"Can he handle it?" "This mutated monster is far more terrifying than the zombies." The two young men following Yue Heng watched Ye Chen approach the mutated rat with suspicion, asking the White Dragon beside them, their eyes occasionally flicking toward Ye Zhu—no man could resist looking at a beautiful woman. White Dragon just smiled; he had personally witnessed Ye Chen slay a lion-sized mutated dog, let alone this mutated rat?

Ye Chen pushed off the wall and walked over. The mutated rat was a monster requiring the strength of eight men.

Nearby lay four or five zombies, all with exploded heads, their remains scattered on the ground, black blood pooling everywhere. A stench permeated the air, and the blood on the mangled limbs had long since dried, teeming with writhing corrosion worms.

Ye Chen hadn't taken more than a few steps before the first-tier mutated rat caught the scent of an unfamiliar presence. It turned its head, spotted fresh prey, and immediately bared its savage fangs, charging forward with a snarl.

Ye Chen's eyes were icy. He didn't use the fire axe in his hand.

Instead, as the mutated rat closed the distance, he stepped forward, closing the gap. His arm snapped out like a whip, flinging the creature, his fist like stone, striking the rat squarely on the forehead.

Bang! The rat’s skull cracked, bone shattering.

Blood streamed down from its crown, washing over its face, making it look even more hideous. The sheer force of the blow sent its body flying backward.

With Ye Chen’s strength, the power of this punch was extraordinary. If he hadn't held back four-tenths of his power, this single blow might have completely pulverized the mutated rat’s skull.

"White Dragon!" Ye Chen suddenly called out. White Dragon, who was hiding behind the wall ready to watch the show, flinched, slightly bewildered.

He stood up and walked out. "What is it?" Ye Chen ignored the wounded, downed mutated rat and turned to walk toward him.

"It's yours now." White Dragon looked stunned. Before he could say anything, the mutated rat struggled up from the ground, charging forward, its eyes blood-red, teeth bared, looking exceptionally vicious.

"Damn it!" White Dragon cursed, unable to spare any more attention for Ye Chen. He raised the fire axe in his hand and began to maneuver against the mutated rat.

Ye Chen retreated back to the wall, watching silently. "Brother, is it safe to train him like this?" Ye Zhu asked with concern; she had seen through Ye Chen's intentions immediately.

Ye Chen shook his head. "Relax.

I hit its skull; its nervous system will only prompt instinctual killing. White Dragon has the strength of five men now; as long as he’s careful, he can take it down." Ye Zhu murmured, "Oh," and said no more.

She trusted Ye Chen had a sense of proportion. By then, White Dragon and the mutated rat were locked in combat.

White Dragon was seen dodging everywhere, employing desperate maneuvers like rolling, leaping onto walls, and occasionally countering with a wild swing, but the results were far from ideal. Before long, White Dragon’s stamina was severely depleted, and his movements grew sluggish.

In the instant he turned, he was a beat too slow and was struck by the mutated rat’s claw. The flesh tore open, and blood flowed freely.

"Damn it!" A spark of anger flashed in White Dragon’s eyes. He brought the axe down fiercely on the mutated rat’s back, committing fully to the blow.

The axe sank deep into the monster’s spine. The mutated rat shrieked.

The intense pain made it even more frenzied. It lashed out a paw, aiming directly for White Dragon's head.

If that strike had landed, half of White Dragon’s skull would have been torn away. Thump!

A spray of hot, wet blood splattered across White Dragon’s face. The paw, expanding in his pupils, was suddenly sent flying, replaced by the haft of an axe.

Then, right by his ear, he heard Ye Chen's calm voice: "Do you know the flaws in your performance just now? First, excessive evasion caused unnecessary stamina drain!

Second, your attacks were tentative, greatly reducing their power! Third, you failed to strike the correct target!" White Dragon stood there, stupefied, then broke into a wry smile.

Although he had somewhat guessed Ye Chen’s motive for making him fight the mutated rat, he hadn't expected this cold-blooded freak to critique his weaknesses right in front of the monster, rather than finishing it first... "Watch this!" Ye Chen instructed.

Before White Dragon could react, he saw the fire axe in Ye Chen’s hand begin to blur as it sliced toward the mutated rat. The rat roared, a piercing sound, raising its other claw to intercept the descending axe.

If the blow struck directly, the arm holding the axe would likely be shredded before the weapon even made contact with the rat’s body. White Dragon couldn't help but gasp.

At that precise moment, he witnessed a sight he would never forget. The fire axe vibrated almost imperceptibly, diverting the rat's claw just enough, and then cleaved directly into the center of its skull!

Splat! The head burst open, spraying blood.

White Dragon stared blankly at the scene. After a long pause, he managed a choked question, "How is that possible?" Ye Chen retracted the fire axe, his tone flat.

"Nothing is impossible. The force I used was exactly the same as yours.

Faced with that situation, there were dozens of ways to resolve it. Besides the method I just used, you could have kicked away its claw, or quickly switched the weapon to your other hand...

and so on." White Dragon listened, utterly astonished. While these alternative solutions were simple in concept, how could anyone possibly conjure so many options during a critical life-or-death moment?

It was like seeing someone rush at you with a knife; the immediate instinct would be to shut your eyes, cross your arms over your head, or simply flee—who would think to kick the attacker in the stomach, then quickly squat down to trip them? What degree of composure was required to conceive of so many options in the split second between life and death?

"Alright, clean up the bodies. We can't linger here; the concentration of blood energy will attract zombies soon," Ye Chen said calmly, turning to leave.

White Dragon looked down at the corpse, letting out a bitter laugh. Ye Chen walked to a nearby spot, bent down, and pressed his ear to the ground.

He instantly heard the sound of numerous footsteps approaching not far off. This was a habit born of extensive experience; based only on the volume and speed of footsteps, he could judge whether they belonged to a monster, a zombie, or another human.

Listening to the vibrations through the earth, Ye Chen's brow slowly furrowed. The scent of blood here had likely attracted over a hundred zombies, and more were approaching from the distance.

"Hurry up and clean!" Ye Chen urged, his tone tightening. White Dragon immediately hastened his movements.

The two young men also emerged from behind the wall to help. Yue Heng stared in bewilderment at the mutated rat lying in the pool of blood, then glanced at the stoic Ye Chen, before quietly slipping over to Ye Zhu, whispering, "Are you truly human?" Ye Zhu glanced at the man.

His face was a clear declaration: Tell me, and I swear I won't breathe a word. "What do you think?" Ye Zhu responded, unable to stop a wry smile.

"No!" Yue Heng shook his head with absolute certainty. Ye Zhu smiled faintly and offered no defense.

Their strength had indeed moved beyond the bounds of ordinary humanity; they were, in a sense, evolving toward a new form of humanity... ...

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