Su Chen moved through the Science Building like a ghost.
The screams from the cafeteria outside had died down. The silence that followed was worse. It was the silence of a graveyard.
Inside the building, the air was thick with the smell of formaldehyde and rot.
[Corridor 2F]
[Threat Level: Medium.]
Su Chen held his pipe in a reverse grip. He checked his mana.
[Mana: 55/60.]
He turned a corner and found them.
Three "students" were standing by the lockers. Their skin had turned gray, their eyes white. They were banging their heads against the metal lockers rhythmically.
[Infected Student (Level 2)]
[Weakness: Sever the spinal cord.]
They smelled him.
"Graaah!"
The three zombies turned and sprinted. They were faster than the shambling ones outside. These were fresh.
Su Chen didn't use his Napalm. That was for emergencies. He didn't use [Shadow Step]. That was for bosses.
He needed to test his new body.
[Skill: Iron Skin (Passive) - Active.]
The first zombie lunged, clawing at Su Chen's left arm.
Su Chen didn't dodge. He let it hit him.
RIP? No.
*Skreee.*
The zombie's dirty fingernails dragged across Su Chen's skin, leaving faint white marks but drawing no blood. It felt like being scratched by a dull plastic fork.
"Defense increased by 10%," Su Chen muttered. "Effective against low-level trash."
Test over.
Su Chen stepped in. He swung the rusty pipe in a tight arc.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Three strikes. Three crushed skulls. Efficient. Brutal.
[XP +90.]
He stepped over the bodies and headed for the stairs. His target was the 4th Floor: The Biology Department.
According to his [Eye of Truth], the strongest energy signature in the building was up there. If he wanted to claim this building as a Safe House, he had to kill the landlord.
He reached the 4th-floor landing.
The atmosphere changed immediately. The floor was covered in a thick, green sticky substance. Vines—pulsating, fleshy vines—were growing out of the walls, covering the lockers and the ceiling.
[Warning: Environment Mutated.]
[Airborne Toxin detected. Health will decrease by 1 HP every 10 seconds.]
"Poison," Su Chen frowned. He pulled his collar up over his nose. It wouldn't stop the damage, but it helped the smell.
He walked down the hall, his boots squelching in the slime.
At the end of the hall, the double doors to the "Advanced Genetics Lab" were torn open from the inside.
A low hiss echoed from within.
Su Chen stopped. He peered into the darkness of the lab.
His golden vision activated.
[Boss Monster Detected.]
[Species: Mutated Lab Python + ??]
[Name: Venomous Chimera]
[Level: 7]
[HP: 1500/1500]
[Status: Hungry.]
Su Chen's heart tightened. Level 7. He was only Level 3. This was a massive gap.
In a normal game, you would grind until Level 6 before fighting this. But Su Chen didn't have time.
He looked at the monster.
It was a nightmare. A python the size of a subway train, coiled around the lab tables. But it wasn't just a snake. It had human arms growing out of its sides, clawing at the floor. Its head was split into three sections, dripping with neon green acid.
It was guarding something.
Behind the massive snake, in the center of the room, was a pristine, glowing refrigeration unit.
[Target: Genetic Evolution Serum (Type-A)]
[Grade: Epic.]
[Effect: Permanently increases all stats by +10. Grants immunity to toxins.]
Su Chen's eyes widened.
Immunity to toxins. +10 to all stats.
That serum was worth dying for. In the early game, that was a God-tier item.
The snake raised its head. Its heat-sensing pits locked onto Su Chen instantly.
HISS.
It lunged. It didn't slither; it launched itself like a spring.
Su Chen reacted instantly.
[Shadow Step.]
WHOOSH.
The snake's head smashed into the doorway where Su Chen had been standing a split second ago. Concrete exploded.
Su Chen reappeared inside the lab, five meters to the left.
He threw the first jar.
"Eat this."
The Napalm Jar smashed against the snake's scales.
BOOM.
Fire erupted.
"SKREEEE!" The Chimera shrieked, a sound that vibrated in Su Chen's bones. The fire clung to its scales, burning flesh.
But this was a Boss.
[Boss Passive: Shedding.]
The snake writhed, and its skin literally split open. It slithered out of its burning skin in one second, leaving the fire behind. It was faster now. Shiny. Angry.
It whipped its tail.
Su Chen couldn't dodge. The tail covered the whole room.
[Iron Skin.]
[Block.]
He crossed his arms and held the pipe in front of him.
BAM.
He felt like he was hit by a truck.
Su Chen flew backward, smashing through a glass cabinet and hitting the wall.
[-45 HP.]
He coughed, tasting blood. His HP bar dropped to 75/120. One hit took a third of his life, even with Iron Skin.
The snake coiled for a second strike.
Su Chen spat blood on the floor. He wasn't panicking. He was analyzing.
[Eye of Truth Analysis Complete.]
[Target Weakness: The human arms growing on its side are connected to its heart.]
[Hidden Hint: The arms retain human pain receptors.]
"The arms," Su Chen whispered.
The snake lunged again, mouth wide open to swallow him whole.
Su Chen didn't run away. He ran *toward* it.
He slid on the slime-covered floor, going under the massive jaw.
As he slid past the body, he saw them. The grotesque human arms twitching on the snake's side.
"Got you."
Su Chen swung the Sealed Dragon-Tooth Blade.
He didn't aim for the scales. He aimed for the shoulder joint of the human arm.
SQUELCH.
The pipe, indestructible and heavy, crushed the bone and tore the arm right off the snake's body.
"SCREEEEEEEEE!"
The snake didn't just hiss; it screamed like a human. The pain was unbearable. It thrashed wildly, smashing the lab equipment.
Its HP bar plummeted.
[Critical Hit! -300 HP.]
[Status: Stunned from pain.]
"It works," Su Chen grinned, blood staining his teeth.
He stood up, gripping the pipe. The snake was writhing in agony.
Su Chen had three Napalm Jars left. And the snake had five more arms.
"Let's perform some surgery."