Chapter 44: Hunting
Gravity pulled the long spear straight through the Mutant Dog’s body, its tip emerging from the back. But the Mutant Dog still opened its maw wide, lunging for Lin Fan’s head!
But he remained perfectly calm, waiting until the Mutant Dog fell within a certain range!
He thrust the short spear in his left hand forward, plunging it into the monster’s chest!
The Force of Sharpness erupted instantly!
Several gashes split open on the Mutant Dog’s chest, and foul blood gushed out!
[-299]!
[-299]!
[0/1000]!
The second Mutant Dog!
Killed!
After killing this second Mutant Dog, Lin Fan’s health increased to [245/335].
It was an increase of 15 points per kill!
That was a bit less than the 20 points from the Mutated Zombies, but the returns were still much higher than killing zombies!
The two Mutant Dogs dropped a long string of items, but Lin Fan didn’t have time to check them one by one.
He just quickly got to his feet and pulled his iron spear from the Mutant Dog’s body.
KRAK! KRAK! With a few loud cracks, the large Mutant Dog had bent the iron pole trapping it and squeezed out of the car wash!
As soon as the large Mutant Dog emerged, it saw the corpses of the other Mutant Dogs at Lin Fan’s feet. It froze for a moment, then suddenly opened its massive, flower-like maw at Lin Fan and let out a hoarse, furious roar!
Then it lowered its body and charged at Lin Fan without hesitation!
[2662/2694]!
Watching the Mutant Dog’s health bar grow larger in his vision, Lin Fan wasn’t the least bit flustered. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He glanced below his own health bar: five minutes of Swiftness remaining, six minutes of Hardening, and forty-five energy points left in his Sharpness Crystal...
"Now it’s just the two of us!"
He said, gripping the long and short iron spears in his hands, and charged toward the monster!
The moment man and beast met, the Mutant Dog’s maw snapped open, trying to take a bite out of Lin Fan!
The maw, as large as a washbasin, could almost swallow his entire upper body!
Lin Fan raised the long spear in his right hand, imbued it with the Force of Sharpness, and thrust it viciously at the chest below the creature’s maw!
[-76]
The spearhead was enveloped in the Force of Sharpness, but it struggled immensely against the strange, asphalt-like flesh!
The long spear only penetrated less than thirty centimeters before being stopped by bone, unable to advance another inch!
The Force of Sharpness erupted, splattering several bits of black sludge from the flesh of its chest!
The "bloody filth" fell to the ground, only to be immediately reabsorbed into its body!
The immense force of the Mutant Dog pushed against the spear, sending Lin Fan sliding backward!
"Damn it!"
The Force of Sharpness, which had been foolproof until now, had actually been thwarted so easily!
’What is up with this monster’s body!?’
Seizing the opportunity created by the blast from the Force of Sharpness, Lin Fan quickly leaped back, yanked out his long spear, and turned to run toward the parking lot!
He needed to create some distance first before figuring out a plan.
As he watched the strange, oily film flowing over the monster’s body, a bold idea suddenly popped into his head.
’Fire?’
’No, no, no!’
He immediately dismissed the idea that had just occurred to him.
’That’s way too reckless!’
Using a fire attack in a gas station wasn’t just reckless—it was a death wish.
Hearing the sounds of the Mutant Dog getting closer and closer behind him, Lin Fan’s mind raced. Boosted by the Swift Potion, his body’s balance and strength were being utilized to their full potential!
He weaved and leaped between the dozen or so cars in the parking lot, trying to buy some time to think of a countermeasure.
Even with its brute strength, the giant Mutant Dog couldn’t smash through several two-ton cars in a row. So, whenever it was about to catch up, Lin Fan would use his nimble movements to pull away again.
He was safe for now, but as time passed, the dozen or so cars in the lot were smashed into a chaotic mess by the Mutant Dog. A few had even been knocked to the edge of the lot and cleared out of the way!
Most importantly, if this kept up, Lin Fan’s potions would run out!
Without the effects of the potions, he could no longer play this game of hide-and-seek with the Mutant Dog with such ease!
’If fire won’t work, I’ll try water!’
"Fuck it! I’ll risk it!"
There was a pond right next to the gas station. It wasn’t large, but after the heavy rain a few days ago, it was much deeper than before.
Lin Fan made up his mind. Dragging this out wouldn’t do him any good anyway. He might as well take the gamble. If the mud at the bottom of the pond trapped it, he could escape even if he couldn’t kill it.
So, as he passed the wreckage of a car, he spun around and dashed toward the pond outside the gas station!
Seeing its prey finally running in a straight line again, the Mutant Dog dug its four claws into the ground and gave chase!
The distance between man and beast shrank, closer and closer!
When they were only fourteen or fifteen meters apart, the Mutant Dog behind Lin Fan leaped several meters into the air, pouncing on the cornered man who had reached the water’s edge!
Hearing the footsteps behind him suddenly vanish, Lin Fan knew instantly that the monster had launched itself into the air!
This was the moment he’d been waiting for!
He casually stuck the short spear in his left hand into the ground, gripped the long spear with both hands, and turned to face the monster!
He thrust the tip of the long spear at the mid-air Mutant Dog’s chest. Although it was blocked at a certain depth just like before, the impact was solid!
"AAAAAAH!"
Veins bulged on Lin Fan’s arms as he strained, his eyes wide with exertion!
"Up!"
Along with a furious roar, the five- to six-hundred-pound Mutant Dog never touched the ground. With all his might, he actually managed to lift it into the air!
The Mutant Dog was suspended in mid-air, its four claws flailing uselessly!
Lin Fan twisted backward, braced the long spear against his shoulder, and with a final exertion of brute force, hurled the Mutant Dog into the nearby pond!
SPLASH! Water sprayed several meters into the air!
It drenched Lin Fan, washing away the bloody filth covering his body!
But his arms were nearly numb with exhaustion. The four-centimeter-thick steel pipe had even bent slightly under the immense pressure!
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Standing on the bank, he gasped for breath. The chase with the Mutant Dog, followed by that massive throw, had used up almost all of his strength. If it weren’t for the potions still supporting him, Lin Fan would probably have collapsed by now...
Watching the water’s surface gradually calm, Lin Fan cautiously picked up his short spear and, holding both weapons, retreated step by step.
The health bar sank to the bottom of the pond, but he saw no decrease.
If it had been thrashing around in the water, Lin Fan would have felt a bit more at ease. The surface being so calm, however, made him extremely uneasy...
But his unease was immediately confirmed. A gradually growing bulge moved from the center of the pond toward the shore!
A massive monster made of mud, or rather, an oily sludge, emerged from the water!
The monster had completely lost its previous Mutant Dog form. It had become a swollen, constantly writhing mass of sludge, nearly two meters tall and wide!
"What the..."
He stared as the monster before him not only seemed unharmed but had actually grown larger...
If not for the numbers above its head remaining unchanged, Lin Fan would have doubted whether this was even the same Mutant Dog...
’This monster looks slower now... Maybe I should...’
Just as Lin Fan was about to make a run for it, the writhing monster suddenly stopped moving. Then, the entire sludge monster began to tremble violently.
Clumps of mud and oily filth slid off the sides of the monster’s "body."
As the monster’s form grew smaller and smaller, Lin Fan finally realized it was... disintegrating.