Chapter 154: The Suburban Hunt

Dark clouds swallowed the crescent moon as Ethan appeared in the living room of Victoria’s villa.

He didn’t waste a second. Activating Space Teleportation five times in succession, he crossed the ruined streets and reached the outskirts of Century Skyline. The air grew heavier the closer he came. Even from a distance the luxurious villa at the district’s center pressed against his senses like a weight. The buildings around it were silent, their windows dark, but the pressure radiating from that one structure made the entire block feel occupied.

Hum.

The moment he crossed the boundary, an invisible wave of Spiritual Power swept over him and locked onto his position. It felt sharp and deliberate, sliding through his body as if searching for cracks. The sensation crawled across his skin and settled behind his eyes, cold and precise.

A Quasi-SS-Rank powerhouse.

Ethan’s heart lurched. He activated Space Teleportation five more times without thinking, flickering between collapsed buildings until he stumbled into an abandoned shopping mall. He dropped behind a warehouse shelf, breathing hard. Cold sweat soaked the back of his shirt. His pulse hammered against his ribs. For several seconds he stayed perfectly still, listening for any sign that the power had followed him. Only the distant creak of the building answered.

That Spiritual Power had felt like a blade probing through him. It had not pursued. Whether the owner considered him too small to bother with or the sweep had simply been routine, Ethan stayed crouched until the pressure faded completely. Only then did he allow himself to stand. His legs were stiff from the tension.

He had left the Space Anchor Point inside Victoria’s villa. He would retrieve it later, when he was strong enough to return without risking everything. For now, finding a mutant beast with a Mental Ability mattered more. If that failed, he would need another way to obtain the Red-Haired Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey’s Core. The thought settled in his mind as he checked the mall’s exits and prepared to move again.

When he finally left the warehouse, the eastern horizon was turning pale. He moved along the edges of the streets, keeping clear of open ground where larger beasts might gather. The city remained quiet for only a few blocks. Abandoned cars sat at odd angles, their doors hanging open. A thin layer of dust covered everything. Ethan kept his steps light and his attention on the rooftops and alley mouths.

A dozen ordinary zombies suddenly rushed from a street corner, rotting hands clawing toward him. Their movements were jerky and fast. The sound of their feet on the pavement carried clearly in the still morning air.

"Spatial Cut."

A white blade of energy swept across the road. The zombies were severed at the waist. Their upper bodies collapsed among the abandoned cars, still twitching. Dark fluid spread across the asphalt as the morning light strengthened. Ethan wiped his blade clean and continued toward the suburbs without slowing.

Ethan turned to leave, but two pairs of red eyes opened among the corpses. Two Evolved Zombies rose. One had metallic skin that caught the early light. The other opened its mouth, thick corrosive liquid dripping between its teeth and hissing where it struck the pavement.

Ethan drew his sword and activated Time Stop.

The world froze for one second.

He drove his sword through the Metal Zombie’s eye socket, then released a Space Fissure across the Acid Zombie’s throat. When time resumed, both creatures collapsed. Dark fluid spread across the asphalt.

Ethan collected their Cores—one red with a metallic sheen, the other blue beneath a coating of viscous fluid—and continued toward the suburbs.

As he approached the suburban road, heavy breathing came from the tall grass. He parted the leaves and found a young mutant elephant lying in a shallow hollow. Its short tusks gleamed pale gold. The calf’s sides rose and fell with labored breaths.

Ethan’s eyes brightened.

An Elite-grade Core delivered right to me.

A Space Fissure silently sliced across its neck. The calf went still. He had barely collected the Core when two enormous adult elephants appeared nearby. Their mournful cries rolled across the grassland. The moment they spotted the dead calf, grief turned to fury.

They charged. Massive feet pounded the ground. One seized an abandoned car with its trunk and hurled it toward Ethan. The vehicle spun through the air and crashed where he had stood a moment earlier.

"Ladies, come out and help!"

Ethan released the women from his Survival Space.

Daisy immediately unleashed a Mental Ability attack against the elephants’ foreheads, making them hesitate mid-charge. Evelyn’s vines coiled around their legs, while Sofia fired ice spikes toward one elephant’s eye. Above them, Penny spread her Light Wings and launched a Light Blade at the other elephant’s face.

Ethan seized the opening, teleporting beneath the first elephant and combining his sword with a Space Fissure to cut through its thick hide. The beast roared and twisted violently. A massive foot crashed down where he had stood, smashing the earth and sending dirt and grass into the air.

He teleported away just in time.

"Keep them occupied!" he shouted.

The women coordinated their attacks, but the elephants’ immense strength made every exchange costly. Evelyn’s vines snapped under their weight. Sofia’s ice spikes struggled to penetrate the thick hides. Penny had to dodge repeated swings of their trunks, her Light Wings flaring as she stayed airborne.

The battle continued for nearly ten minutes. Dust and blood darkened the grass. The women were tiring. Finally, Daisy struck one elephant with another Mental Ability attack, disrupting its movement. Evelyn’s remaining vines tightened around its legs as Ethan landed a decisive Spatial Cut. The beast staggered and crashed onto its side with a heavy thud that shook the ground.

Penny struck the second elephant near its eye with a Light Blade. As it recoiled, Ethan opened a Space Fissure across its neck. The second elephant collapsed. Silence returned to the grassland.

Everyone was exhausted. Evelyn’s vines had been trampled into the dirt. Penny’s Light Wings had a tear along one edge. Debbie and Tessa immediately began treating their injuries. White light and green radiance spread over the women as their wounds gradually closed.

Despite their exhaustion, excitement shone in their eyes. They had defeated two Leader-grade mutant beasts together.

Ethan collected the two golden-glowing Cores from the elephants’ heads before sending everyone back into his Survival Space. Then he continued his journey alone, the weight of the new Cores in his inventory and the distant pressure of Century Skyline still lingering at the edge of his senses.