Chapter 23: Wolves in Front, Tigers Behind

The cracked highway, the collapsed and broken streetlights, overturned and damaged vehicles everywhere, and scattered dense fragments, a promotional frame in the distance hanging at an angle, swaying as if it might completely fall in the next moment, the windows of the majority of buildings constructed with steel and concrete had shattered glass, and even a nearby bank had scattered a large amount of banknotes. Desolate, dilapidated, despairing, a breath of apocalypse lingering where all creatures on earth seemed dead. Lu Ren merely surveyed cautiously around, and after confirming there were no monsters, he proceeded walking along the wall. As for Li Shu, Lu Ren didn’t pay much attention, as long as hidden well here, surviving seven days wasn’t too demanding. Without incident or risk, it wasn’t until reaching a store with a convenience store sign that Lu Ren stopped his steps, not making a sound the whole way. Everything proceeded in silence, allowing Lu Ren to detect any abnormal sounds or situations immediately. Carefully crossing the glass shards at the entrance and entering the store, Lu Ren’s eyes were met with collapsed shelves and various scattered foods, drinks. Lu Ren didn’t even glance at them, knowing from the thick dust accumulation that everything had long expired, food and drinks were spoiled and decayed, most of them broken, and signs of mold were evident. After merely a quick glance, Lu Ren turned his attention to items that could be preserved for a long time. In the real world, many cans produced during World War II are still in the market, with expiry dates claiming hundreds of years before spoiling. However, after circling the area, Lu Ren found no trace of cans, while many goods were missing from shelves mostly intact against the wall. Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, a suspicion formed in his heart. It seemed after the apocalypse, human activity traces still lingered. This realization unsettled him slightly, indicating this world wasn’t as simple as he thought. Human resilience is truly tenacious. Lu Ren mentally noted this feeling before leaving the convenience store, confirming there were no useful supplies here. However, just stepping outside, Lu Ren halted, looking gravely at the center of the street. There stood a bull with gray-blue skin, its massive size hugely exaggerated. At least three and a half meters tall, perhaps four, and length excluding its tail ranged between seven and eight meters, muscles everywhere bulging, with long thick horns emitting a metallic gleam, its crimson eyes suddenly turned to stare fiercely at Lu Ren coming out from the convenience store. Like a biological tank weighing tens of tons! Without a thought, Lu Ren turned back rushing into the convenience store, previously noticing there was a door leading to the back alley of the building. "Moo!!!" A deep yet extremely loud sound roared from the monster bull, visible air ripples spreading under its powerful lungs’ effect. Dust filled the sky instantly, and even Lu Ren, twenty meters away in the store, felt dazed, followed by sudden tinnitus causing him to lose balance and fall, human cochlea subject to intense stimulation making one lose balance under weak constitution. Weak constitution... Lu Ren cursed angrily mentally. "Ding, your constitution skill level passively increased by +1 due to the sound wave attack from the mutant giant bull." "Ding, your constitution skill level affected by mutant giant bull sound wave..." ’Boom, boom, boom, boom!!’ Heavy running sounds accompanied by flying earthstones came closer, making Lu Ren dare not dawdle, struggling for a few seconds before finally standing up, covering one ear while pulling the store’s back door. Boom! The massive collision shattered the store’s front door, giant thick horns deeply embedded into the wall, tracing a terrifying deep mark. The entire seven-story building vibrated intensely under the fierce impact. Lu Ren forcibly endured the following dizziness, pulled open the inner door quickly exiting into the back alley. Staggering a few steps, deep breathing whilst leaning against the wall until recovering gradually, glancing at the gradually tilting building, Lu Ren decisively hurried away. Continuously hurrying for half an hour, entering a seemingly intact building, rushing up to the third floor breaking open an office door, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Facing that monster bull would be sheer suicide; a single moo left him combat ineffective, if collided full on, he’d be flattened instantly. Mutant giant bull. Lu Ren cursed once inside; he now knew why these skyscraper-sized holes existed in this city. Rising up preparing to leave, his gaze suddenly froze, seeing a sign posted at the third-floor entrance. Haizhou City Experimental Center Personnel Department. Lu Ren’s eye twitched, could this dammit be the newly discovered super particle Hua Particle location?! Lu Ren suddenly felt the ground under him growing hot. Leaving here quickly is the way to go; only in movies would foolish protagonists continue exploring. Isn’t it good enough to live honestly? No longer hesitating, Lu Ren quickly descended the stairs, but halted abruptly at the corner of the next floor, his expression darkening. The mutant giant bull was somehow already pacing in the hall, with its nose constantly moving, sniffing in the air. Without hesitating, Lu Ren turned to leap upstairs, rushing to the second floor and diving out the window, with his current physique rolling easily on impact to mitigate force. "What the hell?!" Seeing the situation below mid-air, Lu Ren couldn’t help but curse; a blindfolded monster stood firmly on the ground, holding an apparently powerless woman dressed like a high school girl, appearing ready to enter the building. Lu Ren rolled on landing, unhesitatingly sprinting away from the ’Blind Monk’ styled freak. However, fortune favors not; the ’blind man’ being sensitive to sound, detected Lu Ren’s presence upon landing, abruptly tensing from leisurely posture, tossing aside the lifeless-eyed girl, swiftly turning and charging toward Lu Ren. Meanwhile, as the girl saw Lu Ren jumping from the second floor, her hopeless eyes became bright briefly, but dulled seeing the ’blind man’ chasing Lu Ren.