Chapter 74 The Mutant Dog Fire

At dawn, the faint light pierced through the broken clouds, illuminating the streets of the desolate town.

The three of them washed themselves quickly with the clear water that Ruan Ning had conjured, ate some dry rations with the cold water, packed up their equipment, and prepared to leave the town and continue their journey.

Just as I reached the only exit of the town—the head of a broken concrete bridge—a huge shadow slowly emerged from behind the pile of ruins.

It was a golden retriever, but its size had swelled to more than three times its pre-apocalyptic size, and its shoulder height was close to that of an adult's chest.

Its once soft, golden fur had become coarse and stiff, stained with blood and dust, and gleamed with a dull metallic sheen in the morning light. Its limbs were muscular and its claws and teeth were sharp.

What is most striking is its eyes, which are no longer docile brown, but burn with two clusters of dark red flames, and deep in its pupils flashes a cunning and vigilance that far surpasses that of ordinary wild beasts, almost human-like.

It crouched low, emitting a threatening, spark-filled growl from its throat, firmly blocking its path.

A third-tier fire-type mutant beast! And it clearly possesses a fairly high level of intelligence! It obviously understands that the flesh and energy of the superhuman are of great benefit to its evolution.

"Watch out!" Zhou Min's face paled. Her mental energy could already sense the powerful pressure and the intense, chaotic fluctuations of flame energy emanating from the other party. "Third tier! Fire element! It's smart; it's locked onto us!"

"Roar—!" The mutated golden-haired creature suddenly opened its mouth, and a blazing white pillar of fire, far more solid and hotter than the zombie from yesterday, shot out, directly hitting the three of them!

"Water Shield!" Ruan Ning shouted, and a thick, curved water shield instantly unfolded in front of him.

"Sizzle—!" The pillar of fire collided violently with the water shield, bursting into a cloud of steam. The water shield fluctuated violently, and its surface rapidly thinned and evaporated! Ruan Ning frowned slightly; the power of this third-tier flame was not to be underestimated.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lin Yan charged from the flank, unleashing her full second-level strength. Her machete, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slashed towards the mutated golden retriever's waist and abdomen!

The mutated golden retriever reacted extremely quickly. Although the flames were blocked by the water shield, it pushed off the ground with its powerful hind legs and its huge body leaped to the side with extraordinary agility. At the same time, it swept its tail, and flames suddenly ignited at the end, like a flaming whip lashing at Lin Yan!

Lin Yan hurriedly changed her move to block. With a "clang", the cleaver and the fiery whip collided, sparks flew, and a scorching wave of air and powerful force knocked her back two steps, her arm going numb.

"Zhou Min! Disrupt it!" Ruan Ning maintained the water shield while simultaneously beginning to condense water arrows.

Zhou Min gritted her teeth, concentrating all her mental energy. It was no longer a simple perception, but transformed into an invisible spike, fiercely stabbing towards the head of the mutated golden retriever! This was not an attack, but a powerful interference and chaotic information attack!

"Woo—!" The mutated golden retriever's movements visibly faltered, the flames in its eyes flickered, and it let out a painful and irritable whimper. Its flame attack also momentarily dissipated.

A golden opportunity! A cold glint flashed in Ruan Ning's eyes, and several water arrows shot out, aiming straight for its eyes and throat!

However, the mutated golden retriever possessed extremely high intelligence and fighting instincts. Despite the mental interference, it managed to dodge the fatal blow by tilting its head. The water arrow only left a few shallow wounds on its tough fur and muscles, which only further enraged it.

It suddenly shook its head, breaking free from most of the mental interference, and opened its mouth to spew out several compressed, explosive fireballs, which blasted towards the three people from different angles!

"Boom boom boom!"

The fireball exploded, igniting the surrounding ruins and unleashing a wave of heat. Ruan Ning constantly shifted the position of her water shield to defend herself, which rapidly depleted her energy. Lin Yan and Zhou Min dodged desperately, facing imminent danger.

The fierce battle had reached a stalemate. This mutated golden-haired creature possessed superior attack and defense, was agile, and quite intelligent, far surpassing the two level-two zombies from yesterday. Even if they managed to win by continuing the fight, the three would inevitably pay a heavy price.

Ruan Ning's mind raced. Killing a third-tier mutated beast would certainly yield valuable crystal cores and materials, but the strength and intelligence displayed by this mutated golden retriever... perhaps there was another possibility.

She took a deep breath, and after deflecting the fireball with her water shield once again, she suddenly abandoned all her aggressive stance. She gestured for Lin Yan and Zhou Min to step back slightly, remaining vigilant but not launching an attack.

The mutated golden retriever stopped its continuous attack with some confusion, baring its teeth and growling warily. Dark red flames flickered on its body, not understanding why the strongest human had suddenly stopped.

Ruan Ning slowly took two steps forward, her gaze calmly meeting those burning eyes. She didn't radiate hostility, but instead gently released her powerful spiritual energy, not to attack, but to attempt contact and communication.

Her mental energy, like invisible tentacles, cautiously approached the mutated golden retriever's consciousness. She didn't convey language, but rather simple mental images and emotions: Stop fighting. Be strong. Cooperate. Food (crystal cores). Be safe.

The mutated golden retriever was clearly stunned. It sensed the power of Ruan Ning's mental strength and "read" those vague thoughts.

The hostility and ferocity in its eyes subsided slightly, replaced by a deeper sense of doubt and scrutiny. It tilted its massive head, and the low growl in its throat transformed into an uncertain whine.

It had wandered alone for a long time, hunting, devouring, and growing stronger, while constantly facing threats from other mutated creatures and humans. The humans before it were very strong, especially the woman who exuded a gentle yet powerful aura.

Cooperation? What can it gain?

Ruan Ning keenly sensed its hesitation and needs.

With a flick of her wrist, she retrieved two items from her spatial storage—one was a level-two fire-elemental zombie crystal core she had obtained yesterday, its red color dazzling; the other was a level-three ordinary, attribute-less crystal core that she had stored away herself, its energy more refined, emitting an alluring glimmer.

She clearly transmitted the images of the two crystal cores and the pure energy they contained through her mental power.

Temptation, blatant temptation.

The mutated golden retriever's eyes widened instantly! The two crystal cores held a fatal attraction for it, especially the level-three crystal core! It instinctively took a step forward, almost drooling, but its remaining vigilance made it stop.

Ruan Ning continued to transmit her thoughts: Follow me. Heed my commands. Fight. Protect. Crystal cores as a reward. A safe haven.

She pointed to herself, then to Lin Yan and Zhou Min, conveying the concept of "companions." Finally, she released a wisp of the core imprint of her spiritual power—an invitation representing a contract and connection.

This is an invitation to establish a preliminary spiritual connection, similar to a master-servant contract. It is not absolute enslavement, but it guarantees basic communication, instruction delivery, and loyalty.

The mutated golden retriever was caught in a fierce internal struggle.

Its instinct to crave crystal cores and become stronger, its yearning for a stable "meal ticket" and "backer," clashes with its free nature as a powerful mutant beast.

It glanced at the crystal core in Ruan Ning's hand, sensed Ruan Ning's powerful yet calm spiritual energy, and then glanced at the two humans beside it who, though tense, were equally formidable...

Ultimately, the thirst for evolutionary energy, and an assessment of the resources and protection that these powerful humans could provide, overwhelmed its solitary wildness. It knew that while it was strong, it was equally vulnerable when facing more dangerous environments or hordes of enemies alone.

It lowered its massive head, took a few steps forward, stopped three meters away from Ruan Ning, and then lay down—a gesture of submission. At the same time, it voluntarily opened part of its mental defenses to accept the contract mark transmitted by Ruan Ning.

A faint but clear mental link was established between Ruan Ning and the mutated golden retriever.

Ruan Ning could vaguely sense its emotions, currently mainly its desire for the crystal core and a little bit of grievance, and she could also convey clear commands to it. The mutated golden retriever also understood that this powerful human woman was now its "master".

Ruan Ning's lips curled up almost imperceptibly. She reached out and tossed the level-two fire-element crystal core over.

The mutated golden retriever leaped up nimbly, snatched the crystal core in its mouth, let out a joyful whimper, and swallowed it whole. Immediately, the flames on its body became brighter and gentler.

It trotted up to Ruan Ning's legs and gently rubbed its huge head against her trouser leg. Its tail, which was no longer flaming, began to wag like it did before the apocalypse, though it looked somewhat comical given its current size.

Lin Yan and Zhou Min were dumbfounded. The third-tier mutated beast that had been fighting to the death just moments ago had been subdued in the blink of an eye? And it was even behaving so docilely?

Ruan Ning stroked the rough fur of the mutated golden retriever and conveyed a simple name to it through their mental link: "From now on, I'll call you 'Little Fire'."

"No, Master, Little Fire isn't impressive enough, I want to be called Big Fire!" The golden retriever refused to accept its new name.

"Alright, let's call it Big Fire." It's just a name, and Ruan Ning is willing to compromise.

The mutated golden retriever, Ah Huo, let out a cheerful low growl, indicating its acceptance.

"Let's go," Ruan Ning said to her two teammates who were still a little dazed, and took the lead.

Da Huo immediately followed, his massive body positioned slightly ahead and to the side of Ruan Ning, cautiously surveying his surroundings, looking every bit like a qualified bodyguard and vanguard.