The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu made a decision quickly.

But we can't be reckless; we need to find a good position.

He circled the ruins and finally found an old locust tree in the southeast corner.

The trunk is so thick that it would take two people to hug it, and it is nearly ten meters tall. Its branches are lush and offer a wide view.

Most importantly, this tree is about thirty meters away from where the venomous cat demon is located, with no major obstructions in between, and its canopy is tall enough that even if the cat demon jumped, it couldn't reach that height...

The average cat demon can only jump two or three meters high, and although this one is stronger, it still struggles to jump ten meters.

Su Mu unloaded his backpack and other unnecessary items, taking only his pistol, bullets, and the grenade. He quickly climbed to a height of six or seven meters, found a thick enough tree branch to climb on, and hid his body behind the leaves.

He peered through the gaps in the leaves... The venomous cat demon was still crouching in front of the shrine, its scarlet eyes half-open, as if it were dozing. The ordinary cat demons around it seemed normal as well.

Su Mu took a deep breath and pulled out the last grenade from his waist.

He pulled out the safety ring, silently counted to three, then aimed at the venomous cat demon's head and hurled it with force.

The grenade traced an arc through the air, landing precisely on the head of the venomous cat demon...

Just as the grenade was about to hit his head, the cat demon moved.

Its reaction was so fast that it didn't seem like it had just been dozing off. Almost at the same moment the grenade was released, it suddenly opened its eyes, its scarlet vertical pupils locking onto Su Mu's direction.

Then it moved.

Even so, the grenade still hit him on the head, but it didn't explode.

Su Mu didn't even see how it moved. He only saw a dark green shadow ricochet off its spot, moving so fast it left an afterimage in the air. The grenade bounced, striking the stone steps of the ancestral hall and ricocheting...

boom!

By the time the explosion rang out, the venomous cat demon had already run at least fifteen meters away. Shrapnel and debris flew everywhere, and several ordinary cat demons that were nearby were blown to pieces, collapsing to the ground howling in agony. But that venomous cat demon...

It wasn't seriously injured.

Su Mu clearly saw several pieces of shrapnel graz its back, cutting several gashes in its dark green fur, from which dark green blood seeped out. But that was all. It had dodged most of the grenade's power.

It didn't dodge because it was within the blast radius. It moved out of the kill radius before the grenade even hit the ground.

That reaction speed...

Su Mu had no time to think. The venomous cat demon had already turned in his direction, its scarlet eyes filled with ferocity.

It pounced.

It's incredibly fast. A distance of thirty meters that would take an ordinary person several seconds to cover, could be covered in the blink of an eye for this thing.

Su Mu raised his gun and fired.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Seven bullets were fired.

The first two shots hit... He could feel the subtle "pulling sensation" when [Weakness Lock] took effect. But starting with the third shot, that feeling disappeared.

Because the cat demon rushed into the shadows of the tree canopy.

The branches and leaves obscured his view. Although it was only for a moment, that brief obstruction rendered his talent ineffective. Without vision, there was no lock-on.

After firing six shots, the Venomous Cat Demon had already rushed to the foot of the tree.

It didn't stop; its hind legs pushed off the ground, and its whole body shot up like a cannonball, rushing towards Su Mu!

Four or five meters.

It jumped four or five meters high.

The claws almost grazed Su Mu's feet, leaving four deep claw marks on the tree trunk. At the edges of the claw marks, dark green venom seeped into the bark, making a hissing, corrosive sound, white smoke rose, and a pungent odor wafted over.

Su Mu didn't even have time to feel any lingering fear.

He stared intently at the cat demon... It missed its first attack, fell back to the ground, and sprang up again the instant it landed on all fours, pouncing a second time!

This time, it jumped even higher.

Su Mu did not retreat. He grabbed a tree branch above his head with one hand, swung his whole body out, and with the other hand he gripped a large wrench, using the momentum of his body to smash it down!

The wrench slammed into the venomous cat demon's head, producing a dull cracking sound. The cat demon was thrown off course, veering off its original trajectory, and crashed heavily to the ground, rolling twice.

It did not die.

Su Mu could hear it howling in pain on the ground, the sound of its claws scratching the earth as sharp as metal scraping. But he didn't have time to confirm... He swung himself back onto the tree branch, took the quick-loading device from his chest harness with one hand, and stuffed it into the reel.

One shot. Two shots.

There was only enough time to load two rounds.

The venomous cat demon had already gotten up from the ground.

There was a noticeable dent on its head, and dark green blood was flowing down its forehead, obscuring half of its eye. But it didn't slow down much; its single, scarlet eye was fixed on Su Mu, and a low growl came from its throat.

It pounced again.

This time, Su Mu didn't dodge. He sat astride a tree branch, gripping his gun with both hands, aiming it at the charging cat demon...

Two shots.

Boom!

The two gunshots rang out almost simultaneously. The first bullet struck the cat demon squarely in the forehead, shattering the already caved-in skull. The second shot followed immediately, entering through the same hole and exploding inside the cranial cavity.

The venomous cat demon's pounce froze in mid-air.

Its body seemed to be paused, stopping less than two meters in front of Su Mu, frozen for a moment.

Then it fell straight down, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

[Defeat Lv2 Blue Poisonous Cat Demon, Experience +30]

Su Mu was panting heavily, his hand gripping the gun still trembling slightly. He glanced down... the four claw marks on the tree trunk were deep enough to fit a finger, the bark at the edges had been corroded black by the venom, and white smoke was still rising from them.

If that claw had scratched him just now...

It's probably going to be unpleasant, especially since this thing looks poisonous.