"What? You're planning to infiltrate the hunting organization's headquarters to assassinate Dr. Disaster?!"
In the Natural Protection Association's base, a shocked cry rang out. Hanna, sitting across from Qin Ming, stood up in disbelief.
Qin Ming nodded expressionlessly, his eyes filled with determination.
"That's right. I have an informant who can help me sneak in."
"Just you alone? Can't we come with you?"
"No. It's already the limit for him to bring me and Miles in. He can't take anyone else."
Qin Ming's answer made Hanna slowly sit back down in her chair, stunned.
Taking out Dr. Disaster, the mastermind behind everything, would naturally be the best outcome. After all, he was the root of all evil. No matter how many members of the hunting organization you killed, it wouldn't matter if he was still alive.
You could kill one leader today, and he'd create two more tomorrow. These genetically modified monsters were endless.
Moreover, as time went on, his genetic technology had become increasingly advanced, making the modified individuals stronger and stronger.
In fact, many people had already started supporting him because he truly could grant others power.
If this continued, Hanna's Natural Protection Organization might end up becoming the villains!
But Qin Ming going alone to assassinate Dr. Disaster was an incredibly risky move. One wrong step, and he could die in there.
Even if the assassination succeeded, escaping would be another problem. This mission could only be described as a life-or-death gamble.
Hanna's expression shifted repeatedly. She opened her mouth several times to stop him, as her affection for Qin Ming was far from ordinary.
But each time, her sense of duty stopped her from speaking.
Choosing between personal feelings and the greater good was something Hanna had never considered before. In her eyes, personal feelings were tied to the greater good.
Her like-minded companions, the men she admired—they were all heroes who stood on the side of justice, all true men of honor.
And now, the one she admired the most was about to sacrifice himself for the greater good. This left Hanna deeply conflicted.
She didn't want to see Qin Ming die, but she also wanted to see Dr. Disaster dead…
In the end, after much internal struggle, Hanna couldn't bring herself to dissuade him. Having dedicated her life to the Natural Protection Organization, her rationality ultimately overcame her emotions, and she chose to stand on the side of the world.
As for the others? The other protagonists merely praised Qin Ming's heroic spirit without any intention of dissuading him.
After all, for them, whether Qin Ming could complete the mission was the most important thing. As for whether he would die? They didn't care about Qin Ming's life—they only cared about Dr. Disaster's death!
A one-for-one trade wasn't a loss for them—it was a guaranteed win!
Night fell quickly. In the temporary rest room, Qin Ming was organizing his equipment, preparing for the final battle.
The final boss—this wasn't the first time he'd faced such a high-level opponent. Aside from the final boss in the Final Fight world being somewhat underwhelming, the others had all been formidable.
Dr. Disaster was likely no exception. After all, in the game, this guy could transform multiple times.
As Qin Ming was assembling his firearms and Miles was modifying explosives and grenades, a knock suddenly came at the door.
Hearing the sound, Miles and Qin Ming exchanged glances. Qin Ming silently continued working on his equipment, while Miles walked over and quickly opened the door.
With a creak, the door opened, revealing none other than Hanna, the female protagonist.
Seeing the beautiful diplomat in her jumpsuit standing at the door, Miles looked puzzled.
Hanna, standing at the entrance, bit her lip hard.
"Miss Miles, could you step out for a moment? I'd like to speak with Qin Ming alone."
Hearing this, Miles was momentarily stunned. Then, her face lit up with understanding.
She turned back to the table, quickly grabbed her pistol and explosives, and as she left, she even elbowed Qin Ming in the side, winking at him.
"This delivery lady is here for you, boss."
With a bang, Miles closed the door behind her, leaving the room in silence.
Hanna, standing at the door, looked at Qin Ming's back with a complex expression.
Qin Ming, who had been assembling his firearm, gradually stopped what he was doing.
After a long silence, Hanna finally spoke.
"I should stop you."
"This is my decision."
"You'll die in there. Even if you succeed, it'll be hard to escape alive. That's their headquarters—who knows how many genetically modified monsters are inside?"
"I know. But if I'm afraid of death, why even go to the frontlines? I'd rather die on the path forward than rot in comfort."
Qin Ming was well aware of how risky this mission was. After all, infiltrating the enemy's base to take out their leader was bound to involve countless enemies.
The biggest challenge wasn't killing Dr. Disaster—it was surviving the aftermath and escaping alive.
But as the saying goes, "Man dies for wealth, birds die for food." As an adventurer, Qin Ming had no choice.
Afraid to risk his life? If he was afraid, he wouldn't even be an adventurer! If he hadn't been willing to take risks, he would've died long ago in previous missions.
Hearing Qin Ming's resolute tone, Hanna sighed softly. As she approached him, she spoke in a low voice.
"Dinosaur gene fusion technology is incredibly powerful. Many even call it the savior of the new era, and Dr. Disaster has become their so-called messiah. But they only see the strength the dinosaur genes bring, while ignoring the side effects. Those who fuse with dinosaur genes become short-lived, irritable, and violent. Imagine if someone fused with dinosaur genes suddenly went berserk in a city—how many innocent people would they kill? How many families would they destroy?"
Her footsteps grew closer, and her voice grew quieter.
"Most importantly, Dr. Disaster only wants to create the perfect genes. He has no intention of fixing the personality flaws caused by the dinosaur genes. Or perhaps, in his eyes, these flaws aren't flaws at all! Dr. Disaster is a madman! If we don't stop him, he'll destroy everything! So we must stop him! We must kill him! We must!"
As the last two words fell, Qin Ming, who had been facing away from Hanna, suddenly felt a tightness around his waist as she hugged him from behind.
With the sound of fabric falling to the ground, Hanna's outer coat slipped off, revealing her unclothed body underneath.
Clutching Qin Ming tightly, Hanna rested her head against his back and whispered softly.
"But none of this can excuse my failure to stop you. You're my friend, and yet I'm watching you march to your death. I don't feel sad, nor do I try to stop you. Instead, I feel a faint sense of joy. I'm a selfish woman, always have been. People say I'm skilled at using my beauty and sweet words to deceive others, that I'm a very, very bad diplomat. I admit they're not wrong. I, who preach justice and nature, who claim to fight to protect the lives of the masses, have silently chosen to sacrifice you. I've chosen to trade your life for victory. The justice I speak of is ultimately just my own justice."
Forcing Qin Ming to turn around, Hanna looked into his wide eyes, stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered.
"Then let me, as a diplomat, use my diplomatic skills on you one last time, Qin Ming."
She gently kissed his lips, her gaze growing hazy as she looked at his face so close to hers.
"Go kill Dr. Disaster, save the world, and come back alive. Become my hero, the embodiment of justice in my eyes. Okay, Qin Ming?"
Qin Ming's eyes flickered slightly.
"What if… what if I don't come back alive?"
Hearing this, Hanna bit her lip hard.
"The dead can't become heroes. They're forgotten by the living. If you don't fight to come back alive, then… I'll have to settle for someone else."
"Like that bastard Jack?"
"Yes, like that bastard Jack."
Qin Ming rolled his eyes, then suddenly scooped Hanna up in his arms.
"Well, it looks like I've got another reason to come back alive! Hanna, you're really good at using reverse psychology!"
With that, Qin Ming carried Hanna toward the bed.
Hanna, still holding onto Qin Ming's neck, smiled faintly.
"If I couldn't even manage such a basic tactic, how could I be a diplomat? Don't you think so, hero candidate?"
...
Outside the door, Miles leaned against the wall, casually tossing a grenade in her hand while eavesdropping on the sounds inside. She was calculating the timing, waiting for the right moment to burst in and catch them in the act.
Once she caught the "other woman" Hanna red-handed, Hanna would have to share the spoils to keep her secret!
A smile played on Miles' lips as she listened, her mood quite good.
She casually pulled out a wallet from her pocket and opened it.
But this wallet didn't contain money—it held Miles' trophies.
Photos of Sun Ji's private moments, photos of Sun Ji's guards, photos of her good teammate Fei Ou, photos of the fairies from Dream Island and the three mermaids, photos of Jessica… and so on.
In short, she had private photos of every woman who had a special relationship with Qin Ming.
And compared to Qin Ming, Miles' achievements were even more impressive. After all, her good friend Fei Ou, who Qin Ming hadn't even conquered yet, had already fallen into Miles' hands!
Making space in her wallet for a new trophy, Miles' smile grew even brighter.
But before she could make her grand entrance, footsteps approached from the distance.
Hearing the noise, Miles frowned, her expression turning sour. She crossed her arms and quickly turned around.
There, walking hurriedly toward her, was one of the four protagonists—Jack, dressed in white!
(End of Chapter)