Chapter 26: Death

"Ding, Detected Mutated Entity: ???"

The floating girl in the red dress lowered her head, as if she was sleeping. Around her neck, a necklace with a black obsidian-like pendant hung on her chest. Her long hair covered her entire face, the strands on her shoulders swaying without any wind. Her exposed skin was deathly pale, devoid of any blood.

Lin Yi's body stiffened, and he stopped breathing. He dared not move, afraid of awakening the entity.

Would it work? Lin Yi bitterly chuckled inwardly.

The noise he made by kicking down the door couldn't have been small. Although he didn't know why the mutated entity before him showed no reaction, Lin Yi didn't believe it hadn't noticed.

The Eye of Judgment couldn't provide any information, only confirming that the being in front of him was not human, but a mutated entity. The lack of information meant its strength had already surpassed Lin Yi, its mental barriers impenetrable to his spiritual detection.

Floating, moving without the aid of external force - the power of this mutated entity...

At the very least, it was a peak second-tier. Possibly even a third-tier!

Lin Yi felt a sense of despair. This was the greatest crisis he had faced since his rebirth.

As for the black obsidian-like pendant on the little girl's neck, it was very likely the missing key component for the [Skull Crusher's Hand]. Obtaining it would allow him to complete the set. However, he dared not make any reckless moves now. What use was completing the equipment if he ended up dead?

What should he do? Lin Yi's mind raced, desperately trying to maintain his composure.

Before he could make a decision, the little girl suddenly raised her head. Her delicate features were as beautiful as a porcelain doll, looking no more than seven or eight years old. But her eyes were a lifeless white, filled with malicious indifference.

"Boom!"

An unmatched psychic shockwave, tangible as if it had physical form, struck Lin Yi's body. It was like being hit by a speeding train, instantly slamming him into the wall.

The wall cracked, exposing the bricks and steel reinforcements inside. Lin Yi felt a metallic taste in his mouth as blood spilled out. His chest was caved in, as if a heavy hammer had smashed it. At least three of his ribs were broken, and his left arm was shattered.

His blood surged. Lin Yi bitterly chuckled. It was too strong. The mutant entity before him was beyond his ability to confront. That last attack had nearly killed him outright, and he could feel his internal organs bleeding.

If he hadn't activated his Strength Burst, boosting his constitution, that attack would have finished him instantly. Too strong...

Lin Yi, who was virtually invincible at the first tier, was completely powerless against this suspected third-tier mutated girl in the red dress.

Escape!

Without hesitation, Lin Yi immediately pulled out a potion from the Apocalypse Ring and bit it, shattering the vial.

"Ding! Strength +1, Constitution +1, Agility +1."

"Ding! Explosive Power increased by 50%, Endurance and Impact Resistance increased by 30%, Attack Speed increased by 20%."

His blood surging, Lin Yi's strength rose again. His Strength attribute had now reached 33 points. Combined with the 10% boost from the potion and the 10% from the spirit plant, he could now deal damage exceeding his raw strength.

But against this suspected third-tier mutant, it was still utterly useless. The minimum attribute value for a third-tier mutant was 40 points.

Abandoning any thought of resistance, Lin Yi forced himself to his feet and began to run frantically to the right, like an arrow released from a bow. His speed was so fast that the air around him was compressed, creating a slight sonic boom.

Behind him, the floating girl in the red dress seemed indifferent, becoming calm again after unleashing the psychic shockwave.

10 meters! Lin Yi was moving at a speed leaving afterimages. On the third-floor staircase, there was a floor-to-ceiling window for lighting.

If he could break through there, he could escape the building.

Faster, even faster! Lin Yi pushed his body to the limit, trying to reach maximum speed. He could only pray that the girl in red had no interest in him and wouldn't pursue him outside the building. Otherwise, he couldn't see any hope of survival.

Frantically fleeing, Lin Yi caught a glimpse of the room number to his right: 303. That was Wen Ya's mother's room.

Before he could think further, another psychic disturbance came from behind.

"Hmm!"

The transparent yet tangible psychic shockwave struck his back again.

"Poof!"

Blood sprayed. Lin Yi felt excruciating pain, his back a bloody mess. His vision darkened as the powerful impact blasted him out of the building like a cannonball.

Midair, Lin Yi mustered his strength to protect his head.

...

Outside the inpatient building, a zombie stared blankly at the third-floor window. The movement of a living being had attracted its attention.

"Boom!"

Before it could react, a dark shadow shot out at an incredible speed, slamming into the zombie's body. Dust and debris rose as a deep crater was blown into the solid concrete ground.

Dizzy and disoriented, Lin Yi struggled to crawl out of the crater. Beneath him was a zombie reduced to a bloody pulp.

It was around 1 PM, and the warm sunlight had dispelled the chill in the air. But it could not dispel the cold dread in Lin Yi's heart.

On the third floor of the inpatient building, the girl in the red dress slowly floated out of the shattered window. Her lifeless white eyes were firmly fixated on Lin Yi in the crater.

Seeing this, Lin Yi let out a bitter laugh. Since the girl in red had come after him, it seemed he would meet his end here today.

No wonder the zombie doctor had wanted to lure him here. Even a thousand-man battalion would be no match for a suspected third-tier mutant like this.

What Lin Yi couldn't understand was that in his previous life, there had been no mutant entities here. How had the situation changed so drastically? The two mutants he had encountered in the hospital were more than he had expected.

Even if his rebirth had disrupted the original timeline, the changes shouldn't have been this drastic. He had been cautious enough.

In his expectations, the danger the zombie doctor might have tried to lure him to in room 307 would be, at most, a first-tier mutant. After all, the squad that had previously obtained the [Skull Crusher's Hand] wasn't that strong - they had to sacrifice most of their ordinary members and use heavy weapons to force their way in.

If there had been a suspected third-tier mutant, or even a second-tier one, here at that time, that group would have had no chance of bringing the glove back.

Even with their thousand-strong team and modern weapons, the sound of grenades and guns would have drawn the attention of the girl in red. They wouldn't have been able to avoid her, whether or not they went to room 307.

Lin Yi coughed, blood flecks spewing from his mouth. His broken ribs had punctured his lung. He was grievously injured. If he wasn't an Awakened with a high constitution, he would have already been dead from the blood loss.

Weak and freezing, Lin Yi stared grimly at the slowly approaching girl in red. Another psychic shockwave would surely be fatal.

The girl slowly raised her right hand, her youthful face expressionless. Waves of psychic energy coalesced, about to strike him.

Surrounded by the oppressive aura of death, Lin Yi's life flashed before his eyes - the cold Tong Wan family in the safe house, the helpless Xia Xia tightly hugging him, the agonized howl of the zombified Xing Tian, the trembling, red-eyed Wen Ya, the boisterous laughter of Zhang Tie proudly introducing his sister.

Xia Xia, Xing Tian. I'm sorry, I may never be able to go back and see you again.

Lin Yi let out a bitter laugh, realizing that despite being reborn, he had changed nothing.

The psychic shockwave arrived like the Grim Reaper's scythe, swinging towards Lin Yi's head.

Darkness, silence.