These monsters had similar mutation levels to the Goat-Headed Monster, each with unique appearances, but none were easy to deal with.

If they reached the second floor and got close, there was no doubt everyone would die.

If this were Lin Ye from when he first entered the Nighttime Activity, he could handle at most two monsters - any more would be impossible.

But he wasn't that Lin Ye anymore.

After continuous practice, Lin Ye had gained new understanding of spiritual energy and cutting techniques.

"What should we do? Should we run?"

Zhao Yong also noticed the Mutation Creatures. He still had trump cards, but there were too many - even if he desperately took out a few, the remaining ones would overwhelm them.

"We can't outrun them, and it's still dark outside - the streets are full of mutated monsters. Where would we go? We'll have to rely on our own abilities."

Xu Min prepared to fight desperately, having not yet used her talent ability.

"...Wait."

Lin Ye forced out the words through gritted teeth. His left hand gripped the Cross Necklace while his right clenched the hilt of the Red Blade. Spiritual energy surged into the blade, turning it a vivid crimson as if flowing with red light.

He pushed his perception to the limit, covering most of the supermarket.

"Die."

Lin Ye swung the Red Blade with difficulty - not at the monsters before him, but at something more fundamental.

An invisible blade of spiritual energy erupted from the Red Blade. Under the influence of the 'Cutting' concept, it stirred all the spiritual energy in the supermarket, sweeping through like a tidal wave.

Lin Ye only initiated the attack, maintaining control for barely an instant before letting momentum take over.

Yet that single moment drained all his spiritual energy and physical strength.

He barely managed to remove the Cross Necklace before collapsing backward.

Fortunately, Li Ji had been standing behind them and caught him in her arms.

The Mutation Creatures weren't so lucky.

Spiritual energy could both enhance physical abilities and completely destroy organisms depending on its application.

Initially, the energy blade simply bisected the creatures horizontally. But as more spiritual energy joined the cascade, the raging power swept through the supermarket like an avalanche, reducing all Mutation Creatures within range to minced meat.

Though not as professional as mass-produced methods, the effect was comparable.

Old Man Zhao inhaled sharply at the devastating scene before him, exclaiming:

"Holy shit! This kid!"

Xu Min was equally shocked, now fully believing Lin Ye's previous 'boasts' and even thinking he might have been modest.

Li Ji carried Lin Ye to a chair against the wall. This was her first time being so physically close to a male, but the emergency left no room for embarrassment.

"Are you okay? What do you need us to do?"

Lin Ye couldn't respond. The attack had drained him completely, and overusing the Cross Necklace left him with splitting headaches and mental fog.

After recovering slightly, Lin Ye saw Xu Min and Zhao Yong dealing with surviving creatures downstairs while Li Ji tended to him.

"How's outside?"

Lin Ye took two bottles of nutrient solution from his backpack, feeling somewhat better after drinking them.

"Those were the last group. Dawn hasn't broken, but no more monsters are coming."

Li Ji produced a damp towel from somewhere, gently wiping Lin Ye's forehead. The coolness slightly eased his headache.

"If dawn hasn't come, it's not over yet."

Lin Ye pressed his temples with one hand while drawing the CL0 Pistol with the other. After clearing the gun store's creatures, he'd used the Goat-Headed Monster's corpse to reload, but the mutation event still hadn't ended.

The pistol would work, but without the mutation's conclusion, its power would be limited.

Li Ji suddenly turned toward a wall facing the ruins' center.

"Something's coming... something terrifying."

She sounded uncertain.

Her talent ability seemed malfunctioning - even during the earlier crisis, she'd felt no danger near Lin Ye, an unprecedented occurrence that made her doubt her ability's accuracy.

"Probably a near-first-rank or actual first-rank Mutation Creature. Call them up here. Killing it should let us return."

Lin Ye slumped back, letting the chair bear his weight. Useless for now, he'd have to rely on his teammates.

"My talent ability has active and passive aspects. I haven't used the active one yet. If it's just one near-first-rank creature, I should manage."

After hearing Lin Ye's analysis, Old Man Zhao thumped his chest muscles confidently.

"I haven't used my talent ability either. Leave this to us."

Xu Min looked at the dark ruins outside. Her enhanced senses from extensive mutation made her less optimistic than Zhao Yong.

"It's here."

Li Ji suddenly pointed at a shadowed street corner visible through the window.

There stood a black-haired, red-eyed girl - a completely normal-looking young woman.

She tilted her head, staring unblinkingly through the window from dozens of meters away.

Lin Ye instinctively tensed, but before he could react, the girl vanished.

Crash!

The sound of shattering glass destroyed any illusion of safety from distance - the girl now stood on the supermarket's second floor.

Humans survive by experience, making them helpless against the unprecedented.

Lin Ye's lack of knowledge about first-rank creatures led to fatal miscalculation - assuming they were just stronger mutations.

This nearly killed him.

The girl apparently considered the incapacitated Lin Ye the greatest threat, marking him as primary target.

Only Zhao Yong's skill and experience saved Lin Ye, as the old man interposed himself.

But this came at a price.

The girl's hand plunged into Zhao Yong's abdomen, casually extracting his intestines as bodily fluids gushed from the wound like a fountain.

As Zhao Yong collapsed and Li Ji froze in shock, Xu Min prepared to flee, leaving nothing between Lin Ye and the girl.

Just as she moved to finish Lin Ye, a massive hand clamped onto her right ankle like a vice.

Zhao Yong rose from the ground, his body swelling like an inflating balloon.