Chapter 2: The Arrival of the Apocalypse

Dogfighting.

This is the dark area of ​​J City.

Where there is light, there is darkness. This is an eternal truth. Even in today's civilized world, in some corners, the most primitive and filthy scenes are still being staged.

This is a dogfighting arena, where participants from all over bring trained dogs to compete in 1v1 matches. The only rule for victory is to stay alive.

The scenes of the fights are extremely bloody. In order to increase the dogs' attack power, the owners intentionally starve the dogs for several days before the competition, making them like demons, willing to prey on their own kind. Furthermore, some owners inject the dogs with stimulants or apply anesthetics to their bodies before the match.

The dogs designated for the fight do not have the right to give up, such is the nature of humanity.

Outside an inconspicuous door.

Chen Feng looked coldly at the simple door in front of him. It hadn't been long since the outbreak of the apocalypse, and he certainly didn't have the mood to come here to watch dogfights.

In the previous life, the disaster happened too suddenly. By the time Chen Feng reacted, the surroundings had turned into a hell, with zombies rampant and ferocious creatures roaming. The once superior humans became the objects of slaughter, and the chapter of slaughter began.

Compared to the slow-moving zombies, the most terrifying thing in the early stages of the apocalypse was the activation of the genetic chain in ferocious creatures. Some creatures experienced atavism, not only increasing their strength, but also their abilities becoming extremely bizarre.

Just like elite monsters in games, they didn't appear frequently, but their strength was extremely terrifying.

Hellhound.

This is its title, or a symbol of honor.

After the outbreak of the apocalypse in the previous life, it once slaughtered an entire city district. Standing at five meters tall, with bright red fur, it could spew out scorching lava.

Compared to ordinary ferocious creatures, these elite monsters with special abilities were the truly terrifying existence. In the previous life, it was only after the country's forces paid a heavy price that they managed to kill it.

After the death of the hellhound, its body remained scorching for three days. As the first ferocious creature encountered in the apocalypse, the hellhound left a deep impression on Chen Feng.

And the most memorable thing was the scar on the hellhound's back, a "fight" character. Some informed people said that this was the symbol of the J City dogfighting arena. Every fighting dog would have its fur shaved off and the character carved into its skin to stimulate its ferocity through pain.

And this was the purpose of Chen Feng coming here.

He wanted to find the creature that would soon transform into a demon.

Firearms are strictly prohibited in China. With only a few hours left before the apocalypse, compared to buying useless cold weapons and hoarding food, creatures like the hellhound would be more beneficial to Chen Feng's plan.

"Thud, thud..."

Thinking of this, Chen Feng no longer hesitated and knocked on the wooden door in front of him.

"Who's there?"

The door opened, and a young man wearing a vest and cloth shoes poked his head out. He looked around first, then turned to the stranger in front of him, his eyes full of vigilance.

A lackey.

As a gray industry, there were special rules here. Whether it was the dog owners or the gambling spectators, they needed a referral to enter.

This lackey obviously hadn't seen Chen Feng before, and his face became somewhat gloomy, showing a cautious look.

"I want to buy a dog."

"What kind of dog? This is Zhang's Grain Shop!"

Time was not abundant, and Chen Feng didn't have much time to exchange pleasantries with the other party. He opened the bag in his hand, and a stack of hundred yuan bills appeared in front of the lackey.

Alone, with no relatives or friends.

This was all of Chen Feng's assets. For a dog, to the eyes of ordinary people, Chen Feng was simply a madman. But in reality? In a few hours, when the apocalypse broke out, so-called money, property deeds, and businesses would be like mud. In this new world, the comparison was not about how strong one's backing was, but how strong one's fists were.

No one could ignore money.

The lackey couldn't make this decision, and didn't dare to. He hesitated for a few seconds, then hurriedly went inside to ask the higher-ups.

...

Man dies for wealth.

The temptation of money made Chen Feng an immediate guest of this animal arena.

The storefront appeared to be a grain shop, but there was more to it. After entering a small room, the noisy crowd and the mournful howls reached Chen Feng's ears.

Blood.

The thick smell of blood.

This was undoubtedly a dogfighting arena. A group of people gathered around an iron cage, shouting and cheering, while two pit bulls were entangled in a fierce fight.

At the same time, a middle-aged man with a bald head and tiger tattoos on both arms approached Chen Feng.

He was the boss here.

The lackey's report surprised him. Dogs, to each person, held different meanings. For some, they were food or tools, while for others, they were friends and companions.

In the past, many people came here to choose their favorite fighting dogs. Those lucky dogs were picked by their new owners and no longer had to face the threat of death.

The prices ranged from thousands to tens of thousands, but what the tattooed man didn't expect was that someone like the unconventional man in front of him was a first.

This is a young man, standing at around 1.75 meters tall, with fair skin and not very prominent muscles. Compared to some playboys involved in the gray industry, he looks more like a recent college graduate. Normally, a fledgling like him would be panicked and fearful in such a situation, but this young man exudes an indescribable calmness, especially in his eyes, which are deep and cold like spring water.

A peculiar fellow.

The tattooed man sneered and labeled Chen Feng.

"I want to buy a dog." This was the second thing Chen Feng said. He threw the money in his hand to the tattooed man and then bypassed him to look at the fighting dogs nearby.

Time was running out.

He had to find the "Hellhound" as soon as possible.

Fighting dogs do not have armor, and there is no absolute winner in this kind of slaughter. Even if one wins the match, they will suffer severe injuries and lose the ability to fight again.

In simpler terms, this is a kind of competition similar to guessing games. The so-called fighting dogs are more like two chess pieces confronting each other. There are not many differences, but it is more than enough to buy a chess piece before making a decision.

Chen Feng walked to each fighting dog and observed carefully.

"Not this one."

"Not this one."

"None of them..."

After looking at the dozen or so fighting dogs around him, Chen Feng frowned. He had not found the "Hellhound" among them at all.

"Could I be wrong?" Chen Feng's eyes flashed with a hint of insight. He walked up to the tattooed man and said in a deep voice, "Are all the fighting dogs here?"

"These are all the best fighting dogs here. Apart from these, there are only the disabled ones after failure..." The tattooed man answered truthfully, giving face to the money.

"Failure?"

Chen Feng's expression stiffened, and his pupils narrowed. It seemed like he had overlooked something important. He paused and said, "Take me to find those failures."

"Uh..."

The tattooed man was somewhat astonished.

Having roamed the gray area for many years, the man keenly sensed a strange danger emanating from Chen Feng.

Eerie.

The tattooed man couldn't describe the feeling. Clearly, the other party looked more like a fledgling, yet he made the tattooed man feel inexplicably uneasy.

After witnessing countless deaths and destruction in the apocalypse for over a decade, the tattooed man could not have imagined that Chen Feng's indifference to life had already melted into his bones.

...

This was an abandoned room, where seven or eight injured fighting dogs were piled up like garbage, some dead and some still alive.

"Found it!"

Chen Feng surveyed the room and suddenly stiffened. His pupils narrowed into slits, and his hands felt cold. Although it was just a glance, he was completely certain that it was the presence he was looking for.

A weak Tibetan Mastiff.

It had two eyes open, as if unwilling to die, revealing a gloomy cold light.

Chen Feng would not forget that gaze.

The pale pupils were filled with green blood vessels, looking like a grim spider web. A single glance at it would send chills down one's spine and a suffocating feeling.

Hellhound.

This was the beast that brought endless terror to J City.

"I want it."

Chen Feng's tone brooked no doubt, and under the tattooed man's strange gaze, he obtained this dying creature.

...

One hour until doomsday.

Empty room.

Chen Feng looked expressionlessly at the fighting dog in front of him. Who would have thought that this pitiful creature would become everyone's nightmare in less than an hour.

Food, water, and some simple bandages.

Although all of this was unnecessary for a fighting dog favored by fate, Chen Feng did not want to see any mistakes at a critical moment. Simple treatment was still necessary.

For the fighting dog, it was initially wary of Chen Feng, but after a moment, seeing that he was really helping, its wary, alert, gloomy, and angry gaze gradually turned into reliance, acceptance, relaxation, and gratitude.

Gratitude.

A special instinct of intelligent beings.

Powerful potential.

This ability, different from other members of its kind, might be the root of its becoming an elite monster.

The fighting dog clearly saw Chen Feng as a piece of driftwood in a lonely sea, and Chen Feng became its hope, or even its savior to survive.

Favorability.

In simpler terms, Chen Feng gained the favor of an NPC. After the start of the doomsday scenario, with the favor of the "Hellhound," he could completely live under its protection and even have the right to control it.

This was not an exaggeration.

In the apocalypse, there were many lucky individuals who picked up a weak little beast by the roadside and raised it. Who could have imagined that this little beast had amazing talents and grew at an astonishing speed, not only protecting its owner worry-free in the apocalypse but also directly elevating them to the ranks of the elite.

Clearly, Chen Feng now had this kind of opportunity.

Chen Feng stood on the ground, looking at the watch on his wrist. Tick...tock... It was exactly 12 o'clock.

"Buzz..."

A loud noise rang out, the sound of a spatial transformation, and also the first horn of the new era.

Doomsday had truly arrived!

In an instant, the body of the fighting dog began to change. Its body suddenly started to tremble, then it began to grow, and the bursting wounds seemed to be wrapped in a layer of reddish-brown blood plasma. Its pupils turned red, as if they were congested eyes after extreme suffocation, giving off an extreme sense of horror and strangeness. It emitted a scorching energy.

Its injuries were rapidly healing.

Genetic reboot? Or some other unknown power? In just a few minutes, the pitiful canine had transformed into a completely new form.

Although it was still very weak, and its body had not yet grown to five meters, its aura was extremely fierce.

Even though it was still very weak, and its body had not yet grown to five meters, its aura was extremely fierce.

Surprisingly, the fierce beast did not look at Chen Feng with the viciousness and cruelty of a predator hunting its prey, but with a sense of reliance and warmth. Chen Feng's heart surged with tumultuous emotions, and he could no longer remain calm, because doomsday had arrived, and a faint smile finally appeared on his stiff lips.

The next moment, he raised the iron shovel from the corner of the wall and struck the hellhound's head heavily.

The newly evolved hellhound was extremely weak, and it would still need some time to become the terrifying nightmare that would soon dominate the world.

However...

It would never witness that scene.

Everything happened too suddenly.

Chen Feng's hands trembled as he looked at the fierce beast in front of him, which had feelings for him and could even be completely tamed. There was no guilt or apology in his eyes. "In the face of the merciless doomsday, even one's own flesh and blood can be abandoned at any time for the sake of self-interest, let alone this unfounded favor?"

Dead.

Compared to the living hellhound, the corpse in front of Chen Feng was what he truly desired.

At the same time, the spatial fluctuations made Chen Feng feel a familiar yet unfamiliar power.

At that moment, his body also underwent a transformation.

Finally, he glanced at the blood and flesh on the ground, half kneeling down. The next moment, he unexpectedly plunged both hands into the flesh and blood. His expression was solemn, and his tone was unusually cold. "Buried in the decaying depths of darkness, in accordance with the ancient covenant, listen to my whispers, break the boundaries of time and space, come forth... my companion from the abyss..."