Afterward, he found a small bag of iron nails in the overturned TV cabinet and immediately put them away. These were rare items, perfect for reinforcing his raft. He then found a fruit knife, which he also pocketed, considering it for Xu Xuehui to use for self-defense later. Opening the refrigerator, he found boxes of milk and several cans of beer. Su Li was overjoyed. He quickly found a large plastic bag and collected all of it inside. "Nice, this is quite a haul."
In addition to that, he took all the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar he found in the kitchen. Though these items seemed unnecessary now, Su Li believed they would be useful later. While he was rummaging through the apartment, he suddenly noticed Xu Xuehui walking out. Although she was still a bit unsteady, she had recovered a lot. She was holding a large bag in her hand and slowly offered it to him.
"What's this?" Su Li took the large bag and opened it. Inside were all kinds of snacks: sunflower seeds, pistachios, raisins, candy, and more—the entire bag was full. "Are these your usual snacks?" Su Li asked Xu Xuehui. Xu Xuehui nodded. Su Li smiled and said, "That's great, these are all food. Here, take this fruit knife." He handed the fruit knife to her. Xu Xuehui took the fruit knife, looking a bit dazed. "Your clothes are pretty badly ripped. Change into a new set, we need to leave here now." After confirming there was nothing else useful to find, Su Li decided it was time to leave, as he didn't want to waste any more time here.
Xu Xuehui obediently returned to the bedroom. A short while later, she emerged wearing a brand new denim jumpsuit and black leather shoes. She looked very cute, clean, and tidy. Su Li nodded in approval and said, "Very pretty. Let's go." He picked up the two large plastic bags.
Xu Xuehui didn't speak but quietly followed him. Su Li walked out the door and watched her follow. Bathed in sunlight, Xu Xuehui's face appeared soft, snow-white, and flawless, like a doll. Su Li's heart suddenly stirred. She didn't seem as reluctant to leave her father's corpse as he had imagined. This put his mind at ease. He had worried she wouldn't want to leave, but Xu Xuehui was very compliant. Clearly, deep down, she was desperate to escape this place, which explained her obedience. No one knew what she had experienced or heard while hiding in that wardrobe. Perhaps, in her heart, this place was a nightmare, and she was desperate to flee, having no lingering attachment.
Perhaps because she hadn't seen the sun for a long time, Xu Xuehui instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes under the sudden sunlight. Abruptly, she looked at Su Li with a look of terror, as if she had seen something horrifying. Su Li was looking at her, with his back to the long corridor behind him, when he saw the look of fear on her face. Su Li realized she wasn't afraid of him; she had seen something behind him. Her face was tilted slightly upward, and her gaze was directed above his head. In an instant, Su Li acted almost purely on instinct, violently jerking his head to the side. At that very moment, something scraped past his shoulder. Blood splattered, and a searing, burning pain shot through him. Several deep gashes were instantly visible, cut right to the bone. "Watch out!" Xu Xuehui finally screamed, stumbling backward in a panic, and falling onto the ground.
In front of her, a dark shadow swept over Su Li's head and landed on the ground ahead of him, appearing before Xu Xuehui. It was a large, entirely blood-red dog. Its original breed was unrecognizable; it had undergone a terrifying mutation. All the fur on its body was gone, replaced by swollen, blood-red muscles. It looked as if it had been skinned, leaving only muscle tissue—ugly, vicious, and resembling a monster. It had razor-sharp, hook-like claws that extended almost ten centimeters when deployed. Using these terrifying claws, it had hooked onto the ceiling of the corridor just moments ago, ambushing Su Li from directly above his head. Su Li had no warning. If not for the sudden terror he saw on Xu Xuehui's face, prompting his instinctual jerk of the head, those claws would have shredded his skull instead of his shoulder.
Although he had dodged the fatal blow, Su Li was soaked in cold sweat. His muscles twitched and expanded. He activated the special ability "Muscle Enhancement Type I," contracting the wound on his shoulder to slow the bleeding and prevent excessive blood loss. With a roar, Su Li threw the two plastic bags he was holding onto the ground. Ignoring the searing, tearing pain in his left shoulder, he gripped the iron rod tightly with his right hand, the veins on his hand bulging. He charged forward fiercely.
This blood-red muscular monster, after leaping over Su Li, had landed right in front of Xu Xuehui. It only needed to pounce once more to clamp its jaws around Xu Xuehui's throat. Having just found a companion, Su Li did not want to lose her suddenly.
All his strength erupted instantly. The iron rod whistled slightly through the air as he brought it down in a powerful strike. Between his eyebrows, the blurry vertical eye pattern appeared, and the "Peering Rune" activated.
"Name: Gluttonous Dog (Gluttony Hound), an Elite species among Level 2 Spiritual Source Beasts. Voracious eater, fond of sneak attacks. Has a 1% chance of evolving into a Gluttony Lord. Killing the Gluttonous Dog may grant the special ability 'Gluttony Fangs.'"
Su Li's heart sank slightly. This Gluttonous Dog was actually an Elite species of a Level 2 Spiritual Source Beast? The One-Eyed Frog he had previously encountered was an Elite species, but only a Level 1 Spiritual Source Beast. Undoubtedly, the Gluttonous Dog in front of him was far more powerful than the One-Eyed Frog. With no time to think, Su Li put all his effort into the swing. The iron rod whistled faintly, indicating a considerable amount of power in the blow.
The Gluttonous Dog did not pounce and savage Xu Xuehui as Su Li expected. Instead, it suddenly turned, evaded his iron rod, circled around, and leaped into the air again, attacking Su Li like a hawk descending on a rabbit. The Gluttonous Dog's leaping power was astonishing; this jump reached at least two or three meters high, almost hitting the ceiling above. Su Li calmly retreated, his peripheral vision catching sight of a Corpse Beast lying near his feet. He immediately slipped his toe under the body, keeping his foot close to the ground. Scattered across this long corridor were the corpses of several Corpse Beasts, which Su Li guessed had all been killed by Xu Xuehui's father. Just as the Gluttonous Dog was about to descend, Su Li used his foot to flick the Corpse Beast's body upward, launching it toward the Gluttonous Dog.
(End of Chapter)