During the second half of the night, the rain intensified significantly.
Raindrops beat against the windowpanes, creating a continuous, drumming noise.
The window frames vibrated while water seeped into the walls, quickly soaking a wide patch in the corner as liquid trickled down the masonry.
The situation on the streets was far worse.
The urban drainage system had long since failed; sewers were completely choked with silt and trash, preventing rain from draining off.
Compounding the problem, overturned vehicles, shattered building debris, and mutant carcasses littered the roads, blocking the few remaining drainage channels.
The standing water outside rose at a rate visible to the naked eye.
In just a single night, the water level reached mid-calf depth.
Furthermore, there was no sign that the rain was going to stop.
Standing by the window and looking at the rising water level outside, Qiao Sheng frowned so deeply his brows could crush a fly.
If it kept raining like this, the city would likely be submerged.
By then, trapped inside this residential tower as floodwaters crept upward with nowhere to run, they would face an even greater disaster.
“Damned weather,” Qiao Sheng cursed under his breath, drawing the curtains shut.
Jin Chao’s group took over the night watch during the second half of the night. Jin Chao, Qiao Xiao, and Qiao Sheng positioned themselves at the entrance, the window, and the stairwell, forming a triangular defense layout capable of responding immediately to movement from any direction.
Lin Yao took no part in the watch.
Leaning in the corner and wrapped in an old blanket scavenged from somewhere, she kept her eyes closed, a contented smile playing on her lips.
She claimed she needed to rest to absorb her energy core and couldn’t stay up late.
Surprisingly, Jin Chao raised no objection; he merely offered her a flat glance and nodded.
This left Lin Yao feeling even more triumphant.
See that? Even Jin Chao has to give me face.
She was currently carrying everyone’s food and supplies; without her, this team wouldn’t last three days.
Spatial storage users were just that precious in the apocalypse—everyone had to cater to her.
Pleased with her status, Lin Yao rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.
What she failed to realize was that Jin Chao’s decision not to assign her a watch shift had nothing to do with valuing her.
Rather, a combat-incapable spatial user would be nothing more than a liability during a nighttime skirmish.
Instead of letting her stumble around in a daze and drag the team down, it made far more sense to let her sleep so she would have energy for the march during the day.
Yet Lin Yao misinterpreted the gesture entirely, believing everyone held her in high esteem.
Xia Qing slept for a brief stretch.
Leaning in the corner furthest from the window, she kept one hand resting over her pocket at all times, monitoring the little mouse’s body temperature and heartbeat.
The little creature had tossed and turned inside her pocket for most of the night, making her fear several times that it wouldn’t pull through.
Its heartbeat would stop for a few seconds before racing wildly again, as if an invisible hand were churning through its tiny body.
Around three or four in the morning, the mouse finally settled down.
Xia Qing felt its heartbeat stabilize into a steady, firm rhythm, while its body temperature returned to normal.
Gently scooping the mouse out from her pocket, she rested it in her palm.
The little mouse had transformed once more.
Its body size hadn’t grown, remaining a compact, tiny ball of fluff.
However, its fur had shifted from its original grayish-white to a deep, dark emerald green, bearing three pale patterns across its back resembling leaves.
Its eyes had changed as well—its pupils were no longer ordinary black, but gleamed with a soft green light, resembling two tiny emeralds in the dark.
The green was noticeably deeper than before!
Xia Qing continued attempting to reinforce her link with it.
The Charm imprint remained intact, now significantly clearer than before.
She could sense the mouse’s consciousness—simple, primal, brimming with curiosity and vigilance toward this unfamiliar world, yet tied to her as its “master” with clear attachment.
After a night of observation and testing, Xia Qing had largely mapped out the mutated mouse’s capabilities.
First was a comprehensive upgrade in physical baseline.
The mouse’s speed had become extraordinarily fast—moving from Xia Qing’s palm to her shoulder took a mere split second, making its trajectory almost impossible to track with the naked eye.
Additionally, its vision in complete darkness was exceptional.
Second were its active skills.
The mouse had currently awakened a basic skill: Self-Repair.
It could rapidly heal physical damage sustained by its own body.
While highly practical in combat, this skill consumed immense energy; after deploying it once, the mouse went limp for a long stretch before recovering.
Furthermore, its bite force and overall vitality had seen substantial increases.
Xia Qing was quite satisfied.
Though still frail right now, the mouse held considerable potential.
Its path to advancement mirrored that of human ability users—it required consuming energy cores of the matching attribute.
In other words, if she wanted the mouse to continue evolving, she needed to secure more green energy cores.
Green energy cores.
Xia Qing silently logged this requirement in her mind.
She still held a red energy core that she couldn’t use for now, which she could keep as trade material for necessary items later.
Her current Charm ability allowed her to maintain at most two permanent imprints.
Daylight broke.
The rain continued to pour, showing zero signs of easing compared to the night—if anything, it threatened to intensify further.
Walking to the window and peering down, Qiao Sheng’s face turned grim instantly.
The standing water had reached mid-calf depth on an adult.
The streets had transformed into muddy rivers, carrying garbage, tree branches, and unidentified carcasses slowly toward lower ground.
Cars parked along the curb were submerged up to their wheel hubs, while several manhole covers were forced open by water pressure, bubbling continuously.
“Captain Jin.”
Qiao Sheng turned around with a solemn expression: “We’ve re-established contact with the research institute.”
Jin Chao walked over immediately: “What’s their situation?”
Qiao Sheng muted the volume and looked up at Jin Chao: “The perimeter is surrounded by mutants. Their food is depleted, and with the rain hitting their low-lying terrain, the facility is nearly flooded.”
“They won’t hold out much longer.”
Jin Chao’s expression grew dark and heavy.
He stepped up to the window and stared out at the heavy rain without uttering a word.
Qiao Xiao walked over as well, standing behind Jin Chao and speaking in a low voice: “Looks like this downpour isn’t stopping anytime soon.”
Indeed, everyone could see it.
The thick, heavy cloud cover above was no ordinary rain cloud.
It was likely an anomalous climate phenomenon triggered by the emergence of the mutants, stretching across hundreds of kilometers—it wouldn’t disperse for days and nights.
The dilemma now was whether to wait or move out.
If they kept waiting, standing water would accumulate further, and the city would inevitably be submerged.
By then, trapped inside the residential tower as water flooded the first and second floors, they would either drown or be forced to swim out.
And fighting mutants in deep water was pure suicide.
However, if they set out now in heavy rain with severely flooded streets and compromised visibility, their movement would be hindered while having to face the mutant horde around the research institute… the risks were equally immense.
After a few seconds of silence, Jin Chao reached a swift decision.
“Move.”
A single word—clean, decisive, and without hesitation.
Everyone immediately began gathering their gear.
Awakened by the noise, Lin Yao rubbed her eyes as she crawled out from her blanket, muttering, “How are we supposed to walk in such heavy rain?”
Yet seeing the non-negotiable expression on Jin Chao’s face, she wisely shut her mouth.
Before setting off, everyone split up to search the apartment for rain gear.
The owner of this residence was clearly an avid hoarder; several raincoats—both adult and children’s sizes—hung beside the shoe rack at the entryway, along with a few umbrellas and two pairs of rain boots.
Though covered in a layer of dust, they were usable in a pinch.
Xia Qing selected the smallest dark green raincoat, which fit her perfectly.
She glanced down at her pocket—the little mouse remained curled inside, largely shielded by the raincoat’s hem, exposing only its tiny head.
No, in rain this heavy, the mouse just mutated and shouldn’t get drenched.
After a moment’s thought, Xia Qing retrieved a discarded cloth face mask from nearby, unstitched it, and wrapped the mouse inside, leaving only its nose tip exposed for breathing.
She then tucked the cloth bundle into her raincoat’s inner pocket, zipped it up, and patted it to ensure it was secure.
The mouse wriggled inside the cloth bundle, emitting a faint squeak before settling down quietly.
All preparations were complete.
Just as Xia Qing prepared to walk toward the door, a sudden shriek echoed from behind her.
“Aah—!”
The sound was sharp and piercing, slicing through the quiet room like a blade.
Everyone startled; Qiao Xiao even rested his hand against his hilt, ready to draw his blade at a moment’s notice.
It was Lin Yao.
She stood two paces behind Xia Qing, covering her mouth with one hand while pointing a trembling finger at Xia Qing’s shoulder, her face twisted as if she had seen a ghost.
“A-A rat!” Lin Yao’s voice shook.
“Kill it, fast! There’s a disgusting rat on you!”
Xia Qing froze for a second, tilting her head to look—
Unbeknownst to her, the mouse had squirmed out of her raincoat pocket and climbed up onto her shoulder.
Wrapped in the cloth layer, it exposed only a tiny, dark emerald head and two glowing green eyes, tilting its head as it stared at Lin Yao.
Startled by Lin Yao’s scream, the mouse squeaked twice, scurrying down Xia Qing’s arm back into the raincoat pocket, leaving only the tip of its tail visible.
Xia Qing’s expression remained completely unchanged.
Reaching out, she patted her pocket gently to soothe the startled mouse, then raised her head to look at Lin Yao with eyes that were unnaturally calm.
“This is my pet,” her voice was not loud, yet every word landed with absolute clarity.