Miscalculation

Chapter 32: Miscalculation

"That mutant has to be dealt with." Beneath Mu Xiao's teasing tone lay another meaning. "You're the owner of this high-end villa complex. Don't tell me you can't even think of a safe place to hide?"

Mu Xiao's words jolted An Rongru awake. Her anxiety calmed slightly. If it had not involved her and her daughter's safety, she would not have been so flustered that she overlooked the advantages of her own territory.

"There was a security system at the entrance just now that could detect anything. There should originally have been a metal gate at the entrance, but it probably can't be opened anymore. However, inside the landscaped garden, there's a small elevated security station. Even if it has lost all functionality, its defenses can withstand impacts of over fifty tons. I can hide inside. If you have time to repair the security system, you can monitor the entrance from the security station. Maybe we'll know in advance when that monster comes." Once An Rongru calmed down, she quickly thought of a place to take shelter and a way to keep watch for the mutant.

"Then we'll go to the security station first." Mu Xiao did not hesitate and sped up the motorcycle.

Following An Rongru's directions, they found the security station. It was a cylindrical structure resembling wood, more than a hundred square meters in size and three stories high, like the trunk and branches of a towering tree that had been cut in half.

"Pure dark gold!" The moment Mu Xiao saw the dull, sunken-colored metal with no shine, his eyes lit up with fervor. "No wonder you said it could withstand a fifty-ton impact! This is an exceedingly rare metal! Whether used to make weapons or defensive equipment, it's top-tier precious material!"

"The dark gold handles the impacts, and there are soft crystal polymers inside to cushion the force..." An Rongru was slightly proud. After all, she had put a great deal of effort into building this villa complex, especially its defensive structures.

"You really are a rich woman..." Mu Xiao stopped the motorcycle and swung himself down, a peculiar smile curling at his lips. "But using this metal and those crystals in a place like this is such a waste. When I have time, I'll dismantle all of it. I hope you won't feel bad when that happens."

Dark gold and soft crystal polymers were materials that would become nearly impossible to buy later on. This metal had been mined from Saturn, but after Earth entered the Dark Age, who would have the time to mine it? It would only grow scarcer and more valuable.

"Do whatever you like. Anyway, I'm already..." An Rongru's lovely face flushed crimson, and she did not continue. She had originally wanted to say, "Anyway, I'm already your woman, so what's mine is yours," but halfway through, she felt it was too explicit. Though it was already the truth, saying it aloud again was still too embarrassing, so she stopped.

Mu Xiao did not care what she had been about to say. Instead, he entered the security station through its open door. Inside was another bloody scene. A security guard had apparently undergone a genetic mutation, resulting in a gruesome feeding frenzy. Mu Xiao was already used to such sights.

After scanning the first floor with his mental power and finding no zombies, Mu Xiao checked the second and third floors as well. Only after finding nothing did he return to the first floor.

"Next, let's see if I can repair only the security system at the entrance." Mu Xiao walked up to a large machine covered in metal buttons.

"This is our security mainframe, but it looks like it really can't be used. Otherwise, she would definitely have appeared when I came in." An Rongru immediately shut the metal door after entering, as though afraid the mutant would come inside.

Mu Xiao knew that the "she" An Rongru referred to was a virtual character generated by the intelligent mainframe, so he did not ask further. Instead, he directly used his Mechanical Ability to connect to the large machine and see whether he could repair only the systems at the passage entrance.

"As expected, with my current first-level Mechanical Ability data, this kind of massive machine is simply beyond me." The data Mu Xiao transmitted into the machine was instantly drowned by the vast number of viruses inside. His mechanical data could not infiltrate it, much less clear it.

No matter what it was, once it reached a certain quantity, it became extremely troublesome.

"Give me the grenade backpack." Mu Xiao took the backpack An Rongru handed him, then set down the useless bags and took his weapons and some food. He then said to An Rongru, "Stay here and hide. Whether I succeed in killing that mutant or not, I'll return in three or four hours. I won't drag this out until morning."

"Okay." An Rongru was somewhat dejected. She knew that whatever she said would be useless, because she lacked the strength to help him.

Having given his instructions, Mu Xiao said nothing more and headed straight for the door. Just as he opened the metal gate and was about to step out, An Rongru's gentle, sincere voice sounded behind him. "Be careful... and thank you."

The metal gate closed again.

Mu Xiao did not reply as he walked outside. Without Mu Xiao, her source of security, by her side, the silent room faintly reeking of blood seemed to grow colder. An Rongru stood there quietly as though she had lost her soul and her backbone, her heart filled with an indescribable emptiness and chill.

The tree shade obscured the blood-red sunset. A breeze blew in from every direction, stirring the leaves into a graceful rustle. Yet the beautiful surroundings could not conceal the strange aura that made one feel as though living flesh were rotting away.

At this time, Mu Xiao rode the thermal-powered motorcycle back to a spot within the landscaped woods. After scanning the surroundings with his mental power and finding no unusual energy fluctuations, he confirmed that the guard mutant had not yet come here. But it was also possible that it had already arrived and was hiding nearby, waiting for a chance to launch a sinister, vicious ambush.

The law office was not far from the villa complex. At the speed Mu Xiao had driven earlier, it would take less than five minutes to return. Yet the guard mutant had still not arrived, which Mu Xiao found rather strange.

Suddenly, Mu Xiao shuddered as he looked at the sky. "So that's it. This thing plans to attack after sunset, once it's completely dark. It'll be troublesome to kill it then!"

Night was when all monsters were most active, and their cruel, violent natures would intensify accordingly. The sky was steadily darkening, and the guard mutant was clearly waiting for this advantageous time. At the same time, Mu Xiao guessed that the guard mutant likely possessed some ability that allowed it to lock onto either him or An Rongru, which was why it was in no hurry to come after them.

Earlier, when the guard mutant had pursued Mu Xiao from behind, Mu Xiao had needed to focus on steering the motorcycle around obstacles while defending himself against attacks from the rear. He had not had the spare attention to scan how many genetic resonances the guard mutant had achieved, so he could not accurately judge its strength.

However, based on Mu Xiao's assessment of the speed and attack power the guard mutant displayed during the chase, its number of genetic resonances was definitely higher than his. With the added advantage of nighttime, its combat power would become even more savage and violent. Therefore, Mu Xiao had no choice but to seriously consider how to kill this cunning mutant.

"I just hope its ability isn't combat-oriented. Otherwise, I may have to use Mind Force." Mu Xiao took out food to replenish his stamina while observing the surrounding woods, setting up traps and finding a favorable place to lie in wait.

This landscaped passage was actually a lush forest.

Within the vast woods grew all kinds of tall trees, their branches crisscrossing overhead and forming a canopy that blocked out the sky. If anything were hiding above, it would be impossible to spot at night without lighting or the aid of a detection system. Moreover, dense flowers and grass lined both sides of the passage, forming plant barriers about a meter high. Even setting an ambush on the ground would be an excellent option.

Amid such luxuriant forest greenery, Mu Xiao could easily find a concealed spot.

Although the woods were a great place for an ambush, Mu Xiao understood that if the guard mutant had truly locked onto his location, then its ability was very likely part of the mental category. If that was the case, hiding in ambush would not be very useful.

All Mu Xiao could do was set traps.

Besides his laser pistol, mechanical inner armor, Thunderbolt Cannon, high-vibration electromagnetic combat blade, he also had a backpack full of grenade bombs. Among them were sensor bombs, which could be placed among the surrounding trees and grass to form an explosive minefield.

After roughly familiarizing himself with the terrain, Mu Xiao began installing sensor bombs one by one on the trunks and branches of large trees. He also buried sensor bombs and several high-explosive grenades in concealed patches of grass. Once a sensor bomb detonated, the high-explosive grenades would explode along with it, creating even greater destructive power.

After using an entire bag of bombs to form a defensive perimeter, Mu Xiao sat beneath a large tree at its center. He intended to use himself as bait to lure the guard mutant into attacking. No matter which direction the guard mutant came from, the moment it entered the defensive line formed by the bombs, it would inevitably suffer a fierce wave of explosions. Then Mu Xiao would have the chance to severely wound it.

Night fell, and the swaying trees looked as sinister as entwined ghosts.

From the endless darkness came the strange, hoarse roars of zombies. A series of hair-raising cries also rose from the villa complex, surging like ocean waves—sometimes high, sometimes low. The miserable, piercing, unknown sounds were terrifying enough to make one's soul shudder, as though countless demons and vengeful ghosts were wandering through the night.

Mu Xiao sat beneath the tree with his eyes closed, unmoved. All the food he had brought had already gone into his stomach. Now, all that remained was to see whether his approaching prey would take the bait.

His mental power spread like spider silk across a twenty-meter radius, moving through the night as it continuously scanned and searched. His muscles and blood energy had been adjusted to their peak, while the murderous aura sealed within him—silent and demonic—had become tranquil. If he did not move, he was nothing; once he moved, he would be astonishing, erupting with a mad demonic presence that surpassed his own strength.

BOOM!!

A tremendous impact suddenly sounded from behind Mu Xiao. The instant he heard it, he sprang to his feet as though someone had viciously stepped on his tail, his face filled with alarm. He hurried over the bomb perimeter, mounted the thermal-powered motorcycle, and sped toward the source of the blast.

The place where the explosion had sounded was precisely the security station where An Rongru was hiding.

Clearly, the guard mutant had realized that Mu Xiao was stronger than An Rongru, so she had become its first target.

Preying on the weak first was a common tactic, but Mu Xiao had overlooked it.

"Damn it! I underestimated the intelligence of early-stage mutants. I didn't expect it to evolve to this level of intelligence in such a short time..." Mu Xiao gritted his teeth inwardly. He understood that he had been careless this time, resulting in such a basic mistake. Or rather, he had underestimated the first generation of mutant monsters.