S-Rank Variant Invasion!

Anything interesting could catch Mu Yi's attention.

Team 403's healer had been staring at the treetop for ages, and Mu Yi had spent just as long staring at the healer, curious to see what he was up to.

At last, Team 403's healer moved. He slowly stepped forward, wrapped his arms around the thick trunk, and began climbing with stiff, awkward movements.

Mu Yi raised an eyebrow. What was he doing, raiding a bird's nest?

Just as he was thinking that, the Identity Bracelet on his wrist beeped several times.

Zhong Xuezhi was currently the only person who knew his Identity Bracelet's contact number, so Mu Yi accepted the call with his eyes closed. "What's up?"

Zhong Xuezhi never wasted time on calls. He went straight to the point. "Where are you? You haven't been causing trouble, have you?"

Mu Yi automatically ignored the second half of his question and only answered, "At the park."

Zhong Xuezhi asked, "What are you doing at the park?"

Mu Yi said, "Watching Team 403's healer climb a tree."

"Team 403's healer?" Zhong Xuezhi sounded doubtful. "That guy's famously dull and lazy. Apart from fighting and the necessary eating, drinking, shitting, pissing, and sleeping, all he does is stare into space and breathe."

"And he's climbing a tree now?"

"Yep," Mu Yi replied. "He's already pretty high up."

Zhong Xuezhi fell silent for a moment, then said, "Which park? The one near the grand theater?"

"Yeah."

"Keep an eye on him. I'll be right there."

With that, Zhong Xuezhi promptly ended the call.

Anything out of the ordinary meant trouble. Zhong Xuezhi had always been cautious; he was probably already taking a Teleportation Array.

Mu Yi lowered his hand and looked up ahead again.

By now, the healer had reached the broad canopy and was shakily inching toward its highest branch.

Mu Yi was genuinely curious. "What is he trying to do?"

After he watched for a little longer, a small whirlwind suddenly rose beside him. He turned and saw Zhong Xuezhi.

He had come in such a hurry that he had flown straight over.

Before Zhong Xuezhi could retract his wings, Mu Yi quickly reached out and stroked them a couple of times. They felt nice, the feathers soft and silky smooth.

Zhong Xuezhi had no time to quibble over such a minor thing. He simply looked up at the healer, who had already reached the high branch.

The healer stopped after inching to the middle of the branch, hunched over, and lay against the trunk, panting heavily. His back heaved so violently with his rapid breaths that he looked ready to keel over at any moment.

Zhong Xuezhi was constantly monitoring the healer's safety readings with his data detection system. Everything appeared normal.

Still, Zhong Xuezhi frowned. "Something's wrong."

Mu Yi asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"A gut feeling." Zhong Xuezhi looked grim. He immediately opened his contacts and called his childhood friend at the Mutation Research Institute.

"Feng Zhengqing, get to Central Park. Bring a few extra people, and make it quick."

Whatever was going on with the healer, they could put him in an isolation room at the Mutation Research Institute first and sort it out later.

As Zhong Xuezhi's childhood friend of many years, Feng Zhengqing already shared an unspoken understanding with him. He asked no further questions after hearing the instructions and simply replied, "I'll be right there."

After ending the call, Zhong Xuezhi spread his wings again, intending to fly up and check on the healer.

Mu Yi quickly grabbed him. "Take me with you."

Helpless, Zhong Xuezhi scooped Mu Yi up and flew into the air with him.

By the time they approached, the healer was barely panting anymore. Instead, he had wrapped all four limbs tightly around the trunk beneath him, even opening his mouth wide to bite down on the bark.

His behavior was even stranger than before.

Mu Yi took a couple of looks and, unable to make sense of it, asked, "Hey! What are you doing?"

Team 403's healer seemed unable to hear him. He only clung tightly to the trunk beneath him like a human ornament.

Zhong Xuezhi was still watching all the healer's safety readings, but none of the data on the panel had changed.

After a moment's thought, he said, "Whatever he's doing, let's pull him down first."

But just as he was about to move forward, a ripping sound rang out, and the back of the healer's clothes split open.

A strangely shaped, blood-covered mushroom abruptly emerged through the tear.

"?!!"

Zhong Xuezhi reacted instantly, taking Mu Yi several meters back. At the same time, a scarlet pop-up forcibly appeared from his Identity Bracelet.

The pop-up was densely covered in danger symbols, with a line of strikingly large text floating in front of them.

Warning, warning. Unknown dangerous target detected.

Target's current feeding desire: 0

Target's current attack desire: 0

Target's current infection level: 100%

Target's current detected rank: Grade S.

"Fuck!" Zhong Xuezhi couldn't hold back the curse. He immediately switched projection screens as fast as he could and entered the Crystal City Delta System.

The Delta System was the emergency communication system shared by the Mutant Alliance, the Mutation Research Institute, and the City Defense Office.

Messages sent through this system notified every member of all three organizations through multiple forced pop-ups.

Emergency notice: Grade S Variant invasion detected in Central Park! Activate the emergency alarm immediately and carry out safe evacuation of all personnel!

For a moment, the Identity Bracelets on the wrists of countless mutants, institute members, and City Defense Force soldiers throughout Crystal City chimed nonstop, while scarlet warning pop-ups surrounded them.

Within seconds, urgent alarms rang out over Crystal City like a death knell.

The entire Crystal City was shaken.

"Is that... the highest-level alarm?!"

"Quick, run! A Variant! A Variant's invaded!!"

The residents who had been strolling leisurely through the park or gathering to bask in the sun began screaming and fleeing in panic.

Mu Yi looked down at the scene from midair, then turned to glance at Zhong Xuezhi behind him, who held the Ice Scythe with a grave expression.

He rubbed his neck, then pressed his lips tightly together.

He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, his excitement at encountering a Grade S Variant would make him shout, "Yes!"

That would hardly be appropriate.

Zhong Xuezhi remained silent for a long time. Facing them was a new infectious species, and apart from its rank, he knew nothing about it.

He didn't know how to kill it, how to defend against it, or even how it spread infection...

Even though its attack desire was currently zero and it wasn't moving at all, he still didn't dare act rashly.

The residents in the park had yet to evacuate safely. He feared that any move he made might provoke it into a frenzy, causing irreversible consequences.

Fortunately, Feng Zhengqing and the others arrived quickly, together with a nearby City Defense Force unit.

The City Defense Force immediately began evacuating the crowd in an orderly manner.

Meanwhile, Feng Zhengqing led five or six institute members straight to the banyan tree.

Feng Zhengqing was in such a hurry that before he could even come to a stop, he activated his innate gravity skill and floated up beside Zhong Xuezhi and Mu Yi.

When he clearly saw the healer's condition, his expression changed drastically.

"This is bad!!"