Chapter 86

While the platform ascended, the survivors had a brief conversation. Archie wasn’t happy about having to go on, but Frank quickly cut off his objections, stating they only needed to finish one more floor. He told Archie that constant whining wouldn’t accomplish anything. Isra stayed quiet, but the telling expression on her face indicated she sided with Archie.

Uninterested in their conversation, Jake paid little attention to their talking. What mattered to him was that they were nearing the final level of the tower-climbing challenge. After completing it, all he would need to do was defeat the boss on the rooftop. He probably wouldn’t even need their help to accomplish that.

Finally, the platform reached the tenth floor. Jake exited the elevator onto a corridor stretching in both directions. The three survivors followed him, clutching their weapons tightly. Rift gates began materializing all around them almost immediately. Despite their strained relationships, when the mutants appeared, the three survivors operated as a single, well-coordinated unit. They unleashed controlled bursts of rounds at the oncoming mutants, the bullets ripping through their bodies, eliminating the vile creatures long before they could close in on the group.

After repelling the initial wave, Jake and the survivors dashed into the inner sections of the floor in search of a large room to make their stand. As they knew from the previous encounters, each floor contained at least one spacious room suitable for their needs. Quickly locating one, they entered just as another wave began. Positioning themselves at the center of the room, they unleashed a barrage of fire on the mutants climbing out of the rift gates. They managed to eliminate some of them even before they fully emerged from the portals.

It didn’t take long for slashers to appear. After the loss of their companion to one of these creatures, they became wary of this mutant type. Despite their apprehension toward slashers, they managed to keep their composure, not succumbing to panic. The three of them quickly regrouped, directing their fire at one of the nearby slashers. They also used magic spells on walkers and leapers to slow down their advance while they were dealing with the slasher.

Seeing they had the situation under control, Jake sprinted to intercept another slasher attempting to flank the survivors. With a thought, he extended blades from his wrists. He preferred to use his claws in combat against weaker types of mutants such as walkers or leapers as well as against more formidable ones like shamblers or whippers. However, when dealing with slashers who wielded sword-like bony appendages, Jake extended blades from his wrists. While his claws were effective against many mutants, their shorter reach could put him at a great disadvantage when facing slashers.

The battle raged on for a few more minutes. This time, they managed to deal with all the slashers without suffering any casualties. After all of them were taken care of, Jake retracted his swords and continued to use his claws. Before long, the final wave on this floor began. Jake hoped that they would be able to handle it as smoothly as they had all the previous ones. Just as he was about to engage a group of walkers, he heard Isra yell to her companions to warn them about some kind of danger. Slashing his claws across the throats of the nearby ex-humans, he glanced over his shoulder to see what the commotion was about.

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Across the room, a new vertical rift was forming. It was much bigger than the regular ones. At first, Jake thought that a shambler or a whipper was going to step through it, but as soon as a colossal mutant figure began to emerge from the portal, he realized it was a new type he had never encountered before. Judging from the survivors’ reactions, they were equally caught off guard by this unfamiliar threat.

The mutant was huge. It boasted a massive frame covered in organic growth akin to that of shamblers and whippers, providing a robust protective layer. Half of the mutant’s head was concealed by the thick layer of organic growth as well. The head itself seemed disproportionately small in comparison to the bulk of its body. The most prominent part of the mutant was its belly. To say it was enormous would be an understatement.

The mutant finally fully emerged from the portal and began to walk toward the survivors, moving slowly and shuffling its feet. Its paunch was so huge it seemed surprising the mutant could even maintain balance as it moved. Now that the mutant was fully out of the portal, Jake could see that it appeared to have no weapons. Unlike other ex-humans, its mouth lacked razor-sharp teeth, and its hands had no claws. Short and chubby, its arms and legs seemed smaller than they should be. At first glance, the large but slow mutant seemed harmless because it was completely devoid of any visible weapons.

With a thought, Jake summoned its description.

Ex-Human Bloater – Level 15 (Elite)

Special abilities:

Acid Vomit – The mutant spews forth a torrent of corrosive liquid capable of eating through flesh and melting materials, causing severe damage to everything it touches.

Acid Explosion – When its belly sustains a critical amount of damage, the bloater blows up, sending waves of acidic liquid flying every which way.

It was the very first time Jake had encountered an elite mutant with two special abilities instead of just one. After reading the mutant’s description, he examined the bloater more closely, paying particular attention to its massive belly. Although its skin appeared thin, it resembled the elastic walls of replication pods, able to withstand some damage before tearing. The bloater’s belly was the only part of its body that wasn’t covered in the protective organic growth. The skin of its belly appeared somewhat transparent, allowing an eerie greenish light to seep through. While the monster’s paunch seemed to be the only unprotected spot on the boater’s body, from the mutant’s description, Jake knew it was best not to attack this particular part of its body to prevent the bloater from exploding and splashing acid everywhere.

Unlike Jake, the three survivors were unaware of this crucial piece of information. They couldn’t call up the bloater’s description with a mere thought like he could. In the middle of the fierce battle, they couldn’t risk taking out a PDA to analyze the mutant either. From experience, they knew the organic growth covering the mutant’s body was highly resistant to damage. It could be destroyed, but it required a significant amount of damage. Surrounded by walkers and leapers from all directions, they couldn’t afford to fire at the mutant for long. They had to deal with the new threat quickly so they could refocus their attention on the other targets.

Since the bloater’s head was small and partially protected by organic growth, they decided against wasting time and bullets trying to hit it. The large glowing belly of the mutant presented a much more tempting target. Mistaking the mutant’s protruding stomach for its vulnerable spot, the three survivors directed all their firepower at the bloater’s massive paunch.