Chapter 92

"Damn, a mere dog has been chasing me for so long!" Fēng Bùjué felt extremely annoyed upon realizing this. Moreover, he had already activated his skill, and if he stopped now and fought in his normal state, the survival points he had burned for over half a minute would be wasted.

He quickly darted out, intending to use the shortest time and the fastest, most brutal attack to obliterate the hunting dog.

Fēng Bùjué slid sideways, holding the flashlight in his left hand and shining it forward, while his right hand tightly gripped the pipe wrench, ready to strike at any moment.

However, when the monster entered Fēng Bùjué's line of sight and was illuminated by the light, he was immediately shocked and inwardly grateful that he had already activated the Spirit Gathering Technique...

A series of rapid footsteps cut through the damp air, forming a thin mist, and a huge, terrifying black shadow emerged from the fog.

Its neck was proudly raised, its eyes almond-shaped, its head flat, and its ears erect. Its white and strong teeth were in a scissor-like bite. Its muscles were well-developed and compact, its neck slightly arched, gradually widening and merging with its body. Its back was short and sturdy, with sufficient width, and its thighs were long and broad, maintaining a well-balanced proportion between the front and rear parts of its body.

These were all characteristics of a well-trained, well-exercised, and high-quality breed. Of course, as a monster in the Thrilling Park, it was generated to scare and kill people, not to participate in the Westminster competition, so it had some features that normal dogs did not possess.

Its body was as black as coal, its eyes as bright as flames, and its size was unbelievably large; compared to it, a tiger would be no different from a cat.

Its mouth was open, revealing fangs, and drool dripped from between its teeth. Most shockingly, the fur on its head, neck, and lower part of its neck was shimmering, making it look very much like a legendary hellhound, except that this monster had only one head, not three.

"This thing must be the result of alchemy!" Fēng Bùjué exclaimed in dismay as the hunting dog pounced at him with large strides.

The monster could directly bite Fēng Bùjué's neck when it stood on its hind legs, so Fēng Bùjué did not dare to be careless and jumped backward with all his might, dodging the dog's pounce.

Fēng Bùjué jumped a considerable distance, even surprising himself. The enhancement from the Spirit Gathering Technique far exceeded his expectations. It was the first time he experienced such a significantly superior physical condition. This even made him a bit uncomfortable, such as the greatly improved dynamic vision that came with the increased speed and strength... as long as he focused, everything in front of him seemed to slow down, and he could clearly see a mosquito flying by, and he felt that he could precisely catch it with just two fingers.

At the end of the first part of "The Matrix," the awakened Neo seemed to have this feeling. When Smith attacked him for the last time, Neo easily deflected the attack and, with a puzzled look, changed from using both hands to one hand to block the attack. This was the normal reaction to a sudden increase in strength... a slight discomfort.

The hunting dog's attack did not stop. It howled and leaped in a high arc, similar to Fēng Bùjué's previous jump, pouncing at him again.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the jungle as Fēng Bùjué was knocked down by the monster, but he was not bitten because the "Mario's Pipe Wrench" in his hand was like a bone in the dog's mouth.

The hunting dog's bite was extremely strong, its teeth as hard as steel. It bit down on the iron pipe wrench with all its might, but it was unharmed, whereas a normal dog's teeth would have shattered.

At such close range, Fēng Bùjué could see more clearly that the dog's breed was indeterminate. Its head and fur resembled a Doberman, its body was like a Tibetan Mastiff, and its size was larger than a lioness. He increasingly suspected that this thing might be a hybrid creature.

Fēng Bùjué's strength was also considerable. He held the pipe wrench tightly with his right hand, keeping it between the dog's jaws, temporarily holding the monster at bay. With his left hand, he released the flashlight and took out the knife given to him by Zaroff from his backpack, stabbing it into the dog's soft belly.

Instantly, Fēng Bùjué was splattered with dog blood, but he knew the fight was not over. He could not stop attacking until the enemy was completely dead. Ignoring the blood on his face, he continued to apply force, slicing a straight line from the hunting dog's neck to its abdomen. The monster, after all, was still a dog, and once its most lethal weapon, its mouth, was suppressed, it was difficult for it to fight a human with more flexible joints and the ability to use weapons.

The hunting dog unleashed a surprising burst of strength before dying, leaving deep tooth marks on the pipe wrench, but its strength was not enough to destroy the equipment. The terrifying howl eventually turned into a whimper, and its blood and entrails drenched Fēng Bùjué. It then collapsed, lifeless.

Fēng Bùjué quickly pushed the massive body away, making it fall to the side. He was almost exhausted and feared being trapped under the dead dog's body.

After dealing with this ferocious... thing, which was probably a dog, Fēng Bùjué immediately deactivated the Spirit Gathering Technique. In less than three minutes, he had burned survival points at a rate of 2 per 5 seconds, and with his already low health before the fight, his survival points had dropped to 32. There were still over three hours until sunrise, and if this continued, he would be killed by another dog or another "leech incident" before Zaroff even had to act.

"Haa... haa..." Deactivating the skill, Fēng Bùjué lay on his back, panting heavily. The pain, fatigue, and discomfort washed over him like a tsunami. It seemed that the Spirit Gathering Technique had some after-effects, a kind of mental fatigue that could not be described by attributes or menu text.

However, Fēng Bùjué did not have time to rest. He needed to continue moving, each step toward the southeast taking him further from danger. The plan to trade space for time required him to gain space without wasting time.

After catching his breath, Fēng Bùjué picked up the flashlight, put away his weapons, and continued on his way.

He felt extremely uncomfortable, his body covered in the dog's blood, making his clothes stick to his skin. The humid environment and increasingly hot weather made him suffer.

However, Fēng Bùjué had a resilient quality, with excellent endurance that seemed almost terrifying to others. This quality was evident in many aspects, such as his ability to survive for long periods with minimal resources, his tolerance for being bullied on crowded buses, his calm demeanor after eating extremely bad food, and his ability to go a week without bathing or changing clothes.

In short, physical discomfort had little impact on Fēng Bùjué. A bit of dog blood and entrails was not enough to challenge his monk-like endurance.

If a female player had encountered this situation, she would likely have been unable to tolerate it. If she couldn't find water to clean herself within a short time, she might have logged out.

Speaking of female players, Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng and Cái Bù Pà's situation was also not optimistic.

They also encountered a hunting dog, similar to the one Fēng Bùjué faced. Fortunately, they were two people, and Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng was a player skilled in combat, so in terms of combat strength, he was definitely stronger than Fēng Bùjué without the Spirit Gathering Technique.

At the beginning of the fight, Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng rushed forward, using quick movements to engage the hunting dog with his sword. However, as time went on, he gradually fell into a disadvantage. He knew that if the monster pounced on him, it would bite his throat and end his life. Therefore, he could only engage in a guerrilla-style fight, trading his stamina for the monster's health.

After several exchanges, Cái Bù Pà, who had been standing back, realized that Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng might not be able to handle the monster alone. If he died, she would have to continue the game alone, which she did not want. Her title, "Hide and Seek," granted her a special active skill called "Count to Ten," which was best used with a teammate, so she tried to avoid being alone.

Therefore, Cái Bù Pà decided to temporarily abandon her "needing protection" act. She took out her weapon and quietly approached the hunting dog from behind...

Not far away, Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng's movement space was being continuously compressed by the hunting dog. He gradually backed up to a tree, losing his room to maneuver. He had already assessed his and the monster's combat strengths accurately... his speed was indeed about three times faster than the hunting dog, but that was all. The strength difference was significant, and he could not face it head-on.

Combat was like this; the mindset of the participants changed before and during the fight. Observing the opponent provided far less information than actually engaging in combat. The侥幸心理 that "how strong could the opponent be?" usually quickly dissipated once the fight started.

Stamina consumption did not wait, and the situation was not entirely under Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng's control. Now he faced a decision: to lose a lot of health and go all out for a relatively safe but brutal victory, or to continue this way until he found another solution.

Just as Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng was hesitating, a surprising scene unfolded.

The place where they were fighting was near a stone wall, with scattered trees around. The night sky was clear and beautiful, with stars shining brightly and the moon hanging high, casting a soft and hazy light over the area.

Under the moonlight, a small figure suddenly leaped high, drawing an arc and descending from behind the hunting dog. Both the monster and Yī Jiàn Qīng Chéng were stunned; the former because it sensed danger, and the latter because he was shocked by the sight.

Cái Bù Pà was holding a long-handled mace with both hands, swinging it down like a tiger descending from a mountain, directly at the monster.