Chapter 11: Awakening Talent

As time passed, Jiang Yu and the others began to struggle against the mutants. Their physical reaction speeds could not keep up with their consciousness, and they were soon caught off guard and injured by the creatures.

"Jiang Yu, do you need help?" Compared to Jiang Yu, Lin Shen was faring slightly better.

"No, just focus on protecting yourself."

This was not Jiang Yu trying to be brave; she knew that if Lin Shen tried to help her, he would quickly find himself in danger as well.

The mutants seemed to have expended very little energy. Seeing their prey gradually losing the ability to resist, they grew even more frenzied. Their onslaught against the two was relentless. They had no intention of killing their prey immediately; instead, they treated them like playthings, savoring the joy of seeing them struggle in vain.

Before long, Jiang Yu was covered in wounds. The only thing keeping her on her feet was her sheer strength of will.

"No, I absolutely cannot die here."

Jiang Yu’s survival instinct was incredibly strong. She had already died once before, and she had yet to take down the culprit responsible for the disaster plaguing this world. She could not die like this.

A certain power within her body began to awaken. It began to mend her injured frame bit by bit, and her movements against the mutants became increasingly swift and precise.

Jiang Yu herself did not realize this, but Lin Shen, watching from the side, saw it clearly. How had she suddenly become so strong? He was both puzzled and astonished, but his own situation was dire, leaving him no time to dwell on it as he turned back to fend off the mutants surrounding him.

"Die!"

At some point, Jiang Yu had leaped onto the head of a mutant. With one hand, she gripped a horn on its crown, and with the other, she drove her dagger deep into its skull. The mutant shrieked, twisting its body in a desperate attempt to throw her off. Jiang Yu held on firmly; she knew this wound alone would not kill it. She pulled the dagger out and plunged it back into the creature's head.

Blood splattered everywhere, and a foul stench filled the air. She seemed completely oblivious to it, her eyes fixed solely on the mangled wound. Only when the mutant beneath her stopped moving did she cease her assault. The ferocity in her eyes had yet to fade as she reached in, extracted the creature's crystal core, and tossed it into her pocket. She then leaped down and launched an attack on the remaining mutants.

Jiang Yu felt as if she possessed an inexhaustible supply of power. No matter how long she tangled with these monsters, she felt no fatigue. The wounds on her body had already scabbed over, and any further injuries she sustained healed rapidly. She gradually realized that she had awakened a certain innate ability—one she had never seen in her previous life.

Nearly half an hour later, Jiang Yu had finished off all the mutants that had attacked them.

"Jiang Yu, did you just awaken?"

Lin Shen had not yet recovered from their brush with death. When he had lost his ability to fight, Jiang Yu had moved him behind a tree, drawing the mutants' attention to herself so they would focus their targets on her.

Jiang Yu nodded. Although she still felt no fatigue, she was suddenly ravenous. "Do you have any food on you?"

"Yes, just a pack of biscuits." Lin Shen, surprised by the request, hurriedly pulled a pack of compressed biscuits from his gear and handed it to her. "By the way, what was the ability you awakened?"

Jiang Yu ripped open the package and began to eat ravenously, answering between bites. "I'm not entirely sure. It seems to be in the category of healing."

"That's a great ability! Look, can you heal me?" Lin Shen was covered in wounds, many of which were only crudely bandaged with strips of fabric torn from his own clothes.

"Sorry, it seems this ability only works on myself. It has no effect on others." Her power was incredibly useful for her, but a bit redundant for anyone else.

"That's fine, that's fine." Since Jiang Yu couldn't heal him, he would just have to wait for the others to arrive.

Ten minutes later, Xiao He and his team rushed over.

"What's the situation here?" When they arrived, they saw Jiang Yu and Lin Shen sitting there—one clearly heavily wounded, the other seemingly unscathed.

"Captain, you’re finally here."

Lin Shen didn't stand up, instead calling out to Shi Lei, "Brother Lei, come help me up. I can't stand on my own right now."

Shi Lei stepped forward to support him. "How did you end up like this?" Looking at Jiang Yu, the situation didn't seem as dire as described in the phone call.

"I had no choice! The mutants we encountered this time were just too powerful. I truly had a brush with death today; you almost didn't get to see me again." If he had died at their hands, he wouldn't have even had a body left to bury.

"Is it really as serious as you say?"

"Of course, why would I lie to you? Let me tell you..." Lin Shen recounted everything that had happened in one breath, leaving Shi Lei and the others feeling as if they were listening to a tall tale.

"You awakened? Congratulations." Learning from Lin Shen that Jiang Yu had awakened, they were quite pleased. Even if her ability didn't help them directly, Jiang Yu herself was already a formidable fighter. With her strength now increased, the power of their entire team had effectively grown.

"The mutants we encountered were very strong. I suspect that whatever is influencing them is within this area," Jiang Yu said. "We were ambushed the moment we arrived. Captain, this area needs to be thoroughly investigated."

"Understood. I will inform Team Leader Yu and have him send more personnel to assist in the investigation. I'll have Shi Lei take you both back to rest and get checked out."

Lin Shen obviously needed to go back to treat his wounds, but Jiang Yu did not. She spoke up, "Captain, just have Shi Lei take Lin Shen back. My wounds have already healed; I’ll stay and help you investigate."

"If you want to stay, then stay. But don't push yourself. If you feel anything off, say so immediately."

"Understood."

With the plan settled, Shi Lei helped Lin Shen into the vehicle and they departed. Xiao He contacted Yu Zhou to report the situation. After hanging up, he began to examine the mutant carcasses, waiting for Yu Zhou’s team to arrive so they could scour the area together.