Chapter 24: Injured

Chen Zhuo was just about to swing his sword and cut down the wolves when he never saw them pulling a dirty trick.

His left foot had barely stepped out—still too far from retracting—and his right hand was still frozen mid-swing, utterly incapable of launching a proper counterattack.

In panic, he abandoned the fallen wolf and relied solely on reflexes to dodge the lethal bite aimed at his neck. But the claw swipe that came with it was unavoidable. He barely managed to raise his arm in front of his chest and scramble backward, bracing for impact.

*滴答，滴答。*
Blood dripped from his arm, splattering onto the ground like tiny crimson blossoms.

The claws hadn’t landed full force—but even a glancing scratch tore through skin and muscle, exposing bone. Three jagged, gory lines now marred his left arm, blood gushing uncontrollably.

Worse yet, both wolves were still standing, though visibly fatigued. They stared at Chen Zhuo with cold, calculating eyes, circling him like predators scenting weakness.

He’d paid dearly for his recklessness. These weren’t mere animals anymore. Calling them monsters was no exaggeration. They had minds of their own, a crude but functional hierarchy. Not as grotesque as the Crimson Beasts, perhaps—but infinitely more dangerous.

*“I need to bandage this arm—soon. If I keep bleeding like this, I’ll bleed out.”*
*“But there are two of them right here. No way I can heal while they’re watching. Gotta kill them first.”*
*“Now my left hand’s basically useless. Fighting with one hand? Forget it.”*
*“Running away? Too late. I’m stuck. Only option left—fight to the death.”*

Cold sweat soaked through his back, betraying the fear gnawing at his nerves.

【Crimson Shard: Blue — Temporarily boosts all four stats by 5 points. User loses rationality for 2 minutes.】

No time to hesitate. Chen Zhuo fished the shard from his pack, swallowed it whole, then bolted into motion, waiting for the power to kick in.

A wave of heat surged from his throat, spreading through his body like wildfire. His heartbeat spiked. Blood roared in his veins, every cell vibrating with unnatural energy.

*“Something’s wrong… This state’s making my arm bleed worse,”* he muttered, clutching his wound, frustration creeping in.

But then—the numbers kicked in. His steps lightened. Speed skyrocketed. The wolves’ movements, once fast enough to be threatening, now seemed sluggish in his eyes. He could track every twitch, every shift in posture.

As strength surged, so did the fog in his mind. His gaze turned bloodshot. The instinct to kill took over completely.

Before he even felt the boost in stamina, consciousness slipped away. Eyes wide open, pupils drowned in red, his entire frame radiating a thick, oppressive aura of blood.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks—abandoning flight.

The wolves halted too, confused by his sudden stillness. They assumed he’d given up.

Then slowly, deliberately, he turned around.

His injured arm hung limp, dripping blood. The iron sword lay discarded beside him. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t shield himself. Just tilted his head toward the two creatures before him.

*“Huh…”*
The breath escaped his lips—human, yet the wolves shivered as if chilled to the bone.

A low, guttural growl echoed again—*“Wu-lu-lu…”*
This time, it trembled. Uncertain.

Arms spread wide, his center of gravity dropped. A grin split his face—a twisted, unnatural rictus.

While they hesitated, he vanished.

One moment gone. The next, he was behind the first wolf.

*“Pfft!”*
The sound of flesh tearing.

Before either wolf could react, Chen Zhuo’s hand plunged into the creature’s back, straight through its heart.

Spasms wracked the beast. Blood poured from its mouth in thick gouts.

*“Gurgle-gurgle…”*
He twisted his wrist—then *yanked*. Something snapped inside.

The wolf collapsed.

The second wolf lunged, driven by instinct and fury. But Chen Zhuo didn’t dodge. Instead, he shot out a side kick—faster than thought.

The blow connected. The wolf flew backward, crashing six meters away, stunned.

Still dazed, it barely registered the shadow that pounced on it like a panther.

One foot slammed into its spine, pinning it to the ground. With his free hand, Chen Zhuo seized its front paw—ignoring the claws tearing into his flesh.

Muscle flexed. *Rip!*
The limb tore off clean.

The wolf screamed—a high-pitched, agonized wail—but couldn’t escape.

Chen Zhuo leaned down, pressed his ear close to the creature’s snout, and let out a slow, chilling chuckle.

Then he leapt up—landing lightly, knees bent, driving his left leg forward like a piston.

*Thud.*
His knee struck the wolf’s skull.

The creature’s eyes bulged. Its body went rigid. Then—still.

Silence.

Minutes passed.

The crimson haze faded from Chen Zhuo’s eyes. The bloodlust receded. Consciousness returned, sharp and painful.

*“Ugh… My head hurts.”*

As vision cleared, he finally took stock of the scene.

Chaos. Destruction. Blood everywhere—including his own hands.

After a few seconds, memory returned. His left hand—his blood. Right hand—wolf’s gore.

*“Right. Left hand’s still bleeding.”*

Medical supplies were all back at the shelter. All he had was a bandage. He wrapped it tight—but the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

*“Need to get to the shelter fast.”*

*“Thank god the Crimson Shard worked. Two kills in under ten seconds. If not for that… I’d be dead.”*

He didn’t care about the mess. Didn’t look back. He ran—full speed—through the ruined landscape.

Soon, he disappeared into the distance.

Unseen, a figure crouched in the tall grass far off watched it all unfold.

When Chen Zhuo vanished, the figure stood, then followed—keeping a careful distance.

Inside a shelter slightly larger than a stone hut, two men stood.

One was a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man. The other, a plump young guy.

Their faces, though different in build, shared the same dark, hollow expression.

“Where’s Ma Yu? Why hasn’t he come back? Did the wolves eat him?” the older man asked.

“No way,” the younger one said confidently. “He’s smarter than us. Wouldn’t go near wolves alone. Probably found something good—just waiting to see what’s worth taking.”