Boom!

The bat's body was struck, sending fragments of organs spraying out. The Bat Man couldn't maintain his bat form. He reverted halfway back to a human before dying, leaving a half-man, half-bat corpse tumbling to the ground.

A silver orb flew into James Lone's chest, quickly solidifying his willpower weapon.

"Excellent!" James Lone smirked.

His perception indicated no enemy presence nearby, suggesting these two were just scouts. The enemy's main force was still far away, making this area relatively safe for the moment.

Just then,

Crack!

The sky lit up dramatically. A blinding bolt of lightning descended toward James Lone.

They could attack from beyond visual range!

Startled, James activated his phasing ability just in time.

The lightning, as thick as a barrel, passed through his body and struck a large tree, triggering a massive explosion.

Boom!

The massive tree split open like bamboo being torn apart.

Gah! James felt a sharp pain in his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"So, phasing doesn't completely nullify lightning attacks!" It was an unexpected and painful revelation.

Then, rat-tat-tat-tat, a barrage of bullets emerged from the purple mist, targeting his position.

"Damn it!" James leapt off the tree, landing on the ground to avoid the bullets.

But another surprise awaited him, as the ground surged upward!

A giant hand, made from soil and stone, burst up to grasp James.

James remained calm. Knowing he was vulnerable both in trees and on the ground, he was prepared.

Blood Energy Burst 500%!

Ghostly Agility!

James's body zipped dozens of meters away in an instant.

Boom!

The four-meter-tall hand grabbed nothing but air and smashed down again, trying to crush him.

Dodging with another agile sprint, James evaded the massive hand's swipes, which struck the ground, shattering vegetation.

The hand couldn't reach him anymore.

It turned out the giant hand was rooted in the ground and couldn't move beyond a narrow range.

When the ability user controlling it realized its limitations, the huge hand crumbled away.

Bullets resumed peppering the forest, striking trees and scattering wood chips.

James phased again to avoid the barrage.

He frowned slightly.

Can they see me?

It made sense if the lightning ability user could see him. But the giant hand ability user as well?

Was every gunman an ability user too?

Impossible!

Someone nearby must be tracking him!

James quickly reviewed the entities within his perception.

In the explosion's aftermath, animals scattered wildly, creating a chaotic blaze of red in his senses.

However, one odd little insect, the size of a small finger, hovered motionlessly about ten meters away.

James glanced at it casually.

The insect's color shifted with its surroundings, nearly becoming invisible.

Viewed through his Light of the Mind ability, the insect revealed two abilities within it.

Testing his theory, James ran a few steps. The insect followed, maintaining a steady distance.

"So, it's you!" James narrowed his eyes.

This insect ability user hadn't been mentioned by Sofie Barnes, likely another who feigned submission while secretly resisting.

This wasn't going to work!

A direct confrontation was too risky!

James quickly revised his approach.

This group wielded too many abilities—strange and varied.

He faced setback after setback without even getting close.

Closing in could reveal unknown abilities and lead to a disastrous outcome.

Brute force wasn't the answer; a new plan was needed!

Just then, three figures entered his perceptual range:

One was engulfed in flames, setting the forest ablaze.

Another flickered with a strange light.

The last had widened sideways, nearly square-shaped in body.

As he ran, he uprooted a tree and hurled it with the might of a giant javelin.

Fortunately, his aim was off, hitting well wide of James.

James chuckled, turning to run.

Sure enough, the flying insect quickly followed.

James leapt over a water-filled gully, only for a basin-sized Strog Fred crab to burst forth, its massive claw snapping toward him.

Unfazed, James continued past without flinching, allowing the crab to target his leg.

The crab's claw passed through his leg, clamping at nothing. Confused, it retreated back to the water.

Deliberately, James stayed above ground, sprinting in a straight line toward Johnson Hospital in New York City.

Feeling tough? Go tangle with those tentacle monsters then?

Martin Stewart and his team quickly reached the lightning strike location.

One grumbled, "That rat is surprisingly tough to survive my thunder strike!"

"Doesn't matter, he's injured and bleeding. He won't get far." Martin Stewart stood over a bloodstain, committing its scent to memory.

The insect ability user, Amanda Fred, was still trailing James, relaying visuals to the main force.

Martin Stewart [saw] clearly: the rat was still fleeing rapidly.

"Amanda Fred is still tracking him! Move out!"

The group pressed on.

The wide-bodied ability user led the chase, reaching the water gully in no time.

The Strog Fred crab emerged again, snapping onto his leg.

Clang!

A metallic echo rang out.

"Damn it!" he cursed in alarm.

Seeing the crab, he angrily grabbed its claw, wrenching it forcefully.

Crack!

The claw snapped off.

Using the broken claw tip, he stabbed the crab's back, pinning it to the ground.

Only then did he sigh in relief, reversing his transformation and panting heavily.

Maintaining the transformation drained his stamina immensely.

Soon, the fastest ability users caught up.

"Theo, why aren't you running?"

"I'm exhausted. That rat runs faster than a dog!"

"Damn, if he digs underground, we'll lose him for sure."

Martin Stewart, arriving at the pond, glanced at the crab. "Theo, are you hurt?"

Theo grinned. "This thing couldn't hurt me."

Looking around at their fatigued companions, Martin conceded, "We'll rest here, wait for the others."

His mood was sour. Originally, they planned to march quickly to New York Pearl Tower, launching an ambush under cover of night.

But they were detected mid-journey.

The only consolation was that the rat hadn't gone underground.

"Why didn't he burrow?" someone wondered.

Martin pondered aloud: "Two possibilities."

"First, his burrowing ability is restricted."

"Second..." he laughed coldly. "He's leading us into a trap! Perhaps to a powerful mutant."

The group laughed.

"Couldn't be the second."

"I bet it's ability limitation. Though it would be nice if he waited by a trap for us, hahaha."

"No mutant stands a chance against our fifty!"

"Stupid rat, making us run through the woods. When we catch him, we'll give him a good thrashing!"

After a short break, Martin Stewart left two behind to guide the main force while the rest resumed pursuit.