Chapter 17: Realization

The two Green Flame Wolves paused, their eyes glowing with ferocity. To them, Zhou Liming was just a pitifully weak creature. Their genes had already bred in cruelty, and their heredity included innate attacking abilities. In just seven short days, these unique genes not only evolved them from single-celled organisms into fully mature beings but also taught them how to survive.

You could never understand the mystery of such events. Countless biologists, even if they exhausted their brains trying to figure it out, could not imagine what kind of genes could plunge Earth into the Fierce Beast Era in just seven days. These rampant beasts were bizarre and strange; from the moment they landed, they roamed freely across this land.

Sweat streamed down Zhou Liming’s palms, and his hand holding the fire axe trembled slightly.

Silent as a ghost, one Green Flame Wolf decisively launched an attack. Its movement was fierce and powerful, fast as lightning. It sprinted and leaped into the air, its front right claw drawing a few cold glints as it slashed through the sky. Its sharp claws were aimed straight for Zhou Liming’s neck. With its strength, if that single claw landed squarely, the fragile creature’s entire head would have been torn off.

For an ordinary human, this strike was indeed helpless to avoid because it was simply too fast.

However, Zhou Liming, having been modified by meteorite genes, had long ceased to be an ordinary person. Whether it was his vision, hearing, or reaction time, all had seen a qualitative improvement. What seemed like lightning-fast to others, Zhou Liming could still see the trace of its movement.

Zhou Liming’s body stiffened. Over-tensioned and unfamiliar with his own power, his brain sent commands, but his body could not keep up with the rhythm. He dodged the attack by moving his neck, but suddenly felt a burning sensation on his chest, followed by immense pain.

Rolling clumsily on the ground, Zhou Liming discovered three claw marks on his chest, with blood continuously oozing out.

“The modified skin and muscles are so strong!”

The intense pain made Zhou Liming feel joyful instead of fearful. He had now figured things out. In the coming chaotic world where Fierce Beasts ran rampant, surviving without outstanding abilities was uncertain. Since fate had coincidentally given him this ability, why should he feel terrified?

When people have not yet opened up, they often resist certain things. Zhou Liming was the same before; he feared this power. But in this crisis, he realized that no matter what, being alive was the best outcome. So what if he transformed? As long as it allowed him to survive and live among the Fierce Beasts, why should he reject this power?

A strike that ordinary people could not bear had merely scratched his skin and made it bleed slightly.

The power sleeping in his body had long merged with Zhou Liming’s will, but controlling it was still a bit awkward.

When Zhou Liming’s will resisted it, this power would only slowly emerge. Now, with Zhou Liming actively controlling it, almost instantly, his entire body was covered in scales. Although it had not yet reached the state of full transformation, the power rejecting his body was so surging that it made Zhou Liming feel like he might float away.

Zhou Liming’s changes made the two Green Flame Wolves sense danger. They watched him warily, one in front and one behind.

“I must finish this quickly.” Knowing his body was covered in scales, Zhou Liming did not hesitate. He raised the fire axe in his hand, exerted force with his legs, and shot forward with unimaginable speed. This unimagined speed was so fast that before Zhou Liming could even swing the axe, his entire body had collided intimately with the Green Flame Wolf’s head.

The fierce impact, without warning, sent Zhou Liming rolling to the side, as clumsy as possible, even after he had knocked the Green Flame Wolf flying.

“So… so… too fast.”

Zhou Liming stuttered, staring at his feet in disbelief. At the speed he had just used, even the world’s sprint champion would be nothing but trash in front of him. That wind-like speed had overwhelmed even his own brain.

The Green Flame Wolf that had been knocked flying flew several meters away and crashed heavily into a sedan. With a “bang,” it shattered all the glass on the car. After bouncing back onto the street, it stood up, shook its head, and let out a low roar, revealing its ferocious face as it pounced at Zhou Liming again. The other one also activated, attacking from the front and back.

Zhou Liming finally understood something. Fierce Beasts could indeed be subdivided by levels.

The higher the level of the Fierce Beast, the stronger their abilities. As the level rose, when they reached a certain point, some would possess special abilities. For example, the Fierce Beast similar to an ape he had seen earlier could use air to attack, with shocking power.

In Zhou Liming’s consciousness, Fierce Beasts like the Multi-legged Insect were merely low-level early-stage beasts, cannon fodder for crashing onto the inland. Only the truly powerful Fierce Beasts would land on the coastline in the later stages. The reason might lie in the mutatable genes. The simpler the Fierce Beast, the less evolutionary time it spent, needing only seven days to complete. However, the later-stage high-level Fierce Beasts required more time to evolve.

The Green Flame Wolves in front of him should be higher level than the Multi-legged Insects but lower than that Magic Ape Beast. They did not have special abilities, their advantage being their speed.

But their advantage seemed like a joke in front of him.

From Zhou Liming’s recent charge, it was clear that even they, known for their speed, had no time to react before being knocked away by Zhou Liming.

Now that their advantage was lost, Zhou Liming, having figured it out, leaned his body forward and launched himself like a spring. His feet barely touched the ground as he skimmed across the surface. Zhou Liming never imagined that the seemingly unimpressive power inside his body would be so strong.

With preparations made, Zhou Liming held the fire axe horizontally, colliding his high-speed charging force with the oncoming force of the Green Flame Wolf. Zhou Liming felt his wrist sink, then he slipped past the Green Flame Wolf. When Zhou Liming stopped his momentum, the Green Flame Wolf let out a miserable howl, a bloody scar slashed across its body by the fire axe.

“Is its hide really that tough?”

Zhou Liming was startled. In his imagination, this Green Flame Wolf should have been sliced in half. He did not expect it to only result in a minor injury, a bloody gash.

The injured Green Flame Wolf became even more vicious. After stumbling, it turned and pounced again, lagging behind the other one by only a body length. The distance between them was originally not far. If anyone had watched from the side, they would have seen the two fighters clash together in the blink of an eye.

Zhou Liming had not yet fully understood this power and had no combat experience. Under the attack of the two Green Flame Wolves, he was grabbed continuously, his body covered in blood.

“Ah!”

After all, he was made of flesh and blood. Although it only scratched the surface, it was enough for Zhou Liming to bear, causing him to let out a painful cry.

“Let you try this!” Zhou Liming threw away the fire axe. Dark black Bone Spurs emerged from between the backs of his hands. The “buzzing” sound indicated that its unique vibration frequency had reached a speed that was uncountable. As the only offensive weapon Zhou Liming knew at present, he recognized its ferocity.

The appearance of the Bone Spurs greatly boosted Zhou Liming’s confidence. When the two Green Flame Wolves jumped and pounced at him again, he shifted his hands and swung.

Blood rain appeared without warning, drenching Zhou Liming’s head and face. In front of the Bone Spurs, the Green Flame Wolf’s defense was like tofu. With a slight “buzzing” sound, it was slashed from below the belly. The vibrating frequency made this wound as big as a fist. The internal organs inside were shattered, turning into blood rain.

The other one was split in half at the waist, falling to the ground. A large pool of blood flowed out. After twitching a few times, it became motionless.

The ferocity of the Bone Spur shocked Zhou Liming again. Looking at the dark, unremarkable Bone Spur, not a single drop of blood was stuck to it.

Merely showing a bit of power, and these ferocious Green Flame Wolves lost their threat. If… if he transformed completely into a Fierce Beast form, how strong would he be?

Now, Zhou Liming finally understood. The more obvious his Fierce Beast traits were, the more powerful he became. The magnitude of his power depended entirely on the area covered by the Fierce Beast Gene in his genes.