Looking at the excitement on Feng Moxi’s face, Chaoyang narrowed his eyes.
“She probably knows them.”
With that thought in mind, he quietly wandered over, leaned forward, and was just about to peek around the corner.
Before he could, Feng Moxi grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.
She silently mouthed,
“If you want to watch the show, stay hidden.”
Chaoyang was exactly the type who loved stirring up trouble while watching the chaos unfold.
If he ruined her plans now, all her effort would be wasted.
Sure enough, he flashed a sly grin at her before obediently poking only half his head around the corner.
The moment he saw what was happening, his eyebrows rose with interest.
“I knew it.”
Following this little girl around really did make life entertaining.
Who would’ve thought animals could mutate too?
Even dogs could kill people now.
That Golden Retriever was definitely interesting.
If not now…
Then when?
Feng Moxi quietly clenched her fists.
With a subtle movement of her divine sense, the mutated Golden Retriever suddenly became violent.
It raised its head toward the sky, lifted its massive claws, and let out a thunderous howl.
“Awoooo!”
The surrounding monsters instinctively retreated in fear.
Even the people fighting it paused in confusion.
The Golden Retriever’s eyes had become blood-red.
Its sharp fangs gleamed as it abruptly abandoned everything else and lunged directly at Zhang Tao.
Although Zhang Tao retreated repeatedly, the mutated dog pursued relentlessly.
It completely ignored the attacks from Wan Wanxin and Yao Zichong, enduring every strike as it charged straight toward Zhang Tao.
“Damn it!”
“The dog’s gone crazy!”
“Stop it! Why is it only attacking me?”
Zhang Tao roared desperately.
“AAAH!”
His agonized scream echoed throughout the entire street.
The Golden Retriever’s jaws clamped down viciously on one of his arms.
A huge chunk of flesh was torn away, exposing blood-soaked white bone beneath.
Zhang Tao screamed in unbearable pain.
The commotion immediately caught the attention of Luo Yunxi and the others, who instinctively started running toward the noise.
Chaoyang quickly raised a finger to his lips.
“Shh.”
He waved them back.
“Don’t come over.”
Wan Wanxin and Yao Zichong were equally alarmed.
Among their group, Zhang Tao possessed the greatest physical strength and served as one of their main combat forces.
The two of them intensified their attacks.
But the Golden Retriever ignored everything.
It continued slashing and biting at Zhang Tao as though nothing else in the world existed.
Within moments…
His entire body was covered in wounds.
Meanwhile, Chaoyang couldn’t help glancing at Feng Moxi.
Her expressions changed one after another.
Excitement.
Cold indifference.
Satisfaction.
Relief.
Every emotion blended together across her face.
He was secretly astonished.
“Did this girl just develop multiple personalities?”
Feng Moxi’s face remained ice-cold.
Not enough.
Nowhere near enough.
Her will never wavered.
Finally, Zhang Tao abandoned all thoughts of fighting back and turned to flee for his life.
Unfortunately…
The mutated Golden Retriever was even faster.
It pounced again, knocking him violently to the ground.
Its jaws snapped shut around his shoulder.
Another miserable scream rang out.
Fresh blood sprayed everywhere.
Rolling frantically across the ground, Zhang Tao desperately tried to escape the dog’s relentless attacks.
The Golden Retriever remained completely focused on him.
Even after suffering more than a dozen sword wounds from Wan Wanxin and Yao Zichong, it refused to release its prey.
The sight left both of them horrified.
Soon, Zhang Tao’s body was covered in wounds of every size.
The deepest injury was the massive gash across his chest.
Blood had already pooled beneath him.
At last…
The Golden Retriever let out another triumphant howl.
With one savage bite, it tore Zhang Tao’s head clean off.
His agonized screams ended instantly.
The dog arched its back slightly before springing away in a single powerful leap.
As it disappeared into the distance, Feng Moxi had the strange feeling that it glanced back toward the corner where she and Chaoyang were hiding.
Whether it was only her imagination…
She couldn’t tell.
The overwhelming scent of fresh blood drove the surrounding monsters into an even greater frenzy.
They slammed wildly against the storefronts lining the street.
Wan Wanxin finally realized they couldn’t stay any longer.
Grinding her teeth, she shouted toward her companions.
“Retreat!”
Feng Moxi had no intention of meeting Wan Wanxin face-to-face just yet.
She immediately turned away from the scene, hurried over to Luo Yunxi, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the back of the buildings on the left.
Luo Yunxi blinked in surprise.
“What’s back there?”
“A mutated Golden Retriever.”
“If you can’t beat it, run.”
“It’s incredibly fast.”
“Understand?”
“A mutated… dog?”
“…Alright.”
Luo Yunxi nodded quickly.
She had never encountered a mutated dog before.
Ordinary mutated monsters were already dangerous enough.
If even Feng Moxi was avoiding it, then it had to be even more terrifying.
By then, He Ping’s group had also retreated to their position.
Their expressions were filled with fear.
The terrifying howls they had just heard had shaken every one of them.
After overhearing Feng Moxi’s warning, their expressions became even heavier.
Feng Moxi and Luo Yunxi immediately began clearing nearby monsters while deliberately searching the backs of unopened shops.
Whenever Chaoyang wasn’t paying attention, Feng Moxi swiftly collected supplies into her space.
The stores they had previously searched contained noticeably fewer goods.
Someone had clearly looted them already.
That only made Feng Moxi even less restrained.
As long as something was edible or useful, she stored away almost all of it.
Only when Chaoyang and the others caught up did she finally stop.
Chaoyang looked at the two girls carrying hiking backpacks nearly taller than themselves and laughed.
“You’ve looted quite a bit.”
“Need some help?”
“Thank you.”
Luo Yunxi immediately hugged her backpack protectively and shoved it behind herself.
Her reaction amused Chaoyang so much that he burst into laughter.
“It’s almost dark.”
“Heading back?”
“What about you?”
“I think this place isn’t bad.”
Even if monsters surrounded them, they could still retreat into the buildings behind.
Although most of the houses had been damaged, avoiding large monster hordes wasn’t especially difficult.
That was…
Unless mutated animals appeared.
Feng Moxi immediately thought of the Golden Retriever.
She silently shook her head.
Surely it wouldn’t return here tonight…
Right?
Night gradually fell.
Including He Ping’s group, everyone gritted their teeth and decided to stay.
Several groups gathered inside what appeared to be one of the sturdier general stores.
Meanwhile, Wan Wanxin’s group also remained nearby.
They seemed to have taken shelter somewhere in the narrow alley behind the buildings.
Although many monsters had already been eliminated from the streets, resting practically under the noses of the remaining ones left everyone tense and uneasy.
Wan Wanxin was equally frustrated.
Their team originally consisted of seven people.
Four of them were ordinary survivors.
Now, with Zhang Tao dead, they had lost their strongest fighter.
“Awoooo…”
“Woof! Woof! Arf! Arf!”
Suddenly…
A series of distant dog barks shattered the silence.
Everyone immediately became alert, staring nervously toward both the front and back doors.
Wan Wanxin’s heart skipped a beat.
Without hesitation, she led her companions deeper into the buildings beyond the alley, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the eerie sounds.
“Growl…”
“Woof! Woof!”
Countless different canine cries mixed together, creating an increasingly intense chorus.
Wan Yong and the others turned deathly pale.
Luo Yunxi opened her mouth as if she wanted to speak.
But seeing Feng Moxi’s vigilant expression, she wisely remained silent.
“Heh.”
“It sounds like they’re having a gang fight.”
Chaoyang remained as carefree as ever.
He pressed his ear against the door, listened for a moment, then casually joked,
“Sounds like quite a few of them.”
Feng Moxi’s expression grew increasingly serious.
Her divine sense quietly extended outside.
There she saw the mutated Golden Retriever from earlier.
It had gathered more than a dozen mutated stray dogs.
Together, they were locked in a savage battle against a massive horde of monsters.
The Golden Retriever’s fur stood completely on end.
One after another…
The monsters were knocked to the ground.