Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Dogs are man's best friend, and military dogs are soldiers' most trusted comrades and partners.

The German Shepherd in front of them, even though its owner had turned into a zombie incapable of proper communication, stayed loyally by its side.

It even seemed as though the zombie and the dog had developed a strange new bond.

Cheng Jing raised his hand but then lowered it again, telling his team:

"Later, Liao Yu, find a chance to freeze the zombie first—no need to take it out right away... And don’t harm the dog. Then, Zhou Rongbin, try to get through to it. The rest of you, play it by ear."

Although military dogs usually only obey their handlers, they do understand some universal instructions.

Due to work requirements in the past, they had interacted with many retired military dogs and had some basic training with them.

"Got it."

"Understood."

Zhou Rongbin and Liao Yu responded promptly, while the others nodded in agreement.

Running into it was fate. If they couldn’t save its owner, they could at least take the dog back. Pandas were a pipe dream, but a military dog was worth trying for.

'Woof! Woof! Woof!'

Soon, the German Shepherd reached them. Huang Qian, afraid it might charge, was ready to manipulate vines to pin it down at any moment.

Zhou Rongbin timed it right and gave a sharp whistle.

'Woof! Woof!'

With a little skid, the dog stopped right there, its bright, loyal eyes eyeing them warily—clearly very intelligent.

Cheng Jing waved his hand, signaling everyone to relax.

Zhou Rongbin took a slight step forward, crouching halfway in a friendly, calming gesture.

The dog growled low in its throat, then cautiously circled them, sniffing as it went, as if confirming their scent. It was clearly capable of distinguishing zombies from humans.

Occasionally, it pawed at the ground covered by the Purify aura, snuffling noises coming from its nose.

Though Jiang Nian hadn’t intentionally targeted the ground with his Superpower, the area still reeked.

Zhou Rongbin gave a few more commands. The German Shepherd perked its ears, clearly understanding, but barked back defiantly.

After circling them twice, it turned and ran back toward its zombie owner.

"..."

"Damn, this dog’s too loyal."

Zhou Rongbin shrugged in defeat:

"We can talk, but it’s not listening."

"At least it’s not attacking us. It’s very smart."

As Cheng Jing spoke, he nodded toward the front.

The German Shepherd ran back and planted itself in front of its zombified owner, barking its head off.

*Woof! Woof! Woof!*

*Woof… Woof…*

*Groooowl—*

Its owner responded with a guttural snarl.

The dog and the zombie kept barking and growling at each other, like they were having a shouting match.

Jian Cheng said in surprise,

“It seems like it can communicate with the zombie?”

Zhou Rongbin nodded slightly,

“That’s the animals’ intuition. Since it can understand human speech, maybe it can also understand zombie growls. In its eyes, its owner might just be talking funny now?”

“Zhou’s got a point…”

Liao Yu agreed, and the others also found the explanation reasonable.

However, it seemed this communication wasn’t going well, as the zombie kept lumbering toward them.

Seeing its owner wouldn’t stop, the German Shepherd lunged to cut it off.

*Thud!*

Unfortunately, the next second, it was smacked away by the zombie’s swing, letting out a pained whine.

Just as everyone thought it might be injured, they saw it run back again.

This time, it didn’t pounce but kept barking from the side, giving off the impression of yapping like it was cussing someone out. [The dog’s barks grew more frantic.]

It was clear this kind of roughhousing wasn’t the first time.

“Y’all think it’s protecting its owner… or us?”

Huang Qian wiped the corner of her eye, asking with a pang and a chuckle.

Jiang Nian let out a sigh,

“Both, probably. Maybe it knows we’re different from its owner and shouldn’t be mixing it up…”

Though they couldn’t understand, the vibes were clear—low-key gut-wrenching in its loyalty.

As they spoke, they noticed ghostly blue fire igniting on the zombie’s hands.

“Holy shit, pyro zombie!”

Tang Yi blurted out.

Jiang Nian, picking up on the energy, informed everyone,

“This is the exact power surge all over the shipping yard.”

Lu Ningzhou’s throat went dry.

"No wonder it was handled so cleanly. Turns out it really has a mutant fire ability, just like Brother Jing..."

Blue flames are among the hottest flames.

Seeing the blue fire, everyone instinctively worried about the dog, afraid it would be taken out with one punch. However, a quick glance revealed it had already run far away, dodging around, and was now sprinting toward them.

Yapping as it ran, it seemed to be warning them of the danger.

The military dog, now back in front of them, was so frantic it kept pacing. Zhou Rongbin whistled, leading it to the back of the group to calm it down.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Yet, seeing their lack of reaction, the dog kept barking incessantly, even starting to tug at their pant legs with its teeth.

Well, now it was their turn to get chewed out.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The zombie didn’t launch any long-range attacks, just kept advancing steadily. The blue flames also didn’t spread across its body, remaining only on its hands—apparently, it needed direct contact for them to take effect.

When the situation permitted and was under control, studying different abilities was beneficial, as it could be recorded as reference material.

Thus, Lu Ningzhou and Zhao Lei took turns throwing up barrier walls to test the strength of its ability.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Crash—"

Fists wreathed in blue flames struck the barriers. The combination of high temperature and concussive force blasted gaping holes through them. Even metal barriers melted and collapsed after a few hits.

A punch like that landing on a human or another zombie would leave nothing behind—not even ashes.

The zombie warrior plowed through barrier after barrier with its fists, while the dog circled Zhou Rongbin in the back, raising hell. The others held their positions, observing intently.

The scene looked a bit odd—not exactly life-threatening, but certainly lively.

Until Cheng Jing called out:

"That’s enough, Liao Yu."

Fire and water don't mix, and the same goes for mutated fire and water abilities.

The zombie warrior’s blue flames were formidable, but limited to its fists, they lacked range. Its level also wasn’t the highest, so overpowering it completely was no issue for Liao Yu—especially with Jiang Nian’s support.

Since the apocalypse began, they’d never encountered a truly overwhelming situation, given the team’s strong fighting capabilities.

But Cheng Jing never tolerated any cockiness or complacency. Every time they encountered strange zombies or situations, he’d instinctively feel their strength still wasn’t enough.

Who knew if this counted as firepower inferiority complex.

"Crash—"

As the last earthen wall collapsed, Liao Yu gave a sharp shout, releasing his ice ability in an instant.

Ice crystals shot up from the ground. With a series of cracking sounds, the punching zombie was flash-frozen solid within the blink of an eye.

The snarling stopped abruptly. The blue flames held out stubbornly for a few dozen seconds before extinguishing.

The once-ferocious zombie warrior had become a frozen ice sculpture, its expression twisted in rage.

The surrounding air chilled noticeably.