Chapter 40: The Mutated Specimen
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Satisfied, Xia Tong nodded, then turned and headed toward the laboratory deeper inside.
The woman in the lab coat followed behind her with trembling steps, her heart pounding in terror each time she moved, afraid that a monster might suddenly spring from some dark corner and tear her apart.
The closer they came to the laboratory, the more violent the fluctuations of energy in the air became. The pungent stench of sulfur, blood, and chemical reagents was nearly suffocating.
The surrounding walls and floor were covered with savage claw marks and corrosive slime. From time to time, a low, grating growl drifted through the air, as though countless greedy eyes were watching from the darkness.
“It’s… it’s the room ahead…”
“When we evacuated, we only had time to take the incubation chamber… The test subjects that went out of control are still locked inside.”
The woman in the lab coat pointed toward a tightly sealed metal door, her voice horribly warped by fear.
The door was covered in claw marks and dents from repeated impacts. An unsettling blue glow seeped through the cracks, accompanied by a thick, overpowering stench of blood.
Xia Tong stopped. Her sharp, feline pupils narrowed slightly as she stared at the battered metal door.
She could clearly sense at least four or five first-tier mutant creatures lurking behind it. One of those presences even carried a trace of danger.
“The things inside are more than one level stronger than those wandering outside just now.”
Xia Tong’s energy of the water element had already begun circulating silently within her, ready to respond to any sudden danger. She did not expect the woman behind her to be of any help. As long as she did not become a burden, that would be enough.
“Gulp…”
The woman in the lab coat struggled to swallow, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
“W-what do we do? Perhaps… perhaps we should give up. This is too dangerous!”
She nearly spoke through sobs. She would rather face the black cat’s fury than be torn to pieces by those terrifying test subjects.
She was merely a researcher with somewhat elevated clearance who had been lucky enough to survive when disaster struck. Now she was expected to follow this terrifying cat back into a laboratory crawling with mutant creatures. It was impossible to imagine surviving the trip. The closer they drew, the higher her fear climbed.
At that, Xia Tong cast her a cold glance. Her voice held not the slightest trace of warmth.
“Shut up, or die. You can choose.”
She said it as calmly as if she were discussing the weather.
Had it not been for the thing inside the incubation chamber, Xia Tong would have sent both of them to hell the moment they met. She certainly would not have wasted time listening to this woman whine.
The instant she finished speaking, the woman fell silent. That icy gaze made her feel as though she had been plunged into a frozen abyss, and she did not dare utter another word.
She knew the cat was serious.
Xia Tong ignored her after that. When her own interests were at stake, everything else had to stand aside.
And now, enormous gains lay directly before her. This was a rare opportunity. Whatever was inside the incubation chamber would surely aid her evolution and increase her strength. She would never abandon it lightly.
Because in the apocalypse, strength and the degree of one’s evolution were, to a certain extent, synonymous with freedom.
And freedom was what she had always yearned for.
…
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…
Before reaching the main laboratory, Xia Tong circulated the energy within her body and waited quietly nearby for the door to open.
“Beep…”
“Authentication complete. Facial recognition successful!”
“Laboratory assistant Heilman, welcome!”
With a low groan, the laboratory doors slowly opened. The sound echoed through the silent corridor, making the scene all the more unnerving.
Xia Tong looked inside.
Suddenly, a sharp claw shot out and clamped violently onto the laboratory’s steel door.
A dense stench of blood and an indescribably foul odor rushed toward them, accompanied by several suppressed breaths that sounded like those of a wild beast. Blue light poured from within the room, stretching Xia Tong’s shadow into a long, distorted shape.
“Ah!”
Heilman screamed and stumbled backward.
Xia Tong paid her no attention. Instead, she looked past the monster toward the laboratory beyond. The scene inside was even more horrific than she had expected.
The floor and walls were covered in coagulated black blood and fragments of flesh. Several human corpses in research uniforms lay scattered in the corners, their deaths grotesque and miserable.
The air reeked of nauseating sulfur mingled with the smell of chemical reagents, forming a uniquely revolting stench.
“Roar!”
The mutant creature blocking the doorway let out an ear-splitting howl. Thick fluid mixed with blood and saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth as it lunged at Xia Tong without hesitation, sending a foul, rancid gust of wind rushing toward her.
…
[Mutant Creature: Fanged Hound. First Tier, Four Stars. Currently Parasitized. Under the influence of an unknown force, its fur has fallen away, exposing blood-red muscle tissue. Parts of its body have undergone special hardening, greatly increasing its speed and strength. Eroded by unknown energy, it possesses tenacious vitality and can transmit a virus through biting.]
The Source Core provided Xia Tong with the basic information on the strange mutant hound before her. She skimmed through it and quickly identified the information relevant to the battle.
This mutant hound had been infected by that unknown force, which had propelled it onto the path of evolution. It was not yet especially powerful and should be manageable.
“But what does ‘currently parasitized’ mean?”
The thought had barely crossed her mind when the fanged hound’s attack was already upon her.
…
Xia Tong’s heart tightened slightly, yet she neither dodged nor retreated in the face of the vicious assault.
Just as the hound’s claws were about to touch her, her figure suddenly turned illusory and transformed into a clear stream of water, slipping effortlessly past the attack.
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The fanged hound missed. Its massive body lurched forward several steps under the force of its momentum before crashing heavily into the metal doorframe with a muffled bang.
“I told you not to come in! Look what you’ve done! We’re all going to die here!”
When the woman in the lab coat saw this, she was scared out of her wits. Her sanity plummeted into the negatives, and she screamed as her legs gave way beneath her. All color drained from her face.
She thought the black cat was completely insane. It had actually dared to provoke those monsters!
Xia Tong fought down the urge to kill the shrill woman.
The next second, the woman’s scream abruptly ceased.
The stream of water turned nimbly in midair, instantly condensing into dozens of razor-sharp water arrows. They poured down like a torrential rain, precisely covering the mutant creature that had just regained its footing.
“Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!”
The dense sound of arrows piercing flesh rang out.
Its brain, heart, abdomen, throat…
The mutant creature did not even have time to utter a cry of agony before its massive body was riddled with water arrows. Dark green blood sprayed in every direction. After convulsing violently several times, it crashed to the ground and completely lost all signs of life.
It was that clean and decisive.
To Xia Tong, the mutant creature before her was nothing more than a test subject that had spent its entire existence locked in a cage. It had already been tormented beyond recognition. Even after its transformation, it was hardly formidable. At most, it was frightening to look at.
In her previous life, during her advanced studies in a laboratory, she had seen no shortage of mutant creatures that had gone out of control because of experiments. Most had merely undergone the most basic forms of external mutation, gaining somewhat greater strength while remaining fundamentally unchanged within.
…
They were utterly unimpressive.
[First-Tier, Four-Star Fanged Hound slain. Experience gained: +20]
[Current Experience: First Tier, Two Stars (70/100)]
A familiar notification sounded in Xia Tong’s mind.
Her figure condensed once more in its original position. She elegantly shook out her fur, as though she had done nothing more significant than swat away an insect.
The several mutant creatures concealed deeper inside seemed to have been intimidated by the instant death of their companion. Their advance faltered for a brief moment, but the temporary shock was soon replaced by even more intense madness and bloodlust.
They let out increasingly violent snarls and advanced with heavy footsteps, surrounding Xia Tong from all sides.
Xia Tong also caught the scent of that dangerous presence she had sensed earlier.
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