"The thing I hate the most is when an experiment is progressing steadily, only to be interrupted and disrupted by external factors..."
Dottore set down the bloodstained scalpel in his hand and turned to face the group, his crimson eyes gleaming.
"And do you really think that just because you have numbers on your side, you can be my match?"
"Everyone, be careful," Arlecchino spoke with a grave tone.
"As the rumors suggest, the ranking of the Fatui Harbingers is indeed tied to strength."
"This man, Dottore, has performed countless modifications on his own body..."
"His power rivals that of the gods, and purely in terms of combat strength, he firmly holds the position of the Second Harbinger..."
"What's more, he now possesses a degree of control over Eerie power..."
"I don't understand why you're all so agitated," Dottore spoke slowly.
"I am simply conducting a routine experiment."
"Although Furina's face is now disfigured, with my expertise, crafting a new one for her in the future wouldn't be a difficult task."
"A so-called 'human' is nothing more than a highly complex machine."
"Dismantling a part for observation, modification, and research is the most natural thing in the world…"
"If something still holds research value, it should be maintained. If it proves worthless, then discarding it is of no consequence."
Listening to Dottore's absurd reasoning, everyone felt a surge of fury.
The only reason they hadn't launched an attack yet and were instead locked in a tense standoff was due to the confined space—they were underground, and if a battle caused a collapse, Furina's life would be in grave danger…
Moreover, no one could predict what kind of insane actions Dottore might take next…
"Cough… cough…"
At that moment, Furina, who was bound to the reclining chair, suddenly coughed twice, spitting out a considerable amount of blood.
She struggled to turn her head, looking at the people who had come for her.
With a weak voice, she spoke:
"I'm… sor… ry…"
"Kill… kill… me…"
Why was Furina saying "I'm sorry" in a situation like this?
Did she feel that it was her own mistake, that she hadn't done better, and that she had burdened everyone?
And her last plea—"kill me"—only deepened the sorrow and pain in everyone's hearts.
What kind of torment had she endured for someone as strong and optimistic as her to utter such words…?
"I'm… sor… ry…" Su Yuan murmured, repeating those words as if he had heard them somewhere before.
He instinctively reached up to touch his own face, completely unaware that tears were streaming down uncontrollably.
At this moment, Su Yuan's heart was filled with a whirlwind of emotions—anger, unwillingness, regret, sorrow—everything except fear.
Whether it was facing the overwhelmingly powerful Dottore or the fact that he no longer had stable rewind attempts, all the unknowns and fears had completely vanished from Su Yuan's mind and heart at this moment.
Right now, Su Yuan had only one thought—to fulfill Furina's request and free her from this endless suffering and torment.
With a calm expression, Su Yuan took slow, deliberate steps forward, moving toward Dottore and Furina.
Dottore watched him with amused interest and spoke:
"I don't recall your face at all. You must be the Su Yuan they've been talking about?"
"Are you the one who told them all that information about Eerie power?"
"I believe we might have the potential to be friends—to be close academic partners in this field of study."
"Come now, abandon them and join me!" Dottore extended his hand toward Su Yuan as he spoke.
"Let us explore the secrets of Eerie power together!"
"As a token of my sincerity, if you wish, I wouldn't even mind sharing Furina with you…"
"I'm not the least bit interested," Su Yuan replied calmly, looking straight at Dottore.
"Your so-called academic research is worth less than a Floater's excrement."
"You…!" Dottore's expression immediately twisted in anger.
Su Yuan's words had undoubtedly struck a nerve, crossing a line that he could not tolerate.
Dottore never cared about the opinions of mere mortals and insects.
However, the fact that he had extended an invitation to Su Yuan in the first place meant that he already considered him somewhat of an equal.
"Hahahaha…" Dottore laughed as he stared at Su Yuan.
"You dare compare my research to a Floater's excrement?"
"Even the God of Wisdom, no matter how much they disapprove of my methods, would never speak of my research in such a way…"
"Correction," Su Yuan said calmly.
"It's not just excrement…"
"It's not even worth that."
The next moment, Dottore lunged toward Su Yuan in fury, but Clorinde and Neuvillette immediately blocked his attack!
"Su Yuan, do what you must!" Neuvillette said firmly.
"We believe in you!"
"Heh, so you like getting in my way?" Dottore sneered.
A sinister, dark-red flame suddenly ignited in the palm of his right hand.
"Then let's see if you can stop this power!"
Everyone tensed up as they saw the eerie, black-crimson energy swirling in Dottore's grasp, instinctively stepping back to keep their distance.
If any of them were accidentally contaminated by this Eerie power and fell into an incomplete state of corruption under Dottore's control, the situation would only become even more dire…
"Su Yuan, why is it that even after seeing the Eerie power in my hand, you make no effort to dodge and instead keep walking forward?"
Dottore asked in confusion.
"Are you not afraid of being corrupted and controlled by the Eerie power?"
"Afraid? Why should I be afraid?" Su Yuan replied calmly, his steps never faltering.
"Then let me inject this Eerie power into your body, and you can experience for yourself whether or not there is anything to fear!"
As Dottore spoke, he channeled all the Eerie power in his hand directly into Su Yuan's body.
Yet, Su Yuan made no attempt to avoid it.
"Hahaha! Forcing you all to turn against each other with Eerie power—what a beautiful sight!"
However, something completely unexpected happened.
Despite the vast amount of Eerie power surging into Su Yuan, there were no signs of corruption.
In fact, Su Yuan's expression remained unchanged, as if the Eerie power had never entered his body in the first place…
"What is going on? Su Yuan, are you immune to the corruption of Eerie power as well?" Dottore stood frozen in disbelief.
"And your resistance threshold is even higher than Furina's?"
"Shut your filthy mouth and stand still."
Su Yuan turned his gaze toward Dottore and spoke in a calm, unwavering tone.
Then, to Dottore's astonishment, he found himself unable to speak, his body frozen in place…
Su Yuan then took out the small knife he carried with him.
Without the slightest hesitation, he plunged it straight into Furina's heart!
And at that moment, the corner of Furina's skinless lips curved into a faint smile…
"Furina…"
"Next time… Next time, I will definitely save you…"
Su Yuan murmured, before driving the bloodstained knife—still dripping with Furina's heart's blood—deep into his own heart!
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