Reborn as an Extra Chapter 684: Operation ’Hydra’. Part-2.

"Um... are you certain this is the correct spot?"

Scanning the empty shadowy valley, Lia felt a wave of bewilderment wash over her.

"I get that it radiates some ominous vibes, but... believe me, this is the place..."

Rio pushed open the corroded rear entrance of a derelict house, stepped in with Lia trailing after, and continued speaking.

"I visited here previously during those bounty hunter tasks last year..."

The interior of the forsaken structure was scorched pitch-black, like a fierce blaze had ravaged the whole place and wrecked every piece of furniture within.

Shards from shattered glass bottles littered the floor, alongside bizarre wall scribbles probably left by thrill-seeking explorers.

"Right here..."

Brushing past the disorderly clutter, Rio approached a worn-out rug, employed his telekinesis to shift it away, exposing a tiny magic circle etched into the floor.

Wasting no moment, Rio retrieved his exclusive S-rank lieutenant general insignia from his space ring and commanded,

"Open the portal to E3444567."

Triggered like some device, the magic circle ignited in brilliant light, with a gateway gradually forming before Rio and Lia.

"Let’s head in..."

With the portal fully formed, Rio and Lia stepped through it promptly.

Emerging from the portal, Rio and Lia found themselves in what resembled a vast subterranean garage.

Yet, differing from ordinary ones, robust enclosures forged from precious alloys stood arranged in neat rows.

"This is..."

Lia's eyes grew wide, shock etching her features; faint remnants of snapped fate threads hovered near those enclosures.

Her instincts and foresight warned that dark deeds had transpired here.

"This serves as the ’storage room’ for a secret experiment lab... It used to be under Neo Aldif's control..."

"On one mission, an S-ranker I pursued revealed ties to Neo Aldif and picked this spot to evade me..."

"Despite his efforts... I tracked him down eventually, and that's how I discovered this concealed lab as well..."

Neo Aldif proved utterly vile, driven by a desire to dominate the whole human empire alone.

Seeking ways to counter Ashtel Rex, he conducted ruthless tests and built numerous secret labs via space-warping relics or deep within steady dungeons.

Years back, Ashtel Rex dismantled Neo’s scheme and confined him within the borders, yet Neo persisted undeterred.

"During my visit, these enclosures brimmed with skeletal remains and corpses of various beings; looks like Link’s father cleared everything out already..."

Hearing Rio, Lia clasped his hand, averted her gaze from the cages, and responded.

"With my power to perceive destiny threads... I feel the torment and dread trapped within this area..."

"Sigh... Neo Aldif truly was monstrous... even these bare cages reveal that much..."

Rio agreed with a nod, advancing while clasping Lia’s hand.

"Well... he slaughtered his own offspring without a second thought... If that's how he treats his kids, who knows the atrocities he'd unleash on strangers..."

In contrast to Liam, Neo regarded his summons as mere instruments, willing to extreme measures for enhancements, no matter the brutality inflicted.

"This is probably merely one of his countless sites... others might linger unknown to us..."

With a heavy sigh, Rio swiftly guided Lia from the gloom-laden chamber, ascending a twisting stairway to the levels above in the subterranean complex.

Upstairs loomed a gigantic barrier crafted from tough metallic compound.

Rio held his lieutenant general badge to the sensor, and the huge entrance slid open instantly.

"Fortunately, they've added solid security protocols now... My prior visit was pure chaos, with weak defenses at best..."

"I forced entry through raw power and faced little opposition..."

Lia agreed to Rio's statement, glancing about with keen interest as she answered.

"Well, an SS-ranker summoner owned it... he probably didn't fret over protection, stationing a mighty beast as sentinel..."

Rio promptly nodded to Lia upon those remarks.

"Come to think of it... I actually encountered a huge greenish lizard beast that looked like a chimera formed from a wyvern or the like... but it felt pretty weak..."

"I merely tossed a bunch of miasma at it, and its head dissolved instantly..."

Lia rolled her eyes upon hearing those words.

"Naturally, it appeared weak to you... Controlling miasma is clearly an extremely overpowered skill!"

"Plus, your mastery over it is downright incredible..."

As Lia considered Rio’s array of cheat-level abilities, she realized her own prediction power didn’t seem quite as appealing anymore.

"Haha, no need to feel jealous, you know... Now you can manipulate the threads of fate... Even I can’t match that; it’s something to take pride in!"

Not wanting Lia to grow sad or downhearted, Rio held back from mentioning how his miasma control had actually surged hundreds of times stronger since that time.

"You are here..."

While Lia and Rio chatted away, the enormous door swung open, revealing Link in view.

Rio stepped up and clasped hands with Link, whose expression carried a mix of complex emotions right then.

Skipping any idle chit-chat, Link cut straight to the point.

"Let’s go... The others are all waiting already..."