BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 831 The Prison (3)

"Shouldn't you be dead?" Captain Lain asked.

"Do I look dead to you?"

"Fair."

However, Erik wanted to know something from her. "Is there someone else worth noting in this prison?"

Captain Lain had little to think about. She saw a lot of her comrades getting imprisoned.

"Minister of Defense Jena Rose, Raveena Greene and Roma Sinclair, Lesly Spark, the Minster of War, and…"

"And?" Erik asked.

"Major James Fischer."

Erik knew who Jena Rose, Raveena Greene and the others were. How could he not? Those were the higher ups in Frant back when Erik still lived in New Alexandria, it was impossible to know who they were, especially Roma Sinclair and Raveena Greene, basically two war heroes.

But Erik didn't know who James Fischer was. He would have if he stayed at New Alexandria during the parasites' attacks, and he would know the pivotal role he played with Professor Derr Xillion in destroying the infection.

"Whatever. It's not like I planned on leaving people behind. Any idea where they are?"

"They should be in the isolation cells."

"Mind showing the way?" Erik didn't want to lose time searching aimlessly the area.

"No. Let's go."

Of course, Erik and June found some resistance further inside.

Puzzlingly, a considerable number of guards, at least fifty, had not converged at the entrance during their initial incursion.

These guards, scattered throughout the corridors and cells, posed a potential threat that needed addressing.

June took the lead in dealing with them. Each guard, one after the other, found themselves overpowered by his adept combat skills.

Despite their numbers, these adversaries lacked the strength and coordination to pose any real challenge to someone of June's capabilities.

For him, dispatching these guards was almost routine, their attempts to stop them feeble at best.

His movements were efficient and precise, each action calculated to incapacitate with minimal effort.

The guards, unprepared for an assailant of June's skill, were neutralized with ease.

Whether they were taken by surprise or underestimated the threat June posed, they could do little to halt his advance.

Captain Lain and her team members, of course, were scared.

Erik Romano had a monster at his service. How he, someone who should be much weaker than them, could ask someone like June to do what he wanted was a mystery.

The time during which Erik was believed to be dead now seemed to hold significant importance, a black box of untold events that had forged him into the figure standing before them.

Captain Lain couldn't help but feel that whatever Erik went through during that mysterious time changed him completely.

After a while, they arrived in the isolation cells' area. The place was of desolation and despair.

Here, the air hung heavy with the oppressive weight of confinement, suffused with the faint hum of mana coursing through the Aclaitrium ore that comprised every inch of the surroundings.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were all fashioned from the shimmering metal.

The cells themselves were small, windowless enclosures, thought to make the occupants suffer.

Within these confines, the prisoners languished in the darkness, their faces etched with resignation and sorrow.

Their voices, though muffled by the thick walls, echoed through the air, a haunting symphony of despair.

"Free them," Erik said to June. He then turned to Captain Lain. "Bring me to the Ministers and the others."

Captain Lain nodded. However, she observed how June freed the prisoners.

He simply destroyed the Aclaitrium bars. She was shocked to see that. Doing it was no easy feat.

While June freed the others, the others moved through the maze of cells. In the end, they found their targets.

The grim reality was that both ministers had succumbed to a cruel fate, dying from a harrowing blend of starvation and torture.

Their bodies were gaunt, bearing the marks of prolonged suffering. Several fingers were absent, a silent testament to the brutality they endured.

Minister Rose's condition was even more dire, as she was found without her legs, adding a gruesome detail to the already tragic scene.

"Oh god," Emma said. She couldn't believe what they did to her.

"Are you surprised?" Erik asked. "This is human nature."

While moving beyond the cells, they continued their journey down the corridor until they reached the end.

They came upon the final isolation cell, its door looming ominously before them.

In the dim light of the cell, they came upon a figure slumped against the far wall.

His appearance was one of neglect and despair. His hair, once perhaps neatly combed, now hung in unkempt tangles around his face, shadowing his weary eyes.

The uniform he wore bore the scars of his captivity—stained with dried blood and dirt, it clung to his frail frame.

Despite his clear weakness, a flicker of life still danced in his gaze, a muted spark of resilience amid the squalor.

Breaths came shallow and labored, yet in his survival, there lay an unspoken defiance.

"How do we open the cell?" Emma asked. While June was able to do so, she and the others didn't see Erik do anything.

"Let me take care of it," he said.

He clasped the cold metal bars firmly, his grip tightening as he exerted a force that seemed almost casual.

The bars, designed to resist and detain, yielded under the strength of his hands.

They bent with a groan, metal warping as if it were made of something far more pliable than iron.

The once straight lines twisted, creating an opening wide enough for passage.

For him, it was even easier than for June. While the clone destroyed them with kicks or punches, showing how he still had to put some effort into doing so, for Erik it was effortless.

Captain Lain and the others were shocked. As for him, it was like taking off a blanket from a bed.

"After you," Erik said. Captain Lain entered the cell. She tapped at Major Fischer's shoulder.

"James! James!" The man woke up. He was startled at the beginning, thinking it was another round of torture he was going to face.

However, after focusing on the face of the person in front of him, he recognized her.

"Mary? Is that you?"

"Yes. We are going to bring you out of here."

"Are the others ok?" Fischer asked. "Is Derr alive?"

"I don't know, James. I don't know if there is someone alive. Some died, that is for sure. Minister Spark and Rose are some cells behind. We could do nothing for them."

"I see," Fischer said. "What about Becker?"

Captain Lain found herself at a loss for words. Becker had disappeared without a trace, and no news of him had made its way to New Alexandria.

Since she had been held captive for some time, it was impossible for her to have any information about his whereabouts.

Her situation left her unable to respond, caught between the need for answers and the reality of her isolation.

"Becker is alive," Erik said.

Of course, that shocked everyone. How did Erik Romano knew about Becker?

"He is under my protection."

"Under your protection?" Captain Lain asked.

She saw what Erik did to those bars, but she couldn't believe the mighty General Armand Becker could be under someone's protection.

"Where?" Fischer asked.

But Erik had no intention of saying that. What if one of them was a spy?

Liberty Watch village had to be safe. Before bringing those guys into the underground city, a thorough screening had to be done.

"I can't say that." There was a slight pause.

"No offense," Captain Lain said, "But I doubt someone on the caliber of Armand Becker would ask you for help. What could you provide to him so that he would agree to join you?"

Erik looked at captain Lain, understanding where she was coming from. "Do you really want to know?" he asked.

"Yes."

"All right. Do you remember what my powers were?"

Captain Lain looked at him. "You should have a power that allows you to make plants grow faster and one that should allow you to make everything sharp."

"Good," Erik said. "Now watch this."

He grinned, and then he summoned the Astral Wolf. The sight of the massive bluish wolf dripping venom from its fang sparked something into Captain Lain, because she stared at the beast unblinkingly for several seconds, until Major Fischer recalled the attention.

"Can you get me out of here?" Fischer said, making Captain Lain snap out of her reverie. "Sorry, James. Can you stand?"

"No." Fischer was too tired and battered to do that.

"I will help you then," the woman said.

Then June arrived. "Master, everyone is free. There are some wounded people, but the other prisoners are bringing them out. Do we leave?"

"I don't know," Erik said. "Are there more Crystal Cross Gang members?"

"No," June said. "I killed them all." Of course, that surprised Fischer, Captain Lain and all those present.

"Then let's get out of here then."

June's agreement was accompanied by a resolute nod, his eyes reflecting a steely determination as they all directed their attention towards the exit route.