As they searched in groups, the commotion from the city lord's mansion grew louder, leading them there. The chaotic scene unfolded with panicked civilians, stampedes, and some trying to seize weapons from the guards.

Raising his gun, Long Gan fired a few shots into the air, shouting, "Calm down! Stay calm!"

"Long, it's no use. Those creatures are surely inside the mansion, and we can't get in!" one of the soldiers exclaimed.

"Fool! If we can't go through the front, we scale the walls. If that fails, we'll blast our way in," Long Gan snapped, fully aware of the potential danger inside. He quickly instructed his team to call for reinforcements, "Summon the top fighters from every faction and the military. Also, get the city defense team here to restore order!"

"Long Gan!" Lin Zihua, leading a group, arrived. While they were initially unwilling to intervene in the city's matters, the news of the rampaging monsters changed their stance.

Noticing Long Gan's squad mixed with military personnel, Lin Zihua felt uneasy but asked urgently, "What's the situation inside?"

"Three creatures from the lab have escaped. We took one down, but the other two are inside the mansion," Long Gan summarized.

"Three escaped?" Lin Zihua gasped, having seen their capabilities. Even their top-ranked officers had failed against them. Engaging them now seemed suicidal.

"Enough talk. Our priority is to save the people. We just need to hold out until Mr. Zhou and Mr. Shao return."

"Right, right." Lin Zihua nodded, hastily taking up a loudspeaker and firearms to disperse the crowd. Seeing uniformed personnel taking charge, the crowd began to calm and orderly evacuated from the city lord's mansion.

"Hey, why aren't you leaving?" The injured had been carried away, leaving only about a dozen young adults remaining on the scene.

"Captain Lin, let me stay and help. I've been training daily and feel much stronger now. If that creature emerges, I can assist. I've got a gun," said a young lad, patting the handgun on his waist.

The others echoed similar sentiments, believing in their own abilities. The situation earlier had been terrifying. If everyone fled, who knew how many would die?

Long Qian frowned and scolded, "Stop this nonsense! None of you even have a basic warrior's certification. We can barely stand against that creature for long. Instead of causing chaos here, you'd be better off at home, taking care of your families. Who knows if more threats might emerge from the laboratory?"

His words sent a shiver down their spines. Indeed, what if other threats endangered their families?

A few left, but those who remained claimed they had no families to protect. Neither Long Qian nor Lin Zihua pressed them further. While the exterior was clear, people continued to flee from within the mansion.

Lin Zihua instructed his subordinates, "Stand guard at the entrance. If that thing comes out, shoot. If you can't overpower it, run. Understand?"

The men nodded nervously, then inquired, "Captain, what about you?"

Lin Zihua glanced at Long Qian and proposed, "Shall we go in together?"

Long Qian didn't object, suggesting that others remain outside. With the unknown situation inside, more manpower might not be beneficial.

Several vehicles approached, and Long Qian's eyes lit up, hoping it was Zhou You and his team returning. Instead, two major generals from the military district arrived – which was still good news, considering their superior combat abilities.

Without exchanging words, the two generals entered the mansion. The duo followed suit, discovering the situation inside far worse than outside. Bodies were everywhere; while some fell victim to the creature, many tragically died from stampedes and friendly fire.

Ren Zhiyuan was in Chen Jingzhou's soundproof office, which ironically meant he was the last to learn about the monster's invasion. When he finally emerged, he came face to face with the eerie, pale creature.

Seeing the experimental subject up close was even more terrifying. Not an inch of its skin was intact. Scales, identical to those of snakes, adorned its limbs and cheeks. Its eyes, too, were serpentine, void of any human recognition or cognition.

Ren Zhiyuan now believed Jiang Shun's claims. Success had been achieved, but this was not the outcome he had envisioned. He wanted obedient soldiers, not mutated beings that consumed human hosts.

Cheng Ziang sneered from behind, "Are you satisfied now, Commander?"

Taking a step back, Ren Zhiyuan retorted, "Had you not conspired with outsiders to break the lab's door, they would still be contained, and this disaster would not have occurred."

"Ha! So it's my fault now! Even if they stayed in the lab, could you guarantee their containment forever? Were you willing to destroy them? And think about the many failed experiments. How many lives were sacrificed to create these monstrosities? Such genius!"

"Enough with the sarcastic remarks. I doubt I can even match this being. If you want to flee, do it now." Ren Zhiyuan hadn't engaged in combat for a while. Though skilled, practical experience mattered. Yet, he believed whatever emerged from the lab would surely be inferior to him.

His weapon of choice was a pair of curved blades. As they clashed, Ren Zhiyuan's blade left a red mark on the creature's chest, while a palm imprint was seared onto his back.

Ren Zhiyuan's lieutenant rushed to assist, but was quickly overwhelmed, sustaining injuries that ominously began to turn black – clear signs of poisoning.

"Commander, be careful! It's venomous."

Ren Zhiyuan had discerned this earlier, but evading injury against such a formidable opponent seemed nearly impossible.

Cheng Ziang administered an antidote pill to the lieutenant, dragging him into the office, then dialed Cheng Suyan's number.

The call connected quickly. Cheng Yuran asked, "What happened? Have Zhouyou and the others returned?"