Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Intercept and Kill

Seeing Xu Qingsui examining the Mutant collapsed on the ground, Lu Jingyu couldn’t help but tease her.

Prompted by his words, Xu Qingsui finally noticed that this Mutant’s original form was a gibbon. She had only seen this kind of animal in a zoo during her past life. However, by the time she saw it, the zoo had already been overrun by zombies, and all the animals had died in their jaws. Back then, several zombies had been huddled over the lifeless gibbon, gnawing at it until its original appearance was completely unrecognizable. She hadn’t expected to see one again in this life, though it was now a mutated product.

As they spoke, the rest of the team members arrived. Lu Jingyu immediately ordered them to carry out their tasks according to the arrangements he had made aboveground.

Watching the members of the other three teams leave, Lu Jingyu turned to Xu Qingsui. "Let’s move out, too. Just like before, don’t leave my arm’s reach."

His familiar words sent a strange ripple of warmth through Xu Qingsui’s heart. Unlike Shen Yan, Lu Jingyu never explicitly stated that he would protect her. Instead, his alternative way of expressing it made her heart feel warm.

Nodding, the two immediately set off in their assigned direction. Lu Jingyu walked in front, but kept one hand tucked behind his back the entire time. Should anything happen, he could pull Xu Qingsui into his arms at a moment’s notice.

Passing a few rooms, they arrived at the cage area. Because the cages on the third underground floor weren’t at full capacity, the few rooms they passed were completely empty. Even though the map clearly indicated this, Lu Jingyu still kept a watchful eye on the inside of the cages as he walked by. He couldn’t rule out the possibility of Mutants hiding in these places, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

They passed several cages in a row without discovering anything. Further ahead were the enclosures holding actual living subjects. Lu Jingyu braced himself and prepared to continue forward.

Behind him, however, Xu Qingsui had already furrowed her brows. Although they hadn’t found anything along the way, she couldn’t shake the feeling that a pair of eyes was constantly watching them. Furthermore, as they moved, those eyes followed them. Even though she didn’t sense any aura of danger, that shadow-like presence still made her uncomfortable.

Seeing that they were about to enter the key area, Xu Qingsui’s heart tightened. She suddenly grabbed Lu Jingyu. "Don’t go over there yet. I feel like something is following us."

Even with Xu Qingsui’s incredibly strong spiritual power, she hadn’t been able to discern exactly what was trailing them. Lu Jingyu, despite being a Sentinel, felt absolutely nothing. Suddenly pulled back by Xu Qingsui, he didn’t doubt her at all. Instead, he pulled her closer to his side and focused his attention on their surroundings. He still couldn’t detect anything, but Xu Qingsui’s brows were practically knit together.

"Those eyes are still watching us. But for some reason, I can’t pinpoint their location. It’s as if there are eyes staring at us from a full three hundred and sixty degrees all around."

Xu Qingsui’s words painted a vivid, chilling picture in Lu Jingyu’s mind. Though he couldn’t comprehend what kind of Mutant could create such a scenario, he kept his guard up, continuing to scan the environment.

Minute by minute passed. Xu Qingsui and Lu Jingyu didn’t move, and neither did the gaze. It just silently watched them. Xu Qingsui realized that staying put was just a waste of time; they couldn’t afford to linger here any longer.

"If it won’t show itself and we can’t find it, we’ll just have to take it one step at a time. Let’s keep moving!"

Lu Jingyu nodded. Knowing they were being watched from the shadows, he didn’t dare act carelessly. He immediately pulled Xu Qingsui to his side so they could walk shoulder-to-shoulder.

The cages up ahead held living creatures, so the two of them slowed their pace. Just as they approached the nearest cage, their vision blurred. They only felt something flash past them at lightning speed. However, the entity didn’t attack them; it merely brushed past.

While they were still confused and looking at each other, a shrill, piercing scream suddenly erupted from the cage ahead. The sound was like the wail of a dying struggle. It lasted only a brief moment before vanishing without a trace.

The two exchanged another glance, a flicker of suspicion in their eyes. After confirming with each other that they hadn’t hallucinated the sound, they immediately picked up their pace and hurried to the cage where the noise had originated.

According to the map, this cage held a sheep. The enclosure itself was undamaged, indicating that the sheep inside probably hadn’t mutated. But after sweeping their eyes over the interior, they spotted a clump of white wool in the corner. Even more glaring was the blood red splattered everywhere around it. A thick, metallic stench of blood permeated the air.

Seeing this, both of them frowned. Through the gaps in the white wool, they could faintly see bloodstained bones. That meant just moments ago, something had rushed past them, entered the cage right in front of them, and devoured the sheep cleanly.

Both of them had encountered their fair share of Mutants—especially Lu Jingyu—but he had never known of any Mutant with such capabilities. Xu Qingsui, on the other hand, was certain that the creature that ate the sheep was the same one that had been watching them. Perhaps it was ravenous and had already considered them food. However, deciding they were too tough of a target, and coincidentally arriving here, it set its sights on the sheep inside and opted for a quick meal first.

But regardless, the fact that it could slaughter a sheep right in front of them was truly shocking.

Without exchanging a word, Lu Jingyu drew his weapon, hacked off the cage lock in one clean strike, and led Xu Qingsui into the enclosure where the sheep had just been devoured.

Standing back-to-back, they scanned their surroundings. Only after confirming there was nothing else around did they step up to the clump of wool. Perhaps they could find some clues on the pile of bones.

Lu Jingyu found a bare branch inside the cage—stripped clean of its leaves—and used it to push the wool aside, revealing the grim, white bones. Stripped of the wool’s concealment, the two finally noticed that the bones were densely covered in bite marks.

They both furrowed their brows. What kind of creature would leave behind such tooth marks?

They honestly couldn’t think of a single entity capable of this. The only explanation was a swarm of creatures gnawing on it all at once. But if that were the case, a swarm movement definitely shouldn’t have slipped by their notice completely! Furthermore, according to the map, all the creatures held here were mammals. There weren’t any swarming or herd-based animals listed!

The more they thought about it, the more bewildered they became, genuinely unable to guess what the creature could be.

And just as they were pondering over the white bones, a shrill, sorrowful bleat erupted from the adjacent cage.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.