The worst failures among crystal beings are those that act like zombies, only slightly superior to zombies in physical aspects, otherwise, they are no different.
More powerful ones utilize the crystals on their bodies to fight.
The crystal being before Bai Ye is of this type, similar to the three encountered in the abandoned battlefield.
Further up the scale, they develop more potent crystal abilities and possess a certain degree of controllability, allowing them to be manipulated in combat.
In a sense, these crystal beings are close to what Rhine Corporation desires, but Rhine Corporation's ambition is greater; they require crystal beings with autonomous combat consciousness, not mere puppets.
Bai Ye mused, simultaneously sensing the incoming gust of wind and sidestepping.
*Bang!*
The crystal shard, formed from the opponent's arm, struck the wall with a dull thud, shattering a section.
Bai Ye reined in his stray thoughts and swept a leg across the opponent's abdomen, sending them flying backward.
The crystal being retreated several steps, stabilized itself, and then roared at Bai Ye before lunging again!
*Clang!*
The moment the opponent lunged, Bai Ye slashed with his Thunderclap Violet Lightning, severing the crystalized arm.
As the arm shattered, the crystal being appeared to be in pain, struggling violently and crashing into the wall, causing dust to fall.
Bai Ye glanced around, his gaze settling on a broken section of the wall where a cable was embedded.
Bai Ye immediately stepped forward, grabbed the cable, and pulled with all his might, yanking it free before casually swinging it at the crystal being.
The cable whipped around the crystal being's neck, binding it tightly, and with a strong pull, the being was dragged to the ground.
"Behave, and you'll suffer less," Bai Ye said, pressing his knee into the crystal being's back and shaking his head, "Forget it, what can you understand?"
Bai Ye twisted the crystal being's arm backward and quickly bound it with the cable, then wrapped the cable around its legs a few times before tying it to the cable on its hands, forming a loop.
With that done, Bai Ye lifted the crystal being as if carrying a bag.
Rounding the corner of the stairs, Gengar floated halfway out of the ceiling, grinning at Bai Ye, signaling that all crystal beings within the building had been cleared.
Bai Ye smiled and patted Gengar's head, then recalled Gengar and Goodra into their Beast Balls before leaving the building.
"Hey, don't wander off," Ji Ruyue noticed Bai Ye's movement and immediately picked up her walkie-talkie, saying, "There are crystal beings on the street to the side of the building entrance..."
Before Ji Ruyue could finish speaking, Bai Ye had already emerged from the building. Without even looking, he raised his hand towards the side.
Steel Slime rapidly coalesced and formed a cannon barrel on Bai Ye's wrist.
The Skybreaker Energy Cannon!
Golden energy gathered at the muzzle, and with a *bang*, it fired sideways.
Then...
*Boom!*
A golden energy sphere landed at the feet of two crystal beings, followed by an explosion.
As the golden energy sphere detonated, the ground fractured and began to collapse. Amidst the energy fluctuations, the entire area of ground was pulverized into dust.
Bai Ye walked towards Ji Ruyue and asked, "What did you say?"
Ji Ruyue gritted her teeth, "Is your energy cannon so awesome? You'll die if you don't show off, right? What if it attracts more crystal beings?"
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 take them down."
Ji Ruyue was speechless and then looked at the crystal being Bai Ye was holding.
Ji Ruyue asked, "Is this the crystal being you mentioned, the one with a bit of a problem?"
Bai Ye nodded, threw the being to the ground, and pried its face open.
The crystal being's face contorted, and it continuously hissed at Bai Ye, whimpering and even baring its teeth, attempting to bite Bai Ye's hand.
Bai Ye quickly withdrew his hand and said, "See? This is a living crystal being. In its normal state, it's like this, as if it has rabies. I don't think this thing has normal human thought processes."
"What about its life signs?" Ji Ruyue asked, "Hold it down!"
Bai Ye casually pressed the crystal being's head to the ground and said, "This guy has no life signs. I checked. No heartbeat, no breathing. It's acting like a living dead person."
Ji Ruyue ignored Bai Ye, retrieved an instrument, attached several pads to the crystal being, and examined the readings.
Ji Ruyue said, "The heart isn't beating, but there are brainwave reactions, and its internal organs aren't failing. Furthermore, crystallization has also appeared within this being."
Bai Ye asked, "So, is it alive or dead?"
Ji Ruyue scratched her head, also looking perplexed, and tentatively asked, "Vegetative state?"
Bai Ye was speechless, "A person is in a vegetative state when their brain is damaged but their heart is still beating. This guy's brain is fine, but his heart has stopped."
Ji Ruyue shrugged, "Then it's not considered a living organism!"
Bai Ye nodded, then took out a work ID from the crystal being's breast pocket, saying, "Look at this. Mo Chenggong, Lab Number Three, Class C2 Clearance."
Ji Ruyue asked, "Does this prove he's from Rhine Corporation?"
"Please," Bai Ye said, "In the City of Ruins, who else besides Rhine Corporation has the qualifications and capability to establish laboratories?"
Ji Ruyue pondered, "That makes sense, but it's a bit of a stretch."
Bai Ye opened the crystal being's lab coat and said, "You should recognize the Rhine Corporation's emblem, right?"
The buckle on the belt formed a pattern by overlapping an "L" and a "y" side by side, and this pattern was the Rhine Corporation's logo.
Bai Ye continued, "Someone else wouldn't have put this on him, right? Or perhaps you could check if his pants fit properly?"
Ji Ruyue shot Bai Ye a look. Was he asking for a beating? He was definitely asking for a beating, wasn't he?
At this moment, Davis, Allen, and Gonzales also emerged from the building, Gonzales carrying another crystal being.
The crystal beings here were of a lower grade than those encountered in the abandoned factory, naturally weaker. Allen and the other two had managed to capture one together.
However, the attire of that crystal being looked no different from that of Rhine Corporation.
"Come take a look," Ji Ruyue called out, "Have you guys heard of Lab Number Three?"
...