Mutation

Bullets poured down like a raging metal storm. Large-caliber rounds spun forward at terrifying speed, their tremendous kinetic energy engulfing the creature's body.

Its scales, once hard enough to be virtually impervious to blades and bullets, were as fragile as paper before overwhelming firepower.

Within a single breath, they shattered in a cloud of blood, leaving nothing but a mangled heap of flesh.

Staring at the thoroughly dead creature before him, Zhang Tie felt as though he were dreaming. He wiped the blood from his face with a trembling hand.

He had survived, but it felt as though he had walked through death's door.

He had thought he was doomed. He never expected Ye Lin to save his life again at the critical moment.

"Ye... Ye Lin...?!"

"Th... thank you..."

Zhang Tie still hadn't recovered and kept thanking him dumbly, his eyes filled with shock at the rifle in his hands.

Ye Lin shook his head. After a brief reminder, he jumped down from the cargo container and continued searching the corpse on the floor.

"Nothing to thank me for. Treat your wounds. We've got one minute at most before we have to run."

He had found the gun.

His luck had been decent. He had discovered a soldier's corpse in a corner. Although it had been eaten down to a few bloody scraps of skin stuck to the floor, fortunately, its equipment had survived.

Most likely, the soldier had died in an ambush by one of the creatures, without even having time to react.

After finding two vials in the combat uniform, Ye Lin stood and tossed a silver-white pistol straight to He Zheng as he ran over.

"Catch!"

He Zheng instinctively caught the pistol, his eyes full of shock.

"What the-?! Holy shit, where did you get this?!"

The gun was heavy, and its dark muzzle looked like it packed quite a punch.

Like Zhang Tie, he had barely started searching before the monster drew his attention. He had expected another bloody fight, but when he turned around, Ye Lin had conjured up weapons like a magician and killed the creature for good measure.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he spotted the shredded combat uniform on the floor out of the corner of his eye and suddenly understood.

With no time to marvel at Ye Lin's luck, He Zheng took a deep breath, anxiety rising.

"Ye Lin, did you hear that noise over there?!"

"I think an even stronger creature has appeared!"

He only wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

Judging by the creatures' speed, they still had a minute or two. But no one knew how fast the monster that had smashed through the door could move!

He could even faintly feel the floor trembling beneath his feet. He couldn't imagine how enormous that unknown creature must be.

Seeing Ye Lin still searching, he wanted to drag him away right then.

"I know!"

Without looking back, Ye Lin pointed at the Refrigerated Cabinet behind him.

"Shoot out the glass! Take as many vials as you can."

"And keep these safe. We'll need them later!"

After saying that, Ye Lin stuffed the two vials into his arms, then hurried toward a metal case that had fallen to the floor in the distance.

What are these?

He Zheng froze as he looked at the white substances in his hands.

He couldn't read a single word on the labels, but judging by Ye Lin's reaction, they seemed important.

"Don't just stand there!"

With Ye Lin urging him on, He Zheng didn't dare waste any more time. He put the vials away and ran toward the back.

Although he didn't know what the substances did, finding two guns alone meant the trip hadn't been wasted!

One minute later.

Boom, boom! Boom, boom!

Dull impacts mingled with the creatures' distinctive high-pitched shrieks, rapidly drawing closer.

Outside the Armory, Lin Ya trembled all over. Watching laboratory equipment being sent flying in the distance, she was filled with terror.

Her view was obstructed, so she couldn't make out the creatures' exact positions. But judging by the sounds, they were probably only a few hundred meters away.

"He Zheng! Ye Lin!"

"They're coming! They're here!"

Five hundred meters!

Four hundred meters!

Three hundred meters!

Beneath the glaring red alarm lights, the creatures poured out like a black tide.

One slender creature suddenly accelerated, covering a hundred meters in seconds as it lunged toward them with a roar.

Lin Ya screamed in terror. Just as she turned to flee, two bullets skimmed past the top of her head.

Ye Lin rushed out of the storeroom, flames spitting from his muzzle as he fired rapid bursts at the nearest creature.

The 7.62 mm rounds instantly shattered its left leg. Yet even with a leg severed, the creature only grew more frenzied, scrambling toward them like a spider on its remaining limbs with a piercing shriek.

He Zheng's face turned ashen as he looked at the dense swarm of monsters behind it.

They had caught up far faster than he had expected!

They had delayed for a minute, but judging by the creatures' speed, even fleeing earlier wouldn't have kept them from being caught.

"Ye Lin! What do we do? Should we split up?"

Bang! Bang!!

He Zheng drew his pistol and fired, trying to slow the creatures' charge. But his efforts were a drop in the bucket. His aim was poor to begin with, and hitting fast-moving targets was even harder.

He barely managed to drive one back before several more lunged forward. Even Ye Lin couldn't hold them off for more than a few seconds unless he emptied his magazine in one go.

"Smash the vials!"

Before he could anxiously ask another question, the crisp sound of breaking glass rang out beside him. Ye Lin hurled the vials he had collected straight into the creatures' path.

As the test tubes shattered, the white liquid inside evaporated violently, instantly raising a cloud of pungent white mist.

What the-?!

He Zheng froze. He had assumed the substances were meant to be injected, not smashed on the floor.

"Ye Lin, what does this stuff do?!"

With no time to think, he copied Ye Lin, grabbed a vial, and hastily threw it.

The instant he finished speaking, a creature passing through the white mist suddenly stiffened, letting out an agonized scream as though its nervous system had suffered a devastating blow.

Mindless and driven entirely by instinct, the creatures plunged into the red mist and fell into chaos, their movements visibly slowing.

He Zheng was delighted. He remembered Ye Lin saying that the researchers might have something capable of dealing with the creatures.

Was this it?

They had found twelve vials in total. If this stuff could kill the creatures, they might be able to wipe out the monsters with the weapons they now had.

But as though he had seen through his thoughts, Ye Lin turned and sprinted away without looking back after throwing his vials.

"Keep dreaming! This stuff only sedates them!"

"There's a big one behind them! And give Zhang Tie your medicine!"

He Zheng's expression froze. Only then did he remember the monster behind them that could smash open an alloy door!

He instinctively looked back. Although he couldn't see exactly where the unknown monster was, he could faintly make out an enormous silhouette moving toward them in the darkness.

Unable to imagine how terrifying a monster capable of destroying an alloy door would be, He Zheng took a deep breath and suppressed his greed.

If he got greedy for rewards, there probably wouldn't even be scraps of him left.

Not daring to hesitate any longer, He Zheng turned and ran.

But after just two steps, he realized Zhang Tie intended to flee with Hu Jia on his back. The way he staggered along was practically suicide.

He Zheng glanced quickly at the creatures held back beyond the white mist, took a deep breath, and couldn't help cursing:

"Are you an idiot? You're injured, and you still want to carry someone? I've never seen anyone this stupid!"

Zhang Tie lowered his head without responding at first. Although He Zheng was berating him, he knew it was for his own good.

"Hu Jia's leg is injured... We can't just leave him behind..."

"Fine, fine, you're a good person!"

Unable to be bothered with the fool any longer, He Zheng suppressed his anger, took out the Healing Capsules he had purchased with points, and handed them to the two men, signaling for them to take them.

Although it pained him, he knew that without them, Zhang Tie would never keep up.

They were already short-handed. Who knew how many more creatures lay ahead?

While he had a fairly good impression of Zhang Tie, He Zheng swept a disgusted gaze over Hu Jia, feeling that even treating this useless man's injuries was a waste.

Especially since he could plainly see what Hu Jia was scheming.

"Useless bastard. If you don't want to die, keep up."

With that, He Zheng wasted no more time. Ignoring Hu Jia's stiff expression, he turned and caught up with Ye Lin.

The capsules worked remarkably well. Within seconds of swallowing them, their wounds rapidly scabbed over, a cool sensation easing the pain.

After treating his injuries, Hu Jia gritted his teeth and followed at the rear. Unnoticed by the others, he clenched both fists, resentment filling his eyes.

He knew how disgusted He Zheng had looked at him.

But all he wanted was to survive. What had he done wrong? In this damned place, was being weak an unforgivable sin?

He couldn't die yet. At least, not now!

Home... I have to make it home alive!

Outside the laboratory area.

Inside a ventilation duct, An Ke used the reflection in a mirror to carefully observe the situation outside, listening closely.

Only after confirming that everything was quiet and no creatures were nearby did she release a long breath and lightly, cautiously jump down from the duct.

Things were much better than she had expected. She had thought she would need to find a way to escape after luring the creatures over.

She hadn't expected something to happen on Ye Lin's side that left her area without a single creature.

After checking the information on her watch, an unusual look flickered in An Ke's eyes. She ran straight in the opposite direction from the laboratory.

"According to the punishment requirements, the Antidote should be nearby..."

Certain no one could see her, An Ke suddenly picked up speed, covering a hundred meters in just a few breaths.

Had He Zheng been there to see her speed, he would likely have been horrified.

The reason was simple: no unenhanced human could move that fast. Without question, An Ke wasn't a newcomer. Her supposed plan to lure the monsters away had merely been an excuse to act alone.

Roughly three minutes later, An Ke stopped at the end of a corridor.

A closed Tempered Glass Door stood before her.

Inside, a corpse with only half its body remaining lay curled in a corner. From its appearance, it was clearly a creature that had only partially mutated.

Its leg bones were deformed, and its face had twisted and elongated. At a glance, it looked like a fish with a human head.

An Ke exhaled softly, confirming this was the right place. Her gaze sharpened, and she suddenly lashed out with a kick!

Bang!

With an explosive crash and a sudden rush of air from her kick, the thick tempered glass shattered into fragments across the floor.

Stepping over the fragments, An Ke rapidly searched the drawers according to the system's instructions, finally gripping a vial of deep blue liquid tightly in her hand.

"Hiss-"

She slowly injected the substance into her body. As the cold liquid flowed into her veins, a crisp system notification sounded in her mind.

Ding. Punishment test completed. Candidate No. C3471, An Ke, received +0 reward points.

Although there was no reward, An Ke smiled with relief when she saw her candidate number change from red to white, feeling a weight lift from her heart.

Good. The punishment is finally over.

Now I just need to blend in with these rookies and complete the exam, and my record will officially be cleared. With these newcomers lowering the round count, my subsequent exams won't be too difficult either.

If everything goes smoothly, I might even use this chance to build up my points again. Then... enter again...

Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang out from outside the room.

An Ke's smile stiffened, and she whipped her head around, looking over nervously.

Although she was quite strong and could even overwhelm He Zheng one-on-one, she couldn't handle several creatures without a suitable weapon.

Especially since... she kept feeling that something was wrong with this exam's difficulty.

She jumped up into the duct.

An Ke's gaze flickered, and she frowned slightly.

"Is it because of me? But my round count has already reset to zero. With my strength, I'd only add half a round's worth of difficulty at most..."

"Or is it because of He Zheng?"

Something seemed off about He Zheng as well. Zhang Tie and the others couldn't see it, but from her perspective, the strangest thing about him was his lack of weapons.

A "veteran" who had survived several death exams had actually entered without bringing a weapon. That was practically suicide.

Even a dagger would have been better than being empty-handed.

She had done the same, but she had been forced into it.

"Still, it shouldn't be a major problem... Judging by his intelligence and behavior, he's entered three death exams at most. From the fourth round onward, a reckless brute like him couldn't possibly survive."

"It's possible he really had no points to exchange for equipment..."

"As for that kid..."

An Ke blinked, Ye Lin's appearance flashing through her mind.

"He's definitely a newcomer, but he managed to bring a gun in... His identity in the real world must be rather interesting..."

Putting those thoughts aside, An Ke turned to reviewing the second round's question.

"The answer to the second round is most likely what I deduced earlier."

Although she wasn't certain whether the ?? the system required them to find was what she thought it was, the normal difficulty could only extend so far. Even with her added to the mix, it would simply mean a few more people dying along the way.

"Based on the information we have, the hardest part is finding where God or the item is located. As long as we can get inside, the exam will basically be complete."

"They've even found two weapons. They can't be far from the final objective."

At that thought, An Ke even began to hesitate over whether she should head over to join them.

If Ye Lin and the others could finish the exam themselves, she only needed to wait until it was over.

With He Zheng and the others risking their lives, she had no need to take any risks herself, and could avoid exposing herself.

As she considered this, she simply extended the mirror out of the passage, intending to check how many new Species had appeared.

If there were too many...

An Ke tilted her head to look.

But the instant she made out the reflected scene, her expression changed drastically. It struck her like a bolt from the blue, leaving her frozen stiff on the spot.

In the passage not far away, more than a dozen Species were advancing with low growls, forming a protective escort.

And surrounded by these monsters, a tall, thin figure was slowly turning into the far end of the passage.

Even that single glimpse made An Ke's scalp prickle with terror, as though every drop of blood in her body had frozen in an instant.

How could this be!?

How could it be like this!!?