The researcher who had just received a reply from Professor Frieze spoke to the two CP7 members in front of him: "The application for aggressiveness testing has been approved."
The two exchanged glances, and one of them asked, "First, let's check with headquarters to see if they want to send additional test personnel or if we should handle it ourselves."
"Alright," the other nodded, then contacted their superior via the earpiece attached to their collar.
Dr. Fritz was the director of the Biochemical Research Institute, so his approval held no significance for these two CP7 members unless the researchers themselves intended to conduct the testing. However, their mission was to protect these researchers, so they couldn't allow them to do so.
Soon, the two received their orders: they were to directly test the aggressiveness and combat capabilities of the Living Dead. Meanwhile, outside the cell, two layers of army troops armed with automatic rifles and even rocket launchers had already surrounded the area.
"One of you stays behind to observe. The other researchers should leave first. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to handle it," one of the CP7 members said.
"Alright, I'll stay. The others can leave!"
The researcher who had been in contact with Professor Frieze immediately made the decision. As the leader of the research team, he had the authority to issue such a command.
Soon, the dimly lit cell corridor was left with only the three of them and the somewhat dazed Living Dead in the cell. The other cells were temporarily unoccupied.
"I'll go. You stay with him."
"Alright!"
After a brief exchange, the taller CP7 member stretched his neck and shoulders before stepping forward, while the other CP7 member and the researcher retreated a short distance.
At the same time, the surveillance Den Den Mushi on the wall closely monitored everything that was about to unfold.
"Ugh————"
When the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed, the Living Dead, with flames glowing in its chest, sharply turned its head. Its eyes, also flickering with fire, were deeply unsettling.
As the figure of the black-clad man appeared outside the cell, the previously calm expression on the Living Dead's face twisted into a snarl.
With its mouth wide open, it swung its pitch-black arms and claws, letting out a bloodthirsty roar as it lunged forward, only to crash heavily against the steel bars with a loud clang.
"Huh?"
That single collision immediately startled the black-clad man outside and the two observers in the distance, because the bars had actually been bent!
Although the prison bars weren't specially made of Seastone, they were still steel.
"Well, this little thing has quite some strength~"
The CP7 member in charge of testing smirked, not in any hurry to act. He wanted to see if the thing inside could break out on its own.
Yes, he no longer considered the Living Dead inside to be human.
"Roar!!"
The Living Dead seemed enraged by his taunting words. It grabbed the adjacent bars and began to pull, actually creating a gap wide enough to pass through. Then, with its fingers curled like claws, it pounced forward like a wild beast, snapping and slashing.
"Heh."
The black-clad CP7 member didn't fight back. He simply stood there, allowing the Living Dead to lunge at him. With casual shifts in posture and footwork, he effortlessly dodged every attack, ensuring that not even a single claw could touch the hem of his clothes.
"Not bad in strength, but too slow, and clearly brainless, even worse than an ordinary beast—just a monster completely controlled by its predatory instincts."
As he dodged, he voiced his observations, providing a reference for the researchers not far away. Then he asked, "You mentioned earlier that the virus infects through wounds, right? So as long as there's no wound, there's no risk?"
"Yes," the researcher hiding behind another CP7 member nodded nervously.
"Good. Next, let's test this thing's strength."
The black-clad man licked his lips, suddenly standing still and no longer swaying, allowing the Living Dead to pounce and bite him.
"Tekkai!"
With a soft shout, his body tensed to its limit. The Living Dead tore through his suit and shirt but couldn't penetrate his skin. Whether it was nails or teeth, nothing worked. Frustrated, the Living Dead clenched its fists and began hammering the black-clad man's chest.
For a moment, the corridor was filled with dull thuds, but the black-clad man's feet were like nails rooted to the ground. The Living Dead's fists couldn't make him retreat even half a step.
Boom!!
Growing impatient, the black-clad man kicked the Living Dead in the abdomen, sending it flying back. It crashed through the steel railing and slammed heavily against the cell wall.
"How was it?" the CP7 member shielding the researcher asked.
"The punching strength is around 300 Dials. No wonder it could easily bend the railing. I wonder if all its kind have this kind of strength."
Hearing this, the researcher pondered and said, "From its movements just now, it seems to have removed the body's instinctive limitations, which is why it has such immense strength."
"However, this test subject is a prisoner from our world. So, to understand the average strength of the Living Dead in this world, we'll need to test someone from this world or find a live one."
As they were discussing, the Living Dead fell from the wall. Despite its abdomen being caved in, it seemed unaffected and charged forward again.
"Aim for its heart—the glowing spot on its chest!"
Suddenly, the researcher, receiving instructions through his earpiece, shouted a reminder.
"OK~"
The black-clad man in charge of the test glanced irritably at his tattered clothes, his gaze toward the Living Dead turning icy.
"Shigan!"
He concentrated all his strength into the index finger of his right hand, then bent it. As the Living Dead approached within two meters, his finger shot out like a flash of lightning, accurately piercing the fiery spot on its left chest.
Whoosh—
In the next second, the black-clad man, having succeeded in his strike, instantly used Soru to disappear from the spot, dodging the Living Dead's desperate attack, and reappeared ten meters away.
"Ugh..."
At the same time, the Living Dead looked down at the hole in the membrane of its heart, then let out another roar and madly lunged at the black-clad man.
Seeing this, the latter's expression turned grim.
"Did your Shigan fail to pierce its heart? Or can it still live even if its heart is pierced?!" asked a CP7 member nearby, who was protecting the researchers.
"No, the sensation in my fingers tells me that the Shigan only pierced the thin skin on its chest, so the heart inside is still intact."
The black-clad man in charge of the test truly didn't expect the epidermis over the monster's heart to be so tough. The feedback from the Shigan strike felt as hard as steel.
"In that case, let's try again!"
The black-clad man's eyes turned cold, and he disappeared from his spot once more, turning into a blur as he flashed past the charging Living Dead. In the next moment, the latter let out a shrill scream and collapsed to the ground behind it, seemingly unable to get up again.
"Such a scorching heart!"
Just now, his swift and precise Shigan struck the previous wound and finally succeeded in piercing the Living Dead's heart, but his index finger was burned red by the intense heat that erupted in that instant.
"How was it?"
The black-clad man guarding the researchers walked over and asked.
"You should know that although it's said the power of Shigan is comparable to a bullet, in reality, the penetrating power of Shigan far exceeds that of an ordinary bullet. It can easily pierce through a human body or even steel."
"But even so, a single strike could only pierce the epidermis over its chest. To kill it, you must attack the same spot again." After saying this, the black-clad man in charge of the test shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Of course, it's also possible that I haven't mastered it well enough."