Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem-Chapter 248: Wrong Turn at A-Zone

The light faded.

Zain and Velra landed on solid ground as the teleportation glow dimmed.

The platform beneath them was cold metal, scratched with claw marks and strange stains.

A foul smell hit them at once—blood, rot, and something worse.

Zain looked around sharply. The air was heavy.

The lights flickered weakly overhead, casting long shadows along rusted walls and half-broken pipes.

He frowned.

"This doesn’t feel like A-Zone."

Velra stepped forward, scanning the narrow corridor that stretched ahead.

The floor was damp. A faint drip echoed from somewhere in the darkness.

She raised her hand, a glow of pink ether lighting the space around them.

"It’s not," she said calmly.

"We used one of the Beastkin Brood’s teleportation platforms."

Zain turned his head slowly. "Meaning?"

Velra kept walking, boots clicking on metal.

"This is one of their hidden labs. Probably one of Syvarn’s."

Zain followed her, arms folded. "He was the twisted one, right?"

"Lived for experiments," Velra nodded.

"I’d bet this was where he played with those early experimental beasts."

The hallway curved.

The two moved in silence for a moment, stepping over cracked tiles and wires.

A door on their left had been torn open. Claw marks stretched across it.

Zain glanced inside.

A shattered tank, long dry. Restraints broken.

"Guess something broke loose," he muttered.

Velra stopped at another door and pushed it open.

The room beyond was lined with cages. Some empty.

Some still had bones inside.

The walls were covered in notes and diagrams—half-burned, mostly shredded.

She walked over to one of the cages and crouched, studying what looked like a melted headset.

"Training tech?" she asked, holding it up.

Zain didn’t answer.

He was already looking at the far wall—a faded symbol carved into the metal: the old Brood insignia.

A beast skull with cybernetic horns.

He stepped closer, tapping it once.

"This place is a grave."

Velra stood. "No one’s been here in months."

"Good," Zain said. "We’ll make it our entry point. No one will notice."

He walked back into the hallway and looked up.

Faint airflow. An old vent system.

"There has to be an access path to the surface. Somewhere."

Velra nodded. "Should we split and sweep it?"

Zain looked at her and smirked.

"Not yet. You stay close."

His eyes glowed faint red. "We don’t know what else is hiding in here."

They kept moving past another set of doors.

One was sealed tight.

Zain touched it, and red lines flickered under his palm.

"Locked with biometric data," he said.

Velra raised a brow. "Want me to tear it down?"

Zain grinned. "No need."

He placed both hands on the door, energy building around his fingers.

A pulse of dark ether surged out—corrupted, heavy.

[Heavenly Demon Ether]

The red lines blinked, cracked, then shattered with a spark.

The metal door groaned before slamming open, slamming hard against the wall.

Steam hissed out from the room ahead.

The smell hit them instantly—sour, chemical, rotten.

Velra narrowed her eyes. "Toxic."

They stepped inside.

Rows of broken tanks lined the room. Some still bubbled faintly.

Chains hung from the ceiling.

Strange tools sat scattered across steel tables.

Something moved in the dark.

Zain raised a hand. His fingers glowed with dark ether. "Stay sharp."

Then—a sound. Wet footsteps. Low growling.

Shapes emerged from the shadows. Big. Twisted. Not beasts. Not humans either.

Their arms were stretched unnaturally long. Skin peeled in places.

Their eyes glowed red, but lifeless, like broken dolls.

Their muscles pulsed in ways that didn’t look right.

Velra tensed. "These aren’t like the ones in B-Zone."

Zain’s eyes narrowed. "They’re older."

He took a step forward, scanning them.

"Humanoid mutants. Early experiments. Probably the prototypes Syvarn made before finding the serum."

One of them let out a shriek and charged.

Zain didn’t flinch.

He dashed forward—too fast to track—and drove a fist straight into its jaw.

[Heavenly Demon Fists]

The impact cracked bone and sent corrupted ether through the creature’s head.

It stumbled back, screaming, before its skull exploded from the inside.

Another beast lunged. Velra twisted sideways and spun on her heel.

[Velvet Demon Kick]

Her foot slammed into its ribs. A burst of pink ether exploded on impact.

The beast doubled over, drooling black liquid, then collapsed, shaking.

More mutants poured out from the back—at least eight more.

Zain cracked his knuckles. "Velra."

She licked her lips. "Yes, Master?"

He stepped into a stance. "Let’s kill them all."

Velra smiled. "Gladly."

Two came at Zain from both sides.

He grabbed one by the throat, swung it into the other, and slammed both into the wall.

[Heavenly Demon Ether]

The corrupted energy surged through his arms.

Each impact left burning trails on the mutants’ skin.

They screamed as their muscles spasmed and broke down.

Velra danced between three attackers, her movements sharp and light.

One swiped at her.

She ducked, countered with a rising kick to the chin, then spun low and swept its legs.

[Velvet Demon Zone]

A shimmer of pink ether followed her movements.

The area around her blurred. The beasts slowed. Their balance broke.

She kicked again, straight into the chest. Ribs cracked.

The last two charged Zain together, trying to flank.

He stood still.

Then raised a hand.

[Heavenly Demon Slash]

A wave of dark energy ripped through the air, slicing both creatures down the middle.

They dropped twitching, split open from shoulder to hip.

Silence returned.

Zain wiped a bit of blood from his cheek and looked around.

"All down."

Velra stepped over a twitching body, brushing her hair back.

"I like these old labs. Very lively."

Zain gave a dry smirk. "Let’s see what else Syvarn left behind."

They moved deeper, past broken lights and cracked floor tiles.

Zain slowed his steps. His eyes narrowed.

"...Strange," he muttered.

Velra glanced at him.

"I feel better here," Zain said.

"Stronger. Lighter. But the place is filthy. It shouldn’t feel like this."

He looked around—the rusted walls, the dried blood, the broken cages.

"It doesn’t make sense."

Velra’s lips curled into a quiet laugh.

She twirled a strand of her hair as they walked.

"Of course you feel better, Master."

"Even here?"

"In this disgusting place?" she grinned. "Yes."

Zain raised a brow. "You’re not making sense."

Velra looked over her shoulder.

"Shall I explain?"

Zain stared at her. "...Care to tell me why?"

She smirked, steps slowing, voice low.

"Sure, Master."

She stopped in front of a sealed vault door.

"But first—take a wild guess."

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