Chapter 112: Mutated Animal Tide

The next morning, Ni Mengxue and her team prepared to leave the base quietly.

However, before they could even leave the gates, the alarm suddenly rang throughout the base.

"Mutated animal tide has arrived; all residents are requested to gear up and prepare for the battle!"

The expressions of everyone at the base changed. A wave of mutated animals had appeared unexpectedly in the distance, moving rapidly toward the base.

The base guards immediately began shouting for everyone to prepare for battle.

Ni Mengxue frowned. ’We can’t leave now.’

Soon, another announcement came through the base’s communication system.

"All survivors are permitted to hunt the mutated animals. Any mutated animal killed by you can be taken away by your team."

The moment those words spread, the atmosphere changed.

The survivors who had originally been preparing to hide inside the base immediately rushed toward the gates.

Mutated animals were valuable.

Their meat could be eaten, their fur and bones could be processed, and their bodies could be exchanged for resources. More importantly, their crystal cores could be used to strengthen superhumans.

Even those who knew they were not particularly strong were unwilling to miss such an opportunity.

At the entrance, dozens of teams gathered. Most of them were composed almost entirely of men.

The few women who had joined the hunting teams usually stayed toward the rear, providing support or collecting materials after the stronger men brought down the animals.

The weapons in their hands were equally crude.

Some carried sharpened steel pipes, some used axes and machetes, while others wielded weapons personally reinforced by superhumans.

A few metal-type ability users had even shaped scrap metal into crude blades and spears. However, none of these weapons were enough to make the battle easy.

The first mutated animals arrived. A group of men immediately rushed forward. "Attack!"

A muscular man swung a heavy iron axe at a mutated wolf. The axe struck its skull with a loud clang. The wolf staggered but didn’t fall.

Before the man could attack again, the mutated wolf lunged forward and knocked him several meters away. "Captain!"

Three men rushed to help him. Another mutated wolf suddenly appeared from the side and bit into one man’s shoulder. He screamed and fell.

The others desperately attacked it with their crude weapons. After several exhausting minutes, they finally managed to kill the wolf. But by then, two people were injured.

Similar scenes played out across the battlefield. The stronger teams could kill mutated animals, but they often had to pay a price.

The weaker teams could only hunt the smaller animals while avoiding the stronger ones.

Ni Mengxue watched silently. Then she looked toward Lu Yucai. He sat in his wheelchair a short distance away, calmly observing the battlefield.

"I don’t want to participate," he said.

Ni Mengxue glanced at him. "You don’t have to fight."

Lu Yucai relaxed slightly.

"But you have to come with us."

He stared at her. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

Lu Yucai was speechless. Eventually, he could only follow them to the battlefield in his wheelchair.

Ni Mengxue looked ahead. "Stay here and observe."

Lu Yucai nodded.

Their first target was a mutated black panther. It was nearly twice the size of an ordinary panther, with thick black fur and claws capable of tearing through metal.

Xin Ai stepped forward. Blue-white sparks constantly flickered around his fingertips.

"Lightning!"

A bolt of electricity shot toward the mutated panther. The beast roared as lightning struck its body. However, it merely staggered before recovering.

Xin Ai’s expression changed. ’Its fur is insulating the electricity.’

The panther charged. A few super-strength members of the team immediately stepped forward.

One was a broad-shouldered man with cropped hair who carried a thick steel rod. Another was a man with a muscular body and a shaved sidecut, wielding a heavy metal hammer.

The first man swung his rod. The panther dodged. The second man brought down his hammer, but the panther twisted aside.

"Too fast!" they shouted.

Ni Mengxue moved. Ice spread beneath her feet. The ground instantly froze. The panther’s claws slipped against the ice. Its movement slowed for a fraction of a second.

That was enough.

"Now!"

Xin Ai immediately released another lightning attack. This time, the electricity struck the frozen ground beneath the panther and traveled directly through its body.

The beast stiffened. The two strength-type superhumans attacked simultaneously.

The steel rod smashed into its skull, and the hammer followed, causing the mutated panther to collapse. The team quickly extracted its crystal core.

Ni Mengxue calmly stored the mutated beast in her space and said, "There are more."

Their second opponent was a mutated boar. It was enormous, with thick gray skin and two curved tusks.

The team initially tried attacking it head-on, but the result was disastrous. The boar charged.

The broad-shouldered man barely managed to dodge, while another team member was thrown into a pile of debris.

Xin Ai fired lightning repeatedly, but the boar’s thick hide dispersed most of the electricity. Ni Mengxue narrowed her eyes.

’Its weakness isn’t its hide. It’s the eyes and joints.’

She quickly created several ice spikes. "Don’t attack its body. Force it to turn."

The team immediately understood. The strength-type members spread out.

One struck the boar from the left and another attacked from the right. The enraged animal repeatedly changed direction.

Each time it turned, Ni Mengxue froze the ground beneath one of its legs.

The boar stumbled.

"Now!"

An ice spear shot forward. It pierced the animal’s eye. The boar screamed and charged blindly.

Xin Ai immediately released his strongest lightning attack. Lightning struck the exposed wound.

The boar collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The team stood there, breathing heavily. They had won again.

Several nearby teams had already started watching them.

"That ice ability user is good. Wait... isn’t that Ni Mengxue? Her ability is so powerful that she can easily take down so many mutated animals?"

"She’s not just using her ability. She’s directing the entire team. Her combat ability is on par with General Song."