Level Up: Assassin.

The tank, filled to its brim with a pale, almost glowing yellow liquid, hissed and bubbled menacingly. It was a corrosive concoction, slowly eating away at its contents: two sets of pitch-black, full-body armor. Even submerged in the churning fluid, the armor exuded an oppressive aura, a sense of dread that permeated the air.

"Creepy," Peter whispered to Lily, who stood beside him. He couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine.

"Tell me about it, even after all this time, those two still give me the creeps." Lily replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her words hinted at the truth: the armor housed living beings.

A closer look confirmed it. Through the narrow visor slits of each helmet, a pair of eyes gleamed. They weren't empty suits of armor; someone, or something, was inside.

"Hopefully we don't have to work with them again after today," Peter muttered, averting his gaze from the tank.

As if sensing his gaze, the eyes within the armor snapped towards him. Peter recoiled, his breath catching in his throat. The eyes were like bottomless pits, devoid of any warmth or emotion, sending a chill down his spine.

"This way, please," Dr. Crowe announced, his voice cutting through the tense atmosphere. He gestured for everyone to follow him, resuming their tour of the facility.

"So, what progress have you made?" Wan Yu asked abruptly as they walked.

Dr. Crowe smiled thinly but didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Peter and, with a subtle nod, instructed;

"Peter, why don't you update Mr. Wan on our current progress?"

Peter cleared his throat, trying to quell the nervousness bubbling in his stomach. Stepping forward, he handed Wan Yu a tablet displaying complex patterns and diagrams.

"As you can see, Mr. Wan, we've made significant progress in understanding the, ah, 'subjects'," he stammered, still uncomfortable referring to the beings in the tank as anything remotely human.

"Go on, tell me more," Wan Yu said, a spark of excitement flickering in his eyes.

"Essentially, after years of analysis, we've managed to isolate and replicate the bio-electric field that controls the armor's activation and deactivation sequence," Lily interjected, her initial nervousness fading as she warmed to the topic.

"Does this mean we are close to retrieving the Aegis from them?" Wan Yu asked, his excitement growing.

"Not yet, Mr. Wan," Lily explained patiently.

"You see the corrosive solution is designed to weaken the field's hold on the armor. This will eventually allow us to extract the Aegis from the... occupants… without triggering a defensive response." Even after all this time, finding the right words to describe the beings in the tank was a struggle.

"Get to the point," Wan Yu snapped, his tone laced with impatience.

"It takes time, Mr. Wan," Dr. Crowe interjected calmly, sensing his assistant's discomfort;

"We don't know exactly when the process will be complete. It could be years before we can safely extract the Aegis."

"How long?" Wan Yu demanded.

Dr. Crowe adjusted his glasses, his expression unreadable.

"From the current rate of progress, at least two to three years. However, the process is unpredictable, it could slow down or speed up. There are no guarantees."

"Useless! I can't wait that long!" Wan Yu exploded, his face contorting with rage. The air crackled with energy as a wave of oppressive aura slammed into the three scientists.

Peter and Lily staggered back, struggling to breathe under the crushing pressure.

Dr. Crowe, however, remained unflinching. He calmly pushed his glasses back up his nose and met Wan Yu's furious gaze.

"You realize you're about to kill the very people best equipped for this task?" he said, his voice unwavering.

"I wonder how that will help your situation."

As Dr. Crowe finished his statement, Wan Yu seemed to regain control of himself. The oppressive aura receded, but the fear in Peter and Lily's eyes lingered. They kept a safe distance from him, their bodies tense.

Seeing their apprehension, Dr. Crowe quickly dismissed them with a wave of his hand. They didn't need to be told twice, scurrying out of the room as fast as their legs could carry them.

"You know, one of these days, you're going to scare away all the brilliant minds working on your project," Dr. Crowe said, his gaze fixed on Wan Yu. "Or worse, you'll frighten them to death."

"Does it matter?" Wan Yu replied coldly. "They're all expendable."

Dr. Crowe paused, letting the weight of those words hang in the air.

"Those 'expendable' people are the reason this project even exists," he said, his voice calm but firm.

"They're the ones who brought it this far. Remember that the next time you threaten them. Remember how long it took to assemble this team, how long it took to earn their trust. Finding replacements, individuals with their level of expertise and loyalty, won't be easy."

"Did you bring me here to lecture me?" Wan Yu asked, seemingly unaffected by Dr. Crowe's words. "I assume you dismissed them because you have something private to discuss."

Dr. Crowe studied him for a moment, then nodded curtly. He turned and walked towards the far end of the room, where another door stood, silently prompting Wan Yu to follow. He swiped his keycard, granting them access to yet another sterile white chamber.

This room, however, was different. Instead of the towering tank of corrosive liquid and the two figures encased within, it housed a single glass display case. Inside, bathed in soft light, stood a suit of armor.

One glance was all it took to see the resemblance between this armor and the ones worn by the beings submerged in the corrosive bath. It was clearly a replica.

However, while it mimicked the appearance perfectly, it lacked the same menacing aura, the palpable sense of power. It felt like a cheap imitation, a pale shadow of the real thing.

"Is that the prototype you mentioned?" Wan Yu asked, his eyes glued to the armor.

"Indeed," Dr. Crowe replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

"The corrosive breakdown of the original armor allowed us to analyze its composition, to begin to understand its complexities. That knowledge allowed us to create this prototype." He stared at the armor, seemingly oblivious to Wan Yu's lack of enthusiasm.

"How does it compare to the real Aegis?" Wan Yu asked, his voice flat.

"It doesn't, not really," Dr. Crowe admitted.

"You seem to underestimate the Aegis and its power. The technology behind its creation is beyond our current understanding. Whoever created it possessed knowledge and expertise far exceeding our own." He shook his head, a hint of awe in his voice.

"Even if we manage to unlock its secrets – and that's a big if – we lack the materials to replicate it. You need to abandon your fantasies of a simple reproduction." His gaze shifted from the prototype, but Wan Yu's remained fixed on it.

"Come with me, there's something else I want to show you." Dr. Crowe said, turning to leave.

Boom!

A deafening explosion ripped through the silence, shaking the very foundation of the facility. Dr. Crowe whirled around, his heart pounding in his chest. The area around the display case, where the prototype had stood moments before, was a mangled wreck, debris scattered everywhere. Something had attacked it, something with terrifying power.

Dr. Crowe turned towards the source of the chaos. Wan Yu, casually brushing dust from his suit, stood amidst the wreckage of the display case. Dr. Crowe couldn't help but shake his head in exasperation.

"That took countless hours of work, sleepless nights, from a dedicated team," he said, his voice heavy with disapproval.

"It was useless anyway," Wan Yu replied with a shrug, dismissing the scientist's words.

"Sometimes I wonder who's truly useless," Dr. Crowe muttered under his breath.

"You show up, you rant, you destroy things, you terrorize my team…" He trailed off, shaking his head. Though his words were quiet, Wan Yu, with his enhanced senses, heard every syllable. Instead of the expected anger, however, a smirk spread across his face.

Dr. Crowe sighed, choosing not to engage further. He turned and continued walking, leading Wan Yu deeper into the facility.