Su Zhan stared intently toward the main entrance.
Xu Hao's half-face flickered in and out of view through the door crack as he slowly sniffed the air.
He smelled blood.
Don't come over...
Su Zhan held his breath while his muscle fibers autonomously contracted to stop the bleeding.
But his healing ability consumed bodily energy.
Right now, his bodily energy had already been depleted by over ninety percent during the fight with the two Aberrants.
So his recovery speed was extremely slow.
They were approximately thirty meters apart.
Covered by the barricade.
At this moment, neither could see the other.
Xu Hao scanned the area before slowly pushing his entire head through.
He first tested the ground with his toes, confirming no obstacles before gradually shifting his weight forward.
Moving with extreme caution at centimeter-level increments.
He had heard intense fighting just moments ago.
But now it was too quiet.
Unnaturally quiet.
Xu Hao could now see the entire banquet hall's condition.
Blood on objects, metal frames violently twisted out of shape, the floor littered with debris.
All these traces pointed to one fact.
Something had just engaged in life-or-death combat here.
And it might still be alive.
But where did it go?
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Xu Hao's temple.
If he were at his peak, he would definitely use his teleportation ability to investigate.
But his current stamina was insufficient.
Although the other party seemed to have gone through a major battle, what if they still had reserves?
He didn't dare gamble.
Yet intense curiosity still drove him forward.
Su Zhan caught the faint sound of that sweat drop hitting the floor.
Water droplets falling.
Was the other party afraid?
His tail silently arched, ready to spring into lethal action at any moment.
Yet it froze again the next instant.
He didn't know who was on the other side.
But it was likely one of his teammates.
Su Zhan didn't know what to do—he couldn't bring himself to kill his own teammate.
But he also couldn't reveal his identity, even by reverting from his Aberrant form.
How would he explain the two Aberrants—the clown mask and the Hulk mask?
The wounds on their bodies clearly weren't caused by his Time Abyss Pupil.
Moreover, having participated in the exchange with Starlight Academy, his spiritual energy was exhausted. Even with healing medicine, he couldn't have killed these two Aberrants.
This made even less sense.
On the other side.
Xu Hao's toes advanced another five centimeters.
The bloodstains were still fresh—the battle had ended less than three minutes ago.
That thing must still be nearby!
He continued his slow advance.
The smell of blood grew increasingly strong.
Moments later.
Xu Hao's pupils suddenly constricted.
Blood was slowly flowing out from beneath the buffet area.
Whose blood was this?
The hunter's or the prey's?
He couldn't distinguish, couldn't be certain.
Su Zhan's body tensed.
If they got any closer, if it was an Aberrant, he could only run.
If it was a teammate, he would drive them away, scare them off.
After all, his teammates were in poor condition and wouldn't dare attack recklessly.
Both had different thoughts, but both were equally tense.
The unknown was most terrifying.
Only a row of collapsed serving stations and shattered tableware separated them.
Xu Hao stopped moving. Just a few steps forward, or a jump, and he could see everything on the other side.
But correspondingly, the perspective worked both ways.
What he could see of the other side, the other side could naturally see him.
The banquet hall's air seemed to solidify.
Both paused their movements, muscles coiling with potential energy, preparing to confront the unknown other.
Suddenly.
Xu Hao's eyes focused.
He noticed a dark scale half-buried among the broken tableware.
A recent memory instantly flooded his mind.
This scale looked extremely similar to that of the Aberrant wearing the Ultraman helmet who had saved him.
During that desperate Mist incident, it was the owner of this scale who had taken a fatal blow for him.
Xu Hao slowly retreated half a step.
If it really was him.
Then wasn't this... repaying kindness with hostility?
It was a perfect excuse—he already wanted to retreat, and now his resolve strengthened further.
Su Zhan listened carefully.
He heard the sound of the other party retreating footsteps.
Why were they withdrawing?
Were they afraid?
Outside the barricade.
Xu Hao slowly retreated, his gaze locked on that dark scale.
One step, two steps...
His heels gradually turned toward the exit.
He left the banquet hall.
Su Zhan carefully peeked out, ears straining until he confirmed the other party had completely left.
"Huu—"
He exhaled the breath he'd been holding for so long.
His tense muscles relaxed.
They left. Fortunately.
The banquet hall returned to dead silence.
Su Zhan looked toward where Xu Hao had departed and slowly pushed himself up, his entire body screaming with pain.
Too severely injured.
He looked around.
The banquet hall was in complete disarray.
Someone had already detected his presence—he had to leave this place.
Su Zhan dragged his broken body forward unsteadily.
But it seemed fate was smiling upon him.
He encountered no obstacles along the way.
Or rather, he didn't encounter any living beings at all.
He moved unobstructed to the next level, entering a bathroom stall.
The bathroom's location was relatively remote.
Perfect for hiding.
Su Zhan sat on the toilet lid, the muscles beneath his scales beginning to slowly writhe.
Healing required time.
Outside, the Mist continued to churn.
But the current silence became his best cover.
Su Zhan closed his eyes, letting his Aberrant instincts take over the repair process.
Three hours.
He needed at least three hours.
His breathing gradually steadied.
In this secluded corner.
The severely wounded hunter temporarily sheathed his fangs, slowly licking his wounds.
Su Zhan's vertical pupils flickered in the darkness like candles in the wind.
As time passed.
His eyelids grew heavier, as if weighed down by massive boulders.
Can't sleep!
He dug his claws into the wound on his thigh, using sharp pain to fight against the overwhelming drowsiness.
In such a dangerous environment.
Closing his eyes now meant suicide.
Faint crawling sounds came from outside.
Su Zhan's body tensed immediately.
Damn, his luck couldn't be this bad, could it?
Fortunately, he was overthinking it.
The sounds gradually faded into the distance.
Su Zhan relaxed slightly but immediately pinched his wound to maintain alertness.
Three hours passed slowly.
But Su Zhan endured.
His injuries had mostly healed now, though his internal energy remained low.
But for Su Zhan, it was enough.
He pushed open the stall door—the corridor remained silent.
Only occasional distant screams reminded him the crisis hadn't ended.
Need to hurry.
Su Zhan reached the stairwell where the Hulk mask's body still lay.
He checked the body temperature with his hand.
Completely cold.
Already ice cold.
Su Zhan grabbed the remaining meat tendrils and dragged the heavy corpse toward the banquet hall.
Heavy, but manageable.
The Hulk mask's massive body left a blood trail along the corridor, painting everything crimson in its path.
Finally reaching the banquet hall.
Su Zhan dragged the body to the shattered window.
He glanced at the clown mask's body nearby.
Might as well dispose of both together.