Chapter 32: Death

Beep, mutant detected:???

The red-clothed girl floating in midair lowered her head, as if asleep.

On her neck, an obsidian-like inlaid necklace hung before her chest.

Her long hair covered her whole face, the strands hanging at her shoulders moving without wind.

The exposed skin was deathly pale, devoid of blood.

Lin An's body stiffened, he gave up breathing.

He didn't dare move a muscle, fearing to wake it.

Is it useful?

Lin An let out a bitter laugh in his heart.

Just now the noise he made kicking the door was definitely not small.

Although I don't know why the mutant before him showed no reaction, Lin An didn't believe the other side truly hadn't noticed.

The Judgment Eye could give no information; only could confirm that the thing before him was not human, but a mutant.

In the situation where the Judgment Eye gives no information, it can only be explained that the entity before him has overwhelming strength, causing his mental power probe to be unable to break through its barrier.

Floating, walking in midair without external aid.

The mutant's strength before him.

At least Second Level peak... possibly even Third Level!

Lin An felt somewhat hopeless.

This is the biggest crisis he has faced since his rebirth.

As for the obsidian inlaid in the necklace on the little girl's neck, it is very likely the missing key component on the glove.

Obtaining it would complete the 【Skullcrusher's Hand】.

But he now dare not act rashly.

If a person dies, what's the use of completing equipment?

What to do?

Lin An's thoughts raced, he struggled to stay rational.

Before he could make a choice.

Suddenly, the little girl before him abruptly lifted her head.

Its delicate facial features were as cute as a doll's, appearing only seven or eight years old.

But its eyes were deathly white, full of vengeful coldness.

"Boom!"

An unmatched mental shockwave, like substance, bombarded Lin An's body.

Like being hit by a train, instantly he was blasted into the wall.

The wall cracked, revealing the bricks and steel rebar inside.

Lin An only felt a sweetness in his mouth, blood spilled out.

His chest cavity caved in, as if smashed hard by a heavy hammer.

Three....

At least three ribs fractured, left hand comminuted fracture.

Qi and blood surged.

Lin An let out a bitter laugh in his heart.

Too strong, the mutant before him is not something he can oppose.

That blow almost shook him to death; he could feel his internal organs bleeding.

If not for activating the Power Burst, which enhanced his physique.

That blow could have instantly killed him.

Too strong....

Lin An, who could be called invincible among First Level, faced the suspected Third Level mutant red-clothed girl and had utterly no power to retaliate.

Flee!

Without Hesitation.

Lin An instantly took out a potion from the Apocalypse Ring and bit it to break.

"Beep, Strength+1, Constitution+1, Agility+1"

"Beep, Burst Power increased 50%, Endurance, Strike Resistance increased 30%, Attack Speed increased 20%."

Blood surged, strength increased again.

At this moment, Lin An's strength attribute had reached 23.4.

Combined with the potion's 10% and the 10% burst power increase from spirit plants, he can now deal damage exceeding his strength.

But against the suspected Third Level mutant little girl, it's still useless.

Because the minimum attribute value for a Third Level mutant is 40 points!

With no thought of resistance, Lin An forced himself up, turning slightly, fleeing right like an arrow leaving the bow.

The speed was so great that the airflow around his body was compressed, producing a slight air burst.

Behind him, the red-clothed girl floating in midair seemed to have no reaction.

Just after releasing the mental shock, it calmed down again.

10 meters!

Lin An's speed became an afterimage; at the stairwell of the third floor there was a skylight window for lighting.

Charging out will let you escape this building.

Faster, even faster!

Lin An strained to draw on his inner power, trying to push his speed to the limit.

He could only pray that the red‑clothed girl had no interest in him and wouldn't chase him out of the building.

Otherwise, he couldn't imagine any hope of survival.

Frantically fleeing.

In his peripheral vision, Lin An saw the room number on his right.

303.

That was the ward where Wen Ya's mother stayed.

Before Lin An could form any thought, another mental pulse came from behind.

Hum!

The transparent yet solid‑like mental strike surged again, becoming an invisible shockwave that hammered his back.

Pfft!

Blood spurted out.

Lin An felt pain all over, his back a blur of flesh and blood.

His vision darkened, and under that impact his body was blasted out of the building like a cannonball.

Mid‑air, Lin An forced his spirit up to barely shield his head.

Outside the hospital building, a zombie stared blankly at the floor‑to‑ceiling window on the third floor.

There was movement of a living thing there, which caught its attention.

Boom!

Before it could react, a black shadow shot out at extreme speed and slammed into its body.

Dust and smoke rose, and the hard concrete floor was blasted into a deep crater.

Lin An felt dizzy and strained to climb out of the pit.

Beneath him lay a zombie crushed into bloody mud.

It was around one in the afternoon; the warm sunlight scattered the cold air.

But it could not dispel the chill in Lin An's heart.

On the third floor of the hospital, the red‑clothed girl floated slowly out of the blown‑out window.

Her dead‑white pupils locked firmly onto Lin An in the pit.

Lin An gave a wry smile at the sight; since the red‑clothed girl had come after him.

It looks like I'll have to answer for it here today.

No wonder the zombie‑doctor wanted to lure me to 307.

A suspected third‑level mutant—even a regiment of a thousand would have to answer for it here.

Lin An just couldn't figure it out—clearly there were no mutants here in his past life.

How did it end up here with him?

Just the mutants he's run into at the hospital already number two, not counting whatever unknown creatures might lurk in the underground parking lot.

Even if his rebirth scrambled the original course, it shouldn't have changed things this much, right?

He asked himself whether he had been careful enough.

In his expectation, even if the zombie‑doctor's lure to 307 was dangerous, it would at most be a first‑level threat.

After all, the squad that obtained the 【Skull‑Crusher's Hand】 in his past life wasn't strong; they relied on sacrificing most ordinary people and using heavy weapons to force their way in.

If there had also been a suspected third‑level mutant here back then.

No, not even a second‑level one.

Those people couldn't possibly have brought the gloves back.

After all, a force of thousands attacking here with modern weapons, amid the roar of grenades and firearms.

Even if they didn't go to the 307 ward, they would surely draw the red‑clothed girl's attention.

Really, it's so unwilling.

A broken rib pierced his lung, and Lin An coughed.

Blood‑tinged foam leaked from the corner of his mouth with each breath; his injuries are now severe.

If he weren't an Awakened One with a robust physique repairing his organs, an ordinary person would already be dead.

From excessive blood loss, his hands and feet turned icy cold.

With such injuries, he couldn't even flee in the short term.

Lin An stared fixedly at the slowly drifting red‑clothed girl; it was dim and lightless.

As long as another mental strike comes, he will surely die.

The red‑clothed girl slowly raised her right hand; her youthful face showed no expression.

Waves of mental fluctuation condensed, and in an instant they were about to blast him.

A strong aura of death enveloped Lin An, impossible to resist.

Like memories before death, Lin An's eyes flashed rapidly with a succession of scenes.

Inside the safe house, Tang Wan's family of three were cold and indifferent.

Clutching herself helplessly was AnXia.

An Jing Tian, turned into a zombie, howled in agony.

Wen Ya, trembling as she clutched the blanket, her eye sockets red.

Zhang Tie laughed heartily, proudly introducing his sister.

AnXia, Jing Tian.

I'm really sorry, I might never be able to come back to see you again.

Lin An gave a bitter laugh, never expecting that after being reborn this life he couldn't change anything.

A mental strike came instantly, like the grim reaper's scythe slashing toward Lin An's head.

Darkness, deathly silence.