Chapter Eighty-Four: Crimson Rain Descends, A New Terror

“No problem!”
The zombie monkey agreed without hesitation.
After all, its intelligence was akin to that of a child around twelve or thirteen, so as long as it could protect itself, it would comply with anything asked of it.
Because of the zombie monkey’s concession, Chen Yi and his companions saw their chances of victory greatly increase.
At that moment, Chen Yi felt something dampen his shoulder.
He looked up to find crimson rain beginning to fall from the sky.
This rain carried a pungent, bloody odor, but it wasn’t corrosive.
According to Chen Yi’s memories, this seemed rather abnormal.
“Everyone, find shelter!”
For the sake of safety, Chen Yi wasn’t willing to risk exposure to the downpour until he was sure things were stable.
Once everyone, including the zombie monkey, had withdrawn, Chen Yi observed the unpredictable clouds above, attempting to deduce the situation.
“Boss.”
Lu Kai sounded anxious.
“Are we just going to sit and wait for zombies to appear? Can’t we take the initiative?”
Hu Sanhan thumped the youngster on the head and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“You really are out of your mind. There’s no way we can act recklessly here—Boss must have his reasons for keeping us waiting.”
Just then, the crimson rain abruptly deepened in color, and the washed ground became riddled with pits and hollows.
The corrosive nature of the rain was clearly intensifying.
The Kunpeng hide, which had been chosen as the new base, was now vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
“Our base…”
Lu Kai lamented, but there was nothing to be done.
Chen Yi, however, smiled calmly.
“Who can say if loss isn’t fortune in disguise? Had we moved in earlier, we’d have been utterly destroyed. Isn’t that the truth?”
The group exchanged glances, suddenly realizing the sense in his words.
“Look, that professor’s coming out!”
Lu Kai gasped.
The professor’s face was now completely twisted under the corrosive rain.

Hu Sanhan nearly retched.
“Damn, what on earth is this bastard up to? Why react like this?”
Chen Yi was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.
“If I’m not mistaken, he’s purely trying to become a mutant. Every acid rain and zombie outbreak is his way of erasing the human elements from his body.”
“A lunatic!”
Everyone drew a sharp breath.
How could there be such a foolish wretch, causing harm through these methods?
Was there ever a day without trouble on this island?
Upon closer inspection, Chen Yi saw large patches of spots appearing on the professor’s body.
These spots were something Chen Yi hadn’t discovered in his previous life.
As the spots multiplied, the mad professor’s strength increased at a staggering, incalculable rate.
Watching the raging figure, Chu Yunxi drew closer to Chen Yi.
“What kind of mutant is he now?”
“Artificially created, but he’ll never surpass a true mutant.”
Chen Yi turned, calmly facing the others.
“He can survive this way, but it’s agony. If you don’t want to become mindless zombies, behave yourselves; otherwise, I won’t be able to protect you.”
“We’ll listen to you!”
Everyone’s gaze fell on Chen Yi.
“We’re willing to follow you wherever you lead!”
When the scarlet rain ceased, they finally emerged from the cave with Chen Yi.
The now fully mutated professor turned and gave them a fierce, sweeping glare.
His eyes, laced with crimson, sent chills down their spines.
Yet Chen Yi felt his abilities paled in comparison to true zombies, so he was unperturbed.
Hu Sanhan and the others, however, seemed worried.
“Boss, aren’t you even a little concerned about this? Isn’t it dangerous?”
Chen Yi waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s not as complicated as you think. His powers are only stripped from other zombies—if we deal with the other zombies, we deal with him too. So, do you really think his strength is beyond our control?”

Chen Yi’s words were a revelation, instantly clearing the tension from the group.
“That’s right, I almost got tricked by that kid. He’s just a little slick, daring to shout at us—let me teach him a lesson!”
“Don’t be impulsive!”
Chen Yi stopped Hu Sanhan, shaking his head.
“I did say his abilities are limited, but that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. Don’t be rash, and don’t jump at every rumor. We still need to observe.”
“See, I’m always the one who listens to the boss!”
Lu Kai wore a smug look, and Hu Sanhan smiled faintly. “Alright, you’re the clever one. I was just worried he’d make things worse, which got me worked up. Now, it seems the boss always thinks things through best.”
“Enough with the flattery.”
Chu Yunxi frowned. “Right now, the priority is to deal with those bullies—there’s more on this island than just us.”
“If we can find some oppressed survivors and ally with them, our strength can grow anew. But with this mutated professor, it’s hard to explore the other side of the island to see who else might be alive.”
“Let me do it.”
Chen Yi volunteered. “Someone needs to lure him away. I’ll handle the professor; you go check things out. Remember, don’t linger in battle—if you can’t handle an opponent, come find me. I’ll go head-to-head with him, so I won’t be able to pull back quickly. Your job now is to evade and hide.”
“Understood.”
Chu Yunxi gave him a gentle smile. “I’m not as inexperienced as before—I know my limits now.”
With everything arranged, Chen Yi swiftly brandished his blade, eyes locked on the mutant professor.
At that moment, mutated creatures began emerging from the sea.
“A ten-tentacled octopus?”
Lu Kai stared at the gigantic octopus, wide-eyed and speechless.
It was terrifying.
An eight-tentacled octopus was dangerous enough, but now a mutated ten-tentacled giant, its massive body writhing—if it caught them, there’d be no escape.
“There are more monsters over there!”
Chu Yunxi gasped.
On the right beach, seven-headed sharks prowled menacingly, drawing closer to Chen Yi and his group.
Around the giant octopus, a swarm of red zombies began surfacing from the water.
“Humans, prepare to bow before us!”