Mutant Contain, Release, Extract, Fuse.
*Containment* here was likely similar to sealing something away.
*Release* was even easier to understand: summoning the contained Mutant back out.
Once released, the Mutant would obey his every command.
It was essentially summoning a monster.
However, if a contained Mutant sustained fatal damage and wasn’t recalled into the card in time, it would still die.
Moreover, severe injuries couldn’t be healed in a short period.
Without that restriction, it really would have been an infinite exploit.
As for *Extract*, it allowed him to draw one ability from the Mutant.
*Fuse*, however, didn’t come with much of an explanation from the Ghost Card.
Dan Lee guessed it was something like demonic possession, or maybe transforming directly into a Mutant?
Or perhaps fusing with another contained entity to create a new monster entirely?
He would only know for sure after testing it.
Dan Lee stepped outside and chose to release the Mutant stored inside the Two of Hearts.
Before long, a tall Mutant materialized in the empty room.
Unlike its near-death state earlier, the re-released Mutant was completely unharmed.
The Mutant stood there blankly.
Even when it saw Dan Lee, it didn’t react much, simply waiting for its next command.
Next, he tested fusing with the Mutant card.
It didn’t turn him into the revolting creature he had imagined, though it felt as if he could take on that ugly form if he wanted to.
Instead, his strength increased by at least two to three times, his pain tolerance shot up, his vision sharpened slightly, and his overall physique and recovery rate improved.
This Mutant seemed to be the middle brother of the three.
He was relatively intelligent and knew how to use a bow and arrow.
The bow and quiver had been left behind—the other two Mutants clearly didn’t know how to use them.
If a mere Two of Hearts combined with a Mutant yielded such effects, what would the Kings, Queens, Jacks, and Jokers be like?
What kind of entities would even be worthy of being contained by those Ghost Cards?
Dan Lee couldn’t imagine it for now, but he determined that the contained Mutant could still use its original weapons rather than becoming a mindless puppet.
For instance, if he ordered it to kill someone…
Without specific additional instructions, the Mutant would use its own methods to carry out the kill.
Choosing not to remain fused, Dan Lee returned the bow and arrows to the second Mutant brother, ordered him to stay close and remain hidden, and then retraced his steps to find Jessie and the others.
The Mutant family was valuable fighting power; he didn’t want to let a single one go.
Shotgun in hand, Dan Lee headed into the forest with the second Mutant Cannibal brother carrying the bow and quiver close behind.
Beneath the glow of dusk, the forest cast ominous, terrifying shadows—like bad omens looming ahead.
Meanwhile…
In the darkening woods…
Scott, the young man from the couple that had come with Chris, was sprinting across the ground, looking back in terror every few seconds.
He had gotten separated from the other three.
Two Mutants were tailing him unhurriedly, seemingly playing with their prey.
Suddenly…
A large hand clamped over Scott’s mouth and nose.
He began to struggle wildly, terror surging through him.
“Shut up!” A low, harsh whisper snapped Scott back to his senses.
When he saw it was Dan Lee, his expression went beyond mere relief—he looked as if he were staring at God himself.
Dan Lee kept his eyes locked on the woods.
Behind another tree, the second Mutant Cannibal brother had his bow drawn, an arrow nocked, glaring fiercely at his two kin.
The distant roar of a car engine suddenly caught the attention of the two pursuing Mutants, causing them to turn around immediately and rush back.
Seeing the Mutants leave, Scott collapsed into a sit against the trunk of a tree.
“Thanks, Dan.
If it wasn’t for you, I’d probably be dead.” “Don’t mention it.
Tell me what happened after you guys got separated.” Listening to Scott’s story, Dan Lee hadn’t expected the guy to be so sentimental—he had actually sacrificed himself to draw the Mutants away.
As an egoist, Dan Lee loved good-natured fools like him.
How wonderful would the world be if most people were like Scott?
Halfway through his story, Scott snapped out of it, saying furiously, “We have to go back and save Carly and the others!
With you here, we can definitely take those bastards down!” …
After the sun set…
The mountainous area fell deathly quiet, swallowed by the dark.
Until a watchtower burst into a roaring blaze, cutting through the night like a beacon growing brighter and brighter.
Atop the tower, Chris, Jessie, and Carly were as frantic as ants on a hot pan.
Going down meant facing the Mutant Cannibals; staying up meant burning to death.
Finally, Chris spotted the surrounding trees and came up with the only way out: leaping to the branches around the tower.
Jessie was already regretting her choices.
She should have just turned back with Dan Lee.
To make matters worse, her best friend Carly seemed to have lost the will to live, sobbing hysterically and refusing to budge.
This only made the two Mutants below even more excited.
But they failed to notice Dan Lee and Scott sneaking up behind them.
“Oh, fuck!” The moment the three leaped onto the tree, the branch snapped under them, sending the entire group crashing down.
Seeing a Mutant about to pounce on him, Chris scrambled backwards in terror, crawling frantically.
*Bang!* A gunshot shattered the air, sending the smallest Mutant scrambling into the jungle to hide.
Illuminated by the firelight…
Jessie got a clear view of the scene.
Scott had fired the shot, but now he was grabbed by the tallest Mutant.
Just then, a cold arrow pierced the tall Mutant’s arm.
The creature roared in pain and released Scott.
Dan Lee stepped out from the shadows, utterly exasperated by Scott’s aim.
*With marksmanship that bad, how is he even North American?* Carly, who had been ready to give up on life, wept tears of joy upon seeing her boyfriend alive.
“Scott!” “Dan!” Jessie was equally thrilled.
Dan Lee was the only man in this group who gave her a sense of security.
Dan Lee looked at the strongest Mutant Cannibal and racked a shell into the shotgun.
The Mutant Cannibal yanked the arrow out of its arm and charged toward Dan Lee.
But out of the darkness, the second Mutant Cannibal brother collided head-on with his former boss.
The eldest Mutant Cannibal seemed quite sentimental himself; seeing his brother repeatedly attack him, he looked baffled and tried to awaken the second brother’s conscience.
But under the second brother’s relentless onslaught, the eldest Mutant roared in pain and finally began to fight back.
Jessie, Chris, and the others were completely stunned.
Were the Mutant Cannibals turning on each other?
Dog eat dog?
Flanked by the raging fire, the two monsters slammed into each other, hurling brutal fists at each other’s heads.
Any normal human would have been broken by a combo like that, but the Mutants did little more than grunt twice in pain.
Their dulled sense of pain meant they had no fear of death.
Still, the second brother was noticeably weaker than the eldest.
Jessie grabbed Dan Lee’s hand and pulled him outward.
“Dan, let’s run while they’re fighting!” “Jessie, where are you going to run to now?” *Not even knowing how to secure a kill—no wonder people like them get counter-killed.* Dan Lee shook off Jessie’s grip, racked his shotgun, and aimed at the eldest Mutant Cannibal.
At his command, the second brother stepped aside.
*Bang!* Dan Lee’s shot hit the eldest Mutant Cannibal square in the chest.
Instead of falling, it charged toward him.
He fired several more shots into its knees until the creature was forced to crawl using only its arms.
Dan Lee watched the eldest Mutant Cannibal crawling on the ground.
Rather than killing it, he ordered the second brother to drag it into the darkness.
Having run out of shells, Dan Lee tossed the empty shotgun aside.
The fire on the watchtower continued to burn.
Though none of them understood why the two hideous cannibals had turned on each other, everyone was relieved to have narrowly escaped death.