Chapter 47 Mutant Animal Night Raid

As the sun set, the massive convoy, like a weary beast, slowly drove into a deserted village by the roadside.

The village was deathly silent, save for the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the broken windowpanes. The commander issued orders via radio: "Attention all personnel, this village is to be used as a temporary camp. Disperse and fortify your defenses, taking turns on night watch! Depart at dawn tomorrow!"

The vehicles searched for suitable courtyards or open spaces to park. Ruan Ning's team chose a detached courtyard with a high brick wall and blocked the only entrance with their off-road vehicles.

After quickly clearing away the clutter in the yard, the group sat together and ate their hard, compressed rations with cold water.

The atmosphere was somewhat somber; the daytime battle and the perilous journey across the broken bridge had left everyone physically and mentally exhausted.

"This place is so creepy." Lin Yan finished her dry rations in a few bites, then sat down against the wall with her alloy battle axe in her arms. "It's probably not going to be peaceful tonight."

Zhou Min rubbed her still throbbing temples: "There are no large-scale zombie clusters within my perception range for the time being, but... I feel some subtle, hostile life fluctuations lingering nearby. They are very scattered and moving very fast."

Ruan Ning ate silently, but her spiritual energy spread out of the courtyard like ripples, carefully exploring her surroundings.

She sensed it too—the peering eyes hidden in the dark ruins, the undergrowth, and the ravines, filled with a wild hunger and cruelty. Not zombies, but living beings, mutated living beings.

"We cannot let our guard down for tonight's watch," Ruan Ning said in a deep voice. The three of them briefly discussed and decided on the order of their watch.

As night deepened, the chill became biting.

Scattered campfires lit up various parts of the camp, and most people quickly lay down fully clothed in their vehicles or makeshift shelters to try and regain their strength. Sentinels vigilantly patrolled from high vantage points or on top of vehicles.

Ruan Ning was in charge of the first night watch. She sat in the shadows inside the courtyard wall, her eyes slightly closed, not asleep, but rather amplifying her spiritual perception to its limit. The moonlight was obscured by clouds, with only scattered rays filtering through, resulting in extremely low visibility, but her "mind's eye" saw even more clearly—

Those things started moving!

Thin, agile shadows, under the cover of night, silently emerged from every corner of the village.

They vary in size, some like house cats, others like medium-sized dogs, but without exception, their eyes gleam with an eerie green or red light in the darkness, their teeth and claws become unusually sharp, and their muscles twist and bulge, exuding an unnatural sense of power.

They are mutated stray cats and dogs! They have clearly regarded this area as their hunting ground, and the uninvited guests of the convoy are seen as food delivered to their doorstep!

"Enemy attack! It's a mutant! Watch out!" Almost simultaneously, the sentries' shrill alarms and sudden gunfire rang out from several directions in the camp!

The courtyard where Ruan Ning lived was also not spared!

Several dark figures leaped over the nearly three-meter-high courtyard wall like ghosts, heading straight for the people inside! They were incredibly fast, far exceeding the speed of ordinary zombies!

"Get up!" Ruan Ning shouted, and the superpower that had been gathering in his hand exploded instantly!

"Icy Thorn Ground!"

Centered on her, the cold frost mixed with sharp ice spikes instantly covered half of the courtyard! When the two mutated dogs that rushed at her landed, their paws were pierced by ice spikes, and they let out painful howls, their movements faltering.

But the other three more agile mutant cats twisted their bodies strangely in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the area of ​​ice spikes, their sharp claws flashing with cold light, and attacked Lin Yan and Zhou Min, who had just been awakened!

"You're asking for death!" Lin Yan reacted with lightning speed, her battle axe sweeping across with a whirlwind. One mutated cat was sent flying, crashing into the wall with a clear, audible cracking sound. But the other cat nimbly dodged the axe blade, leaving three deep, bone-revealing gashes on her arm!

Zhou Min rolled backward, her mental energy field instinctively opening to form a weak barrier, barely deflecting the trajectory of the mutated cat that pounced on her face. But the beast kicked off after landing and pounced fiercely again!

Zhou Min reacted a beat too slow, and the mutated cat almost pounced on her face! At that critical moment, a thin line of water swept across like a precise scalpel, instantly severing the cat's forelimb! It was Ruan Ning's "water line cut"!

The entire camp erupted in chaos!

Gunshots, explosions, bursts of supernatural power, the roars of mutants, and the screams of humans mingled together!

The military soldiers formed a fire network using vehicles, but these mutated cats and dogs were too fast, and bullets often only managed to hit their shadows and miss. The heavy firepower was also vulnerable to friendly fire, leaving them somewhat on the defensive.

The superpowered individuals were all displaying their unique abilities: the fire-type superpowered individuals ignited the surrounding debris, attempting to use the firelight to drive away and create obstacles.

The earth-type ability user struggled to erect an earthen wall to block the impact. The strength-type ability user roared as he clashed head-on with the charging mutated dog.

The wind-elemental ability user conjured up a whirlwind, blowing away the smaller mutated cats.

Ruan Ning noticed that the Lei Bao squad, not far away, was also engaged in a fierce battle.

Lei Bao's body crackled with electricity as he unleashed a barrage of lightning balls, charring the approaching mutants to a crisp—the power was indeed formidable. However, his subordinates were clearly not having it so easy. One of his team members was simultaneously pounced on by several mutated cats, instantly torn to shreds by claws and bites, emitting a bloody scream.

Lei Bao tried to rescue them, but was entangled by two exceptionally strong mutant dogs and couldn't break free for a while.

The battle at Ruan Ning's courtyard was equally fierce.

Despite their excellent teamwork—Ruan Ning controlling the situation, Lin Yan leading the attack, and Zhou Min providing early warning—the mutated cats and dogs seemed endless in number and extremely cunning, capable of coordinated attacks. They no longer charged head-on, but instead used their speed and agility to launch surprise attacks from different angles!

"Water Curtain of Heaven!" Ruan Ning erected a rotating water curtain, temporarily blocking the frontal attack.

Lin Yan was covered in blood, whether it was hers or that of a mutant, it was hard to tell. She swung her battle axe like a windmill, smashing any monsters that dared to approach.

Zhou Min's face was as pale as paper. She forced herself to endure the headache from the excessive strain on her mental energy, repeatedly pointing out the approaching threats: "Rooftop! Three more are coming up from the left roof!" "Watch out underground! Something is digging a hole!"

A mutated mastiff, as big as a leopard, burst through the courtyard gate and charged toward Ruan Ning with unstoppable momentum!

"Watch out!" Lin Yan tried to rush back to help, but was held back by two mutated cats.

Ruan Ning's eyes turned cold, and she clasped her hands together, causing water vapor to gather around her!

"High-pressure water cannon!"

A jet of water, condensed to the extreme and as thick as an arm, shot out like a cannonball, accompanied by a piercing shriek, and instantly slammed into the chest of the mutated mastiff!

"Bang!" A dull impact rang out, and the mutated mastiff's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. Its massive body was sent flying backward, its chest visibly caved in, and it lay on the ground convulsing, clearly beyond saving.

However, using this move also greatly depleted Ruan Ning's supernatural power, causing her face to turn slightly pale.

The battle raged on for an unknown duration, as if the entire night had been spent in screams and fighting.

As the eastern sky finally began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the mutated animals' offensive gradually subsided. The few remaining creatures let out unwilling howls and quickly disappeared into the fading light of day.

The camp was a scene of devastation, the air thick with the stench of blood and burning. Vehicles were covered in scratches, and many tires were punctured. The ground was littered with the corpses of humans and mutants, and the groans of the wounded echoed throughout.

Everyone in Ruan Ning's team was injured. Lin Yan's arm wound was so deep that bone was visible, Zhou Min was almost fainting from exhaustion, and Ruan Ning herself was pale from overuse of her powers. In the courtyard where they were, there were no fewer than twenty corpses of mutated cats and dogs.

Taking stock of the losses, the total number of casualties in the convoy was even greater than when facing the zombie horde during the day! These mutated animals posed an even greater threat at night than the zombies!

Lei Bao's side also lost a member and several others were injured, creating a somber atmosphere. Lei Bao himself was ashen-faced, his eyes filled with a terrifyingly grim expression as he stared at the corpses of his team members.

Ruan Ning leaned against the cold courtyard wall, watching the sky gradually brighten, but felt no relief. This was only on the road; Pingzhou City, that once densely populated city—what terrible sights awaited them there?