Chapter 29
The scene before them sent chills down their spines.
Without wasting a moment, the crew-cut man and the others immediately pulled out the gun cases from beneath the car seats. In a matter of minutes, their weapons were assembled and ready.
In the rush, Xu Qiang even tossed Wen Xin a gun.
Initially, they hadn’t planned on letting Wen Xin handle a weapon. After all, a gun in the hands of someone a veteran was a deadly tool, but in the hands of a novice, it would lead to friendly fire.
But right now, Xu Qiang didn’t have time to worry about that.
As he efficiently loaded his gun, he quickly instructed Wen Xin on how to release the safety catch.
In frustration, he couldn’t help but curse under his breath, “Aren’t zombies supposed to be mindless?”
These men were experienced and had a keen sense of danger. They weren’t foolish enough to believe that this many zombies had just happened to hide behind the houses, waiting for them.
This was clearly an ambush.
Wen Li added, “But who has the power to control zombies?”
Why would someone set a trap for them, and for what purpose?
More importantly, How had their location been leaked? The route they took was only discussed with their team members.
In that instant, a chill crept up the spines of those in the car who were in the know.
Wen Xin took a deep breath, gripping the gun tightly as he stared at the sea of zombies.
The crew-cut man positioned his gun at the car window. The zombies were already charging at them, barely three meters away.
He slammed on the gas pedal and shouted, “Hold on tight!” as he drove straight into the mass of zombies.
His decision was fixed—there was no turning back. Retreat meant death!
The off-road vehicle shot forward like an arrow, crashing into the zombies at the front. The impact sent them flying.
Loud thuds echoed as the vehicle barreled through, pushing zombies aside.
Throughout the ordeal, Xu Qiang and the others never stopped firing, sending waves of blood and gore splattering everywhere.
After relentless shooting and driving, they finally managed to break through the horde, creating a narrow escape route.
But before they could celebrate, the sight ahead doused their hopes like a bucket of ice-cold water.
More zombies. Behind the first wave, there were still more zombies.
An overwhelming number, filling the hills and the entire area!
This small town only had about 400 households, many of which were empty or housed only elderly residents.
Where on earth had this many zombies come from?
Seeing this, the crew-cut man and the others became even more certain that their location had been compromised, and someone was targeting them.
The crew-cut man glanced back at Wen Xin. Determination flashed in everyone’s eyes as they gritted their teeth and continued shooting.
No matter what dangers lay ahead, they had to make sure Wen Xin reached City A safely, to deliver him into Wen Jingfeng’s hands.
Even if it cost them their lives, they were willing to make that sacrifice.
The sheer number of zombies was unnerving, and even Wen Xin’s mutant companions sensed the gravity of the situation.
They could intervene, and although they hadn’t fully matured into their ultimate forms, they could still easily resolve the current crisis.
However, doing so would mean shedding their disguises and revealing their true forms, unleashing their full abilities.
That also meant exposing their identities in front of Wen Xin.
The canary and the others anxiously turned to Xiao Hei (the little black cat), hoping that it could once again exert its power and drive the zombies away.
But instead of acting, Xiao Hei arched its back and let out a hoarse growl.
“Xiao Hei?”
Wen Xin was the first to notice something was wrong with the little black cat. His attention immediately shifted away from the zombies outside.
He had just fired his first shot when a zombie nearly got to Wen Li, who had been too preoccupied with another group of zombies to react in time.
Standing right next to Wen Li, Wen Xin was splattered with zombie blood, the disgusting sensation making him feel nauseous.
But as soon as he saw Xiao Hei trembling and arching its back, Wen Xin forgot about his discomfort and hurriedly scooped it up. “What’s wrong with your body?”
“Grr…”
Xiao Hei squeezed its eyes shut before snapping them open.
From Wen Xin’s vantage point, he could clearly see its golden pupils briefly focus before they blurred again—a rapid and unsettling cycle.
Panic gripped Wen Xin’s heart. It seemed like Xiao Hei was trapped in some kind of trance.
…Trance?
Suddenly, a realization hit Wen Xin like a tidal wave.
He quickly turned his head to look at the little fox, which had been resting in the canary’s arms.
The little fox, which had fallen asleep half an hour ago, was now wide awake. Its once bright and innocent eyes were now scarlet, devoid of their usual purity.
Despite the chaos around them, with gunfire and roaring zombies, the little fox was solely focused on the black cat, its expression brimming with excitement and a hunger for battle.
It looked like a wild beast, eager to sink its teeth into a formidable foe.
Wen Xin was too shocked to speak.
Had the little fox used an illusion on the black cat?
Why?
Wen Xin wasn’t the only one who noticed the little fox’s strange behavior. The other mutants also sensed the powerful energy radiating from it.
This was the sign of an imminent evolution—it was only a step away from becoming a fully matured form.
But at the same time, the pressure it was unconsciously releasing was overwhelming the other mutants, like a predator marking its territory before a battle.
The green-scaled viper, an S-class mutant, reacted strongly and immediately tore through the pet carrier.
Then, everyone in the car heard the sound of heavy footsteps from outside.
The thudding was loud, as if ten people were marching in unison.
One unexpected event after another, time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Wen Xin saw Xu Qiang quickly open the car door on the other side, frantically pulling at his sleeve, and screaming for him to run.
He also saw Wen Li and the others, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared out the window, their faces filled with unspeakable despair.
And out of the corner of his eye, Wen Xin caught a glimpse of a massive, towering zombie—its giant hand reaching out, almost covering the entire window.
So, the massive hand and the huge footprints all came from this zombie.
Had it mutated further? Or evolved?
Wen Xin didn’t have time to think.
His heart pounded so hard it felt like it might stop. He still couldn’t understand why the little fox had attacked the little black one.
One clear thought dominated his mind: he had to ensure everyone’s safety.
This thought was so strong that in the next moment, Wen Xin summoned an incredible burst of strength and speed.
First, he shoved the wide-eyed Xu Qiang out through the escape door.
Then, in less than two breaths, he spread his arms and positioned his body to shield all of the mutants, covering them as best he could.
At that moment, the giant zombie’s hand had already grabbed their car.
This modified 2.4-ton off-road vehicle was like a small toy in the zombie’s grip. With a flick of its arm, it flung the car into the air.
The mutants, still protected beneath Wen Xin, barely had time to register what was happening before they felt the violent impact.
Under normal circumstances, such a jarring collision would have left them severely injured, if not unconscious.
But with Wen Xin’s soft body cushioning the blow, the mutants remained fully aware when the car finally came to a stop.
Even the canary, who had been feeling the worst, only briefly felt dizzy.
So, they were fully conscious when they saw a metal panel crush inward from the impact, pinning Wen Xin firmly against the seat.
“…Wen Xin?”
The canary smelled the strong scent of blood.
Trembling, its pale lips quivered as it struggled to push the metal panel with shaky hands.
It wouldn’t budge.
The panel had been wedged in too tightly, trapping Wen Xin beneath it.
As the canary tried to move it, more blood oozed from the place where Wen Xin’s body and the metal were fused. The sight nearly caused the canary to faint.
“Wen Xin!!”
That desperate cry snapped the other mutants out of their shock.
They all saw the blood on Wen Xin’s chest.
It was like a bolt of lightning striking their minds, and the green-scaled viper’s rationality snapped.
Its body, which had been disguised as a cat, rapidly expanded, and its hidden fangs extended menacingly.
Cold, hard scales covered its body once more, and with a surge of overwhelming strength, it pushed itself up, ripping the roof of the car apart.
The zombies outside instinctively cowered under the viper’s terrifying aura, even the giant zombie recoiling in fear.
But the green-scaled viper was oblivious to all of this.
Its fierce, slit pupils were locked on the blood on Wen Xin’s chest, and an indescribable terror froze it in place.
Why…
Why did I hesitate just now?
The massive serpent’s head lowered slowly, moving closer to the unconscious human.
Its movements were gentle, carrying a strange kind of submission. But inside, a storm was raging.
Why had it hesitated to reveal its true form?
Why was Wen Xin hurt again?
Why had it stood by and watched as Wen Xin got hurt?
Why, why, why?!
Just as the green-scaled viper was on the verge of losing its mind, a soft clicking sound came from beneath Wen Xin’s chest.
A clawed hand, covered in scales like a dinosaur’s, reached out, prying the metal away and freeing Wen Xin from its grip.
And then, a small black cat’s head popped out, shaking itself as if annoyed by the way its fur had gotten ruffled.
Seeing the green-scaled viper frozen in place, the black cat frowned. “What are you waiting for? Go deal with those zombies.”
“But Wen Xin—”
“He’s fine.”
Xiao Hei stretched out a paw, pulling aside Wen Xin’s torn clothing.
Things had gotten dangerous earlier, but Wen Xin had managed to shake it out of the fox’s illusion in time for it to block the collapsing car.
Xiao Hei carefully examined Wen Xin’s chest, then sighed in relief. “Most of the blood is mine. He has some scrapes, but we’ll need to disinfect those later.”
Even Xiao Hei couldn’t help feeling a little shaken.
If it had woken up a second later or moved just a little slower, the twisted metal would have pierced Wen Xin’s chest instead of just grazing him.
It shot a glance at the green-scaled viper, its eyes saying: You’re no good in a crisis.
The green-scaled viper opened its mouth, searching for an excuse. “I thought Wen Xin was… gone when he collapsed.”
“His head took a heavy hit. Besides, he wasn’t the only one knocked out.”
Xiao Hei pointed to the front seats where the crew-cut man and the others lay unconscious.
The only person who had escaped unharmed was Xu Qiang, whom Wen Xin had pushed out of the car.
Hearing the distant gunfire, the black cat reminded the green-scaled viper, “If you don’t go help soon, Wen Xin’s efforts to save that human will be in vain.”
Realizing what it needed to do, the green-scaled viper shook off its daze.
It turned to see the enraged purple squirrel already tearing through the zombie horde, and it hurried to join in.
But in its rush, the viper failed to notice the silent battle happening nearby.
The canary was pinned to the ground by the little fox’s claw, its throat pressed under sharp talons. As the oxygen drained from its body, pain filled its eyes. “Xiao Qi, what’s wrong with you?”
The little fox, despite causing the canary pain, had a similarly pained expression.
As though the canary’s cries had triggered something, a flicker of black appeared in the depths of the little fox’s blood-red eyes.
“I don’t want to… Jiujiu, I… I don’t want to!”
The little fox had never imagined that evolving into its fully matured form would be like this.
No one could see it, but a giant fox’s shadow loomed over it, pressing down on its head, forcing it to bare its fangs.
Hurry.
The giant fox coldly urged it on.
You’ve been waiting for this day, haven’t you? Don’t you want to evolve into your fully matured form?
The little fox resisted with all its might.
But it found its mouth still opening, its sharp teeth aiming at the canary. It whimpered in despair.
Of course, I want it! But why do I have to deceive Number One? Why do I have to eat Jiujiu?
The giant fox only looked at it with pity.
What the little fox didn’t know was that the force holding it down wasn’t just a simple illusion, but the violent nature of its mutant instincts.
Its domineering instincts made it attack the strongest, like the black cat.
And its greedy instincts made it want to devour the weaker ones, like the canary, turning them into its own energy.
The little fox struggled against its nature, but it was a futile battle.
Before it knew it, its teeth had already pierced the canary’s skin, the sweet taste of blood filling its mouth. It licked its lips, savoring the flavor.
The moment it realized it was enjoying the taste of the canary’s blood and preparing to bite down again, a wave of despair washed over it, nearly drowning it.
Stop… Please stop me…
Please, Jiujiu is in pain. I don’t want Jiujiu to die. I don’t want to eat…
Someone, please, save Jiujiu. Save us. Anyone, please stop me…
The little fox trembled violently as its mouth opened wider.
It knew that soon, it would experience an unparalleled pleasure.
It also knew that it was about to devour its best friend.
It cried, its tears falling as it prepared to bite down.
——Who will come and kill me?
Xiao Hei was already preparing to act.
Seeing the scene unfold, it understood that it’s knowledge of evolution was flawed all along.
Yes, evolving into fully matured forms made them stronger, but it also fully unleashed the cold-blooded, aggressive nature within them.
Xiao Hei’s gaze turned cold, like a blade dipped in ice.
It was no surprise, after all—the researchers had never implanted anything good in their bodies.
Seeing the little fox’s erratic state, Xiao Hei knew it needed to put an end to this quickly.
But before it could move, it heard a faint voice.
It sounded like someone was calling, “Xiao Qi.”
“Xiao Qi…”
This time, the voice was louder.
Xiao Hei froze, turning to look.
There, standing shakily, was the human who was supposed to be unconscious.
Somehow, after being knocked around in the air several times, Wen Xin had managed to regain consciousness.
Xiao Hei glanced at the other humans, who showed no signs of waking up.
In the blink of an eye, Wen Xin was already staggering toward them.
Xiao Hei, worried he might hurt himself again, rushed over to stop him.
But when it looked up, it was caught off guard.
Wen Xin’s eyes were unfocused—he hadn’t fully regained consciousness.
.
Wen Xin wasn’t fully awake.
The intense shaking had left his head throbbing painfully. It felt like he was floating in a cloud, his mind muddled and unfocused.
But just as he was about to pass out again, he vaguely heard the canary’s cries and the little fox’s sobs.
Wen Xin knew he had to stand up.
No matter how much pain he was in, no matter how terrible he felt, he had to get up and go to his companions, because they needed him.
“Xiao Qi…”
The little fox turned its blood-red eyes toward him.
Its tail swayed leisurely, as if it were showing off its dominance to the person it cherished.
But Wen Xin ignored its display of superiority and reached out, grabbing the little fox’s paw.
By all rights, Wen Xin shouldn’t have been able to pry open the paw of a nearly S-class mutant.
But he knew the ticklish spot on the little fox’s furry paw, and with a gentle scratch, the paw miraculously loosened.
The canary broke free from its restraints.
Clutching its bleeding neck, it gasped for breath, its heart pounding wildly in its chest.
Then it was pulled into Wen Xin’s embrace, where he gently patted its trembling back. “It’s okay now, Ah Jiu.”
Seeing this, the little fox narrowed its blood-red eyes, clearly displeased that its prey had been taken away.
But before it could react, the person who had just scolded it reached down and lifted the little fox into his arms.
“You shouldn’t bully Ah Jiu, Xiao Qi,” Wen Xin admonished.
As it considered whether or not to take a bite out of this meddling human, Wen Xin unexpectedly pulled its head down, hugging it tightly to his chest.
“And stop crying, Xiao Qi.”
Wen Xin gasped for breath, fighting against the dizziness in his head.
He looked into the little fox’s blood-red eyes, still wet with tears, and softly whispered, “No more crying…”
