The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

Several elite agents from the Special Operations Department, disguised as waiters or guests, immediately rushed out from the chaotic crowd. The miniature devices on their wrists or ears lit up with the same blue light, and invisible fields of strange energy interference quickly unfolded, constructing a temporary "safe zone" in the chaotic hall, protecting the terrified guests behind them, while also attempting to divide and restrict the movements of the huge, mutated cat covered in black sludge.

The mutated cat, or rather, the monster parasitized by the black mud, seemed to be enraged by the sudden interference of the strange energy. It let out an even more ferocious roar, and its eerie green eyes locked onto the special operations agents who were emitting interference fields.

More black tentacles danced like raging pythons, lashing out at the locations where the blue lights were shining with a shrill screech as they tore through the air!
In the dimly lit passageway leading deeper into the clubhouse, Shen Ge's steps did not falter. The terrifying roars and energy surges emanating from the hall behind him were like background noise. All his attention was focused on tracing the last traces left by the vanished bald captain.

Chaos is the facade; the parasite is the tool. The mastermind behind this chaos, the "Rock" captain who delivered the "invitation" and "samples" and has now vanished without a trace, is the true fang of the Twelve Branches, reaching towards this "trap." Only by finding him can we expose the leader of the Twelve Branches and truly shatter this insane trap.
Shen Ge's figure flashed at the end of the passage and disappeared into the deeper darkness.

At this moment, the auction hall had been completely transformed into a bloody battlefield.

The oppressive force of the fifth-tier supernatural energy slammed into the hearts of every survivor like a tangible hammer. The air was as thick as congealed blood, and every breath carried a metallic sweetness and a chilling despair.

The crystal chandelier had long been extinguished, and the only light source came from the eerie green glow of the emergency lights and the black, murky tentacles of the mutated cat that writhed and emitted a ghostly light, making the shattered luxury look like a painting of hell.

"Roar--!!!"

A deafening roar was followed by another black tentacle carrying destructive power sweeping across. Two Rock Security guards tried to block it with their riot shields, but they and their shields were instantly smashed into a twisted mixture of metal and flesh, with debris scattering everywhere.

"Maintain the anti-psychic array, split it up, don't let it gather psychic energy!" Yang Yuxin's voice boomed in the team members' encrypted communication channel, as calm as an ice pick, forcefully suppressing the chaos on the scene and the chill in the team members' hearts.

She moved like a nimble cheetah, weaving through the gaps in its ferocious tentacles. The blue light from the "Strange Energy Resonance Interference Generator" on her wrist flickered rapidly, creating an invisible force field barrier in front of her.

"Zizzi——!"

A thick black tentacle slammed into the barrier, causing the blue light to fluctuate violently. The barrier groaned under the strain, but the black sludge on the surface of the tentacle also boiled and became chaotic in an instant, with the strange energy fluctuations leaking out. The attack trajectory was obviously deviated, grazing Yang Yuxin's side and crashing into the ground, sending shards of stone flying!

Effective, but extremely costly!
Yang Yuxin could feel the watch getting hot and its energy reserves rapidly decreasing.

"Group one, go to the three o'clock position and establish an isolation force field; Group two, provide fire cover and attract its left tentacles; Group three, rescue people!" Yang Yuxin's orders were clear and decisive.

Despite the terrifying impact of the fifth-tier anomaly, the team members' wrists and ears lit up one after another. Invisible interference fields, like fragile soap bubbles, struggled to divide space amidst the monster's frenzied dance, dragging the terrified and wailing wealthy and famous people to a relatively safe corner.

However, the strange cat that was assimilated and parasitized by the "upgraded black mud" underwent a mutation that was far faster and more bizarre than expected.

"Team Leader Yang! Its energy readings are still fluctuating abnormally. The core energy source... is moving, rapidly shifting within that black mud. Conventional attacks on its weaknesses are ineffective!" A team member responsible for energy monitoring roared in a report, his voice filled with disbelief and horror.

On the head, torso, and even the severed tentacles and limbs of the strange cat, deep within the writhing black sludge, there seemed to be independent, constantly shifting strange energy, which completely overturned the known strange physiological structure.

"Minister Li, Minister Jiang, can you hear me? The target is acting strangely! The core energy source is rapidly shifting within the parasite and cannot be locked onto. The interference field is effective, but its suppressive power is insufficient. Requesting analysis, repeat, requesting assistance with analysis!" Yang Yuxin frantically called out into the communicator while dodging the tentacles that attacked like venomous pythons. She had to buy time for her team to find a more effective countermeasure.

The Special Operations Department's research center was now like another battlefield. On the enormous screen, real-time monitoring footage and energy analysis data streams from the chaotic hall were being transmitted.

Li Xiang's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the screen, his hands moving so fast on the virtual keyboard that they were barely visible. Jiang Peiwen, on the other hand, was intently watching the energy frequency comparison charts transmitted from the black mud sample and the site.

"Roger that, Captain Yang!"

A senior researcher in charge of data analysis spoke with extreme excitement and gravity: "The data shows... Good heavens! The activity, mimicry ability, and precision of manipulating the strange energy of this 'upgraded black mud' far exceed the two samples we captured. It's not a simple parasite at all; it's more like a... highly intelligent 'strange energy symbiote.' It's using the strange cat's body as a 'culture dish' to rapidly adapt and evolve. Its ultimate goal is probably not 'fifth tier'!"

This senior researcher comes from Jiang Peiwen's team, but he is more skilled at studying the supernatural itself than studying the supernatural. Therefore, he participates in every operation as a real-time data analyst during the anti-supernatural operations within the department, cooperating with the front-line anti-supernatural warriors to conduct analysis of the supernatural itself and tactics.

He Youwei's words struck Yang Yuxin and the others like a heavy hammer: the fifth rank is not the end, which means that this strange cat will continue to mutate!

In fact, Yang Yuxin was not helpless against fifth-tier monsters; it was just that the strange cat in front of her was more troublesome than the fifth-tier monsters she had dealt with before, even several times more so.

The biggest reason is that the horror of the grotesque cat does not come from the monster itself, but from the assimilating parasites on its body.

Simply put, with the bizarre "help" of the black mud assimilation parasite, this fifth-tier strange cat has already unleashed terrifying strength that is different from other fifth-tier cats!
Half a minute later, He Youwei's voice rang out again, trembling with excitement: "Captain Yang, the frequency of the eerie energy jammer is being passively adapted to by it, and the resonant point of its core is being fine-tuned! But... look at this! When its tentacles are subjected to a powerful physical attack or a high-concentration eerie energy impact, the core transfer will experience a 0.3-second delay! This is our chance to capture it!"

"Live capture! We must try live capture! The information contained in this fusion body may lead to a qualitative breakthrough in our parasitic technology against the Twelve Branches! The key to finding a way to suppress it, or even to counter all similar parasites, may lie within it!"

Live capture?!
Yang Yuxin's heart sank.

Facing a ferocious fifth-tier monster, how could she capture it alive amidst the chaos of the crowd? The difficulty and risk increased exponentially! She glanced at the celebrities trembling and behaving grotesquely at the edge of the safe zone, and alarm bells rang in her mind.

"No! Let it die! Kill it now!"

"What are you doing in the Special Operations Department? Protect me! I'm Zhou Hongyu!"

"Get out of my way! Let me through!"

Panic ripped away the mask of high society. Screams, shoving, and even physical altercations over a safer corner unfolded within the fragile security zone constructed by the Special Operations Department. The selfishness and ugliness of human nature were laid bare under the threat of death.

Just as Yang Yuxin was distracted by He Youwei's suggestion and weighing the pros and cons, a sudden change occurred!
"what--!"

A piercing scream came from near Zhou Hongyu. The real estate tycoon, in order to avoid a tentacle sweeping towards the corner where he was hiding, suddenly shoved his terrified female companion away.

Caught off guard, the woman screamed and stumbled toward the black tentacle covered in suckers and bone spurs.

"Bastard!" Yang Yuxin's eyes widened in fury as she shot forward. But the distance was too great.

In the nick of time, a Special Operations Department agent who was closest to the woman rushed forward without hesitation, shoving her aside and activating his wristwatch to disrupt the supernatural energy field.

Blue light bursts forth!

However, the force field strength was insufficient due to the haste, and the angle was off. The black tentacles only paused slightly, and the energy fluctuations became disordered for a moment, but the enormous physical impact was not completely neutralized.

"Pfft!"

The sharp bone spikes at the tip of the tentacle sliced ​​through the agent's abdomen like a hot knife through butter, causing blood to gush out.

"Xiao Zhao!" Yang Yuxin and her teammates roared.

Xiao Zhao's body shuddered violently, and the intense pain made his vision go black, but he gritted his teeth and used his last bit of strength to push the interference power of his wristwatch to the maximum in an instant, while simultaneously detonating a specially made high-explosive stun grenade at his waist.

"boom--!!!"

A blinding flash of light and a deafening explosion erupted at the base of the tentacles, and the blue light interference field also burst forth with a strong energy pulse due to overload.

Under the dual impact, the black mud on the surface of the tentacle boiled violently and peeled off, and the transfer of the strange energy core was significantly delayed and exposed.

An opportunity, but at a heavy price!

Xiao Zhao's body was violently thrown away by the shockwave of the explosion and the residual force of the tentacles, crashing heavily against the wall. His fate was unknown, and the interference field he created collapsed instantly.

Zhou Hongyu's despicable behavior and the chain reaction he triggered directly led to the collapse of a safe zone, the serious injury of a team member, and the fleeting possibility of live capture.

"Xiao Zhao!!!" A team member's grief-stricken roar echoed through the communication channel.

Seeing the blood splattered on her comrades' faces, seeing the crowd crying out as they were once again exposed to the monsters' claws due to the collapse of the safe zone, seeing Zhou Hongyu's face twisted with fear and selfishness... the last trace of hesitation in Yang Yuxin's eyes was completely replaced by a cold killing intent.

For this scum? You want my team members to risk their lives to fill this gap?!
"Dr. He, the monster has completely gone out of control and is currently at the possibility of undergoing a sixth-order mutation. The capture plan is canceled!" Yang Yuxin's voice was as cold as the Siberian wind, carrying an unquestionable and iron-blooded determination.

"Target threat level S, immediately execute the highest priority order—annihilate! At all costs! Avenge our comrades!"

"All units! Unlock the ability to disrupt the energy jammer! Maximum power! Suppression coverage! Full firepower! Target—the mutated cat! Take it down!"

The moment the order was given, Yang Yuxin's figure shot out like an arrow, rushing straight at the mutated cat that was briefly stiffened due to the injury to its tentacles.

The jammer on her wrist glowed brightly with blue light, even emitting an overloaded buzzing sound. At the same time, she had somehow donned a pair of specially made ghost energy gloves that shimmered with lava-like crimson patterns. These gloves were "Molten Fire," a melee weapon against ghosts created by the Special Operations Department's Engineering Division using some of the technology from Shen Ge's Red Mist Armor.

"Roar!"

Sensing a deadly threat, the monster's remaining tentacles thrashed wildly, its eerie green eyes locked onto Yang Yuxin, and a chilling black cloud of energy condensed in its mouth.

Yang Yuxin shouted fiercely, ignoring the terrifying energy fluctuations. The Molten Gloves burst forth with scorching heat and dazzling red light, carrying all her strength and boundless rage, and slammed a fist into the writhing black mud on the monster's head, which was particularly unstable due to the core's sluggishness.

The crimson fist ripped through the darkness, carrying Yang Yuxin's determination and rage, and slammed into the black sludge on the mutated cat's head, which had been briefly exposed and was now writhing violently due to Xiao Zhao's sacrifice.

"Roar--!!!"

Sensing a deadly threat, the monster's black, eerie mist instantly erupted, transforming into a viscous, corrosive torrent of energy that met Yang Yuxin's fist head-on.

At the same time, several tentacles covered with suckers and bone spurs emerged like venomous dragons from their caves, attacking from tricky angles and sealing off all her escape routes.

"Captain Yang! Watch out!" The team members' hearts were in their throats. The clash of energy from the peak fifth-tier cultivators, coupled with the onslaught of the tentacles, instantly plunged Yang Yuxin into a desperate situation.

The red glow of the molten gloves collided violently with the black torrent!

"boom--!!!"

A deafening explosion accompanied by a surge of turbulent energy swept outwards. Yang Yuxin felt as if she had been struck by a massive hammer. The red light on her Molten Gloves flickered wildly and dimmed, and the protective, eerie energy interference field emitted a piercing wail before shattering instantly.

The immense impact sent her flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing hard into a broken Roman column. She spat out a mouthful of blood, her arms throbbing with excruciating pain, and her molten gloves emitted an overloaded, acrid smell.

The mutated cat's head was blasted backward, and a small piece of the black mud covering its core was blown away, revealing the core structure that shimmered with a ghostly light like a living crystal. But in an instant, the surrounding black sludge rushed in to fill the gap as if it were alive, and the light of the core disappeared again.

The damage it suffered was far less than Yang Yuxin's full-force attack. In fact, after withstanding that punch, the strange energy fluctuations on its body did not decrease but increased, showing faint signs of breaking through the fifth-order limit.

"No... the gap is too big..." Yang Yuxin struggled to stand up, but the internal tremors and the sharp pain in her arms made it difficult for her to exert any strength.

Despair, like an icy tide, began to erode the team members' mental defenses.

Even the captain's strongest attack was ineffective; what else could they do? (End of Chapter)