How strong was this Mutated Chow Chow? Elara Voss raised her sword to block.
Clang! A harsh metallic crash echoed.
She was sent staggering two steps back by the massive recoil, shaking her wrist to ease the numbness.
Damn, this beast was absurdly strong!
Elara twirled her sword in a graceful arc, pushed off the ground with her foot, and charged at the Chow Chow—its front paws now touching the floor unsteadily.
The beast seemed enraged.
The sharp pain in its right front paw threw it off balance, yet it lunged at Elara the moment she closed in!
Only this time, its leap was noticeably lower.
The Chow Chow dared not clash head-on again.
It twisted its body, opening its jaws to bite at Elara's sword-wielding wrist!
"Smart little shit," Elara snorted coldly to herself.
She pulled her wrist back, channeling her metal Superpower to her right foot, then lifted it and kicked hard at the beast's neck!
The Chow Chow was only a Level 0 Mutated Beast.
Naturally, it stood no chance against Elara, a Level 1 Metal Superpower user.
It only managed a pitiful whimper before its massive body was sent flying by the sheer force and momentum, slamming into the staircase and tumbling down!
Elias Voss and Silas Thorne, who had just arrived, narrowly avoided being hit.
They saw a dark blur hurtle toward them and instinctively jumped back.
When they realized it was the Mutated Beast rolling to a stop right in front of them, cold sweat broke out on their backs!
The two men exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Such a powerful woman—who the hell needed their help?
Piper Thorne, who'd come to watch the commotion, stared at the huge Chow Chow lying on the stairs.
Blood streamed out like a small creek, its neck twisted at a grotesque angle—obviously dead as a doornail.
She then looked at Elias and her brother's helpless expressions, and couldn't help but cover her mouth and snicker.
"Sis Elara is absolutely awesome!"
Silas shot his sister a glance, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
His face returned to its usual gentle, noble demeanor as he strode gracefully upstairs.
Elias pushed up his glasses and followed closely behind.
"Are you okay?" Silas asked, walking up to Elara, who was sorting through toys and books.
"I'm fine," Elara shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the toys in front of her.
"We never expected a Mutated Beast to be hiding here. We were too careless." Silas's voice was solemn.
"Lucky nothing serious happened."
"Yeah, today's incident is a warning."
Elias added, his tone equally serious. "We never thought a Mutated Beast would still be here after all this time."
"From this beast's strength, it's likely that Mutated Beasts will awaken Superpowers soon too," Elara stopped what she was doing, her tone unusually heavy as she squinted at the sky outside the window.
"Everyone must be extra careful when going out from now on."
"And the weather... I have a bad feeling about it."
"From now on, let's try to find more cotton-padded clothes and quilts, and stock up on winter supplies."
The sky was cloudless, a clear, transparent blue.
Yet it inexplicably gave off an oppressive, heavy feeling.
"You mean the weather might change?" Silas frowned.
"It seems unlikely, but better safe than sorry."
Elara nodded, finding a bag to pack the selected toys and books.
"Our car is already full, but there's still so much left. What a waste," Piper frowned, staring at the pile of items.
"I saw an off-road vehicle by the road when we came in," Elara said casually.
"Later, Piper and I will take the Land Rover, and Elias and Silas can take that off-road. We can fit more stuff."
"You can drive?" Elias asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"You just turned eighteen recently, right?"
Elara raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Yeah. No driver's license, either. Gonna arrest me, Lawyer Nie?"
At that moment, Piper let out a scream, covering her mouth and running over, her face as white as a sheet, pointing at the play zone.
"Th-there..."
Elara nodded knowingly.
"That's where the Mutated Chow Chow was earlier."
Tears filled Piper's big eyes.
Just thinking about what she'd seen made her feel sick to her stomach—it was too terrible...
Silas frowned, instinctively moving to check.
But Elara picked up a bag and strolled downstairs.
"I'd advise you not to look. It'll just make you feel terrible and give you nightmares."
Silas turned to look at her.
Elara walked ahead, looking extremely relaxed— a stark contrast to Piper, who was sobbing uncontrollably.
Silas exchanged a glance with Elias, both seeing the heaviness and confusion in each other's eyes.
They couldn't understand how such a seemingly innocent young girl could be so cold-hearted.
"Scenes like this will become common," Elara's figure disappeared around the stairwell, her voice light as smoke, fading away in an instant.
"You'll get used to it."
Elias pushed up his glasses, picked up a bag, and followed her downstairs.
Silas sighed softly, patting Piper's shoulder.
"Don't be sad. Elara's right. Worse things happen everywhere in this world. This is the Apocalypse."
Piper sobbed, her mood extremely low.
"Brother, am I useless?"
"Of course not. You're the strongest, Piper," Silas replied firmly.
"But Elara isn't affected by any of this at all!"
Silas paused for a moment, gently stroking Piper's hair, his voice warm.
"Everyone's experiences and mental resilience are different. You don't have to be like her."
"One Elara Voss in this world is enough... She's just too heartbreaking."
The last few words were barely audible.
Silas pressed his lips together, patted Piper's shoulder again, and said, "Let's go."
The siblings went downstairs.
The four of them loaded all the packed items into the Land Rover and the off-road vehicle.
Luckily, the off-road's doors were open, and the key was still in the ignition—no hassle at all.
With both cars fully loaded, Elara and Piper took the Land Rover to scout ahead, planning to drive around a bit more before returning to the Safe Zone to get a clear picture of the current situation outside.
Elias and Silas followed in the off-road vehicle.
They drove a little further, crossing an intersection, when a sign for a large supermarket came into view.
Everyone's spirits lifted.
But as they drew closer and saw the scene in the supermarket's parking lot, their joy quickly faded.
The parking lot was in complete chaos.
Countless cars were jumbled together haphazardly, some still smoking.
More than a dozen people were fighting a pack of Mutated cats and dogs.
The ground was littered with both Mutated Beast corpses and the bodies of humans who'd clearly died in the battle.
Nearly all of the over ten people still fighting were injured.
Several were seriously hurt, their clothes soaked in blood.
They held long knives or iron rods in their hands, their expressions fierce—like a group of desperadoes.
But it was obvious they were on their last legs, unable to hold on much longer.
Leading the group was a young man with a cute, boyish face—pale skin and chubby cheeks making him look immature, obscuring his real age.
But his movements were crisp and agile, showing no trace of fear or hesitation.
The people around him protected him carefully.
Unfortunately, the Mutated Beasts were too strong, and their physical strength and mental energy were almost exhausted.
Elara parked the car on the other side, observing the boy through the window.
Among the group, he looked slightly more energetic.
His machete swings were powerful, and he didn't seem out of breath even after repeated strikes.
At first, Elara thought it was because his men were protecting him too well.
But after a few minutes, she realized the boy seemed to have awakened a strength-related Superpower—boosting his strength significantly, allowing him to look so effortless.
She then decided to help.
After all, there was no way around the supermarket if they wanted to get in.
More importantly, they were all humans, and Mutated Beasts were their common enemy.
She had no grudge against the boy, so helping him when she could was the right thing to do.
Elara put on her mask casually, gripped her sword in her right hand, and opened the car door to get out.
Piper followed closely behind, holding her iron whip.
Seeing this, Silas and Elias in the off-road vehicle also grabbed their weapons, got out, and walked over to Elara.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Elara stared at the increasingly dangerous situation around the boy, swung her sword—leaving a golden afterglow in the air—leapt onto the roof of a car, and charged straight at the boy's group!
Piper snapped her whip with a slash, her cheerful expression returning, as she charged forward energetically.
Elias and Silas exchanged a helpless glance, shook their heads, and quickly followed.
Milo Voss swung his knife fiercely, but his accuracy was terrible.
Mutated Beasts had thick, tough skin and were quick and agile—far from easy to hit.
Watching his men fall one by one, anxiety and heaviness weighed on his heart.
The childish look in his eyes gradually gave way to a faint ferocity.
It was hard to tell his background from his face.
Nine out of ten people would think he was a young master from a wealthy family—spoiled and living a life of luxury.
But in reality, he was the crown prince of X City's Underground's most powerful family, the sole direct heir.
Logically, someone like him shouldn't be in such a predicament.
Even after the Apocalypse, he should have been a local overlord—surrounded by bodyguards and well-equipped with weapons.
Who would have thought he'd end up in this life-or-death situation?
And the cause of it all was his own father!
The title of crown prince sounded glamorous, as if he held great power.
But no one would believe that he'd been a puppet crown prince since childhood—a decoy put forward by his father to protect his illegitimate brother!
Growing up, no one in the family truly loved or cared for him except his mother.
Even the personal guards trained for him since childhood were only about twenty in number.
His brother, the son of the woman who'd seized his mother's place, had over a hundred!
Before the Apocalypse, he'd been in City C.
Upon receiving news that his mother was seriously ill, he'd rushed back as fast as he could.
The Apocalypse broke out halfway.
His group endured hunger and cold, traveling day and night without rest to return to the Bai family in X City—only to be told that his mother had already been hastily buried.
He hadn't even gotten to see her one last time!
Next Chapter Highlight:
Elara's golden sword cuts through the Mutated Beasts like butter, but Milo's men mistake her for an enemy and suddenly attack! Just as Elara is caught off guard, Kael's fire Superpower erupts from afar, incinerating the attacker in an instant! He storms over, pulling Elara behind him, his eyes blazing with jealousy as he glares at Milo: "Stay away from her!" Milo, enraged by the insult, activates his strength Superpower to fight Kael. Amid the chaos, a hidden high-level Mutated Beast in the supermarket launches a sneak attack on Piper! Silas sacrifices himself to protect her and is seriously injured. Will Elara prioritize treating Silas or helping Kael fight Milo? And what dark secrets will Milo reveal about X City's Underground forces that shock everyone?