Li Ban woke up furious.
The Director had never warned him that a second forced awakening couldn't be refused.
Then again, he knew his objections would have been useless even if he had been warned.
Still, the moment he saw Chen Dong, he buried his anger.
He forced his voice to remain steady. "Did something happen? Waking me up so suddenly makes it very hard to explain to the inmates in the Death Prison."
Chen Dong looked slightly guilty. "Sorry, but this is a genuine emergency. When you go back, just claim you were feeling unwell. Fainting once in a while is a believable enough excuse."
Despite his apologetic tone, he still hauled Li Ban out of the Experimental Capsule with practiced efficiency.
Chen Dong helped Li Ban through his recovery exercises while logging his recent physical condition.
Suddenly, a metal door in the corner of the Laboratory opened silently, and the Director stormed through, radiating fury.
Li Ban froze, his brow instantly furrowing.
The Director stopped right in front of him. "That assassin was one of our researchers. We planted her in the Assassin Hall early on. We had just updated her mission parameters to help her secure a promotion, only for her to run into you and get killed."
Li Ban stared in shock before slowly straightening his back. He looked the Director right in the eye, noting that the man was about the same height as his current physical body.
"You know I lost my memories," Li Ban said. "I had no idea she was a mole."
He wanted to add, You didn't exactly tell me, either, but he knew he had to state his case without pushing the Director too far.
His life was still firmly in the Director's hands.
His actions in the Wizard World were entirely restricted by the Laboratory, and they could forcibly yank his consciousness out whenever they pleased.
In a way, his status within the Laboratory was actually worse than his standing in the Death Prison.
At least in the Death Prison, he had some means to protect himself.
But here in the Laboratory, he had no special abilities, and his physical body had severely weakened from prolonged dormancy.
If the Director killed him here, he would just have to reincarnate again; he had no way to forcefully log out from this side.
Therefore, his top priority was to find a way to increase his strength in the Laboratory's world, or to break free from their control altogether.
At the very least, he couldn't remain entirely at their mercy.
For now, his only option was to diligently complete his missions.
Li Ban's composure seemed to rub off on the Director. Realizing he had lost his temper, the man gradually calmed down.
He let out a long breath and started over.
"Baishu was one of our researchers, placed undercover in the Assassin Hall early on. She was supplying us with internal intelligence. We didn't know you had joined the Assassin Hall as well, or we would have arranged for the two of you to connect."
Seeing the Director regain his rationality, Li Ban adopted a slightly more humble attitude.
"After I returned with the mission details last time, I was suddenly sent to infiltrate the Assassin Hall. They even went out of their way to help me improve my strength, but they still haven't told me exactly what they want me to do."
The Director nodded. He pulled out a tablet and began searching through its files.
After a moment, he nodded again. "That checks out. Your movements during that period were somewhat abnormal."
He looked up. "Previously, we sent Shen Kong to covertly assist you, but unfortunately, he was unexpectedly killed by the cheetah."
Li Ban's eyes snapped up. "Shen Kong? Shen Kong was also with the Laboratory? He never told me that."
He frowned. A deep vigilance took root in his heart, though he made sure his face looked even angrier than before.
"Shen Kong reported me and Ze back then! He clearly knew we were with the Laboratory too, yet he actually turned us in as moles!"
Chen Dong, who was still supporting Li Ban, coughed lightly. "Shen Kong didn't know your identity at the time, either. He only did that to secure his position in the Beast Arena so he could continue his undercover work."
Li Ban didn't buy it. Even if Shen Kong didn't know his identity, there was no way he didn't know Ze's.
"Didn't you say that everyone reviews each other's files before entering the Laboratory? Did they lose their memories, too?"
"You weren't sent in with the same batch," Chen Dong explained. "So you never saw each other's files."
Li Ban still felt something was wrong.
Shen Kong and Ze were both placed undercover in the Beast Arena. Shouldn't they have been briefed on each other before going in?
The Laboratory had sent so many people into the Wizard World, yet they didn't seem to care about anyone's safety.
Or rather, they were guarding against everyone.
So, was Shen Kong really sent to assist him?
Feeling he had vaguely grasped the truth, Li Ban didn't push the issue. Instead, he silently re-evaluated the Laboratory's final mission.
What exactly was the Core Element?
And did the General decide to betray the Laboratory before obtaining the Core Element, or after?
Was the Core Element the key that allowed the General to break free from the Laboratory's control?
If he could just get his hands on the Core Element...
Li Ban couldn't map it all out yet. After all, he knew absolutely nothing about the Laboratory's world.
He lowered his eyes, concealing the calculating gleam within them.
Seeing that Li Ban was no longer throwing a temper, the Director changed the subject. "Since you are the one stationed in the Assassin Hall now, Baishu's emergency mission will be handed over to you."
Li Ban knew the Director was a domineering man who wouldn't leave any room for refusal, so he didn't bother trying. "What mission?"
The Director waved his hand. "It will be issued through the mission assistance system's—"
He caught himself mid-sentence, remembering that Li Ban couldn't receive tasks through the mission assistance system.
"Never mind, Chen Dong will brief you on it later. It just so happens that this lab's forced logout program often fails to boot up. I've arranged a different lab for you. Come with me."
So, because they needed him for this emergency mission, they were finally willing to fix his inability to force a logout.
Because Li Ban's physical body currently had limited mobility, Chen Dong brought over a mobility assistance device.
Operating a mechanical arm, he set down a cube in front of Li Ban that resembled a 100-layer Rubik's Cube.
The moment the program booted up, the cube instantly scattered into small square tiles.
Three metal, spider-like legs snapped out from the edges of each tile, transforming them into nimble mechanical units.
Countless tiny mechanical units scurried rapidly over Li Ban's body like spiders. As this thin, flexible metal skin enveloped him, he immediately felt a faint electric current pierce through his body and converge in his brain.
"Li Ban, try to move," Chen Dong said. "See if you can operate it normally."
Li Ban tried to take a step. To his astonishment, the moment the thought formed in his mind, the mechanical units covering his legs immediately engaged, mirroring his intent and driving the forward motion.
His weak and aching legs instantly carried him forward with a normal stride.
It was the same for his arms and torso.
"The electric currents from the Brain-Controlled Prosthesis can also promote muscle recovery," Chen Dong explained. "Of course, the best method is still natural physical therapy. These machines are only meant to be an aid."
Li Ban looked down at his body, fascinated by the novel sensation.
He clenched his fists, feeling like he could rival a Predator from the movies.
It was a shame there was currently no need for combat anywhere in this laboratory.
To think such powerful equipment was being used solely for mobility assistance.
Li Ban glanced at the tablet in Chen Dong's hands.
He knew the installation and removal of the Brain-Controlled Prosthesis were entirely managed by others; this still wasn't his own power.
If only he could obtain a set of advanced equipment that truly belonged to him.