Damn zombies, how dare they disguise themselves as humans!

"Meow~"

A deep, resonant voice came from the black panther's mouth.

The familiar call confirmed its species: it wasn't a leopard, but a cat.

But perhaps due to the virus, its appearance has undergone a dramatic change.

Aside from being several times larger than a cheetah, it had no fur on its body, dark skin, bulging veins, and bloodshot eyes.

In particular, the sharp claws that spring out from its limbs are like iron hooks, and a clear clanging sound can be heard with every step it takes to touch the floor.

"No...don't...don't come any closer..."

Seeing the mutated cat approaching step by step, the woman with glasses hurriedly struggled to sit up from the ground. Ignoring her bloodied half-face, she screamed and moved backward with difficulty, her face pale, her body shaking violently like a leaf.

The overwhelming fear of death even caused him to lose control of his bladder; he was so scared that he peed himself.

"Director... help... help me... please help me..."

"Snap!"

The sudden bite silenced the woman's cries for help.

The exaggerated arc formed by the gaping, blood-red maw almost covered its entire head, emanating terrifying sounds of bones cracking.

Shaking off the corpse and tossing it aside, as if it had heard something, the mutated cat's crimson eyes immediately turned to the other side, where Director Qian was trembling and crawling towards the door.

"Whoosh!"

"ah!!"

He sprang to his feet on all fours.

It fell again in the blink of an eye.

Like iron hooks, sharp claws stepped on Director Qian's back, piercing through him and causing him to let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Lowering its head, just as the mutated cat was about to bite its prey to death—

"Whoosh!!"

A sharp, piercing whistle suddenly burst forth.

At the same time, as if sensing a threat, the mutated cat's blood-red pupils suddenly contracted.

The already bulging, dense meridians throughout the body swelled even more, as if crawling with countless earthworms.

The next moment,

The terrifying speed of the burst caused it to disappear as a black shadow once again, and in the blink of an eye, it reappeared more than ten meters away.

at the same time,

Luo Tian's figure appeared next to Director Qian, who was lying on the ground unconscious from the pain.

The Thunder Blade, tilted downwards in his hand, was stained with a smear of black blood, which slowly dripped down the blade.

A small piece of the mutated cat's flesh lay on the ground.

This was just cut off.

But Luo Tian showed no joy; instead, his face turned ashen, and his heart sank to the extreme.

He had aimed for the mutated cat's neck, intending to decapitate it with a single blow, but he missed.

"Damn it!"

Luo Tian's expression was somber as he held his knife warily, looking at the mutated cat in the distance.

After Director Qian and his group entered the pet store, he turned back and kept watch from outside.

Upon seeing the monster that the group had successfully lured out, its enormous size left him speechless.

Is that a cat?

Did they take hormones?

But what alarmed Luo Tian even more was the monster's speed.

Even he couldn't see how the attack on the five people, including Director Qian, who were sitting around the table occurred.

Therefore, he waited outside for the right moment to make his move.

He didn't move when the woman with glasses was killed.

Only when the mutated cat focused all its attention on the fat Director Qian did he immediately stealthily approach.

Unfortunately, even so, it still wasn't enough to kill it instantly.

"That was a very fast reaction!"

"The speed is outrageous!"

Luo Tian was tense all over, his mind highly focused.

The failure to land a blow put him in an extremely dangerous situation.

There's no way to fight these monsters head-on, as their movements are completely unpredictable to the naked eye.

Even if you retreat, or even if you use Swiftness to burst at 100% speed, you cannot guarantee a safe retreat.

Even at this moment, any action that shows the slightest fear will alert the mutated cat and lead to its pursuit.

The same is true.

opposite,

More than ten meters away,

The mutated cat lay prone on the ground, its huge body slightly arched, constantly shaking its face, which had been stripped of a layer of skin.

But his crimson eyes remained fixed on Luo Tian, ​​who held the knife.

Clearly, this mutated cat is not a mindless zombie that has lost its mind.

Infection with the virus may, like in a few humans, induce a genetic mutation that causes the body to grow rapidly while retaining its biological instincts, and its reaction and speed are simultaneously enhanced, or even greatly amplified.

A normal-sized human's reaction is not even as good as a cat's, let alone a monster enhanced by a virus.

Having just been wounded by a knife, the mutated cat, out of biological instinct, was probably somewhat wary of Luo Tian, ​​which is why it didn't attack immediately.

But I won't hold out against him for long; I doubt I'll last until the stealth skill's 2-minute cooldown is over.

A crucial retreat would mean certain death, and a direct confrontation would offer no chance of victory.

The speed and reaction time are too different; they're not even in the same order of magnitude.

"What should we do!"

Luo Tian's mind raced.

At that moment, he reviewed all his skills, abilities, and trump cards.

Soon, as if he had thought of something, he paused for a moment and hurriedly asked the system in his mind.

Receiving a positive response from the system immediately put Luo Tian at ease.

Killing it is not impossible.

Sheath the sword.

Retract the blade.

Luo Tian held the knife hilt in one hand and a grenade appeared in the other as he slowly retreated.

Sure enough, almost as soon as he retreated and showed weakness, the mutated cat sprang up and transformed into a black whirlwind.

"Bang!"

Luo Tian felt a fierce force approaching.

The next second, he was tackled to the ground and bit down with his foul-smelling mouth.

"Click!"

[Ding, the Guardian Skill has been automatically triggered, consuming 160 points.]

[Current points balance: 90. Points will be automatically deducted if insufficient. Remaining points: -70.]

The system notification sounded in my mind the instant I was bitten.

But Luo Tian had no time to pay attention to that and quickly detonated the grenade in his hand.

"Rip!"

A burst of electric light erupted instantly, scattering and surging outwards.

The accompanying severe paralysis immediately froze the mutated cat, leaving it stiff and lifeless like a sculpture.

The items rewarded by the system are ineffective for the host, which was a question Luo Tian had specifically asked the system earlier.

Just like now, covered by dense electric light, he felt nothing and was not affected in any way.

As the mutated cat fell into paralysis, Luo Tian immediately raised the hilt of his knife and pressed it against its chin.

"Pfft!"

With a sudden press of the button, the blade shot out and instantly pierced through the mutated cat's head.

Holding the hilt of the knife, Luo Tian slashed fiercely once more.

pat~

The paralysis effect lasts for three seconds.

The mutated cat's entire head fell off, and its massive body slumped to the ground.

"call……"

Lying on the ground, Luo Tian stared at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

At this moment, he felt as if he had survived a near-death experience.

The moment the tension that had been building up to its limit was released, a wave of intense fatigue washed over the mind.

"It triggered the protection of its master, exhausted all its resources, and even cost it 70 points."

"They used the Magnetic Storm Grenade, which was a random reward from back then, again..."

"This reward shouldn't be too bad, or we'll lose a lot of money."

Touching his neck, which had been bitten by the mutated cat but was still intact, Luo Tian stood up, supporting himself with the Thunder Blade.

not far away,

Director Qian, who was lying on the ground, had just fainted from the pain.

Only then did she slowly wake up under the stimulation of excruciating pain.

Looking up and seeing Luo Tian approaching, he instinctively asked in a panic, "Where's that monster? Is it gone?"

But seeing that Luo Tian was unharmed, everything was self-evident.

Relieved, Director Qian was immediately struck by the bloody wounds on his chest and back, which made him wince in pain and tremble all over.

The intense pain and the ensuing surge of anger caused him to glare at Luo Tian and unleash a torrent of curses:

"You piece of trash!"

"Where the hell have you been? Why are you so late?"

"Do you know I almost died?"

"Is this how you protect me?"

"Luckily, I was lucky and survived."

"Quick! Help me up and get me out of here. Then find some medicine to bandage me up. If anything happens to me, your whole family's lives won't be enough to pay for it!"