At the critical moment, everyone nearby held their breath, some even closing their eyes in dread. But just as the zombie dog was about to strike, a red blur appeared out of nowhere, moving faster than the zombie dog itself. It smmed into the creature with the force of a gale, pinning it to the ground like a wolf pouncing on its prey.

  Ah Xue scrambled to her feet, trembling, as everyone finally got a clear look at the red figure. It was a massive red dog, twice the size of the zombie dog, holding it down with its powerful limbs. The zombie dog squirmed helplessly, its head shaking in futile resistance. The scene was almost comical—a Tibetan Mastiff subduing a Chihuahua. What should have been terrifying now seemed pitiful, the zombie dog’s frantic movements almost like a protest against its own helplessness.

  “You dare touch my girl? You’re asking for death!” Michael, the red dog, looked down at the zombie dog with a sneer on his canine face. He gnced around at the other zombie dogs that had begun to encircle him, completely unfazed by their menacing presence. With his head held high, he spoke in a tone dripping with disdain, “You want to gang up on me? Fine. I’ll beat the crap out of you until you learn to fear me!”

  “Wait, Michael…” Ah Xue, still shaken from her near-death experience, suddenly called out, her voice trembling but determined.

  “What is it, little beauty? You want to take care of this yourself? No, no, your delicate arms and legs might get hurt. Just wait, big brother will avenge you!” Michael fshed a cocky grin, winking at Ah Xue.

  “N-no… I mean, can you not bite it? It’s… it’s too dirty. You might get sick!” Ah Xue said, her face filled with genuine concern.

  Michael nearly stumbled, almost losing his grip on the zombie dog. Out of all the things Ah Xue could have said, she chose *that*? He wasn’t sure if she had a cleanliness obsession, but her concern warmed his heart. Nodding with a smile, he raised his right paw and swung it down. A fsh of red light followed, and the zombie dog’s head rolled off its body, nding several feet away.

  “Come on, let your Uncle Michael show you what real fighting is about. Ganging up is for cowards. True strength is the way of the warrior!” Michael stood tall amidst the zombie dogs, his fighting spirit burning bright. These small fry were nothing to him—he could take them down in his sleep.

  “Awooo…”

  The zombie dogs, still retaining some of their primal instincts, hesitated as they took in Michael’s imposing figure. But just as they wavered, a deep, commanding howl echoed from the darkness below the slope. The sound was both sudden and commanding, exuding an aura of dominance. The zombie dogs shuddered, their hesitation gone, and with a collective snarl, they lunged at Michael.

  “Haha! Watch me crush you mutts!” Michael roared, charging back at them with equal ferocity.

  Michael wasn’t boasting. Unlike Lintao, he was incredibly fast, and as a dog, he had a natural advantage over his canine adversaries. The zombie dogs were no match for him. With each swipe of his paw, he cleaved through them like a hot knife through butter. One strike was enough to snap a zombie dog’s spine, and another would finish it off completely.

  Michael was like a wolf let loose in a flock of sheep. Wherever he went, he left destruction in his wake. The zombie dogs fell one by one, their bodies broken and lifeless. Soon, the battlefield was littered with their corpses, with only a couple still twitching weakly.

  “Yeah!”

  “Michael, you’re amazing!”

  The women cheered, even Bai Ru and Cao Mei, who were busy helping Lintao fend off the remaining zombie dogs, turned to give Michael a thumbs-up.

  Michael strutted around the battlefield, his head held high like a victorious general basking in the praise of his admirers. His smug expression made Lintao shake his head in exasperation.

  “Awooo…”

  The deep howl came again, the same one that had spurred the zombie dogs into action earlier. This time, it was much closer. In the blink of an eye, the source of the howl emerged into view.

  “Oh… oh…”

  Michael froze, his raised paw hanging in mid-air as he stared at the monstrous creature before him.

  Was this thing even a dog? Unlike the rotting zombie dogs, this creature looked as if its skin had been peeled off, revealing raw, grotesque flesh. Its size was beyond comprehension—it was more like a shrunken elephant than a dog. Its crimson eyes scanned the battlefield, but when they nded on Michael, they gleamed with excitement. Its gaping maw seemed to twist into a sinister grin.

  Michael, who had been so confident moments ago, now felt a pang of dread. This zombie dog was at least ten times his size. Its menacing gaze made his fur stand on end. He bared his teeth and growled, “What are you staring at, ugly?”

  “Woof!” the creature barked back, its voice dripping with menace.

  “Michael, what did it say? If you can’t beat it, just come back!” Ah Xue called out from the car, shivering in her cute pink underwear as the cold night wind bit into her skin.

  “I can’t beat it?” Michael scoffed, pawing at the ground in frustration. But despite his bravado, he didn’t make a move toward the creature.

  “Then tell it we don’t want to fight anymore. Ask it to leave us alone!” Ah Xue pleaded, her fear for Michael evident in her voice.

  “Uh… well…” Michael scratched his head awkwardly. “Sorry, but even though I look like a dog, I’m actually a man through and through. So I only speak human. Dog nguage? I don’t understand it!”

  The group collectively facepalmed. Here was a dog that could speak human nguage but couldn’t bark like a normal dog. Then again, they’d never heard Michael bark like a regur dog—he was always spouting human words.

  “Michael, be careful. This thing is abnormally mutated. Test it out first. I’ll back you up!” Lintao, who had just finished his own fight, rushed over. Seeing the monstrous creature, he quickly reloaded his gun with special bullets, holding it at the ready as he cautiously approached the impossibly rge zombie dog.

  “Got it,” Michael nodded, his expression serious. He had already noticed that the creature was female, but that didn’t matter now. Under normal circumstances, Michael might have tried to charm her with his good looks, but this was no time for flirtation. The zombie dog roared and charged.

  The massive creature lunged at Michael, its drooling maw reeking of decay. Michael dodged to the right, but the zombie dog was surprisingly agile. It turned quickly, its enormous jaws snapping at Michael’s side.

  Michael’s heart sank. He had no desire to fight this freak of nature, but he had no choice. Behind him were a group of women, shivering in their underwear, relying on him for protection. Whether he liked it or not, it was either him or his master who had to step up.

  Though the thought sounded oddly intimate, it ignited a fierce determination in Michael. As he dodged another attack, he let out a roar of his own and unleashed a massive fireball from his mouth, aiming it straight at the zombie dog’s incoming paw.