Chapter 946: Blood Rose

Frantic search.

With two subordinates, this Second Level Awakened Ones Captain ran recklessly through the building.

He used to worry about being detected by mutants.

But now the monster's focus is wholly drawn away by that person; failing to seize this chance would be utter foolishness.

Wealth and honor are sought in peril.

He vaguely wondered if that mysterious person was also after the gear.

Having come this far, it's impossible for him to just slink away in defeat.

At worst, we'll take the gear and escape into the sewers!

He kept dodging, looking extremely fast, but not necessarily able to settle the monster.

Every Awakened One has a specialty; for him, it's his physique he's proudest of.

Though his attack and speed are lacking, his defense is high!

That outsider might also be like him, focusing solely on speed.

Fairly speaking, his ease against a Third Level mutant reshaped his outlook, yet he retains a deep impression of the terror of Third Level mutants.

That thing... isn't so easy to kill.

Its massive size and superhuman defense could wear out a whole squad of Third Level fighters.

"Thud.. thud! thud!"

Footsteps echoed.

Weaving through halls reeking of decay, the trio rushed to where the equipment lay.

3rd floor...

4th floor..

6th floor!

They practically scrambled, sprinting all-out, and soon arrived at a set of double redwood doors.

"Meeting Hall!!"

Seeing the stainless steel plaque by the red door, the squad leader's face lit up with joy.

Despite the walls smeared with fresh bloody handprints and a nauseating stench drifting from inside, his joy remained undiminished.

This is it!

He sensed a strong spiritual energy surge from inside.

"Bang!!"

He kicked the door; nearly dazed by delight, he smashed the precious solid wood door without hesitation.

In the red‑carpeted meeting room, above the central gap of the square‑surrounding table, a dark‑silver half‑body armor of medieval style hovered.

Blood‑red tentacles thrust from the armor, anchoring to the walls on all sides.

His heart lurched, his movement froze.

The three fixed their gaze.

The opulently furnished meeting room was draped with murals, yet up close they proved to be collages of flattened human hair and skin.

The overhead lamp was actually a cluster of severely rotted human heads, hanging like crystal beads.

"Captain!!"

Seeing the scene, the Awakened One behind the squad leader reflexively retreated two steps.

His scalp tingled.

The armor is definitely system gear; opening the door made them feel like they'd entered a barrier, amplifying the potent spiritual aura.

Even its ownerless emanation could sway their strength.

This gear is at least Epic tier!

Yet the tendrils growing from the armor are truly horrifying.

It was as if the armor were alive, constantly sucking nourishment from corpses.

"Captain!? What do we say!?"

They gulped, frozen like statues at the threshold, hesitating only a moment.

Yet no matter how striking the image, it could not overcome their greed.

After a second, the squad leader forced down his racing heart, glanced at the nearby murals, then steeled himself:

"Forget this! Just take it!"

Having spoken, he surged ahead, rushing toward the dark‑silver armor.

Having reached this point, he could only bet the gear was merely gear—if anything odd, so be it.

If there were not only a Third‑level mutant guardian but also a problem with the gear itself, he'd have to accept his fate!

Picturing his strength surging after claiming the gear, the squad leader practically scrambled to the armor and, without hesitation, hacked through every tendril.

Never mind what the hell it is!

Get the gear in hand first, then we'll talk!

The tendrils proved easier to sever than expected.

Like umbilical cords, the six tendrils snapped in unison with a soft clatter and dropped to the floor.

Simultaneously, the squad leader's shaking hand darted to the armor.

Hot and malevolent.

A system alert and a low murmur came to his ears at nearly the same time.

"Beep, discovered Epic‑tier equipment: Blood Rose (Half‑body Armor)"

In front of the Government Building, the center of the plaza.

In midair, two figures, one large and one small, swapped positions at high speed.

Lin An, who kept dodging the monster's attacks, suddenly furrowed his brow.

He had been planning to use this third-rank mutant to refine his dodging strategy, but he hadn't expected that, just a second ago, the opponent would suddenly go berserk, showing no intention of entangling with him at all.

Roar!!

Furious, extreme anger.

Only to see the mutant suddenly let out a roar, its huge mouth splitting open to the limit, a blood-red snake head shooting out like a cannonball and viciously stabbing toward Lin An.

After launching the attack, this massive beast suddenly bent its knees, turned, and leapt toward the Government Building.

Even though the monster showed little emotion, Lin An could still feel that this mutant seemed to have touched some taboo, anxiously rushing back.

Who touched what?

Almost no need to think.

Whether in his past life or now, his rich experience let Lin An instantly judge a certain possibility.

The mutant that had been staying at the building, now suddenly rushing back?

Thinking of the human presence he had sensed even before the battle, Lin An raised his eyebrows, as if he had thought of something.

This posture—could there be something inside the building?

Sometimes, mutants indeed guard equipment or props.

Although the situation is rare, it is not nonexistent.

He had originally planned to finish dealing with the mutant before checking things out, but given the situation, Lin An immediately realized that there was likely something inside the building.

Interesting.

He had thought that the survivors hiding in the building were coming out to look for supplies, but he hadn't expected them to go straight for the system equipment.

It seems they must have gotten some news.

The only thing that surprised him was that the system items inside the building actually let him sense no aura at all.

It seems this thing's rank is not low.

Ordinary equipment props simply wouldn't have any aura shielding.

Without hesitation, Lin An simply didn't want to waste more time and directly followed the mutant's steps.

Trying to steal something right under my nose?

That's overthinking it.

In an instant, his mental power spread like flowing water, directly locking onto the several people inside the building.

"Here they come! He... no, they're coming!?"

"What's going on!?"

The few people keeping watch at the window looked in horror as the mutant suddenly turned back.

Moreover, they also saw a black shadow flying at high speed behind the mutant.

One person and one monster, as if by tacit agreement, chose to cease fighting and instead rushed straight toward them.

Even if they were foolish, the few people realized that their captain probably had already obtained the equipment.

At the same time, a booming impact directly destroyed the building's outer layer.

Inside the 6th-floor Meeting Room, the squad leader, his face lit with extreme joy, was just about to flee the building when he suddenly discovered a pair of scarlet giant eyes gradually enlarging in his field of vision.

Roar!!!