Chapter 25: Fierce Battle with the Rotting Wolf

Compared to the berserk mole rat, a creature dwelling at the very bottom of the wilderness food chain, the Rotwolf was undoubtedly a far more dangerous presence in the wilds. Its physical attributes surpassed those of the mole rat by a significant margin. Even the strength, endurance, and agility of a juvenile Rotwolf could reach 1.2 points, comparable to an adult berserk mole rat. As for a fully matured Rotwolf, its three primary attributes could reach between 2 and 2.5 points, a level that exceeded the limits of a human body.

“Chip, scan this Rotwolf’s physical data!”

As he halted his steps and calmly drew the Silver Eagle pistol from his belt, chambering a round and aiming the barrel at the distant Rotwolf’s head, Zhang Ran issued a mental command to his chip.

“Enemy Name: Rotwolf
Type: Mutant Beast
Hunting Level: 0.7
Strength: 2.1
Endurance: 2.0
Agility: 2.0
Spirit: 1.0”

As Zhang Ran’s thought triggered the scan, a flash of silver flickered before his eyes. Immediately, a green, three-dimensional schematic of the Rotwolf appeared in his vision, with several red zones highlighted to mark its weak points, alongside a display of the creature’s attributes.

“As expected, it’s stronger than I am! Fortunately, this one isn’t the most powerful Rotwolf. With my abilities, there’s still a good chance I can bring it down.”

Though Zhang Ran’s expression remained grave as he examined the Rotwolf’s stats, the tension that had been gripping his heart eased considerably.

Had he been confronting a Rotwolf with all three attributes at 2.5, then even with his rich combat experience and the Silver Eagle pistol in hand, his chances of slaying such a beast would be less than ten percent—and more likely, he would end up killed by the Rotwolf.

However, the Rotwolf before him had not yet reached its peak. Its attributes were only about 0.2 higher than Zhang Ran’s own, and its spirit was considerably lower. For Zhang Ran, this Rotwolf was a challenge, but not a deadly threat.

Noticing the Silver Eagle pistol in Zhang Ran’s grasp, a trace of wariness flashed in the Rotwolf’s eyes. With a spirit attribute of 1.0, it already possessed a certain degree of intelligence and understood the weapon’s lethality.

After a brief hesitation, the Rotwolf’s hunger for food ultimately overcame its fear of the gun. With a low, guttural snarl, its eyes gleaming with greedy green light, it suddenly kicked off the ground and lunged at Zhang Ran!

“So fast!”

Against the shambling dead, Zhang Ran had easily dodged their attacks thanks to his superior agility and experience. But now, facing a Rotwolf with greater agility than his own, even his wealth of combat experience left him feeling somewhat pressed.

Though startled, Zhang Ran’s body didn’t falter. He quickly rolled to the side, barely evading the Rotwolf’s strike. Its claws, cutting through the air with a gust, grazed his waist. Even the mere force from the swipe sent a tingling numbness across his skin; had the blow landed, it would have ripped a large chunk of flesh from his body.

As he completed his evasive maneuver, Zhang Ran raised the Silver Eagle in one hand, aiming the barrel at the Rotwolf’s flank. Waiting until the beast landed and its speed was at its lowest, he resolutely pulled the trigger.

Bang!

With a thunderous report, the Silver Eagle’s muzzle spat fire and heat. A yellow-brown bullet burst forth, crossing the distance almost too fast for the eye to follow, and hurtled toward the Rotwolf’s waist.

Only mutant creatures with a hunting level of 3 or higher could withstand a close-range shot from a large-caliber pistol like the Silver Eagle. The Rotwolf before him clearly lacked such resilience. At that moment, having exhausted its initial burst and yet to gather new momentum, it was in no position to dodge. All it could do was desperately hunch its body down.

With a sickening squelch, the bullet failed to strike the waist directly due to the Rotwolf’s timely reaction, merely grazing its hide instead. Even so, propelled by immense kinetic force, the round tore a deep gash across the beast’s side, ripping away a sizable chunk of flesh and leaving blood streaming down, staining its green fur crimson.

The injury, though serious, was not enough to be fatal or even significantly impair the Rotwolf’s mobility. However, the pain only served to ignite the beast’s ferocity. With a low, mournful howl, its eyes took on a savage glint. It planted its four limbs to the ground and charged at Zhang Ran once more.

This time, however, the Rotwolf didn’t immediately pounce. Only when it had closed the distance to less than two meters did it suddenly raise its claws and slash viciously at Zhang Ran’s face.

“It missed! Damn it!”

Disappointment and frustration flickered in Zhang Ran’s eyes as he saw his bullet dodged. Now, with the Rotwolf attacking from such close range, he knew evasion would be nearly impossible. Quickly holstering his pistol, he gripped his combat knife with both hands and thrust it forward to meet the Rotwolf’s claws head-on.

With a metallic clang, the combat knife and the Rotwolf’s claws collided savagely. A tremendous force shot up Zhang Ran’s arms, making them tingle and his insides churn. He staggered back several steps before regaining his balance.

As for the Rotwolf, it hadn’t escaped unscathed. Though its claws were as tough as steel, they were no match for the combat knife’s superior hardness. In Zhang Ran’s counterstrike, two of the beast’s talons were severed cleanly.

No sooner had Zhang Ran steadied himself than the Rotwolf, relentless as ever, kicked off again, its body blurring into a brown streak as it lunged once more.

This time, Zhang Ran chose not to meet the attack head-on. He dove sharply to the side, slipping out of the Rotwolf’s range. In the same motion, he drew his Silver Eagle again and fired a shot at the beast as it hung in midair.

Bang!

With the deafening roar of the Silver Eagle, the recoil drove Zhang Ran’s body slightly downward. The bullet, brimming with kinetic energy, tore through the air toward the Rotwolf’s lower flank.

Suspended in midair, the Rotwolf was once again unable to dodge. It tried to curl its body in a desperate bid to avoid the shot.

But this time, Zhang Ran had adjusted his aim from the beast’s midsection to its lower waist. Even as the Rotwolf compacted itself, it could not evade the bullet’s deadly trajectory. The Silver Eagle’s round struck home with devastating force.