First clash

"Stay alert, everyone. This could be a Mutant Beast!"

Liu Feng's words hit like a depth charge, instantly putting everyone on edge.

"F-Feng, don't scare me. H-how could this be a Mutant Beast?"

"Fuck, this is my first time running into a Mutant Beast. I'm actually kind of excited!"

"Nothing ordinary could move that fast. So I think it's a Mutant Beast too."

"I don't care what kind of beast it is. It gave me a free haircut today, so I've got to repay it with a bullet!"

While the others were grumbling, Liu Feng caught sight of that dark shape again through the armored beetle's eyes.

"Ge, get down!"

Before he finished shouting, a dark shape sprang sideways toward them. Thanks to Liu Feng's warning, Uncle Ge dodged in advance. Other than a mouthful of dirt, he escaped without injury.

Bang, bang, bang!

Ma Hou raised his automatic rifle and furiously pulled the trigger. But the black Mutant Beast was simply too fast. All three shots missed.

"Fuck, it's just humiliating me!" Ma Hou seethed, but there was nothing he could do.

Seeing Ma Hou's expression, Liu Feng suddenly had an idea.

Judging by its speed, the Mutant Beast could easily have killed them all in an instant. Yet it hadn't. Instead, it attacked them one by one. That didn't seem like hunting. It seemed more like toying with them.

From what others had said, Mutant Beasts were powerful proof of evolution at work in nature. They might well replace humanity at the top of this planet's food chain.

But because so few people had actually seen a Mutant Beast, its abilities had been exaggerated to almost supernatural proportions.

No matter how powerful a Mutant Beast was, it was still, at its core, a creature of Earth. Like other creatures, it had its own inherent flaws.

In the Mutant Beast's eyes, the five members of Liu Feng's squad were already as good as caught. Toying with them a little longer wouldn't take much time. But it seemed to have overlooked something.

Humans stood at the top of the food chain not because they possessed uniquely superior abilities, but because they had evolved brains capable of thought.

Deception, lies, brutality, cunning.

When facing an enemy, these were the easiest ways to win.

And the Mutant Beast before Liu Feng seemed to have seriously underestimated humanity.

"Han Bing, come here. Stand back-to-back with me. We'll block the entrance."

"Ma Hou, hide first and keep your eyes peeled. Once you have a clear shot, don't hesitate. Just fire."

"Ge, Fatty, stand by to the side. Once Ma Hou lands a hit, it'll be your turn to shine!"

Liu Feng had barely finished explaining his plan when that familiar sound came again.

"Come on, then. Let me see what kind of monster you are!"

The moment he finished speaking, a black shape shot straight toward his face. Liu Feng abruptly raised his head, meeting its gaze.

Its dark eyes were like deep pools, their depths impossible to fathom. There was mockery in them, too.

In that fleeting instant, it raised its sharp claws high,

then viciously slashed at Liu Feng's face. Those sharp silver claws could easily slice through shrubs, let alone his head.

At that critical moment, a huge silver shield suddenly appeared before Liu Feng. The Mutant Beast apparently hadn't expected this turn of events either. By the time it tried to pull back its claws, it was already too late.

Clang!

After the deafening impact, a dent as deep as a fist appeared in the huge silver shield before Liu Feng. The ground was littered with the corpses of Iron-toothed Insects, a testament to the Mutant Beast's terrifying strength.

Bang, bang, bang!

The instant the Mutant Beast struck Liu Feng's huge silver shield, Ma Hou pulled the trigger. This time, he was determined to redeem himself.

His persistence paid off. With Liu Feng slowing the creature down, Ma Hou's attack finally found its mark. Several consecutive shots struck the Mutant Beast squarely.

As a mist of blood spread, the Mutant Beast let out an "Awoooo!"

and leaped into the air, fleeing north with a howl.

Listening to its howls fade into the distance, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's finally gone!"

"Nice work, Ma Hou! You actually managed to hit a Mutant Beast!"

"Heh, who do you think our mighty Hou is? Why, none other than Uncle Ge the Second!"

"Huh??? Why am I Ge the Second?"

"Don't be mad, Ma Hou. I'm just stating the facts. Feel your head. Doesn't it look a lot like Uncle Ge's?"

"Fatty, fuck you and your ancestors! Today, I'm going to make sure you find out what a bullet tastes like!"

Despite the bickering behind him, Liu Feng kept his brow furrowed as he looked north, where the Mutant Beast had fled.

During their clash, Liu Feng had gotten a clear look at the Mutant Beast.

It had a pair of amber eyes, with a golden slit concealed at the center of each. As it sprinted, the contours of its powerful muscles clearly revealed alternating stripes of deep black and pale brown across its body. It also had razor-sharp claws and fangs that sent a chill through him.

But it wasn't nearly as large as Liu Feng had imagined the night before. From what he had seen, it was no bigger than a motorcycle.

Just then, Han Bing walked slowly up to Liu Feng.

"Feng, doesn't that Mutant Beast look a bit like a giant tabby cat?"

Liu Feng chuckled and picked up the discarded axe from the ground.

"I don't care whether it's a giant cat or a Mutant Beast. Since we're already here, we'll just have to grit our teeth and keep going. Brothers, let's follow the direction it fled!"

"You got it, Feng!"

At Liu Feng's command, everyone got back to work. They were tired, but a Mutant Beast was a once-in-a-century find, and there was one up ahead. Better yet, it was already wounded.

If they could capture this Mutant Beast and bring it back to the residential compound's camp, they could trade it to another camp for at least two well-modified jeeps!

With those jeeps almost within reach, everyone gave it everything they had.

After the five of them cleared their way forward for nearly another hundred meters, the shrubs and grass ahead suddenly grew much sparser. They could even walk through without using axes to clear a path.

Once Han Bing had gathered and stowed all the tools, he followed Liu Feng north, step by step.

Pushing aside patch after patch of weeds, Liu Feng suddenly found his view opening up. A scene as beautiful as a secluded paradise unfolded before him.

"Holy shit, there really is a whole other world in here!"

(End of chapter)