Sea stars aren’t exactly a popular delicacy—most people don’t eat them.

  But these mutated sea stars seemed to be several times more appetizing than their original counterparts!

  Chen Xiaofei picked up a sea star that Bai Shu had blown to a crisp. Flipping it over, he pried open one of its legs with a crowbar, revealing the golden-yellow flesh inside.

  The sea star flesh he’d seen in videos before was usually a deep, dull greenish-brown, but the mutated version looked far more appealing, like a mound of crab roe.

  Chen Xiaofei didn’t eat it, though. With so much fresh food around, there was no need to bother with the charred ones. “Weird. This thing eats houses but grows such juicy meat. These mutated sea stars are seriously freaky.”

  The temperature outside was indeed low, but with enough layers of clothing, it didn’t hinder their movements.

  Xu Duoduo could have used her Spatial Manipulation ability to create a few temperature-controlled zones, but that would drain her energy too quickly. If they encountered danger and she ran out of energy, they’d be doomed.

  So, she refrained from doing so.

  Her nose was pink from the cold, but that didn’t stop her from working efficiently. With a wave of her little hands, she swept up sea stars by the dozen.

  After clearing an entire building of sea stars, they moved on to the next one. It was amusing to note that while Xu Duoduo’s other abilities consumed energy rapidly, collecting items barely used any energy at all. She was practically born to hoard supplies.

  Chen Xiaofei followed her lead, completely immersed in the joy of gathering. “This is amazing! Squad Leader, hurry! There’s a giant prawn over there—ahhh!”

  Xu Duoduo spotted the massive prawn that had jumped out of the water. With a swift swing of her oversized shovel, she pinned it down and immediately stored it in her spatial dimension.

  This wasn’t a mission to eliminate mutated marine creatures—it was a massive seaside foraging adventure.

  Wang Weihu watched in stunned silence, eventually consoling himself, “We’re eliminating mutated marine creatures. We’re eliminating mutated marine creatures.”

  He repeated the mantra several times to convince himself. They were on a mission, not playing around.

  That said, their efforts were yielding results. Once the sea stars were captured, the buildings they had clung to began to reveal their original forms.

  However, the damage was evident—gnawed surfaces full of pits and holes. These buildings were no longer habitable. If it rained, it would pour outside and drizzle inside.

  It would be like living in a water curtain cave.

  Wang Weihu transitioned from initial tension to eventual numbness. He even started offering tips to Chen Xiaofei. “There’s a bunch of mussels under that building—huge clusters of them. Just collect them. Don’t waste them. We can sell them later if we don’t eat them.”

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  Meanwhile, Qin Luo and Bai Shu remained on high alert, keeping watch so the dynamic duo of Xu Duoduo and Chen Xiaofei could gather supplies without worry. Fortunately, their pace was quick.

  They cleared a building in three to five minutes, heads down and focused, moving farther and farther away.

  Wang Weihu had to drive to keep up with them.

  Occasionally, they encountered mutated creatures, which Qin Luo and Bai Shu would handle with explosives. The marble bombs they had received as rewards from the headquarters came in handy. In these waterlogged areas, Qin Luo’s Lightning Storm ability wasn’t practical, so explosives were the perfect solution. One blast, and a swarm of mutated sea roaches would drop to the ground with a sickening splat.

  It was utterly disgusting.

  The task of clearing mutated creatures was monotonous—repetitive actions over and over again, with no room for complacency. They had to remain vigilant against sudden dangers at all times.

  The most perilous encounter came when a gigantic octopus emerged from behind a building. Its massive head was as large as a hot air balloon.

  Qin Luo and Bai Shu, already fatigued, were jolted awake at the sight of the enormous creature.

  “Shit, run! Both of you, run!!”

  “Xiaofei! Squad Leader!”

  The moment they shouted, Xu Duoduo and Chen Xiaofei sensed something was amiss. The sudden darkness around them wasn’t from rain—it was from the appearance of something massive.

  Xu Duoduo rolled away just in time to dodge an attack from one of the octopus’s tentacles, while Chen Xiaofei leapt backward, avoiding another tentacle. Both of them narrowly escaped.

  However, the low temperature outside made them less agile than usual.

  When the mutated octopus sprayed its ink, Xu Duoduo quickly used her Spatial Manipulation ability to create two protective shields, saving both herself and Chen Xiaofei from getting splattered.

  “Damn! This ink is corrosive! Squad Leader, let’s get out of here!”

  As Chen Xiaofei regained his composure, he rushed over to scoop Xu Duoduo up and carried her away.

  The mutated octopus, enraged, flailed its tentacles wildly, its movements chaotic and terrifying. A single strike from its tentacle could pierce straight through a building with a resounding “boom!”

  One could only imagine the horrifying fate of anyone caught in its grasp.

  Qin Luo climbed out of the car’s sunroof to throw explosives, while Bai Shu maintained precise gunfire. Yet the octopus seemed impervious to pain, relentlessly charging toward their vehicle.

  Wang Weihu quickly drove away. “I’ll lure it to dry land! Xiaofei, take the Squad Leader and follow us! Be careful on the way!”

  Chen Xiaofei responded immediately, “Got it! We’re fine over here!”

  Qin Luo clicked his tongue in frustration. “This damn place is all water—such a pain!”

  Being unable to use his Lightning Storm ability was clearly vexing.

  Bai Shu, on the other hand, demonstrated exceptional marksmanship, maintaining pinpoint accuracy even as the vehicle moved.

  Once they lured the mutated octopus to higher ground, the battlefield was finally in their favor. Qin Luo, having held back for so long, charged forward and unleashed his Lightning Storm ability. The resulting thunderous explosion shook the entire L City, the ground trembling under its power.

  Elsewhere, the Cheetah Team and White Dove Team were being chased by mutated green crabs, screaming in terror. The rookies struggled with using their abilities effectively, and the crabs’ hard shells were impervious to bullets. With their incredible speed, the crabs had the teams running for their lives.

  “Ahhh, help! Why are these things so vengeful?! We can’t even hurt them! Their shells are harder than turtle shells!”

  “Mommy, I’m going to be eaten by a crab today!”

  “Where’s Captain Qin?! Where are they?!”

  “I think I heard the sound of a Lightning Storm! Are they nearby?!”

  Fortunately, they ran into the Rose Team. Composed entirely of plant-based ability users, all of whom were second-tier and former military personnel, the Rose Team was far more experienced than the rookies. Calm and composed, they quickly restrained the crabs with vines, leaving the mutated crustaceans lying belly-up, their legs flailing helplessly.

  The Cheetah and White Dove Teams collectively sighed in relief, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

  “We’re saved! Thank you, beautiful sisters!”

  The scene was both pitiful and amusing.

  The healer of the Rose Team tended to the rookies’ injuries, her expression a mix of exasperation and amusement.

  Mu Mei, too, looked helpless. Still, she acknowledged their bravery as ordinary people. “Your abilities are excellent. Try to use them more often.”

  The headquarters had sent them on this mission to train them. Despite being ordinary people, the rookies had activated powerful abilities. The Cheetah Team’s feline-based abilities and the White Dove Team’s bird-based abilities, particularly their disruptive powers, could easily disorient the crabs.

  Unfortunately, the rookies were still unaccustomed to using their abilities and needed more practice.

  Chastised but determined, the rookies accepted the feedback humbly, promising to do better next time.

  Mu Mei softened her tone. “You’ve done well. Those sea roaches were all taken care of by you, weren’t they? You just panicked when you encountered the mutated crabs.”

  She advised them to stay calm in the face of danger.

  A clear head was crucial for survival.