Mutants were evolving and mutating as well.
Xia Qing watched the massive mutant slowly turn around, its crimson eyes scanning its surroundings, causing her heart to sink abruptly.
This was no ordinary mutant.
She had seen ordinary mutants, killed them, and extracted their energy cores.
Although those creatures were horrifying, their movements followed patterns and their attacks possessed rhythm. As long as one figured out their mechanics, handling them one-on-one wasn’t difficult.
But the creature before them was completely different.
Its body was a full two times larger than that of an ordinary mutant, its muscles bulging as if cast from solid steel.
Its scales were no longer the typical gray-black, but a deep, dark purple that glinted with an uncanny sheen in the rain.
Most terrifying of all were its eyes—crimson, with pupils slit into thin lines, radiating a bone-chilling glint of intelligence.
This was no ordinary mutant.
This was an entry-level evolved mutant.
Jin Chao’s expression shifted the instant he clearly saw the creature.
He had encountered this type of mutant before.
Or rather, to be precise, he had read research reports regarding this variant.
In the classified files of the national laboratories, this evolved mutant form was designated as an “Entry-Level Evolved Mutant.”
It represented a higher evolutionary tier formed after an ordinary mutant devoured a sufficient quantity of human flesh and cores from its own kind.
However, that form had been purely theoretical in the reports.
The research documentation stated that an entry-level evolved mutant would take at least six months to a year to complete its evolution.
When that time came, humanity’s current combat methods would undergo a complete reshuffle—ordinary weapons would see their damage against evolved mutants drastically reduced, leaving ability users as the sole counter.
That was precisely why mass-producing ability users within the first year was paramount.
Yet right now, less than a month had passed since the initial mutant outbreak.
This entry-level evolved mutant had appeared at least five months ahead of schedule.
Clenching his teeth, Jin Chao squeezed a single word through them: “Run!”
Coming from his mouth, that word carried more weight than any warning.
Jin Chao was never one to say “run” lightly. He had survived far more perilous situations and faced significantly larger mutant swarms, yet he had never uttered that word.
He would usually say “retreat,” “move,” or “relocate”—actions that were planned and offered routes of fallback.
But this time, he said “run.”
Which meant—
They couldn’t win. There was zero chance of victory, and making it out alive would be the ultimate success.
The speed and power of an entry-level evolved mutant far exceeded those of ordinary mutants.
With a mere blur of movement, it covered ten meters, its crimson eyes locked tightly onto Jin Chao.
Jin Chao had never anticipated that an entry-level evolved mutant would exist inside this city.
According to the research institute’s intelligence, evolved mutants should only spawn in the dense core districts of major cities with massive mutant populations.
As for the suburban zone they currently occupied, a monster of this tier shouldn’t exist here by logic.
Yet reality cared nothing for logic.
No one had time to mourn.
Su Bai’s body had been swallowed whole, leaving behind only a pool of bloody water without a single scrap remaining.
Yet they didn’t even have the chance to spare a second glance, because the evolved mutant had already locked its sight onto them.
Xia Qing’s mind raced at top speed in that instant.
Her memories remained incomplete.
She could only wait until she fell asleep at night to see if she could connect with the self of the other timeline through her dreams.
That was the sole channel of communication between them—whenever she slept, their consciousnesses bridged across space-time.
Although the duration was brief each time, it served as her primary source for acquiring vital information.
However, now was not the time to dwell on that.
“Go! Into the building!”
Xia Ran grabbed Xia Qing’s arm and dragged her toward the roadside.
The group launched forward like projectiles, sprinting frantically into a row of adjacent storefronts.
Rain pelted their faces and blurred their vision, yet no one slowed down and no one looked back.
From behind them came the roar of the evolved mutant—a sound far deeper and lower than that of ordinary mutants, rumbling like thunder from deep underground and shaking the chest.
Dragging Little Chubby along, Xia Qing charged into a street-facing shop beside a residential tower.
She had no time to read the sign, recognizing only that it was a restaurant because a crooked menu light box stood at the entrance, its food photos bleached white by rainwater.
A private dining room on the second floor.
Yanking Little Chubby along, Xia Qing scrambled up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor, kicked open the nearest private room door, and slipped inside.
The room was compact, holding a large round table that could seat ten, draped in a moldy tablecloth.
An old cabinet air conditioner stood in the corner, and a damp, musty odor filled the air.
Xia Qing shut the door, threw the deadbolt, and pressed her back firmly against the wooden panel, panting heavily.
Rain dripped off her raincoat, pooling onto the floor.
Her heart pounded rapidly—not merely from physical exhaustion, but from an adrenaline surge.
Little Chubby stood beside her silently, his hands trembling.
The same Little Chubby who had sent an ordinary mutant flying with a single punch was now trembling violently.
Taking a deep breath, Xia Qing forced herself to calm down.
The scene earlier had been far too chaotic, leaving her mind a tangled mess.
She rapidly recalled what she had glimpsed as the group scattered—
Fang Cheng, Jin Chao’s teammate with full-body hardening, proved completely outmatched before the evolved mutant.
She had seen with her own eyes as Fang Cheng attempted to block the creature’s attack with his hardened fists, only to be swatted away by a single claw, slamming into a roadside utility pole and bending the metal post.
At least two or three of Fang Cheng’s ribs were shattered, his chest caved in, and his face turned as pale as paper.
Fortunately, He Li—the super-strength user—had rushed over in time, hoisting Fang Cheng onto his back and fleeing into the residential building alongside the rest.
Jin Chao and Qiao Xiao took charge of bringing up the rear.
Jin Chao’s mental ability offered a minor degree of disruption against the evolved mutant, though its effect remained limited.
Qiao Xiao’s gravity field, however, temporarily suppressed the creature—his ability altered the gravitational field within a specific radius, slowing the evolved mutant’s movements.
Yet it was merely “temporary” and strictly a “suppression”; defeating it head-on was out of the question.
Jin Chao had sustained injuries as well.
Xia Qing had noticed blood seeping from his left arm, unsure whether it was a claw laceration or a blunt impact, though he hadn’t uttered a single grunt, fighting on with clenched teeth and an expressionless face.
In the end, everyone scattered into nearby storefronts along the street—some in the residential tower, some in the restaurant, and others in a convenience store.
They split up, not daring to gather in one place.
With too many people, the target would be too large, making it easy for the creature to wipe them out all at once.
Right now, everyone held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.
An entry-level evolved mutant’s sensory capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary mutants.
Its hearing, sense of smell, and even perception of energy fluctuations were several times sharper.
An ordinary mutant might fail to catch your scent through a wall, but an evolved mutant could.
An ordinary mutant might miss the faint sound of your breathing, but an evolved mutant wouldn’t.
Everyone had witnessed the moment Su Bai was impaled through the chest and devoured.
That image was seared into everyone’s retinas like a branding iron.
Su Bai looking down at the razor claws protruding from his chest, staring at the still-beating heart held in that scaly palm—his own heart.
Before he could process it, he was swallowed whole.
Facing that level of physical power, even though they had awakened abilities and possessed physical baselines superior to ordinary humans, they remained flesh and blood in the end.
If Fang Cheng’s hardening ability couldn’t withstand a single strike from an evolved mutant, anyone else would only die faster.
Leaning against the door, Xia Qing closed her eyes, working to steady her breathing.
She stationed Little Chubby by the door to keep watch.