Chapter 286: Radiation Hypothesis, Mutated Monsters

Chapter 286: Chapter 286: Radiation Hypothesis, Mutated Monsters

With everything prepared, it was time to leave the starting warehouse and explore this dangerous, irradiated world.

’Sean Chandler isn’t here, so I’ll need a guard.’ The thought crossed Seraphina Sullivan’s mind, and she immediately thought of the many powerful fighters waiting in her Space.

The next second, accompanied by a faint glow, the figures of Chubbs and Tubbs abruptly appeared in the abandoned warehouse.

Just moments before, the two of them had been in the Scavenger’s Farm, engaged in some kind of indescribable "activity."

Suddenly teleported out, they were still tangled together, their chicken faces a mask of bewilderment, completely caught off guard.

Seraphina Sullivan: "..."

She stared at the Steel Chicken and the Flame Chicken, still frozen in their strange, one-on-top-of-the-other position, and the corner of her mouth twitched fiercely.

Seraphina Sullivan hadn’t expected to walk in on such an "intense" scene.

"BAWK! Wifey! Get up, quick!"

Chubbs reacted in a flash, leaping up with a start and forcing himself into a majestic pose in an attempt to salvage his image.

"Looks like our ’exercise’ will have to wait until we get back! Master summoned us, so it must be for an important combat mission!"

"BAWK! Hubby, I can feel it! The Aura of battle!"

Tubbs also straightened up, instantly alert and full of vigor. The flames enveloping his body flared higher with a WHOOSH, and he looked ready for a fight.

Seraphina Sullivan sighed and put a hand to her forehead. It was almost too cringey to watch.

But since she had already summoned them, she had no intention of sending them back right away.

This was a good opportunity to test their adaptability to the current environment.

"Forget about fighting for now,"

Seraphina Sullivan interrupted the two drama-queen roosters’ performance.

She asked seriously, "Focus and feel it out. There’s a special kind of radiation Energy in the air here. Does it harm you?"

Hearing this, Chubbs quizzically patted his feathers, which shimmered with a metallic luster and produced a soft CLANG CLANG.

After sensing his surroundings for a moment, he answered in his gruff voice, "BAWK? Radiation? I don’t feel a thing, Master! These Steel Feathers of mine are impenetrable. A little radiation is nothing!"

He seemed completely oblivious, and even a little smug.

Seraphina Sullivan paused, then looked at Tubbs.

Tubbs, however, tilted his head and sensed his surroundings carefully. The flames around his body seemed a bit more active than usual. He spoke, a little uncertainly.

"Bawk, Master, I don’t know if it’s just me... but not only do I not feel any discomfort, I actually feel... a little more comfortable here than in the Space? The Flame Energy in my body seems more active."

Looking at her two pets and their vastly different reactions, Seraphina Sullivan understood.

’It seems Chubbs is relying on the physical defense from his Steel Body, which gives him extremely high resistance to energy-based radiation.’

’And Tubbs’s Flame Body Talent... it seems to be resonating in some strange way with this environment, which is full of decaying Energy. Could he even be benefiting from it?’

This discovery was a surprise to Seraphina Sullivan.

The starkly different reactions of Chubbs and Tubbs raised a question in Seraphina Sullivan’s mind.

’Is this just because their Talents are special, or do all creatures in this Aberrant Radiation instance undergo unpredictable enhancements or mutations from long-term exposure?’

’If the monsters here are all stronger because of the radiation, and have even evolved Special Abilities...’

Seraphina Sullivan’s brow furrowed.

’Then the actual difficulty of this instance is likely far beyond my initial assessment.’

This hypothesis would require more evidence to confirm.

’I’ll start by scouting the immediate area.’

Seraphina Sullivan led her two small companions and cautiously stepped out of the abandoned warehouse.

The moment she stepped outside, intense light bore down, causing Seraphina Sullivan to squint instinctively.

’The UV intensity... is just ridiculous!’

Even with the dual protection of her Purification Set and cloak,

Seraphina Sullivan could still feel a faint, stinging sensation, as if she were being roasted.

The damaging power of this sunlight was far more ferocious than the scorching sun of a normal world.

’Could it be that the ’radiation’ in this ’Aberrant Radiation’ instance doesn’t just refer to nuclear radiation as we know it, but encompasses multiple types of radiation pollution? Like this abnormally intense UV radiation?’

Long-term exposure to UV radiation of this intensity would be enough to cause severe skin damage, genetic mutations, and even more terrifying consequences for ordinary organisms.

’The lack of Native People to get information from is definitely a problem.’ Seraphina Sullivan felt things were getting tricky.

But in the short time since entering the instance, through her own observation and senses, she had already discovered several unsettling clues, forcing her to remain on high alert.

After cautiously moving forward for some distance, Seraphina Sullivan came to a low-lying area.

It looked like a swamp, with murky puddles dotting the muddy ground and the air thick with the smell of dampness and humus.

’There’s actually liquid water here?’

Seraphina Sullivan was surprised. In an environment with such intense ultraviolet rays and radiation, surface water would usually be hard to come by.

’I just don’t know if this water is contaminated, or if it can be used.’

As she was observing the swamp and pondering the water’s safety,

"BAWK! Master, something’s watching us! Strong hostility!"

Chubbs suddenly lowered his voice, the feathers on his neck bristling warily. His steel-like wings spread slightly as he entered a combat stance.

Seraphina Sullivan’s first thought was that the Player team from before had relentlessly tracked her down.

However, the thought had barely formed when it was shattered by several shrill, distorted screams from the distance.

"AHHH—!"

"Hel... help me!!"

"Monsters! It’s monsters!!"

The cries were filled with utter terror and agony.

Seraphina Sullivan looked up, her gaze following the sound.

She saw several massive silhouettes among the reeds in the distance, bounding toward her with an agility that defied their immense size.

As they drew closer, Seraphina Sullivan finally saw the monsters clearly.

They were toads.

But their bodies were as large as cars.

Their bumpy skin wasn’t the usual earthy brown; instead, it was covered in a layer of slimy, glistening pustules that constantly swelled and burst.

Yellowish-green pus trickled down their skin, emitting a nauseating stench.

Their enormous mouths gaped open, revealing interiors also lined with overgrown tissue.

They were bizarrely mutated toads.

And one of the giant toads had a person wrapped tightly in its long, barbed, mucus-covered tongue!

The person’s skin was rapidly disintegrating and smoking, as if from acid corrosion, and they were letting out bloodcurdling screams.

From what was left of his clothes, Seraphina Sullivan recognized him as one of the members of that five-person Player team!

The scene before her eyes confirmed Seraphina Sullivan’s worst suspicions.

The creatures of this world had indeed undergone terrifying and dangerous mutations!