Chapter 086: Breakthrough for All

“What’s happening?” Nearly thrown off her feet, Luo Fei quickly caught Su Xiaoke, who collapsed to the ground after withdrawing from her “brain overclocking” state, her voice full of shock. “Was that an earthquake?”

“No! That’s not it!” Drumstick and Willy, disheveled and supporting the injured Xia Youyou and Maya, scrambled back to the edge of the sinkhole, shouting, “Xiaobai! Over here, quickly! It’s going to collapse!”

The tide of plasma toads, which had been attacking with maddened ferocity, suddenly fell into chaos, panic overtaking them all. Bai Yuxi finally seized the opportunity to retreat. But just as she reached her companions, her legs gave out and she dropped to the ground, clutching her head and howling in agony.

Under the stunned gaze of the group, the entire sinkhole began to cave in from the opening at its base, concentric rings collapsing inward to reveal a gaping abyss, its depths unseen.

For a heartbeat, silence hung within the barrier, stunned by the abrupt change. Then, from the yawning maw, now expanded several times over, tens of thousands of plasma toads surged out in a frenzied torrent. The sudden sight so startled the group that they nearly dropped their weapons and gear.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

“Open the door! Open it now!”

But amidst the chaos, the horde of plasma toads—though flooding from the abyss—did not attack those gathered on the rim. Even those that strayed close, battered desperately by the group’s weapons, made no attempt to resist, instead scattering in terrified disarray.

“What’s going on?”

Dazed, no one knew what to make of it, only that the tremors beneath their feet were growing ever more violent. The toads spewed from the abyss not as if they were leaping out by their own power, but rather as if something within was forcibly ejecting them.

As more and more plasma toads poured into the sinkhole, they piled up in thick, overlapping layers around the circular rim. In such chaos, even if Bai Yuxi and the others wanted to open the barrier’s gateway, it was likely already too late.

To set up the two particle jammers, they needed a relatively flat platform. Yet with time and space running out, how could they possibly clear an area for the equipment’s supports?

On the brink of despair, a sudden, massive bolt of electricity shot from the depths of the sinkhole! A swath of plasma toads near the opening was instantly incinerated by the arcing discharge, their bodies charred black. The “Frog Spring” still erupting was reduced to ashes in the attack.

With the death of so many plasma toads, an extraordinary surge of energy particles exploded through the entire barrier. The roaring supernormal particle mist instantly engulfed the group, forcibly flooding into the bodies of Squad Seven’s members, sending their internal energy readings skyrocketing.

In the span of a breath, those who had been teetering on the edge of a breakthrough crossed their bottlenecks with a muffled groan, ascending to a new plane.

Willy, Jason, Maya, and Xia Youyou—all formerly F3 in combat level—were now uniformly elevated to F4. Among them:

- Willy, specialized in agility, saw his stats rise from “Agility 3.8 / Speed 2.2” to “Agility 4.3 / Speed 2.7.”
- Jason, focused on constitution, increased from “Constitution 3.9 / Endurance 3.6” to “Constitution 4.4 / Endurance 4.1.”
- Maya, excelling in speed, went from “Agility 3.5 / Speed 3.7” to “Agility 3.9 / Speed 4.3.”
- Xia Youyou, explosive type, improved from “Strength 2.5 / Burst 3.6” to “Strength 3.0 / Burst 4.1.”

Meanwhile, Drumstick and Luo Fei, already at F4, advanced to F5:

- Drumstick, with a focus on constitution, rose from “Constitution 4.5 / Endurance 4.2” to “Constitution 5.1 / Endurance 4.6.”
- Luo Fei, strength-oriented, increased from “Strength 4.2 / Burst 3.8” to “Strength 5.0 / Burst 4.0.”

All their primary attributes saw significant growth, and even their secondary stats were slightly enhanced. However, to stabilize these gains, they would need a long period of consolidation, digestion, and targeted training. Without effort, regression of their physical traits was not uncommon in the process of supernormal evolution.

As for Bai Yuxi, who absorbed eighty percent of the supernormal particles, her stats—already at “All Attributes: F7+”—barely shifted.

It was important to realize that the recent lightning strike had killed tens of thousands of plasma toads. While most were F1 third-generation spawns, there were also second-generation variants the size of bathtubs lurking in the horde—monsters as dangerous as F3-class threats. The later the plasma toads emerged, the higher their danger level seemed to be. The energy yield from so many mutant beasts dying at once was staggering.

That such a massive surge of supernormal particles failed to advance Bai Yuxi any further only highlighted the gulf between lower-class and higher-class supernormals.

The flood of particles swiftly healed the group’s injuries. Before they could recover from their shock and elation, helping each other to their feet, a thunderous, guttural croak shook the air.

A massive shadow burst from the depths, slamming into the pit wall and crushing countless plasma toads not quick enough to escape. Amidst the swirling dust, the group caught a glimpse of the shape—a gigantic mutant toad, easily three to five meters in length and width. Compared to their field vehicle, now teetering on the brink of collapse, the monster was hardly smaller.

Willy’s knees buckled and he collapsed, nearly crashing into the injured Xia Youyou and Maya behind him.

The monstrous toad was grotesquely bloated, its hide wrinkled like elephant skin and studded with fist-sized warty tumors. Its entire body bristled with short, thick bony spikes, and a fan-shaped crown of spikes above its brow gave it a particularly vicious appearance.

Worse still, a thick, spiral horn jutted from its forehead, and its gaping maw was lined with rows of triangular, serrated teeth like those of a shark.

What kind of creature was this?

Could an ordinary toad, infected by X-particles, evolve into such a mutant within a single year?

The group was utterly stunned, paralyzed in awe and terror, so much so that they forgot to activate the particle jammers and seize the chance to escape this dreadful sinkhole.