A massive inflatable air cushion suddenly appeared between Shen Ge and the monstrous turtle, launching the creature backward with a loud bang.

“Fang Mingyue’s gear really comes in handy,” Shen Ge muttered, retracting the Abnormal Skin Armguard and eyeing the overturned turtle nearby. Gripping his cleaver, he strode forward.

Planting a foot on the turtle’s shell, Shen Ge swung the cleaver down—only for the creature to retract its head at the last moment.

Clang!

The blade struck the shell with a metallic ring, as if hitting solid steel. Despite effortlessly slicing through Tier 2 Abnormal creatures before, the cleaver couldn’t pierce the eggshell-like armor.

“Interesting.” Shen Ge smirked. If he brought this shell back, maybe Li Xiang could craft an “unbreakable” bulletproof vest out of it.

With a swift kick, he sent the turtle flying, then hurled a Capture Ball at it. The Abnormal Stomach enveloped the creature, bulging and distorting as the turtle struggled inside.

According to reports from the capital, the Abnormal Stomach had a 100% success rate against severely injured Tier 1 Abnormal creatures.

Crack.

Another turtle hatched nearby. Luckily, a Tier 1 posed little threat to Shen Ge. With the Abnormal Skin Armguard, the creature couldn’t even get close.

But ten minutes later, as the fourth turtle emerged, the pressure mounted. Shen Ge retreated to the doorway, using the terrain to bottleneck their advance.

[Host has successfully slain a Tier 1 Abnormal. Reward: 50 System Points.]

[Sell Tier 1 Abnormal corpse? Price: 200 System Points.]

Five minutes later, the system announced the first turtle’s digestion. The Stomach spat out an empty shell. Seizing the chance, Shen Ge retrieved the Stomach, grabbed the shell, and lobbed a grenade and a Molotov into the room, igniting the remaining turtles and eggs.

For the next two hours, he fought off seven turtles—selling four for 1,000 points and keeping three shells.

With the creatures dealt with, Shen Ge searched the room for exits, puzzled by the presence of Abnormal eggs. Were they mutated by energy, or… bred by other Abnormal creatures?

If the latter, the implications were dire.

Reproduction meant exponential growth. If an ocean-dwelling creature laid thousands of eggs, the world could fall in months.

Shaking his head, Shen Ge forced himself to focus. Overthinking wouldn’t help.

After scouring the room and finding no exit, he returned to the red-lit zone—equally barren. The space felt like a “fog of war” in a game: paths vanished behind him as he moved forward.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations on surviving another day in this Abnormal-infested world. Reward: 1% Free Attribute Points, 10 System Points.]

Three days had passed outside. Inside, time moved slower—he had to hurry.

The latest logs revealed little. His future self, colluding with “Sakura,” had failed to steal a Tier 6 Abnormal corpse from Quanlong Mountain Base.

Now, he was caught in a spy-versus-spy game: the Special Response Division sent him to infiltrate Sakura, while Sakura sent him back to the Division.

With no leads on “The Unyielding,” Shen Ge resorted to his original plan—collapsing the space.

Focusing on the red-lit zone, he activated his Invisible Abnormal Domain.

Crack—

The ceiling shattered like glass. Leaping through with a boost from his Abnormal Leather Shoes, he landed in a new area.

“A hallway?” His flashlight revealed a narrow, endless corridor—no doors, no end in sight.

Running for minutes (or was it hours?) yielded no progress. The unchanging scenery was worse than the parking lot below—at least there, he had landmarks.

Only the sound of his suitcase wheels echoed in the darkness.

…..

He Lao, Luo Chenguang, and a rescued soldier from Chongqing’s Special Response Division trekked through the muddy trails.

A wall of black fog blocked their path—thick with energy, rivaling the levels in the Abnormal Building.

“An elite Abnormal must be inside,” He Lao said. “Chenguang, use your goggles.”

Luo Chenguang adjusted his Energy-Vision Goggles. “I see something… a giant chicken?”

The shadow stirred, lifting its head.

“It’s watching us… but not attacking?”

He Lao frowned. “Let’s move higher. If it’s truly high-rank, we’ll wait for Shen Ge’s signal.”

Luo Chenguang scoffed. “What signal? Comms are dead here.”

Ignoring him, He Lao pressed on. The fog thickened until even the five-meter-tall chicken vanished.

Then—thud. Thud. Thud.

Footsteps. Everywhere.

“We’re surrounded,” He Lao said grimly, gripping his Bone Staff.

Luo Chenguang panicked. “What now? Dig a hole and hide?”

He Lao’s voice was steel. “The Bone Wall can shield us. If we survive the first wave, they might leave—or turn on each other.”

“And if we don’t survive?”

“Then prepare to die here.”