Our Family Has Fallen

The most commendable part, the seemingly impenetrable carapace, appeared especially fragile against the terrifying force behind the heavy spear.

The Giant Devourer let out a bizarre, indescribable howl, its body twisting and struggling, yet Lance did not relent in his assault.

Instead, he took out the equipment of the Misty Cave Hunter and continuously hurled spears.

Shattered completely!

In just a brief moment, Lance threw all the remaining spears, turning the beast into a porcupine.

Already severely injured from the battle with the Formless Flesh, it was now on the brink of death, collapsing limply to the ground.

Lance had no intention of sparing it, as the absence of secretion indicated it wasn’t even qualified to be used as material, bearing no value.

More importantly, this creature hadn’t evolved naturally.

Lance felt obligated to cleanse the evidence of his ancestor’s mad experiments and banish this abominable thing back to the Otherworld Abyss it belonged to!

With the snipe and clam at odds, Lance reaped the benefits.

Easily slaying the wounded Giant Devourer, he extracted some samples before directly sacrificing it.

The Void Devourer descended, and although Lance was unprepared, unexpected loot dropped.

A pair of leather gloves, with a subdued spiritual gleam on them, didn’t seem like particularly powerful equipment.

However, upon gaining the gloves, Lance realized they were not ordinary. Their primary function wasn’t to enhance strength or provide special spell-casting abilities.

Their demonstrated effect was corrosion resistance, toughness, and increased disease resistance.

Lance’s expression turned a bit subtle. These [Experiment Gloves] were utterly useless to him, as he already had [Natural Purification], maxing out poison and disease resistance.

But there was no doubt that they had found their owner—the gloves were perfect for Paracelsus, who often dealt with various messy corpses and indescribable experiments.

"Bringing you some gear here, can’t say I didn’t leave you any samples..."

Lance muttered to himself and casually tossed the gloves back into the Exhibition Room.

He then turned back to continue exploring the Beast Lair, mapping out the range of the Formless Flesh.

The investigation revealed that the area occupied by the Formless Flesh was vast, nearly clogging up the sewers.

Battles simultaneously erupted everywhere, and if the struggle between Flesh and Devourer weren’t intervened, it would persist indefinitely until one side was completely wiped out.

But whether it was the Formless Flesh or the Devourer that vanished, the remaining side would spread unchecked, threatening to grow rampant.

And this place was called Hamlet, ruled by an unlucky lord named Lance.

"Damn the ancestor!"

Lance knew he’d end up cleaning up the ancestor’s mess, as was always the case.

Until resolving how to handle the Devourers, the Formless Flesh shouldn’t be disturbed...

The clearing of the Pigmen went exceptionally well; the Honor Guard’s actions had long been planned. They just needed to advance, eliminate the Pigmen, and then blow up a few nodes to sever a vast area.

Most of the Pigmen had been taken down by Lance and his team, making the Honor Guard’s task easier.

Casualties were inevitable, as the Beast Lair held threats beyond Pigmen, including traps and other incidents.

Fortunately, these threats didn’t impede the mission. They quickly completed their task and advanced to Outpost Number Three...

"Boom!"

A muffled explosion could be heard in the wilderness, causing the ground near Outpost Number Three to cave in, with some smoke and dust stirring about, the air filled with the scent of gunpowder.

"Report! Mission accomplished."

Honor Guard members soon arrived to report to the lord.

"Well done, let everyone take a break. The phase of the mission is complete." Lance nodded approvingly, acknowledging their actions.

By this time, Lance and the heroes had already withdrawn from the Beast Lair, as three days had passed since their descent.

The core of these three days resided in the first half-day, with the remaining time spent hunting down the lingering Pigmen.

They completed the pursuit of the Pigmen and brought back maps of unexplored areas, which would be crucial for the Honor Guard’s next operations.

Severing the connection between the Beast Lair and the wilderness remained a priority for the subsequent moves.

The plan to further compress the Beast Lair’s space served not only to contain the Pigmen but also to restrict the activity space of the Devourers.

Lance intended to reserve a section of the Beast Lair to breed Devourers, as no other place in the Hamlet Territory was more suitable.

The future steps needed more research before decisions could be made; at least, that special dark gold had to be manufactured for effective cultivation.

However, the Pigmen, accidentally created by the ancestor, were a thing of the past. Everyone had completed their tasks.

The heroes and Honor Guard, the main force of this operation, would now rest and adjust, and Lance would return to town with the team.

Yet he didn’t head for rest but instead sought out Paracelsus at the sanatorium.

"These gloves suit you perfectly."

Lance briefly explained the effects of the [Experiment Gloves], and Paracelsus didn’t waste a single word before taking them.

Both responded nonchalantly; if she started being courteous, Lance might suspect she had been replaced.

Next, Lance spoke about the Devourer issue, presenting the collected samples.

"What do you think?"

"Not my business," Paracelsus casually tossed out the remark, donning the gloves, and began examining the samples, adding, "Not many specimens left."

Seeing her like this, Lance could only smile wryly, knowing only she and Grendel besides himself understood the significance of the Devourers in town, hoping for her insight.

However, it genuinely had nothing to do with her—as if she were a chef who only needed to know how to cook pork, not how to raise pigs.

Moreover, she wouldn’t know, not being one to research pig behavior, nor understanding construction, clueless about pigsty building.

She only knew that when the pork ran out, the owner had to deliver more.

"Use the specimens sparingly; now that Hamlet has stabilized, where would I find so many convicts? Use lab rats for verification,"

Lance advised her, but aware of the importance of human trials, he agreed, "I’ll figure it out, but applications must get my approval, no reckless actions."

Paracelsus showed no reaction to Lance’s reply; her attention was now absorbed by the materials, beginning her research.

All Lance could do was remind her, "Research can happen anytime, but your body is your own. Rest a bit since you just got back, and don’t burn the midnight oil every night..."

"Got it, got it, go have fun if you’re free." Paracelsus replied with some irritation, reminiscent of dealing with nagging parents.

Lance laughed instead of being angry, having anticipated her response, so he hadn’t brought out the spoils from the Bay still in the Exhibition Room.

This research-mad scientist who valued studies more than her own life...

Lance said no more, merely shaking his head and walking out of the sanatorium, then bumped into Grendel approaching him.

She walked briskly, frowning, but upon nearing and seeing Lance’s slightly disheveled appearance, she could only sigh helplessly.

"The hot water is ready. Have a wash and rest well."

"You’re the one who cares for me. Paracelsus treats me as a tool, feels like I’m working for her sometimes. Am I not supposed to be the boss?"

Lance took her words to tease about the doctor’s earlier demeanor; his exaggerated comments quickly made Grendel laugh, breaking her stern expression.