“Awooo…”

  The freakish zombie dog was hit square in the face by the massive fireball, its right foreleg instantly charred bck. But unlike the other zombie dogs, this one seemed to feel pain. It let out a howl of agony, its scorched paw twitching. Michael, who had been on the defensive, felt a surge of hope and prepared to press his advantage. However, what happened next caught him completely off guard.

  To Michael’s utter disbelief, despite its howls of pain, the zombie dog didn’t retract its paw. Instead, it swung it forward with a sickening smell of burnt flesh. With a loud *thud*, the paw smmed into Michael’s head, sending him flying like a spinning top. He crashed into the side of a parked Santana 2000, denting the passenger door and eliciting a collective gasp from the women.

  “Michael!” Ah Xue screamed, her voice tearing through the night. Ignoring the looming threat of the zombie dog, she sprinted toward Michael, her mind bnk except for the sight of him lying motionless, blood streaming from his nose and mouth.

  The cars were parked facing each other for wind protection, with the women huddled near the more secure Land Rover. To reach the Santana, Ah Xue had to run past the massive zombie dog. But in her panic, she didn’t even register the creature’s presence, her eyes fixed solely on Michael.

  The zombie dog seemed just as shocked as everyone else. It hesitated, its massive head tilting as if it couldn’t believe a human woman would dare run past it so brazenly. By the time it decided to attack, Ah Xue was already at Michael’s side.

  Just as the zombie dog raised its paw to strike, Lintao’s attack came. Three special bullets whizzed through the air, striking the zombie dog’s head with a series of wet *thuds*. Blood sprayed into the air, and a chunk of its scalp was torn off, revealing white bone. The zombie dog staggered but didn’t fall. Instead, it shook its head, its expression growing even more ferocious.

  “Awooo…”

  The zombie dog let out a howl of pain. Though Lintao’s bullets hadn’t caused significant damage, the sheer force of the impact was enough to enrage it. Instead of turning on Lintao, it swung its massive paw at the nearest target—Ah Xue, who was crouched over Michael, sobbing.

  ‘Damn it!’ Lintao’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected the special bullets to be so ineffective. Perhaps because the zombie dog was a mutant rather than a demon, the bullets designed to combat hellish creatures had little effect. Before he could react, the zombie dog’s paw was already descending.

  “You dare touch my girl!”

  Just as the massive paw was about to crush Ah Xue, Michael, who had been half-conscious, suddenly roared. His eyes burned red as he pulled Ah Xue behind him and raised his own paws to block the attack.

  But Michael’s hasty defense was no match for the zombie dog’s brute force. With a sickening *crunch*, Michael was driven into the ground like a stake, his body buried up to his shoulders. He y motionless, blood pouring from his eyes, nose, and ears, pooling beneath him.

  “Michael!” Ah Xue screamed again, throwing herself over his body. The zombie dog, seemingly satisfied with its attack, hesitated. But then its eyes gleamed with malice as it raised its paw once more, this time aiming for Ah Xue’s fragile frame.

  …Why can’t I move?

  The zombie dog froze in confusion. Its paw was suspended in mid-air, as if held by an invisible force. No matter how hard it struggled, it couldn’t move an inch closer to Ah Xue. An unseen barrier had formed between them, rendering its powerful strikes useless for the first time.

  “Oh my, what a big doggy! Such strength! Even our cocky little Michael got fttened, huh?”

  Lintao stood nearby, his expression mocking as he watched the zombie dog struggle against the invisible barrier. His right hand was outstretched, fingers curled as if holding something. If one looked closely, they’d see the air between him and the zombie dog twisting violently, thin white lines forming as the air compressed and surged toward the creature’s paw.

  The zombie dog’s simple mind couldn’t comprehend what was happening. It continued to struggle against the barrier, but soon realized it was futile. When it heard Lintao’s taunting voice, it finally understood—this human was the source of its predicament.

  The zombie dog turned its head, its eyes narrowing as it gred at Lintao. But what it saw sent a chill down its spine. Lintao’s once-stern face had transformed. His eyes, now a deep crimson, glowed with an otherworldly intensity. His features had taken on a sinister, almost ethereal quality, as if he were no longer fully human. His smile was cold and predatory, sending a wave of terror through the zombie dog.

  The creature felt an overwhelming sense of danger emanating from Lintao. This man exuded an aura of violence, destruction, and death. The zombie dog, for the first time, felt fear. Its primal instincts screamed at it to flee.

  The zombie dog began to retreat, its low growls a feeble attempt to mask its fear. It crouched low, feigning readiness to attack, but its legs were already backing away, step by step. Just as it reached the edge of the slope, Lintao finally made his move.

  “You think you can attack my dog and just walk away?”

  Lintao’s voice was cold and dripping with disdain. He zily raised both hands, his crimson eyes bzing. Suddenly, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his hands began to compress the air. A thick, white mist formed between his palms, swirling and churning like boiling water.

  In an instant, the mist took shape, morphing into the form of a massive dog—an exact replica of the retreating zombie dog, down to the st detail.

  The zombie dog froze, its body locked in pce as if bound by an unseen force. Its muscles twitched violently, and its eyes widened in terror. Every second, its pain grew more intense, until its expression shifted from fear to desperation, silently pleading for mercy.

  But Lintao’s face remained impassive. “Too te,” he said coldly, before bringing his hands together with a sharp cp.