Boundary

"Whether it's an Anomaly is still under investigation," Yang Qi said. "Only after we find the Anomalization Virus's meme within these wild wolves can we confirm it has become a new Anomaly."

"Are all you academics crazy?! Why are you still so rigorous at a time like this?!" 0401 leaned back desperately. "Is there any way to shake this guy off?"

"My accelerator is already floored!" Yang Qi said rapidly. "If I want to shake off this wolf, I'll probably have to flip the car!"

"I'll do it," Wang Xiyi said concisely. The next second, she had already rolled down the rear window and, like a slippery loach, instantly slipped out of the side of the car.

Her tensed, muscular, long leg kicked out, hitting the wild wolf's jaw precisely!

Sun Hang couldn't judge the power of this kick. In short, the wild wolf that Yang Qi couldn't shake off was sent flying nearly ten meters high. After spinning two and a half times in mid-air, it crashed heavily onto the ground.

"Holy crap, that's amazing!" 0401 looked at Wang Xiyi, who had returned to the car cabin, with a dazed gaze. "Is this the combat power of an Anomaly Hunter?!"

Sun Hang estimated that it was fortunate 0401 hadn't seen Wang Xiyi's beast form... otherwise, he probably wouldn't dare to sit in the same row as this "Humanoid Calamity" right now.

In terms of destructive power alone, Wang Xiyi in her beast form was likely stronger than most known Anomalies.

"Those wild wolves are still chasing us. Should we call for backup?" Sun Hang glanced at the rearview mirror. The wild wolves with blood-red eyes were still relentlessly pursuing them... more and more parts of their bodies were mutating, and their running speed was increasing.

Before Yang Qi could respond, the mutated wild wolves suddenly stopped. They squatted there, watching the SUV gradually drive away—as if an invisible barrier had stopped them.

"What's going on? Why aren't they chasing anymore?" 0401 asked, confused.

"Because we've driven out of that anomalous zone from sixty-five years ago," Sun Hang said, looking up. The bright moonlight shone through the sunroof into the car cabin.

Above the distant river valley, large trucks with their high beams on occasionally drove past on the modern overpass. The sound of tires frictioning against the asphalt was still clearly audible from kilometers away.

"We're out?" 0401 leaned over the back of the seat to look. "Did the Blood Moon disappear?"

"The Blood Moon didn't disappear; it's just that we could only see the Blood Moon within that anomalous zone," Yang Qi said, tapping a few things on the car's central control panel. "Alright, the information about the boundary point coordinates has been sent back... 'Night Fiend,' how are you feeling now?"

"I feel much better after coming out," Wang Xiyi also glanced at the normal moon in the sky. "I don't have that suffocating, irritable feeling anymore."

"So... do we have to turn back?" 0401 asked cautiously.

Yang Qi took a roll of wide tape from the armrest box and taped up a few leaky spots on the car window before starting the engine again. "Of course, we have to go back, but not the way we came."

The mutated wild wolves had disappeared from sight, but no one could guarantee they weren't lying in ambush, waiting for prey to deliver itself.

With Wang Xiyi's abilities, a one-on-one fight against a single wild wolf wasn't a problem, but if she were surrounded without using her beast form, she might struggle to hold her ground alone.

Moreover, those wild wolves were constantly mutating, becoming faster and stronger.

The SUV drove slowly along the boundary line of the anomalous zone, occasionally crossing the line, and then immediately turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction to pull the car out whenever the moon above turned into a Blood Moon—this reminded Sun Hang of a widely circulated meme.

The sea, waves, beach, and a seagull with its leg extended—Testing the limits on the edge of XX.jpg

"All units, pay attention, all units," Yang Qi shouted into the communication channel while driving. "There are multiple wolf packs in the operational area, possessing extremely strong aggression, numbering around fifty. Individual wolves within the packs show significant signs of mutation, preliminarily identified as an Anomalous mutation. If encountered, try to avoid combat. Prioritize personnel safety above all else."

"Have there been any reports of other teams being attacked?" Sun Hang asked.

"Not yet," Yang Qi shook her head. "It's like those wolves are solely focused on chasing us."

"They smell an infected person like sharks smell blood in the ocean," Wang Xiyi said. "My suggestion is to call for air support and deal with these beasts with heavy firepower before they mutate into troublesome Anomalies."

"I've already applied for it," Yang Qi nodded.

"Phew... hearing you say that puts my mind at ease," 0401 sighed in relief. "This perfectly validates an old saying: the source of all fear is insufficient firepower... Thinking about the large-caliber cannons on an attack helicopter gives me a sense of security."

"If you think that's safe, then you're still too young," Yang Qi let out a scoff. "Things like wild wolves, which you can see and touch, aren't really that scary. Even if they mutate under the influence of the Blood Moon, they at least remain in a form that's within our cognitive grasp... The truly terrifying things are those that are right in front of your eyes, yet you still cannot comprehend them."

"Unspeakable things, right? Feels like I've heard that concept somewhere before..." 0401 mumbled.

"It comes from Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos," Yang Qi said.

"That name... is he Western?"

"Yes, American."

"Are there Anomalies in the United States across the ocean too?" Sun Hang recalled that his knowledge of the continent across the ocean was extremely limited.

He only knew there was a large country called the United States, but all information related to it was blank. He didn't even know if that country still existed.

"More than just 'are there'... that place has long since become a 'fallen zone'," Yang Qi sighed. "Survivors fled to the Xiazhou Continent over a hundred years ago. Those left on the other side of the ocean are either dead or have already been assimilated into various Anomalies... The Xiazhou Federation is the last ember of human civilization."

As Yang Qi finished speaking, the sound of harsh braking echoed—a few shadowy figures appeared dozens of meters away, wandering erratically in the area not illuminated by the headlights.