Leader's Manor, second-floor main hall.
General Silvio, the leader of the rebel army, still lay on the pristine floor, his eyes wide open in death.
Composite Xinian, in the form of a Black Cat, quietly crouched on a nearby table, suppressing the inner brutality and evil, watching as the snow-white, delicate body with alluring tattoos was lightly covered by a vibrant red dress.
He almost couldn't resist using his tentacles to hang and torture her.
Perhaps infected and tempted by the negative atmosphere of the surrounding slaughter, Xi Nian felt that even though he hadn't done much himself, his inner spirit and thoughts were becoming increasingly abnormal.
He had to find Starro, whom the Flerken Cub was looking for, and leave this place as soon as possible!
Xi Nian's gaze involuntarily fell on Harley again.
Wait, that brand new red dress looked a bit too clean... This won't do!
Watching Harley Quinn finish changing her clothes, the Black Cat suddenly leaped forward, its black slime-covered paws landing on the girl's chest as if kneading.
Xi Nian left clear and visible paw prints on Harley's pristine, slender neck and on the firm, soft fabric of the red dress, as if branding his exclusive mark.
The black paw prints stained the girl's snow-white body and defiled the brand new red dress, exuding a hint of evil.
This looks much more pleasing to the eye; a pet should look like a pet!
The Composite Xinian, whose inner darkness had infinitely amplified, thought.
Harley thought the black marks were just dirt, and without a hint of disgust, she chuckled and hugged the Black Cat back into her arms.
At this moment.
The gunshots and sounds of fighting on the roof, downstairs, and even in the courtyard of the manor building all simultaneously fell silent.
Harley picked up her gold-plated, large-caliber pistol and, carrying the Black Cat, walked downstairs, soon meeting Captain Robert and Peacemaker, dressed in black and red respectively, in the manor's courtyard, which was strewn with bodies.
"Chomp chomp…"
King Shark, with white bullet marks all over his body, patted his slightly bulging blue and white belly and walked out, joining the three outside.
"Where are the other two?" Captain Robert asked, puzzled, looking at the now quiet interior of the manor.
"One is over there; he fell to his death when he jumped from the helicopter." Harley pointed to the fountain pool, where a young man's half-submerged body was faintly visible.
"Alright." Captain Robert was speechless for a moment; this was still his fault.
Polka-Dot Man, despite being a human involved in the supernatural, was considered deformed among their X Task Force members. Unfortunately, due to being infected by a high-dimensional virus, his physical constitution was even weaker than that of an ordinary person.
Even if he hadn't fallen to his death from the helicopter, he likely would have died inadvertently.
"Wait, where's Cleo Cazo?" Compared to Polka-Dot Man, for whom he didn't have much affection, Captain Robert was more concerned about Second-generation Ratcatcher, who was like his daughter.
"Here."
Before Harley could respond.
Outside the manor's main gate, as the voice sounded.
Second-generation Ratcatcher, Cleo Cazo, walked in, holding a bald scientist captive. Her left hand tightly clutched the collar of his dark shirt, and her right hand held a pistol pressed against his bald head, which was covered in instrument tubes. A black-furred rat was gnawing threateningly at the scientist's neck.
"He was trying to escape from the manor, and I caught him," Second-generation Ratcatcher said.
However.
As Second-generation Ratcatcher approached the gate, getting close to Harley, who was carrying the Black Cat.
The black-furred rat suddenly stared blankly, its body stiffened, and it fainted again, its limbs splayed, its small body falling from the scientist's neck.
Everyone: "…"
Second-generation Ratcatcher quickly cradled the rat back in her hands, while the bald scientist was taken over by Captain Robert.
"You are Gaius Graves, the Thinker, aren't you? The research director of the Starfish Project." Captain Robert held his gun, coldly staring at the bald scientist.
The Thinker angrily said, "Damn it, you killed General Silvio! His right-hand man, General Mateo Su, will never let you go!"
"We don't care, and we have no choice." Captain Robert glanced at the Black Cat on Harley, then patted the Thinker's face, saying, "I want you to take us into Jotunheim!"
"Jotunheim…" The Thinker's eyes widened, and upon hearing the name, a look of fear and fanaticism flashed across his face… It was a research institute and factory in the capital city of Corto Maltese, shaped like a giant chimney.
This was Jotunheim, the biggest secret that had existed on this island nation for many years, the location of the Starfish Project, and the sole objective of the X Task Force's cleanup mission!
The outside of the institute had large iron gates and electric fence protection, with a dozen fully armed rebel soldiers standing guard.
Bang—!
Unexpectedly, a modified van abruptly crashed through the closed iron gate!
Bang bang bang!!
The side doors of the van opened simultaneously, and the X Task Force members inside immediately unleashed a volley of gunfire, instantly shredding the dozen soldiers into mincemeat!
"Open the door for me!" Captain Robert forcibly dragged the Thinker out of the car and slammed his face onto the facial recognition scanner at the institute's main entrance.
The institute's main door opened.
The remaining X Task Force members immediately filed in; inside were Jotunheim researchers, and with the lab director as a hostage, they all fearfully made way.
Straight to the top floor of the Jotunheim Research Institute!
As soon as they stepped into the most highly classified laboratory, all of the X Task Force members were stunned, a chilling sensation spreading throughout their bodies!
On one side of the Jotunheim lab wall, two men were locked onto instruments as experimental subjects. Their bodies struggled continuously as if drowning, and a strange starfish covered their eyes, mouth, and nose!
At this moment.
Xi Nian, who had been staying on Harley like an ordinary Black Cat, jumped to the ground, his pair of eerie green beast eyes looking at the starfish on the experimental subjects.
He had successfully arrived at Jotunheim with the help of the X Task Force and others.
He had to say, everything went very smoothly.
"Is this the Starro you're looking for?" Xi Nian conveyed his thoughts to the Flerken Cub in his mind.
Flerken Cub: "Meow meow!"
"What do you mean?" Xi Nian didn't quite understand; the Flerken Cub's response was:
"No, but also yes."
"No" meant that these starfish attached to the experimental subjects were not Starro.
As for "yes," it should mean… The Composite Xinian was just thinking of this.
Just then, in the laboratory, deep inside, on a wall that was mostly transparent protective glass.
In the inner space on the other side of the wall, an enormous suction-cup tentacle slammed against the protective glass window from within, causing the entire research institute to tremble slightly!
"What in the world is that…"
Even the X Task Force members, who had witnessed countless dark and bloody scenes, couldn't help but stare with wide eyes, dominated by fear.
After the giant suction-cup tentacle slid downwards, through the glass window, they could see a gigantic starfish monster imprisoned inside, almost two-thirds the size of the entire thirty-meter-high research institute building!
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