Chapter 19

The other five people, including Chu Nan, were so horrified that they retreated step by step, quickly moving more than twenty meters away from the tree, not daring to look at what had happened to Yu Xiaotian and Gong Lin.

Chu Nan had a good impression of Yu Xiaotian; she was a lively and optimistic girl who loved to talk. No one could have imagined that after a night's sleep, she would suddenly turn into such a terrifying sight and die inexplicably.

Chu Nan, filled with fear, looked up at the ancient tree, which was said to have lived for many years and even had people die inside it. In his eyes, the ancient tree had become even more terrifying than a demon.

"Go, go, leave here immediately." Chu Nan almost whispered hoarsely.

The five people were completely awake, almost fleeing from the place.

Chu Nan ran frantically, his heart pounding like a drum, his face pale. He had a vague premonition of something, fearing that... the mutation had not only affected the people who died in the earthquake...

"Ah—"

Suddenly, Gan Yuanyue, who was running the slowest, let out a piercing scream.

The others turned around in shock and saw that an unknown shadow had appeared behind them. It stood up and pounced heavily on Gan Yuanyue, its blood-red mouth biting into her neck and tearing it off with a fierce pull. Gan Yuanyue's scream abruptly stopped, her neck broken, and her head rolled to one side.

The shadow then abandoned Gan Yuanyue and pounced on the nearest Yu Xiaohu.

"Can Er—" Chu Nan almost screamed.

The yellow dog Can Er, who had reappeared like a ghost at this moment, suddenly attacked from behind, biting through Gan Yuanyue's neck in one bite.

The blood splattered everywhere, and Gan Yuanyue probably didn't even realize what had killed her.

Can Er's speed had become even more terrifying. The two rows of teeth in its open mouth had evolved to be incredibly sharp, like a great white shark. One bite and a twist, like a steel saw, immediately left flesh and bones in a bloody mess.

Moreover, the yellow fur on its body had grown much longer in a short time, making its body appear much denser.

This external change was obvious, and both Chu Nan, Tang Sanli, and Yu Xiaohu noticed it.

This was already a terrifying beast.

Chilled to the bone, Yu Xiaohu let out a roar, swinging the sickle in his hand at the pouncing Can Er, but it was too late to dodge.

Can Er extended its front legs and struck with incredible force, knocking the sickle out of Yu Xiaohu's hand. Then, it extended its other front leg, revealing a terrifying claw that dug deep into Yu Xiaohu's chest, leaving several deep bloody gashes.

Yu Xiaohu screamed in agony as Can Er arched its body and pounced, sending both man and dog rolling away.

All this happened so quickly that Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping hadn't even reacted. Chu Nan let out a low growl, snatched the police baton from Tang Sanli's hand, and pounced.

But it was too late. Yu Xiaohu suddenly let out a piercing scream, which abruptly stopped. Chu Nan understood what had happened.

He turned on the switch on the police baton, his brain's gene center heating up, the primal force inside boiling, adrenaline surging, his heart pounding fiercely, blood flowing faster, breathing quickening, and all organs working together to produce a large amount of energy to support Chu Nan's superhuman actions.

His muscle fibers tightened, allowing him to exert even greater strength.

All his functions were improving; his muscle strength, speed, and agility were all increasing.

His pounce was twice as fast as an ordinary person's.

Can Er, who had just bitten off most of Yu Xiaohu's neck, raised its head, its dim, dark eyes locking onto the pouncing Chu Nan, a trace of venomousness flashing in its depths.

Yu Xiaohu's body was still twitching slightly on the ground, his neck almost sawed off by a terrifying steel saw. Although he hadn't died instantly, he was close to death.

"Damn it!"

Chu Nan roared. Can Er had appeared and killed multiple people, and he was truly enraged. Although Can Er had become more terrifying, Chu Nan wasn't afraid but angry. He was determined to kill it today.

He had lost the rebar in his hand, so he could only snatch the police baton from Tang Sanli to fight it.

Tang Sanli came to his senses, ran to the other side, and picked up the sickle that Can Er had knocked out of Yu Xiaohu's hand.

Chu Nan pounced fiercely, and Can Er seemed to sense something was wrong, retreating suddenly. Chu Nan's police baton swung through the air, and then Can Er took the opportunity to attack, standing up as if to bite Chu Nan's neck. Mid-pounce, it suddenly bent its body, aiming for Chu Nan's thigh, leaving him defenseless.

Can Er was becoming increasingly cunning and terrifying.

If it were the old Chu Nan, he wouldn't have reacted in time, and his leg would have been instantly sawed off by Can Er's teeth.

But the current Chu Nan, with his adrenaline surging, had all his functions temporarily enhanced, his speed doubling, and his agility and strength increasing by at least two to three times.

So, although Can Er's attack was cunning and terrifying, Chu Nan reacted instantly, pulling back the police baton and blocking Can Er's bite.

Can Er bit the police baton and tried to pull it out of Chu Nan's hand.

But then, it suddenly opened its mouth, its body trembling, and it let out a terrifying scream.

The police baton emitted a high-voltage direct current pulse, with a voltage of tens of thousands of volts, released instantly. Although the current was weak to ensure it wouldn't kill, it was enough to stun or paralyze an ordinary person.

Can Er, biting the police baton, was instantly electrocuted, its mouth wide open, its body trembling and shaking back, unable to react.

Clearly, its resistance to electric shock was much stronger than an ordinary person's, as its current physical functions were probably equivalent to several ordinary people.

Chu Nan didn't expect to stun Can Er with one shock. Taking advantage of its momentary paralysis, he pounced forward, using all his strength to kick Can Er's soft belly.

Dogs, like other canines, have a common characteristic: "copper head, tofu waist." The head is the hardest part of these animals, which Chu Nan, as a veterinarian, knew well.

So, when attacking the mutated creatures, Chu Nan targeted their brains. But this strategy wouldn't work on Can Er.

For a canine like Can Er, the weakness was in the belly.

This kick, with all his strength, sent Can Er flying.

The recoil almost made Chu Nan's leg feel like it was about to break, but he ignored it and pounced again, this time swinging the police baton at Can Er's nose.

The nose is the only weak point on a dog's head and a critical vulnerability.

This time, Chu Nan was determined to kill Can Er.

This dog was so vicious that it couldn't be allowed to live any longer.

Can Er, kicked away, landed heavily on the ground, letting out a pained whine, but it quickly twisted and got up.

Chu Nan missed Can Er's vital point.

Despite being electrocuted and kicked in the belly, Can Er struggled to get up and darted into the nearby bushes, disappearing.

Can Er was seriously injured and had used its last strength to escape.

Chu Nan chased to the edge of the bushes, stopped, and heard no sound, indicating that Can Er had fled far away, out of reach.

Shaking his head slightly, Chu Nan let out a long sigh and collapsed on the ground, his body convulsing, the aftereffects of his exertion making him feel as if he were about to suffocate.

If this continued, the damage to Chu Nan's body would become increasingly severe.

But with no other choice, he had no way out.

Seeing Can Er escape, Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping, still in shock, slowly approached the fallen Chu Nan. They were filled with great fear of the elusive Can Er. If it escaped again, would it become even more terrifying the next time it appeared?

"Chu Nan..." Tang Sanli called softly, seeing Chu Nan's pale, convulsing face. He knew this was the aftereffect of Chu Nan's heroic performance.

Yu Xiaohu and Gan Yuanyue were dead, and in the darkness, Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping were filled with fear, tightly guarding Chu Nan, weapons in hand, fully alert.

Although Chu Nan looked in great pain, he could still perform heroically if real danger came.

So, they didn't dare to leave Chu Nan and flee alone.

Fortunately, Can Er was also severely injured and, although it managed to escape, it probably wouldn't appear again for a while.

The night was as deep as water, and Tang Sanli and Yin Yiping just stood guard by Chu Nan, their faces filled with fear, afraid that something might pounce out of the darkness and tear them apart.

The surrounding bushes and distant mountains seemed especially terrifying and lonely.

After a long time, Chu Nan finally let out a long sigh and slowly began to move again.

Tang Sanli breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "Chu Nan, how are you?" afraid that a loud voice might attract a terrifying monster.

"I'm fine." Chu Nan slowly sat up, the suffocating pain from before having passed, but he still felt weak and sore, especially from the kick to Can Er, which had strained his muscles. Even a slight movement caused a tearing pain.

"Stimulating adrenaline can give great strength, but it's best not to use it unless absolutely necessary." Chu Nan smiled bitterly, unwilling to use this power casually unless in dire straits, as the aftereffects were like death.