Chapter 38: The First Bloody Battle

Frozen mists drifted from Chen Yun’s hands. Though not overwhelmingly powerful, the chill was enough to coat the ground in a thin layer of frost. This proved sufficient to disrupt the zombies; their footing, already precarious, became treacherous as they slipped and tumbled, a large group falling in a single wave.

Ye Yang fired his submachine gun wildly. His marksmanship was truly abysmal, but the sheer density of the zombie horde meant that almost every shot found a target, even if hitting a vital point remained a challenge.

Up ahead, Sang Shi charged with incredible speed. Instead of using his magic cannon, he pummeled the creatures with his mercury gauntlets. Ye Yang felt a surge of genuine admiration; Sang Shi was remarkably strong, obliterating the zombies into fragments before they could even get close to him.

A faint white glow wreathed the gauntlets—this was demon energy. While Ye Yang could replicate this, he could tell at a glance that Sang Shi’s energy was far more potent and sustainable than his own.

"On the right!" Chen Yun shouted. "There are fewer of them there! Charge that way!"

Ye Yang nodded, unleashed another burst of fire, and sprinted forward. At this moment, he realized that bringing Chen Yun along had been an incredibly wise decision. The girl’s sensory abilities were invaluable; he didn't even need to look to know where the zombies were thickest or where the path of least resistance lay. However, this left him feeling a bit like a sidekick.

With Chen Yun directing the route and Sang Shi carving a path, the trio quickly shook off the zombies trailing them. Although there were still many blocking their way forward, they were swiftly dispatched by Sang Shi’s fists and feet.

A cliff face appeared before them. It was not very high, and a narrow mountain path snaked up its side. Sang Shi shouted with excitement, "Up! Get up there! Let’s move along the top; these zombies are terrible at climbing."

"Got it!" Ye Yang took the lead and vaulted up, but before he could even find his footing, he heard a sharp gasp.

"No! Look out—" Chen Yun’s face turned deathly pale. The moment she saw the cliff, a sense of impending doom had washed over her.

*Whoosh.* A dark shadow lunged at lightning speed. Ye Yang froze—dodge? How could he dodge? Sang Shi was behind him, and he hadn't even steadied his stance. Staring at the shadow, Ye Yang gritted his teeth, his short blade flashing as he wove a dense, frantic web of light.

In that instant, Ye Yang pushed his demon energy to its limit. He wouldn't have been able to pull off such a move otherwise—he wasn't like Gao Ting, who had practiced martial arts since childhood. Even so, the impact sent him flying.

With a thunderous *bang*, blood splattered—it was the creature's blood—but the force of the blow sent Ye Yang tumbling back down from the cliff.

"A Mutant! It’s a Mutant!" Mid-air, Ye Yang didn't need to look to know; the strength was all too familiar. It was the same power that had once crushed his spine with a single claw.

More shadows streaked toward them. Two pounced directly at Sang Shi, while two others dove for the airborne Ye Yang. They were blindingly fast, leaving him no room to evade, and he couldn't even twist his body in mid-air. Ye Yang’s eyes burned with frustration; he had been too careless.

Just as the claws were about to strike, Ye Yang felt a sudden chill. A mist condensed rapidly before his eyes—frozen air. In a split second, a thin wall of ice formed.

*Bang!* The ice wall shattered, but the Mutant's attack was slightly hindered. Ye Yang landed, his blade flashing again as he unleashed a frantic barrage from his submachine gun. The two Mutants, unable to dodge, were sent flying; one was decapitated instantly, and the other was riddled with bullets, dripping blood.

*Thud.* Chen Yun collapsed to the ground. The girl’s demon energy was low, and this desperate burst left her dizzy and pale. She was still too weak, after all.

"Up here!" Sang Shi roared from the cliff. Ye Yang didn't dare hesitate; he scooped up Chen Yun and lunged upward again. The zombies were closing in, and any delay would mean being surrounded.

***

On the cliff top, Sang Shi stood before seven or eight Mutants. He was truly formidable; one corpse already lay at his feet, yet his expression remained unchanged.

"Remember the coordination we discussed! Don't be afraid!" Sang Shi gritted his teeth. "This is different from last time. Even though Teacher Ling isn't here, we don't have to protect any villagers this time. We have no baggage!"

"Right!" Ye Yang nodded. He didn't care about being overshadowed; he knew he wasn't the protagonist of this fight, and even if he wanted to be, he couldn't—he simply didn't dare trade blows with seven or eight Mutants at once.

"Ye, I’ll take five. You handle the rest? Chen Yun, focus on using ice mist for support. Watch the zombies below and don't let them climb up—and stay safe yourself!"

"Understood!" Ye Yang nodded. Sang Shi took five, leaving him with two and a half—two fresh ones and the one he had previously wounded. If he couldn't handle this, his internship would have been a waste.

Truth be told, Ye Yang still feared these Mutants. He knew he had grown stronger, but he didn't know by how much, and he still bore the trauma of having nearly died at their hands.

He switched his short blade to his right hand, where his demon energy was strongest, keeping the submachine gun in his left to provide covering fire. Sang Shi charged in, but Ye Yang kept his eyes locked on his three targets. He didn't plan on a head-on collision; he would wait for an opening to take one down first.

A wave of cold washed over the area—Chen Yun’s support had arrived. Her ice ability seemed self-regulating, as it didn't hinder Ye Yang at all, while the Mutants slowed down involuntarily.

"The head—the head is the weak point!" Ye Yang muttered the notes he had studied. As he raised his submachine gun and fired the first burst, he moved.

Perhaps due to his demon energy, or perhaps the result of days of rigorous training, Ye Yang’s explosive speed was lightning-fast—no slower than Sang Shi’s. His blade moved in tandem with his gunfire, striking the moment the bullets hit the Mutant.

While the head was the weak point, the body was incredibly tough. Ye Yang had no confidence in his raw strength, so he channeled his demon energy directly into the edge of his blade, hoping to pierce their defenses.

He swung with everything he had. The demon energy on the blade emitted a sharp, grating whine, its power terrifying. With the cover of the bullets and the ice mist, the Mutant had no chance to dodge, and the blade struck true.

Unlike before, when channeling energy into his limbs would just send the enemy flying, this time, the energy on the blade didn't detonate; instead, it sliced through the Mutant’s muscle instantly.

*Squelch.* The blade sank in and roared out the other side. Ye Yang felt his hand grow light and looked up, stunned. The Mutant was equally frozen, staring blankly at Ye Yang. A thin red line began to spread rapidly from its crown to its crotch.

*Thud.* The Mutant split into two halves. Its incredibly tough muscle had been torn apart without resistance.

"So... this is how demon energy can be used. It’s so strong." Ye Yang felt a surge of excitement. This was far better than just knocking enemies away—a single strike was lethal!

The other two Mutants roared and lunged. Their intelligence was minimal; they didn't understand death, only the primal urge to attack, kill, and devour. But this time, Ye Yang felt no fear. He finally understood his own strength. Even if Sang Shi gave him two more, it wouldn't matter—it was just a matter of killing them in seconds.

Wang Feng, watching from afar, nodded with a faint smile. Ye Yang’s growth was faster than he had anticipated, but was he satisfied with just this? The answer was clearly no.

"It seems," Wang Feng murmured with a smile, "I’ll need to find some more stimulation for them."

***

The battle on the cliff began and ended in a flash. Not a single zombie from below managed to climb up; they were all blocked by Chen Yun’s ice. Ye Yang’s speed was impressive, and he made short work of the three Mutants. Injuries? Not a scratch—though he did accidentally sprain his ankle while performing a high-difficulty move.

*Clap, clap, clap.* Sang Shi clapped his hands with a wide smile. Ye Yang wiped the sweat from his brow. Was this guy mocking him? He had taken on five and finished them faster than Ye Yang, and he hadn't even seen how he did it.

"Actually, Mutants aren't that strong," Sang Shi said with a grin. "They’re terrifying to normal people, but to us, they’re just cannon fodder." Ye Yang nodded repeatedly; compared to Hunters, Mutants were indeed on a different level.

"Not bad, not bad." Wang Feng’s voice floated down from the cliff top. Ye Yang gritted his teeth. This guy had certainly enjoyed the show—and when had he climbed up there?

"Now... let’s head that way," Wang Feng said, pointing toward a side path.

"What’s over there? Damn! He ran off again..." Ye Yang rolled his eyes. The man had just walked away without even asking if they were willing.

"Over there..." Chen Yun’s expression stiffened. She instinctively frowned, sensing something, but she kept it to herself. Wang Feng was their mentor for this internship, and his word was law. Even if she were reluctant, she had to push through; this was a rare opportunity for her.

What was over there? Wang Feng knew, and Chen Yun sensed a hint of it, but Ye Yang and Sang Shi were oblivious. Their confidence boosted by the recent victory, they walked over cheerfully.

It had to be said that taking the cliff path was an excellent choice. The zombies couldn't reach them, and even the few small trails were quickly sealed off by Chen Yun’s ice, leaving the rock faces too slippery to climb.

They encountered another ambush by Mutants, but they dispatched them without any real danger. Ye Yang had reaffirmed his strength: he could take on five Mutants without injury, but any more would be troublesome. If there were ten, he might struggle even if he fought for his life.

"Easy and breezy, huh? I told you, this team of ours is going to be just fine," Sang Shi said with a smile. Ye Yang nodded, though Chen Yun’s expression remained troubled.

The girl stared at the mountain peak in the distance, her brows furrowed. She could feel it, though she couldn't quite put it into words. At Level 2, her sensory attributes weren't high enough to pinpoint the danger from such a distance; she could only sense a faint, looming threat.

In the darkness, behind the cliff, several glowing eyes were fixed on the trio, calculating, preparing. A trap? Yes, it certainly seemed to be a trap.

"Strange, Mutants usually don't run away," Sang Shi scratched his head, watching one of the creatures screech and retreat behind the cliff. These monsters had low intelligence and usually wouldn't retreat; they would fight to the death.

"Should we... chase them?" Chen Yun bit her lip. She was a bit afraid and wanted to stop, but the path ahead was their only way forward.

"Chase them! We’re almost at the top!" Ye Yang smiled and lunged forward. He was brimming with pride; he truly had become a superman—a superman wearing his underwear on the outside.

On the cliff, Wang Feng gave a cold, thin smile and whispered, "Great progress, but a bit reckless. A little setback might be good for him."