Chapter 4

Wade was gone.

Even tens of meters away, Noah Clover could still hear Wade's exaggerated laughter, practically dying of amusement.

Following Wade's departure was Francis, who looked as though he had just swallowed something foul.

After all, Wade hadn't bothered to lower his voice when he made those comments. Whether it was a guard or a test subject, everyone in the hall could hear his loud, mocking voice.

At that moment of social humiliation, one could only imagine the state of Francis's mood.

Watching Francis's retreating figure, Noah let out a quiet sigh of relief. He had almost been discovered.

Luckily, Wade had jumped in at the right moment, diverting Francis's attention completely.

Thinking of this, Noah silently prayed for Wade.

Hopefully, the guy would be okay.

…

Time inside the institute seemed to crawl by, every moment stretching endlessly.

Noah lay on his hospital bed, remaining in a state of constant alertness, afraid of missing the crucial moment.

In this closed-off, dark environment, there was no sense of time at all.

Noah had no idea how long had passed since Wade left, but he continued to wait. He was waiting for his one chance!

Suddenly, without any warning—

BOOM!

The entire hall shook violently, and the deafening explosion echoed in everyone's ears.

Before anyone could even react to what had happened, a scorching wave of heat swept across the hall, followed by a terrifying shockwave that tore through the entire space!

Noah barely had time to register the flash of fire before an immense force slammed into him. He was flung across the room, hospital bed and all, crashing heavily to the floor.

The bed shattered beneath the pressure with a loud crack, and Noah tumbled into the far corner of the hall, only stopping when he slammed into the wall.

His body was covered in burns, most of his hospital clothes had been scorched away by the flames, and his exposed skin was riddled with burns. He could feel the sharp pain of broken bones, though he had no idea how many.

For a normal person, these injuries would have been fatal, or at the very least, they'd be on the brink of death. But Noah didn't die—instead, he shakily stood up.

The charred skin on his body began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the blood that had been seeping from his wounds slowed to a stop.

Within a few breaths, all the horrific injuries had completely disappeared, leaving no scars behind.

"Success!"

Noah was ecstatic. He didn't care about the fiery scene in front of him.

His escape plan had been simple: advance the plot that should have unfolded later. He'd given Wade the self-healing factor early, setting off the explosion to create a window for escape!

And clearly, the plan had worked!

…

The explosion had been sudden, but it lasted only a short while.

In its aftermath, the hall was left in complete disarray, with debris scattered everywhere.

The air was filled with the sounds of screaming and cries for help. Charred bodies lay across the floor, and those experimental subjects who had survived were still bound, unable to flee.

Because the institute was filled with flammable materials, the fire spread rapidly, consuming the entire hall.

The originally dark room was now ablaze with an orange glow, though it remained unclear exactly what compound was fueling the fire.

A strange smell filled the air, causing Noah Clover to cough a few times.

He quickly covered his mouth and nose with one hand, and without a second thought, sprinted out of the hall, disregarding the flames that blocked his way.

As the moments passed, Noah could feel the temperature rising rapidly around him, the intense heat making it even harder to breathe. His bare feet stung with each step, as if he were walking on hot coals.

If not for his immortality as a super high school stuntman, which kept him in peak condition at all times, Noah wouldn't have survived two minutes in this inferno.

Just then, a figure appeared in his line of sight.

Judging by his attire, the figure was clearly a guard from the research institute. The guard clutched his injured right arm, dragging himself along the wall, clearly affected by the explosion as well.

The guard noticed Noah at the same time and was momentarily startled, his gaze locking on Noah's torn hospital gown.

"Wait, you're—"

"Shut up!"

Noah didn't hesitate. He swung his fist with full force, smashing it into the guard's head.

Before the injured man could react, his face was struck hard, and he collapsed to the ground, his head slamming into the floor. Noah grunted, feeling the bones in his hand pop back into place as they healed from the impact.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the guard lay helpless, Noah delivered violent kicks to his head.

The guard initially tried to fight back, but Noah gave him no opportunity.

Each kick came down harder than the last!

Slowly, the guard's resistance weakened until it stopped altogether. His limbs twitched a few more times involuntarily, but that was the only movement left in him.

Drip. Drip. Blood trickled down from Noah's feet to the floor.

Noah looked down at the guard's broken body. He felt a slight wave of discomfort, though it was only physical.

For the people in the institute, Noah had no mercy or sympathy.

Some of them might have had their own reasons, but that didn't matter to him. All he knew was that the painful experiences he endured for two months were linked to these bastards. When he was being tortured, no one showed him any compassion—why should he show them any now?

"Phew…"

Noah exhaled slowly, venting some of the pent-up anger that had been simmering inside him for days.

He crouched down and searched the guard's body until he found a rifle strapped to the guard's waist.

It was Noah's first time handling a real gun, and the weight of it felt heavy and solid in his hands.

After thinking for a moment, Noah stripped the guard of his uniform and shoes, quickly putting them on.

Crack!

Suddenly, the sound of breaking debris echoed through the air.

By now, the fire had spiraled completely out of control, and small chunks of rubble were falling from above.

Noah knew he couldn't linger any longer. Even if his immortality kept him from dying, being buried alive in the collapsing building would make escape nearly impossible.

Thick, rolling smoke filled the space, making it hard to see anything clearly or even tell which way to go.

"Forget it!"

Noah gave up trying to think further. Grabbing the rifle tightly, he sprinted blindly in the direction that seemed best.