Chapter 5

This time, he had to cover a distance of several dozen miles to reach the top-tier hospital in the bustling city center. The dangers along the way were not to be underestimated. Besides being cautious of the decaying corpses, there were other sources of danger, such as virus-infected mutant rats. Although the initial rats were weak and not very lethal, the viruses they carried were highly concentrated. If there was any physical contact, infection was very likely.

There were also various pets that humans had kept, such as cats, dogs, pet snakes, and so on.

All creatures infected by the virus shared a common trait: no matter how docile they were before, they would become ferocious carnivores!

They would eat decaying corpses and humans alike!

In the future, decaying corpses were merely the primary targets for most evolved beings to hunt, while these mutant beasts could only be handled by those who had awakened.

Consider this: a regular dog's sense of smell is 40 times that of a human. If it evolved further, how much more lethal would it become?

For example, evolved snakes have infrared vision, allowing them to see prey from miles away, regardless of the terrain. No matter how you hide, it would be useless unless you have an electronic thermal shield. There are also rabbits with exaggerated jumping abilities, capable of leaping over any city wall, and bats with ultrasonic detection... the list goes on!

All mutant beasts were terrifying and difficult to deal with, especially those that lived in groups, which were essentially disasters. Even base cities protected by relic energy shields could not withstand the impact of a beast horde!

In the early stages, an unevolved body could be infected by a small mutant rat!

Lin Chao could only pray that his luck wouldn't be too bad.

...

The city map that Lin Chao had previously bought came in handy now. This two-yuan map was far more useful in the post-apocalyptic world than a handgun!

Based on the map, Lin Chao chose the shortest route and avoided some dangerous places, such as restaurants and high-end residential buildings.

The reason was simple: the garbage piled up in restaurants would surely attract mutant rats. If any survivor tried to get some food, they would only satisfy these little creatures' appetites. Fresh human flesh was always better than rotten decaying flesh.

High-end residential buildings were likely to have mutant dogs, so it was best to avoid them.

Lin Chao set out according to the route.

First, he avoided the decaying corpses on the street. He had pepper powder and other pungent odors on him, which, when mixed with the smell of decaying flesh, easily masked his own scent.

Sometimes, the sensitive sense of smell of decaying corpses became a weakness.

However, Lin Chao did not dare to be careless. If he got too close to the decaying corpses, they would detect him through the bio-electrical signals in their brains. So, if someone tried to disguise themselves as a decaying corpse to fool them, it would be futile and self-deceptive.

Did he expect these decaying corpses, which only had instinct, to distinguish between humans and their own kind by sight?

Lin Chao tried to stay out of the decaying corpses' detection range, which was about three meters. For safety, he kept at least five meters away from them!

Once within ten meters, the decaying corpses could vaguely see Lin Chao, but they didn't rely on sight. Even if they saw him, as long as they didn't smell the human scent, they would ignore him.

However, decaying corpses were attracted by sound, so Lin Chao had to minimize the noise he made. Their hearing was weakened, so the sound of his footsteps wouldn't attract their attention.

He bypassed one decaying corpse after another.

Sometimes, the groups of decaying corpses were too dense, so Lin Chao would pick up a stone and smash a distant window or car window to distract them. This strategy, even clever humans would fall for, let alone these decaying corpses with the intelligence of infants.

Seeing a large group of decaying corpses being lured away, Lin Chao tiptoed forward quickly. Occasionally, he would pass by crashed vehicles, where he could see the chaos inside, with white bones or decaying corpses trapped by seat belts. These decaying corpses, unable to untie the belts, couldn't use brute force either, as the belts had a 400KG pull strength, which they couldn't overcome, especially in that position.

Even a weak woman could kill them with a stick.

If not for the numerous decaying corpses on the street, killing them would have caused a lot of noise, and Lin Chao would have chosen to hunt these sitting ducks instead of wasting energy climbing residential buildings.

Now, sticking to the wall, Lin Chao did not avoid the vehicles that had crashed into the shops. The decaying corpses inside sensed that he was not one of them and growled, turning their grotesque heads and smashing the windows, ignoring the blood from the glass shards, and biting the air like demons.

Lin Chao remained calm, not even glancing at them, and quickly moved towards the end of the street.

At a dilapidated street corner, human limbs were scattered everywhere, mostly gnawed to the bone, with only a little flesh left. There were also people whose faces were unrecognizable, including ordinary young people, fashionable women, and neatly dressed middle-aged men, all lying on the cold street, their eyes wide open in death, filled with the last remnants of despair and fear.

The warm sunlight shone on the street, but there was no warmth, only bone-chilling cold.

Lin Chao stepped over a beautiful woman's head and continued forward. Suddenly, a low growl came from under a vehicle, and his leg was grabbed by a hand. The hand was full of brute strength, with fingers like steel bars, squeezing his ankle as if it would break.

Lin Chao's pupils dilated slightly. Looking down, he saw a decaying arm, followed by a grotesque head crawling out from under the vehicle, with disheveled hair, like a demon awakened from hell, opening its sharp mouth to bite his pant leg!

Lin Chao frowned, not expecting a decaying corpse under the vehicle. Judging from the body, it had several bite marks and dried blood, likely infected by a decaying corpse and hiding under the vehicle to survive, only to gradually become a decaying corpse itself.

He grabbed the iron rod and struck it down fiercely!

Bang!

The head, which had just lifted from the tire, was smashed to the ground before it could bite his leg.

Lin Chao swung the iron rod mercilessly, striking down again and again.

Bang, bang, bang...

After seven or eight strikes, although the decaying corpse was not afraid of pain and still tried to bite his leg, the head was smashed to the side and couldn't bite. Eventually, the head was crushed.

After dealing with the decaying corpse, Lin Chao breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the vehicle had pinned its body; otherwise, even if he had killed it, he would have been scratched.

"I was too careless. I need to be more cautious," Lin Chao warned himself.

He continued forward.

After navigating two streets without incident, Lin Chao stopped again. On this necessary street, there was a mutant dog!

Judging by the breed, it was a Husky, looking like a wolf, covered in blood, with no trace of cuteness, but rather like a real demon. It was feeding on a decaying corpse, gnawing on the internal organs, pulling out rotten intestines, and chewing them quickly.

The decaying corpse's head had been bitten off and lay on the ground, its mouth still opening and closing, not dead because the neural center in the brain was still intact. Even without a heart, it could survive, let alone a body.

Lin Chao was tense, silently praying that the mutant Husky would finish eating and leave.

His prayer seemed to work, as the mutant Husky stopped eating. Before Lin Chao could relax, it turned its head, its green eyes staring straight at his hiding place!

Oh no! Lin Chao's face changed, and he immediately gripped the iron rod without hesitation.

Run?

Could a human outrun a dog?

The mutant Husky growled, its voice filled with excitement, sensing that this prey's flesh was much more fragrant than the decaying corpse.

It lunged forward, covering a hundred meters in just a few seconds.

Before it even got close, the stench of decay and blood hit him.

Life and death were at stake!

The world seemed to go silent, but Lin Chao's heart was pounding, his blood boiling. This feeling of being so close to death did not make him panic; instead, it awakened the dormant bloodlust in his veins!

He had experienced this countless times in his 22 years.

Like the thrill-seekers of the old era who loved extreme sports, he enjoyed the peak of excitement and pleasure, though he was not as obsessed, he was never afraid!

If it was death, then let it be a fight!

His eyes were cold, and he took a step forward!

Kill!

He did not choose to dodge. His rich combat experience made him seize this one opportunity! Yes, this pounce was the easiest mistake for a canine to make!

Jumping meant no leverage! It meant an open target!

An ordinary person would be intimidated by its momentum and choose to dodge, like a truck coming at you, the overwhelming momentum alone would be enough to scare you.

Lin Chao had long forgotten how many years it had been since he had felt fear.

He slid to the side, gripping the iron rod tightly, his veins bulging, and struck the Husky's side with all his might!

Bang!

The mutant Husky's body was thrown against the wall. Lin Chao did not expect this one strike to cause much damage, as it was a blunt weapon. If he had a spear, he could have killed it with one thrust.

Lin Chao dropped the iron rod and pounced on it bare-handed.

The mutant Husky had not even fallen from the wall when Lin Chao grabbed its body. Although he knew it carried a strong virus, he had no other choice.

Gripping a dog leg, he slammed it to the ground!

Bang!

The mutant Husky's flesh was elastic and bounced slightly on impact. It let out a painful howl, not being a decaying corpse without pain.

This was just the beginning. Lin Chao, like a mad tyrant, lifted its body and slammed it down again!

Once, twice, three times!

Each time, the mutant Husky howled in pain. Although its strength and speed far exceeded Lin Chao's, its body was too small to use its strength effectively.

Bang, bang, bang!

Lin Chao didn't know how many times he slammed it, but the mutant Husky's howls gradually weakened, and it stopped struggling. The ground was splattered with blood.

...

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