Chapter Twenty-One: Beasts (Part 1)

"Bloodstains, but they look a bit old."

Ling Ying squatted down to observe the faint crimson line on the road. After a moment, she stood up and glanced back at the shed whose door had been re-latched.

"About the same age as those corpses."

"How could this happen..."

Orianna covered her mouth, her expression one of disbelief.

"What could they have possibly gone through?"

"That's a question for her."

Ling Ying turned her head and looked at Bertha, who was standing beside her with a pale face. The little girl was silent, following behind Orianna as if she had lost her soul, her steps faltering. Suddenly, she trembled as if struck by lightning, shouting something as she ran towards the other side of the street.

"Pike!"

Ling Ying heard Bertha call out the name. She quickly followed Bertha, and the group passed through a messy, disordered alley. They stopped in front of a single-story shed made of sheet metal. A clear drag mark, stained with blood, was visible at the entrance of the shed, catching everyone's eye.

"Pike!"

Bertha cried out hoarsely, then her legs gave out, and she was about to fall. Fortunately, Ling Ying was quick and caught her. At the same time, she glanced at Viktor, who had caught up behind them. Viktor immediately understood, stepped forward, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door of the shed.

"Creak!"

The rusty iron door let out a grating sound. The headlights on Viktor's armor easily illuminated the narrow, damp shed. He scanned the interior and saw a little girl huddled in a corner, her head buried deep in her knees, her shoulders trembling intermittently. She was clearly alive. Viktor dimmed his headlights and made a safety gesture to the group outside. Little Bertha rushed in first, followed by Orianna and Jayce. Ling Ying remained outside, keeping watch over the silent street.

"Pike?"

Bertha looked at the crying girl, paused for a moment, then rushed forward and hugged the girl, whose body was even thinner than her own.

"That's great! Pike, you're okay! That's great..."

"Sister?"

Feeling someone hugging her, the little girl slowly raised her head. A faint glimmer finally appeared in her red and swollen eyes.

"Sister, you're back..."

"Yes, sister's back. And I brought some very capable people with me. Don't cry, sister will protect Pike..."

Little Bertha patted her sister's back, then looked up with a hint of confusion.

"Where... did everyone go? Why are you alone?"

"Everyone..."

Bertha seemed to have touched a nerve, and fear flickered in Pike's eyes once more.

"No! Don't eat me... don't eat me..."

"No one's going to eat you, Pike, your sister is here, don't be afraid..."

Although Bertha was confused about the situation her sister described, she comforted her immediately.

"Everyone is dead..."

Pike sobbed, burying her face in her sister's shoulder.

"Everyone went mad... everyone... tore each other apart... they're all dead..."

Pike's words made Jayce and Viktor exchange a look, then frown slightly. Just as they were about to ask more, a harsh crashing sound suddenly came from outside.

"Clang!"

Brilliant sparks scattered. Ling Ying glanced at the claw marks clearly visible on her blade, then looked back at the colossal beast roaring at her. If she wasn't mistaken, it should be a giant wolf. But it was obvious that apart from its ferocious wolf head, this creature had little in common with wolves in the natural world. Its muscular body, several people tall, bulged with muscles, and its dark green fur stood on end like steel needles. Its wolf claws, wider than bear paws, were visibly dangerous. On its back, a metallic-sheened alchemical pump and colorful alchemical potions instantly gave the giant wolf a cyberpunk vibe.

"Warwick..."

If she wasn't mistaken, the giant wolf before Ling Ying should be called Warwick. But she wondered why this Zaun Beast would appear here at this time. Logically, this Blood Hunter of Zaun...

"It's the blood..."

Ling Ying's delicate brows furrowed, then she suddenly understood.

She glanced at the bloodstains on the street. The thick smell of blood accumulated from everyone on the street must have been a lure for Warwick. As for the other reason...

"Sinner!"

Warwick let out a hoarse, unpleasant growl from his throat. Then, he powerfully pushed off with his two thick hind legs, leaping into the air. His pair of scythe-like claws smashed down fiercely. Ling Ying decisively summoned the black mist and vanished into it. The next second, she suddenly appeared behind Warwick. Her Doran's Blade flashed with cold light, slashing towards Warwick's unguarded back.

However, "unguarded" was merely Ling Ying's wishful thinking. Warwick turned around as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His massive body spun abruptly, and his thick, bushy wolf tail whipped through the air with accelerated force. Caught off guard, Ling Ying was hit squarely by the tail. It felt like being struck by a metal hammer. Losing her balance, she landed hastily and stumbled back several meters.

"Cecilia!"

Orianna's figure flashed out from a building. Ling Ying's heart tightened. As expected, Warwick, who had been facing her, was instantly drawn by the commotion caused by Orianna and turned to pounce at her.

Facing the sudden appearance of the giant wolf, Orianna was clearly startled and froze on the spot, unable to move. Seeing that Warwick's monstrous maw, filled with sharp teeth, was about to reach Orianna, a metallic figure charged out from the side, blocking in front of her.

Viktor unhesitatingly used his armored steel bracer to block Warwick's jaws. However, the arm guard didn't make the wolf break its teeth; instead, sparks flew as it bit down. The alloy steel plate of the bracer was about to be bitten through. Viktor was alarmed and desperately tried to break free. The force exerted by his opponent's massive wolf body was making even his crystal-powered armor struggle.

"Hey! Big guy!"

Just as Viktor was starting to lose his grip, Jayce's voice suddenly came from the side. Following the voice was a sapphire-blue projectile imbued with electrical energy. It whistled and shot straight towards Warwick's forehead. Viktor then remembered that this guy had brought his gear down to Zaun. If he remembered correctly, that thing was called the Shocking Fist.

"Awooo!"

Warwick let out a howl after taking a Kinetic Charge electromagnetic round. The jaws that had been clamped down loosened, and Viktor seized the opportunity to break free. He accelerated, putting two body lengths between himself and Warwick. The crystal Energy Array on his back suddenly lit up, and the power servos in his armored arm began to hum at high speed. Accompanied by a burst of pure white steam from his vents, Viktor unleashed a powerful punch that slammed into Warwick's jawbone. A crisp cracking sound echoed as the several-meter-tall Zaun Beast was sent flying straight up by this Rising Dragon Fist. Before it could hit the ground, Viktor clenched his fists, raising a pair of Steel Gauntlets high. After being fully accelerated by the Transmission Device, they slammed down onto Warwick's skull.

"BOOM!"

A deafening sound. Warwick was smashed into the ground without any resistance. His long-snouted, sharp-toothed head created a deep crater in the earth. The massive body twitched a few times before falling still. Viktor's armored punch had clearly packed a punch. Meanwhile, from the Energy Array on Viktor's back, a dull crystal ejected from its housing – a Drained Crystal, completely depleted of energy. This was naturally due to the armor's short-term overclocking burst.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Seeing that the beast was no longer moving, Jayce glanced back at Warwick with lingering fear as he slowly moved towards Ling Ying. His eyes were filled with astonishment. After all, the appearance of such a colossal beast in a civilized world was already quite shocking. Ling Ying was about to lower her longsword and explain something to everyone when her expression suddenly tensed, and she shouted sternly at Jayce.

"Don't come closer!"

Almost the instant her words fell, the Metal Syringe on Warwick's back, which had been still, sprang to life. A tube of gray Alchemical Potion was pumped into his body. The prone behemoth's scarlet eyes snapped open, and its sharp wolf claws swiped at Jayce in front of it without hesitation.

Suddenly, a swirl of black mist passed between the man and the wolf. The Shadow Guardian, wielding a long scythe, materialized from the mist. However, perhaps due to the hasty summoning, the partially formed guardian could only block Warwick's attack before dissipating. The silver-gray wolf claws, still imbued with formidable brute force, slammed towards Jayce.

"CRASH!"

Viktor clearly intended to block Warwick with his armor as he had before, but Warwick, now empowered by the Alchemical Potion, was no longer something the T-60, missing an energy crystal, could stop. He was sent flying directly backward, his multi-ton armor crashing heavily into a shed, destroying and collapsing the entire structure.

"Damn it!"

Ling Ying was furious. She couldn't hold back anymore. Void Flames erupted around her, swirling and expanding around her blade. A massive Flame Storm began to rise, but Ling Ying interrupted it herself just as it was about to unleash.

It was too close. If that Flame Storm went off, Orianna and the others might be caught in the blast. But an attack that wasn't powerful enough would hardly be able to repel Warwick. In an instant, Ling Ying found herself in a dilemma. Warwick, however, wouldn't wait. Seeing that the caught-off-guard Jayce was about to become a victim of his claws.

"Ha, at times like this, I'm the one you need!!"

"?"

A somewhat familiar voice suddenly flashed through her mind. Before Ling Ying could react, her entire body seemed to freeze.

She drooped her head. After a moment, she suddenly raised her head and swung her right hand forward forcefully. The Doran's Blade spun like a flying wheel, instantly covering several meters. A flash of cold light streaked across in front of Warwick. The next second, sharp wolf claws shot upwards, and mixed with a foul-smelling stench, gray-red blood gushed out. Warwick's massive body suddenly lost its balance, and he fell heavily to the side with a howl.

"Tch, beast."

Ling Ying licked her lips and slowly approached the fallen Warwick. A peculiar light flickered in her Eyes. Her original vertical pupils expanded outwards, forming a jagged ring. As if in response, purple cracks spread across her skin. Then, her arms began to twist and contort disturbingly as flesh peeled away, and soon, a pair of scaly Demon Claws emerged. Bright purple void energy coiled around the tips of the claws. Ling Ying slammed her claws together forcefully and then flashed a provocative smile at Warwick.

"It's not often I get to come out and play, so don't go getting knocked out too quickly, you!"