbs was significant.

"Not bad... but your mission is complete."

With a hum, purple-red Honkai energy surged from Selene's fingertip, instantly enveloping the experiment subject.

Under Selene's control, the subject was disintegrated into ashes, leaving no trace behind.

As Dr. Stylish stood there in shock, Selene massaged her forehead and said, "Well, Dr. Stylish, I've seen your experimental results. Impressive. I see great potential in them."

"You flatter me, General," Dr. Stylish replied modestly.

Nodding slightly, Selene continued, "You have the talent, no need to be modest. Now, I have another task for you: focus on developing prosthetics that can be mass-produced for the military, enabling injured soldiers to regain normal physical abilities."

"I'll inform Minister Honest to increase funding for your Science Bureau. But remember, quality over quantity. I won't tolerate any substandard work. If any officials try to interfere, report directly to me."

"Yes, General."

...

Back at her residence, Selene retrieved the stack of documents provided by Dr. Stylish and began reviewing them carefully.

Knock, knock.

"Miss," came the deep voice of Sebas from outside the bedroom door. Selene looked up and responded, "Oh, Sebas, come in."

"Miss, I've noticed some unusual activity in the merchant guilds under our command," Sebas reported as he entered.

"Oh... something significant enough to catch your attention?" Selene inquired. "Go ahead, what's the issue that brought you here so urgently?"

"It concerns the southern rebel army," Sebas replied, his expression impassive. "While secretly investigating the assets of our merchant guilds, I discovered that recently, several merchant guilds connected to southern forces have been in contact with us. And just a week ago, someone used our guild's name to obtain intelligence from several military bases in the southern provinces."

Hearing this, Selene's good mood instantly vanished.

Since the suppression of the southwestern rebellion was still fresh, Selene's influence remained strong in the southwestern regions. Leveraging her reputation to achieve their goals was indeed a cunning move.

And the only group constantly causing trouble for the Empire and situated in the southern provinces was the revolutionary army.

Selene couldn't help but laugh. "It seems these so-called revolutionaries are quite restless, daring to scheme against us."

"Issue a statement declaring that we have no commercial activities in the southern provinces. As for the rest, Sebas, you don't need to worry. Just manage the merchant guilds well."

"And your plan, Miss?"

"If someone seeks a fight, I won't shy away. Let's see how this plays out," Selene said with a smirk.

Normally, I'm the one hunting others down, but today someone has actually come knocking on my door?

...

A week later, in a remote mountain range in the southern provinces of the Empire.

The area was eerily quiet when suddenly, two figures clad in black robes came rushing in from the outskirts of the mountains.

They frequently glanced back over their shoulders, as if being pursued by a powerful danger beast.

As they passed through a forested path in the mountains and spotted a group of revolutionary army guards, they finally stopped, panting heavily.

Before the guards could ask any questions, the two black-robed figures made a strange hand gesture and recited a cryptic password.

Recognizing the code, the revolutionary soldiers immediately allowed them passage.

Once inside a secluded, makeshift camp, they finally relaxed.

This was a temporary base for the revolutionary army.

They had made it back alive. Removing their hoods, they revealed their faces and bodies.

Surprisingly, their bodies were not like those of normal people. Apart from the areas covered by clothing, the rest of their skin, including their arms, necks, and faces, was covered in scabs.

Some wounds were still open, oozing blood.

"We're finally back," one of them sighed, his body trembling as he collapsed onto the dusty ground, not caring about the dirt, his face filled with relief at having survived.

"Yes, we made it back alive," the other person echoed, slumping to the ground as well.

But as they recalled their ordeal, both of their faces were filled with fear and terror.