In the forest, dense pine branches and leaves are intertwined.
The sound of dogs barking continuously came from the depths of the dense forest, accompanied by bursts of terrified screams.
I saw five people wearing down jackets and holding weapons in their hands, carrying backpacks on their backs, running wildly in the woods. There were three men and two women among them. The men were better off, but the two women were sweating profusely. One of them even lost the rubber band that tied her hair. Her messy long hair mixed with the howling north wind blew all over her head and face.
But even so, the two women still gritted their teeth and persisted, following closely behind the three people in front.
Behind the five men, a dozen mutant dogs followed closely. The tallest of these mutant dogs, the leader, stood nearly five meters tall! The smaller mutant dogs were also over a meter tall, comparable to the tigers and lions in the zoo.
The strong leading dog made a dull sound on the ground every time it ran, which frightened the five people in front.
“Ouch!”
As the leading dog roared, the other mutant dogs behind it also let out low growls.
"Wuwuwu! Brother Chen, are we going to die here? Wuwuwu!... I don't want to die here, I don't want to die here, wuwuwu..." A girl in red clothes ran as fast as she could, crying her tears streaming down her face.
"Don't look back, don't give up, run, run!..." The leading man called Brother Chen ran forward quickly and shouted loudly to the back.
The cold wind rushed into his lungs, causing sharp pain like a knife cutting him. However, Brother Chen did not dare to relax for a moment. He had obviously exerted his maximum speed and had clearly used up all his strength, but they still could not escape the hunting range of this group of mutant stray dogs.
In my ears were the suppressed, rapid breathing of my companions, behind me was the rhythmic sound of running footsteps, and the barking of dogs from time to time.
"I, I can't run any longer either, Brother Chen..."
There were also companions with sad faces and mournful voices, which were filled with strong resentment and despair.
"No, I have to run even if I can't run anymore!" Brother Chen gritted his teeth and persevered.
They had no idea why they were so unlucky this year. Since they discovered this jungle two years ago, they would come here from time to time to pick mushrooms and wild vegetables.
It was winter, and mushrooms and wild vegetables were hard to find in the pine forest. However, pine nuts and hazelnuts provided a valuable winter food reserve. The mutated pine nuts resembled the size of the trees, having grown several times larger. Each pine nut was the size of a walnut, and hazelnuts were as big as apples. Just a few of them could fill a pound of food. Five people, hoping to gather winter food, journeyed to the pine forest. Unexpectedly, just as they had gathered a few pine nuts, a pack of mutant dogs suddenly emerged from the forest, baring their teeth and growling at them.
Especially the leading wolfhound, which was not only tall and mighty, but also much larger than the other mutant dogs in the pack. The dog was ferocious and would chase them non-stop when it saw them, opening its bloody mouth every time as if it wanted to tear them to pieces and eat them alive.
But every time the dog was about to catch up with them, it would slow down and let them run away, with a bad attitude of playing with a cat.
If it weren't for this reason, the five of them would have been caught up by the pack of dogs behind them and thrown to the ground.
Ordinary people can't even fight against a tiger before it mutated, let alone this mutated wolfhound that is much taller than a tiger.
Brother Chen gritted his teeth.
Even though he had long understood in the past three years that humanity was no longer the race that once stood at the top of the world, encountering such a thing still made him feel angry.
"These damned mutant dogs!" Brother Chen's eyes were almost bloodshot.
Running at high speed made his throat dry, and smoke was almost coming out of his throat. Sweat soaked his clothes, but Brother Chen did not dare to stop.
He was afraid that if he stopped, these mutant dogs would become impatient and rush over to tear him to pieces. The words of encouragement he gave to his companions were spoken to him as well as to himself.
Looking at the endless forest between heaven and earth, the cold wind and snow hit my face mercilessly.
Brother Chen suspected that the five of them might not be able to escape this time...
However, at this moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from the jungle in front, accompanied by dazzling orange-red fur and a large group of mutant beasts with brown and yellow fur, as big as medium-sized dogs before the disaster. There were hundreds of them in the densely packed group, covering the sky and the earth, on the treetops and on the ground!
"It's over!——"
Blocked by large mutant cats and mutant squirrels in front and pursued by mutant dogs from behind, Brother Chen and his four companions instantly fell into deep despair.
"Separate! Everyone, run apart quickly. As many as can survive will survive!"
Brother Chen shouted loudly at his companions, as if he was letting out his last cry of grief.
…
Xia Ruanruan was sitting on the egg yolk, and almost immediately followed the smell carried by the wind and found the group of people being chased by the mutant dog. After counting carefully, there were 5 people in total.
Seeing that more than a dozen mutant dogs were about to catch up with them, Xia Runrun was anxious and was about to shout at the mutant dogs to stop.
But the voice in her ear made her stop where she was.
“Awooo~Awooo~Woof woof woof!…” (Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen, don’t run! Tell me where Kang Kang is!…Woof!)
"Woof woof! Awooo!" (Hey! The five of you in front, stop for Black Boss! Our boss is asking you something! Hurry up and speak!)
"Aoaoao, woof woof woof!!" (Xiao Chen, don't run! I just want to know where Kang Kang is. Why hasn't he come to see me yet? Is he sick? Or has he gone out to find food... I have plenty of food here. Please tell me where Kang Kang is! I'm Dahei!)
The leading wolfhound named Dahei was barking anxiously and trying hard to get the person running in front to stop. However, he was worried that he would use too much strength and accidentally bite the other person, so he did not dare to move forward and could only follow closely behind the other person.
It was so pitiful and helpless, and there was even a hint of confusion in its eyes.
Obviously, the leading wolfhound knew one of the people in front of it, but perhaps because the wolfhound's size had changed drastically after the mutation, the person in front of it named Xiao Chen was unable to recognize that this was the dog he was familiar with, and instead was frightened and ran away with his head in his hands.
"Let's go! Egg Yolk, let's go stop that guy!"
Following the big wolfdog's line of sight, Xia Runrun quickly locked onto the man called Xiao Chen, a tall and strong man who looked to be about 27 or 28 years old, but was a little embarrassed by the chase. When the five people fled separately, the big wolfdog led the other dogs to chase the other party, and the other four ignored them.
"grass!……"
Brother Chen almost wanted to curse.
He discovered that not only were the dozen or so dogs behind him following him, but even the strange cat-and-mouse combination in front of him were all coming towards him and surrounding him!
Standing in the blockade surrounded by a large group of mutant animals, the young man was almost suffocating.
The only last words in my mind are - My life is over!!
Just when Brother Chen was thinking that he would probably have his head bitten off by the mutant wolfdog, his limbs cut off by the mutant orange cat, or his eyes gouged out by the mutant squirrel.
"biu~——"
A furry little head with slightly curly hair suddenly popped out from the back of the mutant big orange cat.
The little girl's cheeks were chubby and soft, like a piece of white and tender toffee. Her voice was even softer and more sticky as she said, "Uncle, don't run away... We won't hurt you..."
Brother Chen: “……???”
You said you wouldn't hurt me, kid? Have you asked those mutant dogs behind me with their teeth bared and fangs flashing coldly?
Besides, you're just a kid?! Why would you be so careless and alone in such a desolate forest?! Aren't you afraid of getting bitten by a dog?
Brother Chen now really doesn't know whether he should cry or laugh, and what expression he should use to face the little kid in front of him.
"You are just a little kid and don't know anything...you'd better leave quickly..." Brother Chen looked at the big wolf dog behind him, took a deep breath, and whispered to the little girl next to him to take her cat and squirrel and leave quickly.
But the man's urging seemed to have no effect. The little girl slid down the big orange cat's tail like a slide. With her short legs, she arrived at the center of the mutant encirclement. She seemed completely unafraid of the tall, ferocious mutant dogs surrounding her. She tilted her head back and asked softly, "Uncle... do you know an uncle named Kang Kang? Where is Uncle Kang Kang now?"
Brother Chen: “……?”
The man lowered his head, his expression stiff for a moment, but his eyes softened as he followed the girl's sincere gaze. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you know Kang Kang? How do you know him?"
"Alas... look at my wooden head... I don't know how you knew Kang Kang at your age... but Uncle Chen is telling you... Uncle Kang Kang is no longer here."
Brother Chen sighed and said, "Your Uncle Kang Kang passed away three years ago..."
"Dead?" Xia Runrun was stunned. She didn't expect this result.
But it's normal to think about it. After the virus broke out, 45% of humans infected with the virus died directly. With such a high mortality rate, almost no one, whether old or young or adults, could be spared. The little girl sighed and wanted to tell this unfortunate news to the persistent big wolfdog next to her.
But before Xia Ruanruan could say anything, the man next to her started talking to himself, "In the early stages of the virus outbreak, your Uncle Kang Kang and the other police officers were tasked with capturing drug traffickers... But we didn't expect Kang Kang to be so unlucky and get seriously injured during the mission... He had been resting, so he shouldn't have gone out with the Narcotics Division... But they happened to be short-handed that day, so the team came looking for him..."
"Alas...so little friend...your Uncle Kang Kang passed away a long time ago. Although I don't know why you knew Kang Kang, but as long as someone remembers him and misses him, I think his life was not lived in vain." At this moment, Brother Chen seemed to have forgotten the terrifying mutant beasts around him, and subconsciously reached out to touch the little girl's head.
only……
The mutant wolfhound seemed to see its deceased friend on Brother Chen's face, but it whimpered and shed tears, even its tail drooped down, and sadness spread to the entire pack of dogs.
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