Liam dug a hole in the thick trunk of a large tree, then pulled the young girl into hiding inside. Once seated, he panted heavily and rolled up his sleeve—his arm was pitted and oozing blood. It was where the corrosive liquid had splashed him when he’d retreated during their brief clash.

  That green-haired man, Lucas, had an absolutely monstrous ability. His body could quickly secrete a super corrosive liquid; anything it touched was damaged, and he could cover his entire body with it—leaving no flaws to exploit at all!

  “Lucky I got the False Night Mist from the Cat Nightjar, otherwise we’d be in real trouble.” Liam quickly bandaged his wound with his hair, then glanced at the girl beside him, who looked worried sick.

  The girl had understood their conversation. She knew the fight between Liam and Lucas had started because of her—that Liam had been injured protecting her.

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Liam patted the girl’s head, comforting her.

  Even though he said that, the wound was still troublesome. If he didn’t treat it soon, it might get infected. Besides, he had no idea if the two men would chase them.

  Meanwhile, Lucas and Elijah moved quickly. The forest was large, but they were fast too—and with Lucas covered head to toe in corrosive liquid, he plowed through everything in his path, making his speed even faster. Yet after searching for three hours, they still couldn’t find Liam’s location.

  “Lucas, stop.” Elijah said.

  Though Lucas had a fiery temper, he and Elijah had known each other since childhood. He knew Elijah was smart and always had a plan, so he stopped immediately when he heard the words.

  “That guy’s ability is perfect for escaping. His hair grows fast and is strong—he can move through the forest just like Spider-Man. Plus, he can spray black smoke. Even if we find him, he’ll probably get away again.” Elijah explained.

  Lucas grew anxious. “Then what do we do? Just let him run off with that beauty?”

  “Of course not. We’re already enemies now—if we don’t kill him, he’ll be a disaster sooner or later. So we need a plan that guarantees he dies.” Elijah adjusted his glasses, speaking calmly.

  Lucas retracted his corrosive liquid, sat down on a tree branch, and snapped, “Then hurry up and think of one! If they get out of the forest, it’ll be too late.”

  “Alright, I have an idea—but it’s risky.” The red mark between Elijah’s eyebrows glowed faintly.

  Lucas knew that when Elijah said “risky,” it meant extremely dangerous. He lowered his voice, “How risky?”

  “We can set this entire forest on fire and force him out.” Elijah sneered.

  Lucas broke out in a cold sweat. “Did you forget how dangerous it is to set a forest on fire?”

  The two of them had originally been traveling south with a refugee group. Later, a forest blocked their way, and the leader of the group had ordered the forest burned down before proceeding—so they wouldn’t encounter dangerous mutated creatures inside.

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  But that fire had gone horribly wrong. In the flames, a mutated plum deer had undergone a second evolution. After absorbing a massive amount of fire, it had transformed into something like a fire-colored chimera. In the end, only the two of them had survived the fire-colored chimera’s attack.

  While fire could kill most mutated creatures, it also had a chance to trigger a second, more advanced evolution in them!

  “Of course I remember. That’s why we’ll just lie in ambush outside the forest. I’ll map out a route, and you’ll use your corrosive liquid to clear an escape path for them. As soon as they leave the forest, you’ll sneak attack with the corrosive liquid—make sure it’s a killing blow!” Elijah said.

  Lucas thought that was a good plan. Letting the enemy walk right into a trap was much better than wandering around like headless chickens.

  “But what if a second-evolved creature appears?” Lucas still looked worried.

  Even though he acted crazy sometimes, that fire-colored chimera had been too terrifying—it had left an indelible fear in his heart.

  Elijah smiled. “Even if a second-evolved creature shows up, it won’t be our problem. They’ll be the ones worrying.”

  “But what about the girl…” Lucas hesitated. The whole reason he’d attacked Liam was to seize that rare beauty. If she burned to death, all his effort would be for nothing.

  Elijah sneered. “Lucas, are you an idiot?”

  “Elijah, you wanna fight?” Lucas snapped, instantly angry.

  Elijah rubbed his forehead. “You’ve never had a brain, have you? Think about the situation—this guy is tough, okay? If you hadn’t rushed to attack him just now, we wouldn’t even be enemies with him. You have the upper hand now, but what about later?”

  “Even later, he’ll never be my match. A lowlife—if he stops running, I can kill him with one hand.” Lucas scoffed.

  Elijah sneered again. “What if the smoke he sprays is poisonous? It could kill us in an instant.”

  “It’s not poisonous now.” Lucas said, though his tone lacked confidence.

  Even though his ability was monstrous, he wasn’t invincible. If his enemy was a master of poison, he could easily be killed without realizing it.

  Elijah’s voice turned cold. “It’s not poisonous now—but who knows if it will be later? You used to only be able to corrode metal, and now your corrosive liquid can eat through most materials. That’s obvious evolution. As long as he swallowscrystal, he has the potential to evolve infinitely. So we have to finish him off completely—we can’t let a dual-ability user like him have a chance to grow!”

  “Fine. If we really have to give up the girl, we will. But if there’s a way to get her, you have to help me.” Lucas said unwillingly.

  Elijah nodded, saying nothing more.

  Once they reached an agreement, a white light shot from the red mark between Elijah’s eyebrows, and a white light screen appeared in front of him. His ability wasn’t suited for combat, but his information-gathering and calculation skills were excellent—he called his ability “Hidden Light Scan.”

  Hidden Light Scan had three modes: the first was Biological Scan, the second was Inanimate Scan, and the third was Terrain Scan.

  When used on himself, Biological Scan was 100% accurate—it digitized all his physical conditions, letting him clearly know his physical fitness. But when used on others, it could only scan their physical fitness and generate a rough overall score, which he called “combat power.”

  Inanimate Scan digitized materials—such as their melting point, hardness, toughness, and so on. By comparing these data, he could clearly see what the material could be used for, as well as its weaknesses.

  Terrain Scan mapped the layout of an area. With this ability, he could quickly find the best route to travel, and also formulate strategies based on the terrain.

  “Terrain Scan.” Elijah said calmly.

  As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible light spread outward instantly, and the forest’s terrain appeared on the white screen.

  “Now they won’t be able to escape even if they grow wings.” Elijah sneered as he stared at the terrain in front of him.