Before the spiritual energy resurgence, those creatures posed no threat to humanity. They wouldn't actively harm humans. But after the resurgence, everything changed.
Just as humans occupied cities and refused to allow any mutant beast that posed a threat to enter, these mutant beasts had also established their own territories. Any unfamiliar presence that appeared within their domain would be met with hostility.
Moreover, as their intelligence continued to grow, they had begun learning how to rally other mutant beasts, expand their territory, and even form alliances with mutant beasts from other regions.
The most critical point was this: in the eyes of these mutant creatures, humans were not only the greatest threat—enemies to be taken seriously—but also the finest food.
Apart from a few powerful ones, most humans were weak existences that posed no threat whatsoever. Yet they were numerous, and each one contained a considerable amount of energy. They were among the best food sources available. So when mutant creatures in the wild discovered humans...
The intelligent ones would first probe their opponent's strength before deciding whether to treat them as prey. The less intelligent ones would simply attack, treating humans as food outright.
Perhaps many had never imagined that humanity—perched atop the food chain for so long—would one day be viewed as food by other creatures.
Even now, humans still occupied the largest territories on land. They controlled vast resources. Their overall strength far exceeded that of mutant creatures. Unless a civilization-level war erupted between mutant beasts and humanity, no single mutant species could possibly defeat humans.
But the reality was this: in the eyes of mutant creatures, humans had already been categorized as food.
The spiritual energy resurgence was an evolution for all living things—a metamorphosis for everyone.
In this era, every species, every individual had to seize the opportunity to advance. Otherwise, what awaited them was elimination.
Just like now. The moment Skyler entered this region, dozens of mutant birds on the tree branches fixed their eyes on him.
If Skyler released some of his aura, he could frighten them away. But he had come here specifically to test his abilities, so he naturally wouldn't do that.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Dozens of mutant birds cried out from the branches, then spread their wings and took to the sky. They wheeled around in formation and shot toward Skyler like arrows.
RUMBLE...
Skyler stood in place. With a thunderous roar, lightning engulfed his entire body. Blue-violet radiance swirled around him. Those mutant birds, diving at him like arrows, were struck down by the surrounding electricity before they could even touch him, turning to charred remains and tumbling from the sky.
As bird after bird died, the dozen or so remaining in the sky seemed to sense the danger. They flapped their wings, preparing to flee. But before they could act, bolts of lightning flashed through the air, piercing their skulls and leaving gaping, hollow wounds.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
The lightning-pierced mutant birds crashed to the ground with muffled impacts. Skyler paid no attention to the carnage he had caused. Expression calm, he stored the corpses in his spatial ring.
Then he continued deeper into the wilderness.
These mutant birds alone weren't enough to test his thunder. He needed more powerful mutant creatures.
And while he was at it, he'd see if he could encounter any mutant creatures with great potential that hadn't yet matured—and eliminate them before they could grow into threats to humanity.
Meanwhile, some distance from Skyler, a squad of ability users had found themselves in mortal danger.
"Die, you beast!"
A burly man gripped an enormous axe, his eyes bloodshot. He raised the weapon and swung it toward the mutant creature before him.
It was a mutant rabbit standing four to five meters tall. Unlike ordinary white rabbits, its fur was pure as snow without a single blemish. Crimson pupils gazed indifferently at the man before it.
A flash of ice-blue light. The axe-wielding man collapsed to the ground. When he looked at his legs, he found they had been frozen to the earth at some point.
He couldn't move.
And on this battlefield, besides him, two other humans had already been completely encased in ice.
"Guu guu guu..."
The mutant rabbit spared him only a glance before turning its gaze to the last remaining human who was still intact—or more precisely, the person who was injured but not yet frozen.
"Uncle Gou, don't be reckless!"
"If even you die, we really won't have any chance left!"
A young man with delicate features who looked about twenty years old called out urgently.
"This isn't about being reckless anymore. The issue is that we're all very likely going to die here today."
Beside him, another young man of similar age wearing glasses spoke in a calm tone—though if you listened closely, you could hear the panic beneath.
"We avoided the mutant bird swarm. We killed the mutant boar. We even escaped the mutant wolf pack unscathed."
"Who would've thought a single mutant rabbit would leave us in such a sorry state?"
His expression was complicated. The spiritual energy resurgence really could transform a creature completely.
It could even bridge the gap between species, allowing creatures to easily annihilate beings that should have been far stronger than them.
"The ability to freeze things. Speed that's even more exaggerated than before evolution. Fur that blades can't cut through."
"And... intelligence."
"The reason it's not killing us now is because it's waiting for us to fight back."
"It won't let us escape, but it's allowing us to resist. Does it see us as toys? Or prey? Does it want to play with us until it gets bored, then eat us?"
He looked at the mutant white rabbit ahead—motionless, simply watching them with calm eyes—and spoke with self-deprecation.
But in the end, he rose to his feet and turned to the young man beside him:
"Qingmu, after I unleash my final attack, take Uncle Gou and run."
"You still have parents. Uncle Gou has children too. As for me... I don't have anything left to hold onto. But don't forget the families of Ruoshui and Yinguang."
"After all, we're the ones who invited them. Even though we signed agreements, we should still do what needs to be done."
Hearing Yusheng's words, Qingmu opened his mouth to speak, but in the end said nothing. He simply nodded in silence.
"I always knew this day would come. I just didn't expect it to arrive so soon."
"If you and Uncle Gou manage to escape, do me a favor and thank this mutant rabbit. Even though it treated us as toys, it let me say all these things. And in the end, it let you two get away."
"If you can't escape, then we'll all die together."
After Yusheng finished speaking, he patted Qingmu on the shoulder. Qingmu nodded. Neither of them said anything more.
— End of Chapter —