Professor Hector William confidently replied, "It definitely wasn't done by humans. I am thoroughly familiar with the level of biotechnology across global nations—neither the violet mist nor the evolution it incites could be accomplished by contemporary human technology!" "So, I believe the violet mist was caused by aliens!"

Aliens?! Sofie Barnes found it absurd, and fear momentarily forgotten, she retorted, "Professor William, where are these aliens you're talking about? I've never seen them."

Hector William sighed, "A sentient race capable of crossing vast interstellar distances to reach Earth—why would they reveal themselves to you if they wish to remain hidden? It's like when we place cameras in the wild to observe animals; can those wild animals detect humans? Even if a camera is placed right in front of them, they wouldn't understand what it is!"

James Lone nodded in agreement, "That makes a lot of sense. I'm almost reluctant to kill you."

Huh? Hector William froze.

James Lone pondered for a moment and said, "How about you work for me from now on?"

Hector William, desperate to save himself, quickly responded, "Sir! No problem!"

However, James Lone noticed that Hector William was enveloped in a highly radiant red aura, without even a hint of yellow hue.

James Lone, unimpressed, remarked, "Professor William, you're not being sincere."

Hector William, panicked, waved his hands, "No, no! Sir, please don't overthink it. I'm genuinely willing to work for you!"

Unfortunately, the red aura gave him away.

James Lone, disappointed, continued, "Think it over again. I can offer you superior research facilities and even arrange a team of researchers to assist you."

On the verge of tears, Hector William said, "No problem! Absolutely no problem! I'll research whatever you want, really, I'm not lying!"

Yet, his aura remained intensely red.

James Lone sighed, "Do you wish to have an intact body?"

"Ah?" Hector William's heart sank. Just as he was about to speak, a line of blood appeared on his neck.

James Lone flicked the blood off his dagger.

Clever old fox.

Thud!

Hector William's body fell to the ground.

Sofie Barnes was left utterly blank-minded.

The esteemed scholar she had worked tirelessly to rescue was gone just like that?

She glared at James Lone in anger and grief: "You've destroyed humanity's hope with your own hands! You're a criminal against all humankind!"

James Lone grabbed her hair, pulling her up close, and said coldly and deliberately: "First off, the creators of the violet mist are the enemies of humanity, and they have nothing to do with me!" "Secondly, as Hector William himself said, a species that can journey across the vastness of space to Earth is beyond the reach of human technology. If he couldn't solve the problem, what use was he to me?"

Facing an unknown, mysterious enemy, James Lone trusted his system over both Hector William and human technology.

"Lastly..."

James Lone harshly pressed Sofie Barnes's face into the dirt: "You're my prisoner, and you dare to speak to me like that?!"

Sofie Barnes struggled, coughing, "Let me go!"

Snorting coldly, James Lone tore open a portal and dragged Sofie Barnes through it.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived in a space chamber several hundred meters away.

James Lone threw Sofie Barnes to the ground.

A group of women gathered around, curiously asking: "Is she a new sister?" "And an officer, no less?" "She's so skinny, looks like she's been starving." "Quite pretty, too." "Hmm, our master wouldn't have brought her here if she wasn't."

Sofie Barnes looked around in disbelief.

The polished floor, the healthy, beautiful women, the clean room, and the table laden with a feast made her feel as though she'd reentered civilized society.

"This, this, this..."

James Lone, annoyed, clapped his hands. Sofie Barnes had been traveling through the dense forest for some time, and she hadn't taken a bath yet. Her body and hair exuded an unpleasant odor, and the grease on her skin made her unbearable to him.

Pointing at Shirley Inr Won and Lily Green, he said, "You two, take Sofie Barnes to get cleaned up, scrub her well. If she misbehaves, don't hold back, give her a good beating."

Shirley Inr Won and Lily Green, both with physique-enhancing abilities, were far stronger than ordinary women.

Sofie Barnes was in no position to resist.

Shirley Inr Won, understanding his command, asked, "Bring her to your room afterward?"

James Lone nodded, "Yes, I'll join you after my meal."

"No!" Sofie Barnes, finally realizing what was about to happen, screamed, "Let me go! This is outrageous!"

Slap!

James Lone slapped her hard, dazing her.

Monroe Anne chuckled with experience and advised, "Master, give her a good beating and she'll behave."

Having been through it herself, she knew James Lone's methods with women well.

If you behaved obediently, you wouldn't be mistreated. But if you resisted, who knows what might happen?

James Lone had never hesitated to kill women before.

Much less give a beating.

Although Sofie Barnes struggled, she quickly found that the two beautiful women beside her had impressive strength, rendering her immobile.

She exclaimed in shock, "You, you, you have abilities too?"

Shirley Inr Won maintained a cold demeanor, while Lily Green boasted, "Every woman here has more than one ability!"

What?

Sofie Barnes was stunned.

The women huddled around, laughing and gossiping.

They felt safe here but were also quite bored.

Constant scheming among women could become tiring.

With every new sister, there was new gossip to indulge in, keeping them entertained for a while.

Meanwhile, Teresa Taylor was familiarizing herself with the base and checked on the living conditions of the three survivors she had brought—Hertha, Jemmy, and Zack Torres.

As she wandered the base, soldiers and ability users greeted her politely.

The story of a beautiful dual-ability user who punched Brigadier General Hawkins had already circulated widely.

Everyone knew Teresa Taylor had obtained new ability fruits and was on the verge of becoming an Alpha-ranked ability user and being promoted to Brigadier General.

Everyone wanted to curry favor with the rising star of the base.

Teresa Taylor arrived at the area where ordinary survivors lived and worked.

The lighting was dimmer, and the tunnels were quite dark, with barely enough illumination to see where one was going.

The survivors she passed wore gray uniforms, their faces pale and eyes hollow, moving collectively in groups, soldiers armed with live ammunition keeping a vigilant watch over them.

Teresa Taylor's beautiful eyes showed concern.

It seemed the relationship between the ability users, soldiers, and the ordinary survivors was not all harmonious...

Before long, she encountered a supervisor in a blue outfit, whom she asked, "I'm looking for three survivors: Hertha, Jemmy, and Zack Torres—they came here with me. Could you tell me where they're living?"

The supervisor, immediately recognizing Teresa Taylor, answered obsequiously, "Good day, Brigadier General Taylor! I'm Bill Parker, Deputy Supervisor of the engineering team. You're in luck; Zack Torres is with our engineering team, while Jemmy is with the odd-job team."

Odd-job team? Teresa Taylor frowned: "And what about Hertha?"

Bill Parker awkwardly replied, "Oh, she broke the rules by attempting to assault a guard, so she was executed."

Executed!

Teresa Taylor was astonished, eyes wide, "Hertha is dead?"