Awakened Talent: 10,000 Exp Converter! - Chapter 196

Chapter 196: Code-09-Black (2)
Chapter 196: Code-09-Black (2)

Beads of cold sweat appeared on the old man’s forehead.

“Fuck! Fuck! Why can’t you just stay in your damn cage?! I should be celebrating with them, not working overtime because of you! Don’t blame me for this—you forced my hand!”

With that, he slammed his finger onto the final button. Instantly, the blaring warning alarm ceased.

The scene on the screen shifted. The black figure that had been charging madly forward suddenly halted. Two pairs of towering, four-meter-tall automated robots emerged—each wielding colossal hammers, their ebony-painted exteriors gleaming under the dim artificial light.

They flanked the black figure from both front and back, closing in methodically.

The black figure stood still for a moment before speaking, its words directed at the approaching robots. Unfortunately, they did not seem to comprehend.

Unfazed, the robots continued their slow advance. A flicker of anger flashed in the black figure’s glowing eyes before—whoosh!—it vanished, leaving behind a blur that darted left and right with unnatural speed.

The robots’ crimson eyes glowed dangerously as they scanned their surroundings, trying to track the elusive figure.

Then—boom!—the black figure reappeared atop one of the robots’ heads.

With a furious snarl, it sank its fangs into the machine’s metal skull. Sparks erupted as its powerful jaws tore away a chunk of steel, leaving a gaping wound in the robot’s head.

“Fuck! What the hell are those idiots doing?!” The old man shouted, his frustration boiling over. He yanked at the few strands of hair left on his head, watching the disaster unfold on the screen. “Use your goddamn abilities!”

As if responding to his command, the robots’ massive hammers crackled with electrifying energy.

The black figure instantly sensed the change. Without hesitation, it leaped off the robot’s head, vanishing into the darkness once more—moving like a living shadow.

But this time, the robots reacted. Their glowing eyes locked onto the fleeing figure, moving in perfect synchronization with its blinding speed.

The black figure’s eyes narrowed. They’re tracking me…!

Just as it attempted to retreat—BZZZT!

Four streaks of electrified energy surged toward it, crackling violently through the air.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the enclosed space, sending thick clouds of smoke billowing in all directions.

Watching the screen, the old man exhaled in relief.

“Finally… That damn rat’s caught.” He muttered under his breath before leaning toward the microphone.

“Tie it up and haul it back to its cage!”

But the moment those words left his mouth—

FLASH!

A piercing abyssal light tore through the smoke, streaking toward the four giant robots like a phantom blade.

CRACK!

The robots stood frozen, sparks flickering across their steel bodies. Then—one by one—soft explosions erupted from their heads, thin streams of smoke rising from the fatal breaches.

Within moments, the towering machines collapsed onto the ground with heavy, metallic thuds.

As the smoke finally cleared, the black figure emerged once more.

Its ghostly copper-green eyes stared directly into the surveillance camera.

The old man’s blood ran cold.

His hands trembled. His breath hitched. A chill slithered down his spine.

The black figure held its gaze on him for several seconds before moving its lips soundlessly.

Then, it vanished.

The surveillance system blared a new alarm.

“Warning! Warning! Warning!”

“The final level of Aegis Control has been breached! Searching for ‘Code-09-Black’ presence… Unable to locate. ‘Code-09-Black’ has successfully escaped. Immediate action required—recommend activating Protocol 10…”

But the old man wasn’t listening anymore. His face had turned deathly pale.

He hadn’t heard the black figure’s words.

But he understood them.

“Watch your back.”

A simple, almost casual message. Yet, the weight of it sent ice coursing through his veins.

If he hadn’t known the true background of the black figure, he might have laughed it off.

But he knew.

He knew its capabilities. He knew what it was capable of.

Because he was one of the people responsible for creating it.

His breath came in ragged gasps. If that thing wanted revenge… if it wanted to come after him or—worse—their entire organization…

A shudder wracked his body.

He had to contain it before it became even more terrifying.

No—he must get it back. Otherwise… he would be dead before it even found its way back here.

His fingers hovered over the console before slamming down on a sequence of buttons with deadly precision.

“Recommending to follow Protocol 10…”

“I KNOW! I KNOW! I’M DOING IT!” The old man snapped at the robotic voice, his expression grim.

His thoughts darkened as he recalled the people behind their organization.

In their eyes, the experiments were more valuable than his life.

A mere scientist like him was expendable.

With a final press of the button, the system responded.

“Protocol 10 activated. Deploying Meta-Shadows unit. Mission: Kill or capture. Target: Code-09-Black.”

The old man’s lips trembled as he muttered under his breath.

“…They better bring it back.”

Because if they failed—

He was already a dead man.

Meanwhile…

The black figure moved swiftly, weaving through the darkness with silent precision.

It knew they would send hunters after it.

That was inevitable.

Its mind raced with calculations, scanning the paths ahead. If it fled toward District 10, it would be heading into pure darkness. That was their territory. It would be cornered sooner or later.

But if it took another path…

Its copper-green eyes flickered as it shifted directions.

Instead of disappearing into the shadows—

It headed toward the bright, bustling lights of Blue Neon City.

The Next Day.

Vincent stretched as he stepped outside the mansion, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

His mind was still occupied with the thought of returning to the Origin World, but since he hadn’t been able to enter, he figured it would take a full 24 hours before he could access it again.

As he walked toward the man-made pond, something caught his attention.

A black figure lay motionless beside the water.

His brows furrowed.

How the hell did someone get inside my villa… when I just set up a protective array yesterday?

His gaze darkened.

Don’t tell me… that damn array was defective?!