Chapter 109: The Controlled Aberration
Perhaps it was Xu Zhi’s actions and words that made the researchers hiding within the Fourth Institute feel threatened, because as she stepped through the front gate, the sound of several chains being unfastened echoed out—followed by a beastly roar.
As the clanging of a cage opening followed, the source of the roar soon appeared in front of Xu Zhi—a mutated tiger. Only, it looked rather strange. It had the massive size typical of such beasts, but its tail was not a tiger’s—it looked more like a scorpion’s tail.
Strangely, the scorpion tail matched the tiger’s size perfectly, and when it roared, several venomous fangs could be seen in its mouth.
Presumably, this was a poisonous mutated tiger.
“How the hell did they create this thing?”
Xu Zhi was a bit surprised, though she didn’t feel any real sense of danger.
“This is your guard dog? Got any more?”
“One’s not nearly enough to make a difference.”
Her words seemed to provoke the people inside. As the sound of several similar restraints being released rang out again, a series of other grotesque and bizarre mutated beasts emerged.
Each had its own strange features, but they all shared one trait: obvious signs of artificial tampering.
Xu Zhi suspected there was more going on than met the eye—something implanted inside their bodies that allowed the researchers to control them. Even though the beasts were clearly frightened by her wolf, they still forced themselves to encircle her.
Interesting.
She grinned. “Come on then—all of you.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the six mutated beasts lunged forward, seemingly driven by some kind of trigger. Their eyes became wild and crazed, like they’d been starved and lost all reason.
Xu Zhi didn’t intend to let any of her other followers help—she wanted to see if Gouzi could handle these freaks alone.
Gouzi didn’t disappoint. As the mutated beasts pounced, it let out a thunderous roar. That roar stunned the charging creatures—their frenzied eyes briefly cleared, and some even staggered backward.
Gouzi immediately took the chance to tear apart the nearest one.
“So… the control isn’t complete.”
Xu Zhi shook her head. Whatever method the researchers had used, it clearly wasn’t effective enough. In her eyes, partial control meant failure—defective products.
She gave no mercy. Coldly, she watched her silver wolf slaughter every last mutated beast.
Throughout the battle, the intercom crackled with desperate cries to stop. Apparently, the researchers were devastated by the loss of each creature.
“You spent months working on this junk?”
“You’re leagues behind Professor Zhong Lingfan.”
Xu Zhi admitted—she said that on purpose.
Sure enough, the voice from the intercom snapped in fury:
“How dare you say that! Just you wait!”
After a burst of static, the intercom fell silent.
Not long after, Xu Zhi felt it—something was watching her. A presence colder and more lifeless than the beasts or the cultists. Eerily familiar.
And then she remembered.
The same feeling from the two times she randomly projected her spirit into the city center.
Wind roared beside her, followed by the sound of claws slicing through the air. The attack came so fast, even Gouzi—who stood in front of her—couldn’t react in time.
This strike could’ve killed any prey it targeted.
But—
Clang! A deafening metallic noise rang out. The attack was effortlessly blocked by a black, withered twig that shot out from Xu Zhi’s pocket.
From her pocket, the little aberration poked its head out, eyes locked on a specific spot in the air. Through their bond, Xu Zhi sensed its message:
“Same kind.”
An invisible aberration?!
Xu Zhi’s interest was fully piqued.
She had assumed all the aberrations were holed up in the city center—but here was a rogue one?
And for the first time, she truly appreciated what a physical stat of 9000 meant for the little aberration. Blocking that strike was like brushing off a falling feather.
Xu Zhi patted its head. “Go. Catch it.”
Given the command personally, the little aberration leapt out of her pocket joyfully. The enemy’s invisibility meant nothing to it. The invisible aberration was fast?
The little one was faster.
Ever heard of what Agility 8 means?
It didn’t even make Xu Zhi wait. The moment she gave the order, it had already locked onto the target. Dozens of black, whip-like branches erupted from its body, lashing toward a specific point in the air even faster than the prior sneak attack—like it was showing off.
Disturbances rippled through the air as the invisible aberration tried to retaliate—but it was useless.
In no time, it was completely bound, and the little one dropped to the ground, proudly dragging a cocoon many times larger than itself by a branch it held in one paw.
It happily trotted over to Xu Zhi, rubbed against her leg, then clambered up to her shoulder and offered her the branch like a prize.
Xu Zhi actually thought the twisted black twig looked kind of graceful for a second. She accepted it and praised,
“Good job.”
That made the little one even happier. It gleefully rubbed against her shoulder, then smugly glared at Yu Shenwei—who was watching it with a dark expression.
Xu Zhi didn’t notice the silent rivalry between girl and aberration. She was more curious about the cocoon in her hand.
She tugged the branch. Her strength was more than enough to move the thing, though the tight wrapping made the creature inside completely immobile—exposing its true form.
It was… incredibly ugly.
An absurd, grotesque kind of ugly. It had a tall, lanky humanoid body, but its “face” had no features at all. Its torso resembled a walking stick insect, but its left claw was grotesquely large—bigger than its own head—and unnaturally sharp.
Maybe losing their “secret weapon” so easily made the people inside reluctant to give it up. Soon, a few young researchers in lab coats rushed out in a panic.
The man leading them looked about the same age as Professor Zhong Lingfan. His face was a mix of rage and fear. His eyes flicked over to the silver wolf with awe and curiosity, but quickly shifted to focus on Xu Zhi—and more than anyone, her.
“Who the hell are you?”
