Chapter 11: Frenzied Rage
"Brother Di, let me go save Fatty!" Li Sheng, who had entered the hallway and witnessed the scene, was frantic.
"I'll go save him, you two, secure the door!" Di Ping's eyes were red, as if the death of the man had deeply affected him. He gritted his teeth and rushed out.
"Brother Di..." At that moment, Fatty, seeing Di Ping charge out, couldn't hold back his tears.
"Stop the damn whining, get inside!" Di Ping shouted, and with a swift motion, he charged towards the two behind him.
The brave man sacrificed his life to hold back the mutated dog for a few moments, allowing the others to reach the door. However, the mutated dog, now enraged, released the twitching man, let out a ferocious howl, and with blood splattering from its mouth, lunged toward them like a speeding arrow.
Di Ping faced the two dogs head-on, grabbed the two people, and began rushing toward the hallway. But an unbelievable scene occurred: Fatty stood outside the door, not having entered. He looked back toward Di Ping in despair.
"The door's blocked!" Fatty's voice was filled with hopelessness.
"Goddamn it, these bastards!" Di Ping cursed angrily. He saw that indeed, the door was blocked, and the shattered glass wall had been obstructed with chairs and tables.
He had never imagined these people would be so treacherous. He had tried to save them, only to end up locked out. However, cursing was useless now—the mutated dog was already upon them. The man and woman Di Ping had just saved collapsed to the ground, seemingly resigned to their fate.
The mutated dog had reached them, sensing that these people could no longer escape. It growled lowly, baring its bloody, razor-sharp fangs, its blood-red eyes locking onto the four.
"You damn dog, you think I'm afraid of you?" With no retreat left, Di Ping was left with no choice but to charge forward. He gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and rushed at the mutated dog.
"Woof…" The mutated dog let out a low growl, clearly angered by this challenge to its authority. It sprang forward with immense force, as if a cannonball had been launched at Di Ping.
Now, Di Ping's strength exceeded 300 kilograms, and his speed had been enhanced. The mutated dog's original speed was no longer a threat in his eyes. The two were about to collide. Di Ping could even smell the stench of the mutated dog's breath.
"Die!" Di Ping shouted, swinging his sword horizontally in a swift motion. He turned sharply, and with the same momentum, the blade sliced through the air like lightning.
"Whoosh…thud…" The sword let out a sharp whistle before cutting through the air, and with a sickening thud, the blade cleaved through the mutated dog's midsection, sending a spray of blood into the air.
Seeing the mutated dog cut in half by his sword, Di Ping was filled with an overwhelming sense of pride. The creature that had once seemed terrifying was now nothing more than a mere obstacle in his hands. He had used a sidestep technique he had perfected through training, and it had proven surprisingly effective, easily slaying the mutated dog.
At that moment, a burst of spiritual energy rose from the dog's corpse and rushed into his body like a streak of light. Energy surged through him, washing over his body, and he felt an unfamiliar power begin to manifest from within.
"Beep… Soul energy detected. System not activated; unable to store. Energy consumed to strengthen host's body."
"Woof woof…"
Before Di Ping could even feel the effects of the enhancement, five more mutated dogs suddenly charged at him. Upon seeing their fallen comrade, they were enraged, howling and charging at Di Ping.
With a roar, Di Ping charged back. There was no retreat now. After another enhancement, he felt his strength had surely reached 500 kilograms—five times that of an average adult. His strength now rivaled that of some strongmen, and he was no longer afraid of these creatures.
The long sword flashed like lightning as he swung it. With a quick parry, he sent the first mutated dog flying, its head cleaved in half. He then performed a slashing strike to the right, sending another dog flying.
"Ah…damn!" Although Di Ping's speed was impressive, even the strongest punches couldn't overpower sheer numbers. After knocking away two dogs, the third managed to sink its teeth into his thigh.
"Die!" Di Ping growled, kicking the mutated dog, which was more than a meter tall, and sending it flying several meters, blood splattering as it fell to the ground, unable to move.
Having undergone four enhancements, his strength had reached terrifying levels. This kick, fueled by anger and speed, was easily powerful enough to defeat the mutated dog.
"Ahh!" Two more dogs came at him from the left and behind, sinking their teeth into his buttocks and left leg.
"I'll kill you!" Di Ping seemed to have gone mad, pulling his sword back and thrusting it backward, impaling one mutated dog. He raised his left leg and struck the other, sending it flying.
"Woof…" The dog he kicked didn't appear to be seriously injured. It yelped and immediately charged again.
Di Ping quickly threw the dog impaled on his sword, and it crashed into the oncoming dog.
"Woof…" With a tragic cry, the two mutated dogs collided and tumbled to the ground in a chaotic heap.
"Woof woof..." Di Ping was about to move in to finish them off when suddenly, several more barks echoed in the distance. Another five mutated dogs emerged from the bushes.
"Beep… Soul energy detected. System not activated; unable to store. Energy consumed to strengthen host's body."
"Beep… Soul energy detected. System not activated; unable to store. Energy consumed to strengthen host's body."
Di Ping heard the voice again in his mind, and his heart lifted. It seemed that two more dogs had been taken down, resulting in another round of enhancements. Indeed, two dark green orbs of energy rushed into his body, and a warm flow spread throughout him, particularly intensifying around his wounds. It was as if his body was healing itself.
The five dogs charging toward him seemed taken aback by the sight of six of their kin lying dead on the ground. They stared at Di Ping with red eyes, growling and encircling him.
The warm flow surged through him but dissipated as quickly as it had come, leaving Di Ping with an overwhelming surge of strength. His hands gripped the sword hilt tightly, and it creaked under the immense pressure, as though it could no longer withstand his power.
"Haha… come at me, you damn dogs!" Di Ping's heart surged with excitement as he shouted, pushing off the ground with his feet.
"Boom…" The ground cracked as his body shot forward like the wind.
"Woof woof…" The five mutated dogs also howled as they used all their strength to charge at Di Ping.
"Bring it on!" Di Ping shouted, and with lightning speed, his sword swept across the battlefield. The first two dogs were struck mid-charge, crying out in pain as they flew backward.
With a swift spinning kick, he sent the third dog flying, its body rolling a great distance. The fourth dog, just about to pounce, was met with the hilt of his sword crashing into its jaw, sending it flying.
"Ah, you dare bite me!" Though the mutated dogs' speed no longer seemed as daunting to Di Ping, he was still faced with five attacking at once. His enhanced strength and speed were still difficult to control perfectly, but his current power was remarkable. He had already sent four dogs flying, but the last one lunged toward his neck. Thankfully, Di Ping quickly dodged, but it still managed to bite into his shoulder, tearing off a chunk of flesh. The pain was excruciating, and he gasped for air.
"Go to hell!" Just then, the last dog, which had narrowly escaped, snuck up behind Di Ping and lunged toward his neck. If it had bitten him, it would have been fatal. But Fatty, who had been lost in despair, seemed to snap out of it. Seeing the situation, he let out a desperate shout and charged forward.
"Woof…" Fatty, with his large frame, collided with the mutated dog, sending it flying with a painful cry. Fatty quickly grabbed a steel bar and began smashing it down on the dog's body, cursing furiously.
With no more distractions, Di Ping grabbed the dog still biting his shoulder and slammed it to the ground before stomping on it with all his might.
"Boom…" He had no idea how much force was in that stomp, but as his foot landed on the dog's waist, blood and guts exploded everywhere, and its spine cracked.
"Fatty, watch out!" Di Ping noticed that the mutated dog Fatty had knocked away, although it had blood running down its head from the blows, seemed unharmed. It charged again, aiming for Fatty's neck. Fatty tried to block it with the steel bar, but his strength couldn't match the dog's, and he was knocked to the ground.
Di Ping shouted for him to be careful. In an instant, he moved like lightning, closing the five or six meters between them in a flash. With a quick flick of his sword, he severed the mutated dog in half with a clean cut, sending a spray of blood all over Fatty.
"Beep… Soul energy detected. System not activated; unable to store. Energy consumed to strengthen host's body."
"Beep… Soul energy detected. System not activated; unable to store. Energy consumed to strengthen host's body."
"Beep… Soul energy detected. System not activated; unable to store. Energy consumed to strengthen host's body."
The system chimed three times in succession, indicating that three more dogs had been defeated. Three green orbs of energy rushed into Di Ping's body, causing a powerful surge of energy to course through him.
"Woof woof…" Once again, the familiar howls of mutated dogs sounded, and three more emerged from the grass.
"Roar… Bring it!" With the latest enhancements, Di Ping's body had reached an unimaginable strength, and his wounds were healing rapidly. His heart filled with an unstoppable sense of power. He gripped his sword tightly and shouted, causing the ground to tremble.
The three mutated dogs, now fully aware of the situation, hesitated. Di Ping's roar seemed to intimidate them. With fearful growls, they quickly turned tail and fled into the brush.
"They ran?" Di Ping was momentarily stunned. He had been prepared to go on a killing spree, but the vicious mutated dogs had fled.
"Fatty, are you alright?" With the dogs retreating, Di Ping quickly snapped back to his senses and rushed to help Fatty, who was still lying on the ground.
"I… I'm fine!" Fatty stammered, seemingly in a daze.
Looking at the bloodied Di Ping, Fatty was deeply moved. He hadn't expected that at the critical moment, Fatty would come to his rescue. A person like him was truly worth making friends with. But Di Ping's eyes swept across the doorway, and a killing intent began to stir within him.