Beast Evolution Forge - Chapter 143

Chapter 143: Regina 3
“I just felt a familiar presence but it instantly disappeared, am i too tired? Or is it simply my obsession with him kicking in? Tch, if only they didn’t stop me, I would have dragged him back here.” The crazy woman in the white coat said, rubbing her exhausted eyes.

“Lucia!” A voice called at through a mic on her desk.

“Fuck! WHAT IS IT!?” She stood up and stomped out of the her lab, she was planning to get some rest after so long but seems her superiors had other plans. She arrived at the superior’s door, exhaled and then knocked.

“Enter.”

She walked into the office, trying to hide her annoyance. The room was dark, with only a desk lamp providing light. Behind the desk sat an older man in a dark suit, his face partially hidden in the shadows.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked, keeping her voice level.

“Yes. We received reports about Regina’s facility. There was an… incident.” The man slid a tablet across the desk. “Take a look.”

She picked up the tablet and started scrolling through the images. Her eyes widened as she saw the crystallized guards, the destroyed palace, and the aftermath of whatever had happened there.

“This power signature,” she mumbled, “it’s similar to…”

“Yes,” the man cut her off. “it belongs to that thing. Little by little, its regaining its status as the end of all things, things are not looking too good.”

Her hands tightened on the tablet. ‘So that presence I felt.’ She gulped, ‘He was aiming for me? why?’

“We need you to hunt it down,” the man said flatly.

Lucia burst out laughing, but her laughter died when she saw his expression hadn’t changed. “Wait… you’re serious?”

“The higher-ups believe you’re the only one who can handle this-”

She cut him off, “Now hold on a minute, do you see what I am seeing? how the hell am I suppose to hunt that down? He is clearly way stronger than the last we met. Why not send the elite members, I am sure they can handle this, I am ju-”

“Watch your mouth when talking to me.” His power surged, the pressure making her fall to her knees, “since when did you start questioning orders? You should be honored you were chosen, many are dying for a chance to hunt down such a thing.” He cancelled his power and Lucia gasped for air.

“You will be given 1 elite member of your choice so stop whining and do as you are told.” He picked up his pen and went back to signing papers. “We are done, you may go, the mission starts… tomorrow. Better prepare while you still have time.”

‘Fucking assholes, I will get you all back for this…if i survive.’ She got up, bowed and left, her face showing that she is clearly pissed. After she walked out, the man stop signing for a bit and sighed.

“They are sending her to her death.”

Lucia walked slowly back to her lab, her mind racing. The white hallways seemed longer than usual, each step echoing with the weight of her new assignment. She stopped at a window, staring at her reflection in the dark glass.

‘One elite member…’ she thought, running through the possibilities in her head. Most of them were arrogant blowhards who would just get in her way. But there was one… She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

“Hey,” she said when the line connected. “Remember that favor you owe me? Time to pay up. Meet me at my lab in an hour.” She hung up without waiting for a response.

Back in her lab, she pulled up the data from her previous encounter with Vell. The power readings were off the charts now, far beyond what she saw before.

“What made you like this?” she muttered, studying the crystallized remains in the photos. “And why come after me now, does he truly hold a grudge after me?”

The soft whir of machines filled the silence as she began gathering her equipment. If she was going to face him again, she’d need every advantage she could get. Her fingers brushed against an old photo hidden in her desk drawer – she quickly slammed it shut.

“This time will be different,” she said to the empty room, but even she didn’t believe it. The presence she’d felt earlier lingered in her mind… she didn’t want to go, like at all but she had no choice in the matter.

A knock at the door interrupted her preparations. “Come in,” she called, already knowing who it would be. Time to brief her new partner on their suicide mission.

The door opened, revealing a tall woman leaning against the frame. Her black tactical gear contrasted sharply with Lucia’s new getup—she swapped her stained white lab coat for form-fitting fantasy leather armor. The obsidian-black material clung to her petite frame, leaving her pale shoulders and midriff exposed, with silver runes glowing faintly along the collar.

‘I am sure she read the mission message I sent her by now. She is the only person I can trust.’

Straps crisscrossed her chest, securing vials of neon-blue liquid to her ribs. Despite the armor’s revealing cuts, there was nothing playful about it—every slit and opening served a purpose, allowing access to tools holstered at her hips. Her rose-gold hair, usually tied in a messy bun, now fell in waves past her waist, framing a face too young and delicate for the grimace she wore.

“You owe me big for this,” the woman said, tossing a duffel bag onto a lab table.

“Nice to see you too, Suzy,” she replied dryly, not looking up from packing more vials into a case. Her armored boots clicked against the lab floor as she moved—a jarring contrast to her doll-like features.

Suzy snorted, eyeing Lucia’s outfit as she picked up a photo of the crystallized guards. “Since when do you play dress-up? Looks like the armor’s compensating for something.”

“Since someone needs to survive long enough to analyze that thing’s new form,” she shot back, adjusting a strap digging into her shoulder. “The runes dampen his resonance waves. The ‘windows’ let me monitor my vitals without removing plating.” She tapped a glowing panel on her exposed stomach—a pulsing hologram of her heartbeat.

Suzy tossed her a silver pistol. “Cute. Still won’t save you when he—”

“If he rips my arm off, the armor’s tourniquet auto-deploys,” she interrupted, catching the gun. Her delicate fingers looked absurd holding it. “Focus on keeping him still. I need at least seven seconds for the suppressant.”

Suzy smirked. “Seven seconds? With that getup, he’ll be too busy staring to fight back.”

Lucia ignored her.

“But why you? No offense but you are not really built for combat.”

“Higher-ups’ orders. No way to refuse.” She started packing various devices into a metal case. “They’re letting me pick one elite member. You’re the only one I can work with.”

“When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow morning. I know it’s short notice.”

Suzy nodded and sat down, looking through more of the data. “Got a plan?”

“Working on it. Main problem is his crystallization ability. One touch and we’re done.” She pulled up a map on her computer. “He was last seen here, the imperial city. We’ll start tracking from this point.”

They spent the next hour going over equipment and strategy. Neither of them liked their chances, but they kept the conversation focused on the practical details.

“Get some rest,” Lucia finally said. “Meet me at the transport bay at 6 AM.”

After Suzy left, Lucia sat alone in her lab, checking her equipment one last time. She knew tomorrow could be her last day in this lab, but there was no point dwelling on it.

—

Back at the imperial city, Vell was causing chaos, he was now in the palace, looking for someone. ‘Regina may seem like the boss of this place but I know better, players like her are usually just puppets.’ Just around the corner, he came face to face with people he really hated.

“Must be my lucky day.” He said, seeing them sweating in front him. They were high ranking guards, tasked with protecting the throne room but their bodies were shaking too much, they knew they stood no chance but what made it worse, these are the guys that jumped Vell, so he held a special hatred for them.

“Hey, what do we do?” One of them whispered.

“How the fuck would I know man? shut the fuck up and pray he doesn’t remember us.”

Vell’s head turned to the one who came to deliver the invitation, “Remember what I told you? I always keep my word.” He vanished and reappeared in front of them, his sword appeared in his hand. “I would like to play with all of you but I don’t have time for this.”

“W-Wait-” He cut their heads off at the same time and wasted no time moving forward.

‘make for me, king of this city.’

From a far far distance, the masked figures that gave him his town, watched.