Chapter 4

A mountain guard dog seemed unable to contain its inner restlessness and, taking advantage of the gap created when the middle-aged man swung his iron rod, suddenly crouched down and charged forward. It was unclear whether these mountain guard dogs had a natural fondness for biting buttocks, but this one aimed directly at the middle-aged man’s rear, opening its mouth wide to tear and bite.

The middle-aged man was drenched in sweat, and around him lay the bodies of six or seven mountain guard dogs, some of which still twitched occasionally. His dark, heavy iron rod, though effective in fending off the dogs with its fierce swings, was also taking a significant toll on his stamina.

Thus, the dog that broke through the pack and launched a surprise attack managed to reach the man’s rear without much trouble, sinking its teeth in with a ferocious bite. This dog, having seen many of its companions die under the man’s iron rod, seemed to harbor intense hatred, biting with all its might. The bite tore through the man’s pants with a ripping sound, and its sharp teeth, mixed with foul saliva, pierced deep into the flesh, causing even Xu Dong, watching from a distance, to feel a sudden tightening in his own buttocks!

The middle-aged man let out a painful roar, swinging his iron rod to strike the dog’s mouth, breaking two of its teeth and sending the 90-kilogram dog flying into the air. At the same moment, he swung the rod again, striking the dog’s waist with a force that produced a bone-chilling crack. The dog’s mouth, like a faucet turned on too quickly, spewed out a torrent of blood mixed with bits of internal organs. The dog was already dead in mid-air and, upon hitting the muddy ground with a thud, its legs no longer twitched.

With the first successful ambush, the other restless and vicious dogs seemed to sense the man’s weakening state and let out a low, collective growl. Six or seven of them, disregarding their own lives, charged forward.

At this moment, the tall, muscular man suddenly raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist. His right arm swelled rapidly, as if filled with air or countless wriggling worms, doubling in size in an instant. His coarse sleeve could not withstand the pressure and tore open.

As the fabric ripped, a strong, bloody aura spread in all directions, revealing a vivid red beneath. Xu Dong was stunned, his eyes wide as saucers.

The man’s right arm was red and bloody, as if the skin had been completely removed, exposing well-developed muscles and thick tendons, resembling a human anatomy diagram in a biology class, presenting a stark and violent visual impact—ugly, strong, and fierce!

Once the deformed, muscular arm revealed its true form, it unleashed a terrifying power that both man and beast feared. The iron rod, quickly transferred to his right hand, was swung with a seemingly effortless motion, yet it produced a series of thunderous sounds as it compressed the air.

Everywhere it passed, six or seven mountain guard dogs were sent flying like cannonballs, some crashing into the walls of nearby houses, others landing on rooftops. One dog flew over ten meters and landed with a thud at Xu Dong’s feet. He instinctively looked down and vomited, his hand clamped tightly over his mouth, the vomit seeping through his fingers.

The spot where the dog had been struck by the iron rod was a gaping wound, the flesh and organs a mess, with several white bones exposed and jagged edges.

The force of that single strike was comparable to the impact of a large-caliber bullet, indicating the terrifying power contained in the deformed arm!

With half of their numbers decimated, the leader of the mountain guard dogs, a particularly large golden retriever, suddenly raised its head and let out a long, wolf-like howl, then turned and ran. The other dogs, realizing they could not inflict a fatal wound on the man, followed their leader in retreat.

The departure of the mountain guard dogs was far from the image of “tail between their legs” or “slinking away.” Xu Dong had a vague feeling that they would return!

After the dogs left, Xu Dong looked at the muscular man with intense curiosity and couldn’t resist using his Insight skill. The man was much stronger than him, and it took several attempts before he felt a jolt in his mind and received a piece of information:

Name: Beijiao Daxiong (Only those with significant influence in the region can use a place name as a surname)

Species: Human

Height: 201 cm

Weight: 90 kg

Character Overview: Daxiong is the constable of Beijiao Village, which allows him to use Beijiao as his surname. He is also a half-trained Blood Armor Warrior, which is why he can handle such a demanding and thankless job.

Blood Armor Warrior? Xu Dong was intrigued by this term and couldn’t help but associate it with the man’s mutated arm, finding the term fittingly apt!

If even a half-trained Blood Armor Warrior could unleash such terrifying power, how much more formidable would a fully trained one be? The thought made Xu Dong’s blood boil, and he couldn’t help but think: Damn, what do I need to do to become a Blood Armor Warrior?

Such immense power... it was incredibly alluring!

Xu Dong, lost in thought, suddenly felt a tremor in his mind and received a prompt.

You have completed the special mission: Adaptive Survival!

You killed ten mountain guard dogs, accounting for more than 30% but less than 50% of the total number attacking Beijiao Village.

Mission Evaluation: B (Highest: S, Lowest: D. If the reward is a skill, an S evaluation will grant five options, decreasing sequentially.)

You will receive an offensive talent skill. This skill will determine your future development, so choose carefully.

Please select from the following options:

A. Power

Level: 1

Effect: After activating this skill, your next attack’s power will increase by 50%.

Cost: None

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Proficiency: 0/100

Description: Once this talent skill is activated, it means you are delivering a full-power attack.

B. Speed

Level: 1

Effect: After activating this skill, your next attack’s speed will increase by 50%.

Cost: None

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Proficiency: 0/100

Description: You can easily perform a quick double strike.

C. Intimidate

Level: 1

Effect: After activating this skill, you can suppress the will of a single unit, preventing it from attacking you.

Cost: None

Cooldown: 10 minutes

Proficiency: 0/100

Description: If the suppressed unit is stronger than you, this skill may fail or even provoke the unit.

After receiving this information, Xu Dong did not rush to choose but instead pondered carefully. If the talent skill would determine his development path, then Power would make him a strength-based warrior, Speed a speed-focused assassin, and Intimidate a mage-like character.

Recalling the process of setting traps to kill the mountain guard dogs, Xu Dong’s mind became clear. Without hesitation, he chose A, Power, as his offensive talent skill. Perhaps because he had been killed by an iron rod in his previous life, he had developed a stubborn preference for the satisfying feeling of a solid, meaty punch.

After selecting the skill, a fierce light, like a bolt of lightning, flashed in the dark talent skill space in his mind. Even Xu Dong’s ears seemed to hear the rumble of thunder.

In the lowest layer of the four light orbs, the blood-red orb suddenly revealed a symbol, which quickly formed the image of a fist. The blood-red orb glowed faintly, as if activated.

From the moment Xu Dong received the mission completion prompt to the activation of the talent skill, it seemed like a long time, but in reality, it was just an instant. When he came to his senses, he heard the tall man, Beijiao Daxiong, approaching.

The man’s deformed arm had returned to its normal state, and his massive body soon stood before Xu Dong, blocking the sunlight and casting a heavy shadow. He opened his mouth and buzzed, “Hey, you look unfamiliar. I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

To be honest, standing next to this bear of a man, Xu Dong felt a lot of pressure and instinctively took a step back, straining to look up at the man’s chin, covered in a thick beard.

He quickly thought and had an idea, his eyes brightening. “I used to live in a small village in the eastern part of Beihua Province. A flood destroyed the village, and I was the only survivor.”

He put on a mournful expression, as if recounting a tragic story, and continued, “I was heading to Blood Helmet City when I noticed a large number of mountain guard dogs attacking people, so I...”

Beijiao Daxiong examined him, noticing several wounds on the young man’s body. He naturally filled in the gaps in the story and his expression softened. He patted Xu Dong on the shoulder, “Good job, you must have killed quite a few of those mad dogs!”

Xu Dong modestly waved his hand, “Not many, just ten dogs. Compared to your feat of killing six or seven with one strike, I’m far behind.”

Ten dogs? Beijiao Daxiong’s eyes lit up, and he looked at the young man with a thin frame again. Then, he seemed to remember something and grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, “You’ve done a great service to Beijiao Village. How about this, it’s at least a day’s journey from here to Blood Helmet City. Why don’t you stay in Beijiao Village for a few days?”

Xu Dong, who had been unsure how to find a reason to stay, was more than happy to accept the offer.

Like a spark igniting a fire, a lonely woman meeting a virile man, the two reached an agreement effortlessly.

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