The worst failures among crystal people are the ones that act like zombies, only slightly stronger in all aspects, but otherwise indistinguishable from the undead.
The more capable ones utilize the crystals on their bodies for combat.
The crystal person before Bai Ye, like the three encountered on the abandoned battlefield, belongs to this category.
Moving up the scale, some develop more potent crystal abilities and possess a degree of controllability, allowing them to be manipulated for combat.
In a sense, these crystal people are quite close to what Rhine Company desires, but Rhine Company's ambition is greater; they seek crystal people with independent combat consciousness, not mere puppets.
As Bai Ye mused, he felt the rushing wind and sidestepped.
*Bang!*
The crystal shard that formed the opponent's arm slashed into the wall, a dull thud accompanying the shattering of a section of the wall.
Bai Ye reined in his wandering thoughts and swept a leg across the opponent's abdomen, kicking them backward.
The crystal person stumbled back repeatedly. After regaining balance, it let out a roar at Bai Ye and lunged again!
*Clang!*
The moment the crystal person pounced, Bai Ye unleashed a strike with his Thunderclap Violet Lightning, severing the opponent's crystallized arm.
As the arm shattered, the crystal person appeared to be in great pain, struggling and crashing into the wall, causing dust to rain down.
Bai Ye glanced around, his gaze finally settling on a broken section of the wall where an exposed electrical cable was embedded.
Bai Ye quickly moved forward, grabbed the cable, and pulled with all his might, yanking it free. He then casually swung it towards the crystal person.
The cable whipped around the crystal person's neck, coiling tightly, and with a powerful tug, it yanked the creature to the ground.
"Behave yourself, and you'll suffer less," Bai Ye said, pinning the crystal person's back with his knee and shaking his head. "Never mind, what could you possibly understand?"
Bai Ye twisted the crystal person's arm behind its back and quickly bound it with the cable. He then wrapped the cable a few times around its legs, tightening it with the cable binding its arms to form a loop.
With that done, Bai Ye lifted the crystal person as if carrying a bag.
As he passed a stairwell, Gengar floated down from the ceiling, revealing half its body, and grinned at Bai Ye, signaling that all the crystal people within the building had been cleared.
Bai Ye smiled, patting Gengar's head, then recalled Gengar and Goodra into their beast-catching balls before exiting the building.
"Hey, don't wander off," Ji Ruyue noticed Bai Ye's movements and immediately picked up her walkie-talkie. "There are crystal people in the street to the side of the building entrance..."
Before Ji Ruyue could finish speaking, Bai Ye had already emerged from the building and, without even looking, raised his hand towards the side.
Steel Slime rapidly coalesced and formed into a cannon barrel on Bai Ye's wrist.
Skybreaker Energy Cannon!
Golden energy gathered at the muzzle, and with a *bang*, it fired towards the side.
Then...
*Rumble!*
A golden energy sphere landed at the feet of two crystal people, and an explosion erupted.
As the golden energy sphere detonated, the ground cracked and collapsed, the ground in that area pulverized into dust by the energy wave.
Bai Ye walked towards Ji Ruyue and asked, "What were you saying?"
Ji Ruyue gritted her teeth. "So your energy cannon is more impressive, huh? Can't you live without showing off? What if you attract more crystal people?"
Bai Ye replied, "Didn't you scout it out? There were only a few on the street. What's the big deal if more are attracted? I'll just deal with them."
Ji Ruyue was rendered speechless and then looked at the crystal person Bai Ye was holding.
Ji Ruyue asked, "Is this the crystal person you said had some issues?"
Bai Ye nodded, dropped the creature on the ground, and pried its face open.
The crystal person bared its teeth, snarling at Bai Ye, whimpering, and even opening its mouth as if to bite Bai Ye's hand.
Bai Ye quickly withdrew his hand. "See? This is a living crystal person. In its normal state, it's like this, rabid. I don't think it possesses normal human cognitive abilities."
"Vital signs?" Ji Ruyue asked. "Hold him down!"
Bai Ye casually pressed the crystal person's head to the ground and said, "This guy has no vital signs. I checked. No heartbeat, no breathing. It's acting in a state of being alive but dead."
Ji Ruyue ignored Bai Ye, pulled out a device, attached several pads to the crystal person, and examined the readings.
Ji Ruyue stated, "The heart isn't beating, but there are brainwave responses. The organs are not failing, and crystallization has also appeared within this individual."
Bai Ye inquired, "So, is it considered alive or dead?"
Ji Ruyue scratched her head, looking troubled, and hesitantly asked, "Vegetative state?"
Bai Ye was exasperated. "A vegetative state is when the brain is beyond saving and the heart is still beating. This guy's brain is fine, but his heart has stopped."
Ji Ruyue shrugged. "Then it's not a living organism!"
Bai Ye nodded and took out the work ID card from the crystal person's chest pocket. "Look at this. Mo Chenggong, Laboratory Three, C2 clearance."
Ji Ruyue asked, "Does this prove he's from Rhine Company?"
"Come on," Bai Ye said. "In the City of Ruins, besides Rhine Company, who else has the qualifications and ability to establish laboratories?"
Ji Ruyue pondered. "That makes sense, but it's a bit of a stretch."
Bai Ye pulled open the crystal person's lab coat. "The Rhine Company logo, you should recognize that, right?"
The buckle of the person's belt featured an "L" and a "y" positioned to the left and right, overlapping partially to form a symbol, which was the Rhine Company's logo.
Bai Ye continued, "This couldn't have been put on him by someone else, right? Or perhaps you can verify if his pants fit?"
Ji Ruyue shot Bai Ye a look. Was he looking for a beating? He was definitely looking for a beating, wasn't he?
At that moment, Davis, Allen, and Gonzales also emerged from the building. Gonzales was carrying another crystal person.
The crystal people here were of a lower caliber than those encountered at the abandoned factory, naturally weaker. Allen and the other two had managed to capture one alive through their combined efforts.
However, the attire on that crystal person showed no difference from Rhine Company's.
"Come take a look," Ji Ruyue called out. "Have you heard of Laboratory Three?"
...