Jiang Le shone his flashlight at the mutant fish, but, as expected, it showed no reaction whatsoever. Even when he swirled the beam in circles, the mutant fish didn’t budge; it merely shifted the angle of its head, straining to hear every sound around it.

Jiang Le carefully chipped off a piece of rock from the cave entrance; the slightest sound of him breaking it off was enough to make the mutant fish take several large strides toward him.

Jiang Le tossed the rock down; more than ten meters away from the mutant fish, it bounced twice on the frozen riverbank. By the third bounce, it had already been violently knocked aside by the mutant fish.

Through this small test, Jiang Le gained some understanding of the mutant fish’s speed and attack patterns.

The ice on the pond had shattered into several large chunks as the mutant fish struggled to break free, and one of those chunks encased a meteorite fragment that glowed blue.

Jiang Le had an idea; he whispered to the blood vine.

A moment later, the two tendrils of the blood vine split into dozens of small vine segments, which dropped down from the cave entrance.

However, the sound of Jiang Le speaking to the blood vine moments earlier had already caught the mutant fish’s attention. Although it couldn’t take to the air, it was able to scurry up the cave wall like a gecko.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the mutant fish’s massive head poked out of the narrow opening. Drool dripped from its sharp teeth as it narrowly missed Jiang Le, who had rolled out of the way, grazing his face.

Fortunately, the dripping water in the pipe and the faint sounds of rusting metal provided enough distraction. At the same time, the vine segments that had just fallen into the hole below emitted crisp snaps. All of this disrupted the mutant fish; it retreated the way it came, turned around, and charged toward the riverbank where the vine segments lay.

Dozens of vine segments bounced across the ground; as one was flattened, another would make a noise, and this cycle continued, keeping the mutated fish entangled.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Le and Xiao Lang quietly leaped into the hole and steadied themselves a dozen or so meters away from the mutated fish.

Jiang Le kept his eyes fixed on the mutant fish’s movements at all times, while his feet moved swiftly toward the pool. The closer he got to the pool, the harder it became for Jiang Le to suppress the pounding of his heart; the joy of being on the verge of obtaining a priceless treasure made his cheeks flush.

This was the meteorite’s abnormal effect on humans.

Such commotion was impossible for the mutated fish to ignore. At the same time, from the rhythmic pulsing of the vine knots, it had deduced that those sounds were as insignificant as the murmur of water or the plink of droplets—whereas the footsteps and heartbeats coming from the direction of the pool were the true threat.

This was a struggle between the guardian of the treasure and the one seeking to claim it.

Jiang Le leaned forward and grasped the peculiar block of solid ice beneath the pond, digging it out from the bottom. Before he could even steady it in his hands, the mutant fish’s thudding footsteps had already reached his back. To dodge, Jiang Le had no choice but to let go of the meteorite fragment for a moment.

The meteorite fragment flew out, shattering the ice around it and revealing the pristine glow within.

The unbridled power radiating from it exerted an even stronger pull, further fueling the mutant fish’s fury. It turned toward the direction Jiang Le had leaped to avoid landing, gliding swiftly on all four limbs. Almost the instant Jiang Le had jumped away, it had already pinpointed his new position and launched another attack.

The fish’s head slammed into the rock wall, sending countless fragments flying; occasionally, its head even sank deep into the rock, yet the mutant fish showed no signs of injury—not even a scratch on its scales.

The mutant fish’s scales fluttered slightly with each breath, as if countless black mouths were writhing—a sight of the utmost eeriness. Xiao Lang had already switched from his Frost Form back to Blaze Form. Coordinating with Jiang Le’s position, he continuously spewed high-temperature flames at the mutant fish. Yet the flames that could instantly reduce zombies to ash had no effect on the mutant fish. Its thick scales formed an impenetrable protective shield, making the mutated fish impervious to blades and bullets, and immune to water and fire.

Judging by the force with which the mutated fish slammed into the rock wall, it clearly had high attack and high defense—and even its speed was impeccable.

Jiang Le furrowed his brow, pulled out a brand-new mountain-cleaving knife, and on his next jump, landed directly on the mutant fish’s broad back, raising the knife high and bringing it down with all his might.

However, a numbing shock shot through his palm, and the mountain-cleaving knife shattered into several pieces, leaving nothing more than a shallow scratch on the mutant fish’s scales. The mutant fish, reacting instantly, gave a violent shake, immediately sending Jiang Le flying off balance.

His body skidded a long way across the frozen surface until it slammed into a rock wall with a dull thud, bringing Jiang Le to a sudden halt. A metallic taste of blood rose in his throat; Jiang Le swallowed it down as he dodged the mutant fish’s pursuit.

At that moment, the only light in the underground cavern came from the mutated meteorite, which calmly reflected the desires of the creatures before him.

Xiao Lang and the blood vine also launched their attacks one after the other, but the blood vine’s corrosive and binding abilities had no effect on the mutated fish, and Xiao Lang’s sharp claws, fangs, freezing, or fire attacks could not penetrate the mutated fish’s defenses.

On the other hand, the mutant fish’s ferocious ramming attacks were so powerful that even a single accidental hit could easily leave one dizzy and disoriented.

In this three-against-one battle, the mutated fish showed no signs of fatigue, while Jiang Le and Xiao Lang’s speed had slowed due to exhaustion and depleted stamina. Yet the mutated fish’s offensive power hadn’t diminished in the slightest as time passed, making it nearly impossible to escape through the cave entrance.

By now, the blood vine had completely retracted into its growing dish.

This wasn’t sustainable; the situation would only get worse. They had to come up with a plan.

No living creature is without weaknesses; even among mutants, there is no such thing as a naturally flawless warrior. High attack and high defense do not mean there are no vulnerabilities.

Jiang Le’s mind raced as he dodged the mutant fish’s pursuit while scanning his surroundings for any exploitable opportunity.

Suddenly, the massive fish bones scattered at his feet caught Jiang Le’s attention.

Those hard scales hadn’t left a single mark inside the cave, but these fish bones were intact—not even a scratch. Jiang Le didn’t think the mutant fish would be interested enough to leisurely pick the meat off its own kind while eating; it was more likely that even it couldn’t chew through these bones.

If anything could rival the mutated fish’s physical hardness, it would have to be the bones of its own kind.

Realizing this, Jiang Le quickly ran toward the carcass strewn with fish bones, grabbed two fish spines as thick as his wrist, and wrenched them off with force. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mutant fish charging toward him. Jiang Le flipped over, using the rock wall for leverage, kicked off the ground, spun halfway in the air, and landed back on top of the mutant fish, delivering a powerful downward strike. The result was indeed different.

The scale that had been struck developed slight cracks, and a cry—different from its earlier excitement—rallied from the mutant fish’s throat. Jiang Le leaped off before the mutant fish could thrash its body, landing on the other side.

Xiao Lang continued to attack the mutant fish, drawing its attention, while Jiang Le took the opportunity to strike it several times with the fishbone. The scales that had once been intact on the fish’s back began to show cracks under this relentless barrage, though this was still not fatal to the mutant fish.

During this time, Xiao Lang attempted to scorch the mutant fish’s broken scales with fire, which indeed had a more noticeable effect than at the beginning; those few scales fell completely off the mutant fish’s back, but the flesh beneath them did not sustain any fatal damage.

Jiang Le’s arms were already numb and aching from several all-out attacks, making it difficult for him to inflict the same level of damage on the mutant fish in the short term.

The mutant fish, however, channeled even greater fury from its injuries. When Jiang Le leaped onto its back once more, it violently twisted its head to bite down, its fangs clacking together with a chilling, deep thud.

Jiang Le seized the moment, thrusting the fishbone in his hand into the spot where the scales were missing. He finally managed to pierce the mutant fish’s flesh with the bone, but he was violently flung aside by the creature, crashing heavily beside the pile of fish bones as blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth.

Intense pain radiated from his internal organs; it felt as though they had all shattered in the impact.

The fishbone embedded in the mutant fish’s back only slightly slowed its speed; it did nothing to diminish its attacking power.

Seeing the mutated fish still lunging toward Jiang Le, Xiao Lang threw himself in front of him, roaring as he swiped at the creature with his wolf claws. However, apart from its massive jaws and sharp fangs, the mutated fish’s face had no other vulnerabilities; this strike failed to stop it, and it continued to stomp straight toward the fallen Jiang Le.

At this moment, if Jiang Le had retreated into the System Space, he might have had a brief chance to catch his breath, but Xiao Lang was far too close to be drawn into the space. If he left Xiao Lang alone outside, the wolf would surely die.

There had to be another way. As Jiang Le watched the fish’s jaws draw ever closer, all his senses and the passage of time seemed to stretch out infinitely in that moment. Beyond the sharp, layered fangs, he could see the bright red flesh inside the mutant fish’s mouth.

If the mutated fish had any direct weakness at all… perhaps it could only be here.

The mutant fish had already reached right in front of Jiang Le, easily pinpointing his location through his death-like gasps. Its massive jaws, as wide as the sky, loomed over Jiang Le as it snapped down. With a crunch, Jiang Le’s arm was completely crushed beneath the mutant fish’s teeth, and another gush of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.

Yet the mutant fish made no further move; it froze completely.

As it lunged at Jiang Le, he had shoved a cross-shaped fishbone into its mouth. The instant it snapped shut, it failed to account for this bone from its own kind; yet the bone’s toughness, harnessing the mutant fish’s own biting force from within its mouth, pierced through its skull and directly penetrated the location of its nucleus crystal.

Boundless emotion welled up in Xiao Lang’s ice-blue eyes; the moment he saw Jiang Le’s hand being bitten by the giant fish, he rushed over as if driven mad.

Jiang Le’s plan had succeeded, but at a terrible cost. He had lost an arm, and by now, his internal organs were likely all shattered.

The young wolf’s tongue anxiously licked Jiang Le’s cheek; overwhelming confusion and helplessness sent the mutant wolf into a panic. Jiang Le reached out with his remaining hand, stroked the wolf’s head, and forced a smile: “Don’t… don’t worry.”

Even as he said this, Jiang Le could feel his life ebbing away at breakneck speed. Was he destined to fail halfway through even if he tried again?

Jiang Le tilted his head and caught a blurry glimpse of the meteorite fragment and the scattered corpses littering the ground. This power had changed the world and continued to affect all living creatures.

He was just one of those affected by it.

Still, it was a bit of a shame. His body was growing colder by the moment; he could no longer even feel the warmth of Xiao Lang’s licking tongue. He wondered what Xiao Lang had been like when it was separated from its parents—and whether it was now feeling sad because it had come to see him as its guardian.

His fingertips reached the meteorite shard, and he barely managed to stow it away in his spatial pocket.

Just as Jiang Le was about to lose consciousness, a notification suddenly popped up from the system.

“Host’s personal experience points have reached maximum capacity. Do you wish to advance to Level 5?”

In the darkness, Jiang Le smiled inwardly. Perhaps fate was still on his side. With his last ounce of strength, he selected “Confirm.”

Now, right now, level up.