The rebar stabbed out from the ground with precision, aiming for the soft underbelly of the mutated frog.

Squish!

Instead of piercing through, the rebar slipped off the frog's slimy skin.

"Its skin is too slick, covered in mucus!" James Lone frowned slightly.

Still, with his raw strength, the rebar wasn't far off from a proper spear. Even though it didn't penetrate, it inflicted enough pain to make the frog recoil.

"Ribbit!"

The mutated frog let out a pained croak, unable to attack the enemy beneath it. It leapt backward, retreating more than ten meters into the purple mist, and silently stared at James Lone using some mysterious sensory method.

The frog believed the distance and the mist rendered it invisible to its opponent.

Unbeknownst to it, in James Lone's Perception, the frog stood out like a blazing torch.

James smirked coldly. "Not bad, you stupid beast. You're smart."

Suddenly, the mutated frog opened its mouth, and its tongue shot out like a bullet.

At such close range, James had no time to react fully. Instinctively, he raised the rebar horizontally in front of him.

DUANG!

The tongue collided with the rebar, bending it into a U-shape. At the same time, the tongue's adhesive properties latched onto the rebar, pulling it—and James—toward the frog's gaping maw.

"You want to eat me?" James's gaze sharpened.

With a flash of thought, a supermarket shelf materialized in the mutated frog's mouth.

CRUNCH!

The frog bit down on the metal shelf, only to shudder in pain. It spat out the bloody shelf immediately, releasing the rebar in the process.

James glanced at the bent rebar in his hands and casually tossed it into his storage space. Then, he pulled out a massive sledgehammer from the same space.

"If sharp weapons don't work, I'll use blunt force! If 100% isn't enough, then 200%! Blood Burst!"

In an instant, James's body surged with power.

The mutated frog glared at him with hate, lifting one of its massive webbed feet to stomp down.

James's body flickered as he ghosted backward two meters.

BOOM!

The frog's foot slammed into the ground, missing him completely.

The hammer followed swiftly.

BANG!

The sledgehammer smashed into the frog's foot, crushing bone and flesh. The hammerhead sank deeply into the mutilated limb.

"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"

The mutated frog shrieked in pain, its muscles spasming visibly.

In agony, it yanked its injured leg upward, sending James—and his hammer—flying more than ten meters.

CRASH!

James slammed into the outer wall of a building. His chest tightened as his blood and energy churned violently.

Gritting his teeth, James activated a higher level of Blood Burst.

"400% Burst!"

With a powerful kick, he launched off the wall, rocketing back toward the frog like a lightning bolt. The wall behind him crumbled from the force of his leap.

"DIE!"

James roared, swinging the hammer down with all his might.

The mutated frog shot out its tongue again, aiming directly for the hammer. The impact produced a deafening metallic clang.

DUANG!

"Get down!" James roared, pouring more force into his strike.

The thick tongue couldn't withstand the sheer power and was pinned to the ground by the hammer's weight. The frog's massive head was forced down, slamming into the ground with a heavy thud.

BAM!

Terrified, the mutated frog turned to flee, leaping more than ten meters away in a single bound. Its speed far outstripped James's running pace.

"You think you can run? No way!"

James activated Will Link.

His consciousness pierced through the frog's Will Bubble, forcibly dragging its mind into a blank Consciousness Space.

The frog, mid-leap, suddenly found itself suspended in an endless void. Panicked, it flailed its limbs wildly.

In the real world, its body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

James felt his mental energy drain rapidly. Even though the frog's Willpower was weak, the forced pull consumed an enormous amount of energy.

Quickly shutting off the Will Link, James closed the distance and brought the sledgehammer down.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The frog was pummeled relentlessly. Its body convulsed as it croaked in pain, unable to fight back.

After dozens of blows, James realized the frog's skin was absurdly tough. Its slimy mucus layer made it slippery, dispersing much of the hammer's force.

Without hesitation, James pulled out a shock grenade.

Activating his Phasing ability, he forced his arm through the frog's slippery skin and skull, pushing the grenade deep into its brain.

He immediately yanked his arm out.

BOOM!

A muffled explosion followed.

The mutated frog's eyes bulged grotesquely as blood poured from every orifice. Its body convulsed violently before going still.

THUD!

The massive creature collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

James deactivated his Blood Burst, breathing heavily. "Whew! That was close. At least it worked... finally killed that damn frog."

He smirked and stored the frog's massive corpse in his personal space.

Meanwhile, Teresa Taylor...

Silence filled the room.

Adam Pg was dead.

Several other injured survivors had also succumbed.

Only one young man, bitten by a giant mosquito, managed to survive the night.

But he was still running a high fever, and no one knew how long he would last.

Dr. Dukley lowered his head, guilt written across his face. "I'm sorry, Officer Taylor."

Teresa Taylor sighed, shaking her head. "It's not your fault. The virus has evolved too much. The old medicines just aren't enough anymore."

The surrounding survivors shuddered.

The world outside was too dangerous. Even with medicine and doctors, injuries still meant almost certain death.

The thought of traveling over ten kilometers to the TV station filled them with dread.

Half their group had already died, including the ability user Lincoln Field.

If this many have died already, how many will be left by the time we reach the station?

Some survivors began having second thoughts.

Sunny Garden Tower suddenly didn't seem so bad.

Back at Peaceful Road Police Station, they had been trapped in a fog-covered, claustrophobic space. The oppressive atmosphere had been suffocating.

Here, atop the high-rise building, the open view gave them some sense of safety.

What's the point of going to the TV station? Will they even have enough food? Unlikely.

The mood in the room grew heavy.

Suddenly, Yang Jiawei spoke up. "Leader, I think the mutated frog downstairs is fighting something!"

Soon, the sound of intense croaking echoed through the air outside.

It sounded like the frog was losing.

Teresa Taylor was surprised. She quickly descended to the third floor and cautiously peered outside.

The mutated frog was gone.

She watched for several minutes before descending to the first floor to investigate.

The area was littered with blood, rubble, and crushed plants.

It seemed the frog had fought something and lost.

Teresa Taylor felt a chill run down her spine. What kind of creature could overpower that mutated frog?!

She decided not to dwell on it.

With the frog gone, it was the perfect opportunity to leave.

Rushing back upstairs, she addressed the survivors. "The mutated frog is gone. I'm preparing to leave. Anyone who wants to come, pack your things. We leave in 10 minutes."

The survivors looked at each other in hesitation.

The group from Building B simply watched coldly, unwilling to join.

Walking over ten kilometers to the TV station? That's suicide.

However, the six students from the New York Film Academy quickly decided to go.

After what had happened with Madison Donald, they wanted to get as far away from James Lone as possible.

Teresa Taylor counted her group—only about ten people were preparing to leave. She felt disappointed but also relieved.

The fewer people, the easier it will be to protect them. Maybe their survival chances will be higher this way.

She decided to say goodbye to James Lone before leaving.

Climbing to the rooftop, she gathered her strength and leapt across the gap to his building.