The deafening gunshot echoed through the streets. The charging wolf pack instantly halted, letting out a howl before retreating.
They had never heard such a terrifying sound before and, for a moment, were completely baffled by the creature before them.
This creature—a square on top of four circles with a cylindrical object sticking out its back—was just too damn weird.
Just then, another howl rang out, instantly steadying the pack.
From the other side of the street, a massive alpha wolf emerged with the rest of the pack, its eyes glinting with a menacing light.
The alpha wolf was clearly not frightened by the gunshot and was preparing to lead the pack in for the kill!
Shen Feng's brow furrowed, and he pulled a submachine gun from his handcart.
He didn't want to fight the wolves unless he had absolutely no other choice.
After all, his ammunition was limited, and he had no idea what dangers awaited him at the Epidemic Prevention Center.
Therefore, his main goal was still intimidation.
He then aimed his pistol at a nearby glass window and pulled the trigger again.
BANG! CRASH!
The gunshot rang out, and the window shattered, creating a massive racket that sent the pack into another commotion. Many of them turned, wanting to flee.
The alpha wolf let out another low snarl, stopping its companions who wanted to escape. It then lowered its body, preparing to force the attack!
It seemed to have realized that this creature couldn't handle an attack from dozens of beasts at once and wanted to risk it all in one decisive assault!
Shen Feng's eyes narrowed. He was about to give this vicious wolf a taste of his bullets.
WOOF... BARK! Just then, a few barks came from within the wolf pack!
The alpha wolf, so ferocious just a moment ago, froze. It instantly became much more docile and turned to look in the direction of the barking.
A look of surprise crossed Shen Feng's face as a golden retriever emerged from the pack. The surrounding wolves all cleared a path for it, showing signs of submission!
One of the golden retriever's ears was half-missing, and deep scratches marred its face. Its fur was dusty and gray, and its build was even larger than that of an average wolf. It had clearly seen many battles.
It was then that Shen Feng suddenly realized the pack was not what he had initially thought.
Looking closely, he saw that the dozens of "vicious wolves" were not all wolves. About half of them bore the features of domesticated dogs!
Alaskans, German Shepherds, Dobermans, mutts, and even a Husky!
All of them were medium-sized hunting dogs!
The last time he'd encountered them, he had been too tense to get a good look. Only now did he realize that this so-called wolf pack was actually composed of both wolves and domesticated dogs!
The one he had assumed was the alpha wolf was not the pack's leader. This golden retriever was.
Apparently, after humanity had completely vanished from the cities, the wolves that escaped from the zoos had merged with the stray dogs, forming a new kind of pack.
There's no reproductive isolation between wolves and domesticated dogs, so it made sense.
The golden retriever slowly walked to the front of the pack, stopping before Shen Feng. A flicker of docility passed through its sharp gaze, and it then glanced warily at the gun in Shen Feng's hands.
'Humans! It's a human!'
'They've come back!?'
'But this human... there's a dangerous aura about him!'
Shen Feng looked closer and saw a leather collar around the golden retriever's neck. It had clearly been raised by humans once.
The average lifespan of a golden retriever is twelve to fifteen years. This meant that no more than fifteen years had passed since the start of the Petrification apocalypse.
Judging from the health of this golden retriever, which was in the prime of its life, it had likely been less than eight years.
Waving the gun in his hand, Shen Feng pointed into the distance and said, "Go on. I mean you no harm."
The golden retriever seemed to understand him. It stared at him for a few more seconds, then turned, let out a few calls, and led the pack away, leaving only a trail of paw prints on the ground.
Shen Feng let out a long sigh of relief, put the gun away, and began pushing his cart forward again.
If the pack had insisted on attacking him, he really wasn't sure he could have escaped unscathed.
There were just too many of them...
Judging by the golden retriever's behavior, it still held a deep memory of and attachment to human civilization. He just didn't know how long that attachment would last.
Perhaps in a few years, after the last generation of domesticated dogs dies out, only wild wolves will be left in this world.
Or perhaps they could use the remnants of human civilization to rapidly evolve and gradually develop a civilization of their own?
Shen Feng shook his head. These weren't things he should be worrying about.
A block away, a thirty-odd-story building came into view. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with no trace of any medium or large animal activity.
He had arrived at the Epidemic Prevention Center.
The area was desolate and silent; he could barely even hear the chirping of insects.
But this instantly made Shen Feng tense up.
The city had completely reverted to the law of the jungle. Only places where large predators dwelled would be this quiet.
There were bound to be Skinners in the Epidemic Prevention Center, and a lot of them!
He quickly put on his gear, hid behind a wall at the street corner, and tossed an empty metal box into the deserted street before him.
CLANG... CLANG...
The metal box rolled across the ground, making a harsh, grating noise.
Immediately, roars and crashing sounds erupted from the surrounding shops and buildings.
It was the Skinners!
Shen Feng saw it with his own eyes: a Skinner pressed its forehead against the glass of a door, its eyes filled with madness, but it didn't smash through to rush out.
When the sunlight touched it, it immediately recoiled.
These Skinners were afraid of sunlight!
'It makes sense, though,' he thought. 'After all, they have no skin. Sunlight must feel like pressing raw flesh against a hot iron.'
Shen Feng immediately emerged from behind the corner and cautiously pushed his cart onto the street.
The squeaking of the rusty wheels instantly alerted the Skinners in the nearby buildings.
One by one, hideous Skinners lunged at the doors and windows, roaring madly, but the sunlight held them back.
Finally, one Skinner couldn't take it anymore and charged into the sunlight toward Shen Feng. But he shot it down with a single bullet. It howled in agony on the ground, and its body soon cracked and dried under the sun, causing it to bleed out and die.
Shen Feng clicked his tongue. 'These Skinners have to be the weakest monsters around.'
He walked the length of the street, the roars never ceasing. The buildings on either side were like cages in Hell. Finally, Shen Feng arrived at the entrance of the Epidemic Prevention Center.
On the LED screen above the entrance, several lines of text blinked continuously:
"With great wisdom and courage, we fight the disease, achieving final victory over the Petrification Disease!"
Even after several years, the intelligent Solar-powered system here was still faithfully running.
Peering through the explosion-proof glass of the entrance, he saw dozens of stone statues standing in the lobby, along with dozens of Skinners roaming about. They were already lunging at the door, roaring ceaselessly at Shen Feng, who stood in the sunlight.
They were like a horde of Evil Ghosts trying to drag the living into Hell.
Unfazed, Shen Feng first found several large spray bottles and some bottled water in a small supermarket down the street. He set up a pot and began to boil water right at the entrance to the Epidemic Prevention Center.
It was now noon. The sun was high in the sky and scorching hot. Any Skinner that came out would have its skin crack and die.
Soon, the water in the pot was boiling. Shen Feng first took out a pack of compressed biscuits and ate a makeshift meal, then filled all four large spray bottles with the boiling water.
He put on his riot helmet and bulletproof vest, checked his guns and ammo, and, holding a large spray bottle in each hand, walked up to the entrance of the Epidemic Prevention Center.
The automatic doors, though spattered with blood, were still functional. As soon as Shen Feng approached, they slid open.
The horde of Skinners inside let out frenzied howls. Their chaotic minds had only one thought: to tear apart this human who was different from them—or at the very least, to peel off his skin!
Shen Feng strode in, his expression blank.
Several Skinners immediately charged at him!
'Come on, then! Time to feel the wrath of my sprayer!'
Shen Feng immediately pulled the trigger on the spray bottle, and scorching hot water, billowing with steam, gushed out!
AWOOOO—