Before Lin Yao could even react, a powerful shockwave slammed into him.
Immediately, Lin Yao was sent flying backward.
He crashed into the hospital wall, and the already old walls shattered into pieces.
The force of the attack on Lin Yao was clearly substantial.
As a peak second-tier Awakener, being injured like this meant the attacker had to be at least third-tier.
Chen Jie watched from behind, already realizing that this was the target he had come for.
The mini BOSS of this hospital!
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
Before Chen Jie could take a closer look, piercing noises echoed from the dim corridors of the hospital.
They sounded like… rats.
Soon, small white mice began to scurry out from the darkness.
A few black ones were mixed in.
But these were no ordinary mice.
They emitted a strong stench, and energy clung to their bodies.
These must be the mini BOSS's minions.
The moment the mice charged forward, they went straight for the crowd!
Some students, unable to react in time, were immediately entangled by the rats.
One girl, Chen Ke'er, was bitten through the calf by a rat.
Then, other small rats swarmed through the wound, tearing at her body.
"Ahhh! Help me! Somebody help me!"
Chen Ke'er screamed nonstop.
But the people around her could barely protect themselves.
No one could intervene.
Only Lin Shiyu grabbed an aluminum pipe from the ground and rushed forward.
Yet he was an ordinary person.
After just a moment of fighting the mutant mice, he too was caught.
"Brother Chen! Help me! I beg you! Next life, I'll serve you like a beast!"
Lin Shiyu shouted in agony.
Only Chen Jie could save him now.
"Fine, considering how hard you've worked these past two days…"
Chen Jie shook his head and sighed.
He extended a finger.
Two streams of dark-yellow energy appeared on his fingertip.
With a light sweep over the rats, all the mice feeding on the two students instantly died.
As the little rats fell, the mini BOSS hiding deeper in the hospital seemed provoked.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
Its shrieks grew even louder!
Soon, a huge rat-man appeared directly in front of Chen Jie.
Its body was covered in rat fur, eyes blood-red, and its claws caked in mud.
If one didn't look closely, it was hard to tell this was a human-turned mutant.
"Disgusting!"
Xia Wanrou held her nose, grimacing.
As the rat BOSS appeared, the entire hospital filled with a pungent stench—like rotten eggs fermenting.
The smell was nauseating.
Even Chen Jie felt slightly queasy.
"Brother Chen! This is what attacked me earlier!"
Lin Yao, who had been knocked aside, now stood up, looking aggrieved.
He was hoping Chen Jie would set things right for him.
"This rat-man is mid-third-tier. You're no match—step back!"
Chen Jie said calmly.
He could immediately gauge the rat-man's approximate strength.
About a third-tier human Awakener's level.
By mutant classification, that made it roughly tiger-level.
Hearing Chen Jie, Lin Yao obediently stepped back.
Chen Jie positioned himself in front of everyone.
Here, no one else could challenge the rat-man.
Any attempt would be suicidal.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
The rat-man, seeing Chen Jie, became more frenzied.
Chen Jie had just killed its offspring.
It had to avenge them.
The rat-man reared up and charged like a projectile.
Massive and powerful, its impact made the entire hospital tremble.
"Clang!"
It swung its claws at Chen Jie.
Chen Jie's Pangu Axe effortlessly intercepted the strike.
The rat-man was shocked.
It had basic intelligence and was mid-third-tier.
It expected this blow to severely injure Chen Jie, yet not only was he unharmed, he blocked the attack.
"A mid-third-tier mutant, and that's all it's got!"
Chen Jie mocked after blocking the attack.
He turned and kicked the rat-man in the stomach.
The blow felt like striking steel.
Hiss!
Its defense was terrifying.
Chen Jie was inwardly shocked.
Still, even without hurting it, he used the force to create distance between them.
The rat-man felt the kick.
Its body didn't move much, but it felt the pain.
This human was the strongest it had ever faced.
It needed to be eliminated quickly.
The rat-man dropped to all fours, its eyes giving Chen Jie a strange, eerie look.
"Why isn't it attacking? What is it doing?"
"I guess it's scared of Brother Chen. Look at it trembling on the ground!"
"Brother Chen, invincible in the world!"
…
Even with a slight advantage, the students behind Chen Jie began cheering.
The rat-man's intentions remained unclear.
Normally, it should attack ferociously next.
Why is it just lying there?
"Gururururu…"
As Chen Jie pondered, a strange sound emerged from the rat-man's belly.
Chen Jie gripped the Pangu Axe, going on alert.
His instincts warned him this creature was not simple.
Sure enough!
In an instant, the rat-man's small eyes blazed red.
A deep red domain rapidly expanded around it.
Chen Jie didn't even have time to dodge.
The domain enveloped him completely.
After the red light, Chen Jie opened his eyes to a bizarre sight.
This was an illusion!
Chen Jie immediately realized the situation.
He had encountered a mental-type supernatural ability again.
Such abilities were extremely hard to defend against.
He was now inside a normal residential room.
"What the hell!"
Chen Jie furrowed his brow.
He swung the axe at the wall.
The Pangu Axe struck the wall but caused no damage at all.
Is this the mini BOSS's illusion talent?
"Let's try the primordial clear-and-turbid energy!"
Quickly, Chen Jie summoned two streams of primordial energy over his eyes.
Yet…
They had no effect.
The primordial energy could dispel illusions, so it should have worked.
Unless…
This wasn't a complete illusion!