Chapter 116: Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain

Just as Ye Hai and Joe were about to enter the portal, dozens of people rushed out from within the camp. Judging by their attire, they were survivors recently integrated into the organization. At the sight of them, a cold glint flashed in Ye Hai's eyes.

"So, the rats finally couldn't hold back and decided to jump out themselves?"

Joe turned his head and instantly recognized several warehouse guards among the group. As these guards ran, their skin suddenly began to crack and peel away in large, horny chunks. Within moments, they transformed into hideous, pitch-black creatures. Though they retained a humanoid shape, their facial features were smoothed over until nearly invisible, and their bodies looked as charred as coal. Faintly, rows of scales could be seen. Their stature expanded, and they dropped to all fours to crawl, resembling African Lickers. They moved with incredible speed, their immense power leaving deep gouges in the ground with every step.

A sharp murderous intent rose in Joe as he said, "It seems these things quietly killed and replaced our guards! They are all impostors... perhaps it wasn't the survivors from the camp, but the Dusa Resistance who colluded with them!"

Hearing this, Ye Hai’s lips curled slightly, and the killing intent radiating from him diminished. "Perhaps you're right. This must be another type of viral transformation—a very peculiar enhancement. These are likely variations of the ARMY-series virus. But no matter." He gestured behind him. "Since they’ve shown themselves, leave them to Liana and Big Lung. Both of them have improved significantly over the past few months. These mutants are roughly at the seventh stage of evolution... the two of them can handle a few dozen. Let’s go... and see what lies behind this portal."

With that, Ye Hai stepped into the portal first. Joe pursed his lips and muttered, "Listening to the boss... it sounds like Big Lung and Liana have both leveled up? I wonder what level they've reached now; those two tentacle monsters were already strong to begin with... I really want to stay and watch!"

However, since Ye Hai had arranged for him to accompany him, he would go along. There would be plenty of opportunities to see the full extent of everyone's power later. When Joe stepped through the portal, he saw Ye Hai had already shifted into his G3 form, wreaking havoc. Behind the portal were about two thousand people, but these unfortunate souls, huddled together, had no defense once Ye Hai closed the distance.

Although they were all armed with guns, Ye Hai had not been idle these past few months; his own strength had increased dramatically. A large eyeball at the back of Ye Hai's head rotated incessantly. Every time it moved, Ye Hai’s body shifted slightly, and a moment later, a high-energy beam would pass right by where he had been standing. Now, Ye Hai had an eyeball on his right arm, his thigh, and his back. While these eyes lacked offensive capabilities, they granted him an exaggerated panoramic dynamic vision.

Though Ye Hai was still far from reaching the speed of light, he could move faster than his opponents could pull a trigger. Under this panoramic vision, even the minute ripples in the air caused by General Kobayashi’s stealth armor could be easily captured by Ye Hai, let alone the movements of these ordinary people pulling triggers—which appeared in slow motion to him. Relying on this ability, Ye Hai could easily dodge gunfire from behind. Even if some soldiers were shielded by others when they fired, preventing Ye Hai from noticing them in time, the pair of long arms on his back served as excellent protection for his vital organs.

Once Joe joined the fray, the battle turned completely one-sided. Ye Hai’s only weakness was his lack of area-of-effect attacks, but Joe compensated for this deficiency. Working together, they decimated this heavily armed force of two thousand in just a few minutes. Faced with such staggering casualties, the combat morale of the Dusa Resistance soldiers collapsed entirely.

Just then, Ye Hai’s sharp eyes caught a group of soldiers in the northwest corner, surrounding someone and attempting to retreat from the battlefield. Ye Hai narrowed his eyes and said to Joe, "Found the target. Northwest direction, clear a path for me!"

As he spoke, Ye Hai’s entire body expanded, his frame reaching nearly five meters. Every stride caused the earth to tremble violently. He had mobilized the second-generation parasites within him, utilizing the ARMY-series viral enhancement. His appearance began to shift toward that of a zombie-virus mutant, but his strength, speed, and defensive capabilities doubled instantly. Ignoring the attacks of the Dusa Resistance, Ye Hai transformed into a high-speed heavy tank, crushing everything in his path. Any soldier who dared to stand in his way was reduced to a pile of pulp.

Joe flickered and perched on Ye Hai's shoulder. Twelve biochemical flying blades zipped out, harvesting lives in a constant stream. Joe said calmly, "Should we wipe them all out? With such a dense crowd, a single dose of the Muscle-Attaching Virus could finish them all off! We're not at our camp, so we don't need to hold back!"

Ye Hai shook his head slightly. "No need. After these people are modified, they can still be put to use. Keep as many as possible. Once we implant the parasites, these guys will be forced to become vassals of the organization. If we eventually have to fight the Black Market, the Dusa Resistance will make for decent cannon fodder... At the very least... I won't feel any heartache if they die!"

Joe shrugged and grinned. "That's a good choice." He pointed a finger, and the soldiers blocking Ye Hai’s path perished one after another under the barrage of explosions and viral infection.

Soon, Ye Hai and Joe caught up to the target, but as they looked at the huddled, fleeing soldiers, Ye Hai paused, noticing no one of note among them. At that exact moment, a flash of intense light erupted in the opposite direction from where Ye Hai had been charging. A portal appeared out of thin air, only to vanish just as quickly, leaving these Dusa Resistance soldiers abandoned in the wilderness.

Ye Hai turned, looking toward the spot a kilometer away, and shrugged helplessly. "That guy is truly slippery. He actually pulled a 'lure the tiger away from the mountain' trick on us."

Hearing this, Joe was slightly surprised. "You don't seem annoyed?"

Ye Hai grinned in response. "Why be annoyed? We have the Saintess in our hands; these guys will return sooner or later. How much manpower have they gifted us in just one night? Even if many died, the rest will make fine cannon fodder! Besides, through his act of fleeing... we have confirmed one thing: this psychic who controls the portal cannot use this ability continuously. Furthermore, the teleportation distance is not very far. If I’m not mistaken... this is only about ten thousand meters from our camp. Gather these stragglers and escort them back to the base! I hope those skin-shedding monsters can bring us something new."