Encountering another mutant, albeit a madman

"Only you left," Kael fully focused on the zombified frog right in front of him. He was ready to cut off its tongue if it attacked.

Just as he predicted, it lunged at him. He leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack by a hair's breadth. With a swift motion, he slashed his sword, cleanly cutting off the tongue like slicing through tofu.

"Ribbit…"

A painful shriek echoed from its mouth. Kael moved with lightning speed, appearing in front of it with blood dripping from his chin. He plunged the sword into its body as he faced forward.

"Huff… ha… huff…" he panted, exhaustion evident in his voice.

"I'm tired." Kael fell to his knees and collapsed forward, his face meeting the ground.

"Step… splash… step… splash…"

He sensed someone approaching. Slowly raising his head, he squinted through the water splashed on his face, his vision blurry.

A figure approached and struck him on the head. Kael lost consciousness, his head dropping back to the ground.

" thud…thud…scrape…splash… step… step "

That man dragged Kael deep into the sewer.

Meanwhile, at the temporary base...

"Why hasn't Boss Kael returned yet? I'm feeling very uneasy," said Sita, her face filled with worry.

"I'm also feeling very uneasy. Let's hope Boss Kael will be alright," replied Gita, holding Sita's hand for comfort.

"You two, stop it already. Boss Kael is super strong; nothing happens to him," Rita interjected, her gaze stern.

"I agree with Nita. Nothing happens to Boss Kael," Nita added.

"Yeah, Boss Kael is unbeatable. Sis Sita, Rita, stop worrying. Let's go eat something for dinner," Siri chimed in as she entered the room where the four young ladies were.

"Hmm, let's go," the young ladies said in unison, following Siri out of the room.

Meanwhile, deep in the sewers...

An eerie old operation theatre awaited, its dimly lit chamber coated with dampness and streaked with grime. Cobwebs draped from the corners, swaying gently in the stale air. The slick, moist floor creaked underfoot as rusty surgical instruments lay scattered across the surfaces, casting long shadows in the faint light. The echo of dripping water reverberated through the space, adding to the unsettling atmosphere.

Droplets fell on his face, rousing him from his unconscious state. Slowly, he opened his eyes, his head throbbing with pain. He attempted to move his hands, but no matter how hard he tried, they remained bound to the bed. Frowning, he lowered his head to inspect the restraints.

"What the fuck? Why are my hands tied to the bed? Where am I? Why am I here? Why am I tied up?" Kael's confusion was evident; he had no idea what was happening.

Turning his head from side to side, he exclaimed, "Wait, why am I in the operation theatre?" He began to struggle, using the last of his energy, but the restraints held firm, refusing to yield.

His struggles echoed through the empty room, but when he heard the door open, he ceased his efforts and focused on the entrance.

A middle-aged man entered the room, his gaze meeting Kael's. "Oh, you're awake, little bro. I just tested your blood. You don't have any virus, but you're immune to radiation and possess inhuman strength and agility. How is that possible? Are you one of the test subjects that escaped from the Mutagenic laboratory?"

"Muta what? Who the hell are you, bastard? Release me immediately if you don't want to face severe consequences!" Kael's anger boiled over as he shouted his demand.

"Hai... leave it... I don't really care. It doesn't matter if you're a test subject of a Mutagenic laboratory or not. All I care about are the details of your body—what your body is made up of, where your inhuman strength and abilities come from," the middle-aged man said as he reached out to gently caress Kael's body.

"Why do I feel like centipedes and scorpions are crawling on my body?" Kael asked, annoyance evident on his face.

"Haha, little bro, the more you act like this, the more excited I become," the man chuckled. He placed the bag he was carrying on the surgical table and began to remove various pieces of equipment, placing them on the tray. Then, he reached for the knife.

"You son of a bitch! This is my last warning. If I get any angrier than I am now, you can't imagine how miserable your life will be!" Kael shouted angrily.

"Little bro, so what if you're angry? You can only talk but not bite in your current situation," the man replied, moving the knife in his hand.

"Fuck you! System, add 3 points to strength!" Kael shouted anxiously.

"[3 points added to strength... 150 points deducted in return]," the system responded.

"Ahh..." Kael screamed in pain, concentrating all his strength into his arms. He tore away the metal holders, stepped out of the bed, and stood on his feet.

"Oh, I thought I calculated your strength perfectly. You've surprised me again. Now, I really want to know what's inside your body," the man said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"I've heard about plenty of mad people in my life, but you're the first one I've met. It seems like you folks living in this apocalyptic world have a few screws loose in your heads. At least tighten them carefully in your next life," Kael said, a sword appearing in his hand as he moved with lightning speed.

Swoosh...

He thought he had slashed the middle-aged man, but no blood spilled from his body.

"Afterimage? Variant? System, what kind of creature is he?" Kael questioned.

[Host, he is a mutant at level 2 and close to evolving into level 3.]

"Shit, this bastard is a level 2 mutant," Kael muttered, frustration evident on his face.

"Oh, little bro, you know about mutants?" the middle-aged man asked, surprise flickering across his face.

"Hmph, I even have a mutant girlfriend. She's way... way... stronger than you are. She could pinch you to death," Kael said, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, then I'll have to keep you here forever. I can't let you get away, especially if you're going to bring your mutant girlfriend to kill me, right?" the middle-aged man replied, a sadistic smile spreading across his face.