Author's note: Zhou You: “I’ve been vegetarian for ten years!”

Others: “No wonder you’re still a newbie after a decade!”

Zhou You: “I can go ten days to half a month without food!”

Others: “Think of all the nutrients you’re missing out on!”

Zhou You: “Don't you find me impressive?”

Others: “...”

Chapter 012: Beasts Attack

After a sufficient rest, Zhou You began practicing another set of martial arts moves, this time incorporating his internal energy. Each movement roared with power. If Li Yunxi were here, she would be astounded. It was clear that Zhou You was now demonstrating the prowess of a master.

The surrounding flora was battered from his practice. By the end, Zhou You was sweating profusely, itching to spar with someone.

He leaped onto tree tops, jumping from canopy to canopy. As his speed increased, it felt like he could take flight. Given enough proficiency, Zhou You believed the feats described in martial arts novels were achievable.

A beam of light shot up from the forest ahead. Startled, Zhou You lost his footing and hung from a branch, disturbing a nest of squirrels which nearly mistook him for food.

Zhou You found the mutation direction of animals strange. Why had their very nature changed? Herbivores started consuming meat. Wouldn't this completely disrupt the food chain? But the world had been in chaos for a decade already; anything could happen.

Zhou You kicked a squirrel away, slid down the tree trunk, and headed towards the bright light.

The beam of light seemed close, yet after running for ten minutes, he realized it was not on the same mountain. He hesitated, fearing his absence would become noticeable.

Just as he was about to turn back, a roar erupted, the ground trembling from its force. Then, a series of eerie noises followed, sending shivers down his spine merely by hearing them.

"What kind of creature could make such a sound?" Driven by curiosity, Zhou You edged closer in its direction, thinking to himself, "I'll just take a quick peek and leave. If there's danger, I'll flee at once."

Navigating through a canyon, Zhou You scaled a steep cliff. Relying on his nimble skills, he took the most direct but treacherous path.

Reaching the summit, he found himself in the aftermath of a battlefield. Chaos and the stench of blood filled the air, yet no animal corpses were in sight.

Following the trail of blood, the noises grew clearer. The angry roars of beasts mingled with screams, painting a picture of a fierce battle among predators.

A realization dawned on Zhou You: the higher the mutation, the more energy its flesh would yield. If both sides suffered, could he benefit from their duel?

As he cautiously approached, he finally spotted an injured mutant beast, its abdomen heaving slowly. A long gash ran across its stomach, spilling blood everywhere, a testament to its tenacious will to survive.

The creature was a mutated black panther, three meters in length, with odd bone spurs on its back. Its tail, devoid of fur, resembled a mutated whip. Strangest of all were its two heads; one resembled a regular panther while the other was a grotesque head with a single eye.

After observing for two minutes, noticing it still drew breath, Zhou You gripped his dagger, intending to deliver the final blow. Aiming for its wound, he leaped and plunged the dagger with precision.

"Roar..." The mutated head suddenly moved, its eye flaring, emitting a beam. Zhou You somersaulted backward, narrowly dodging. Looking back, where the beam had struck, there was a gaping crater.

This was the first mutant beast Zhou You encountered with such unique abilities, stretching his understanding to its limits. It seemed his years spent in the mountains had been in vain.

After its last attempt, the mutant beast took its final breath. Despite its appearance deterring Zhou You from consuming it, its whip-like tail was too tempting to resist. He severed it to keep.

The further he ventured, the more unsettled he became. Mutated corpses littered the ground, many of which looked like creatures from tales. He wondered why such ferocious mutants gathered here.

Encountering wounded mutants, Zhou You would swiftly end their misery, collecting valuable parts. Soon, he was laden with trophies.

The weight barely hindered Zhou You. As he pocketed a peculiar but seemingly precious scale, a thunderous explosion resounded nearby, rendering him momentarily deaf. The ground cracked, and monsters fell into the chasm. Feeling the instability, Zhou You decided it was time to depart.

Racing against a landslide, by the time Zhou You crossed the canyon back to his starting point, many beasts were already fleeing the scene.

Glancing back, the entire mountain had crumbled. Few creatures had escaped, but in a fleeting moment, Zhou You thought he spotted a human figure running in the opposite direction.

"How is that possible? Did I imagine it? Did a human cause this commotion? How formidable must one be?" Lost in thought, Zhou You noticed a glowing object drifting his way. Reaching out, its heat almost made him recoil.

"What's this?" Opening his hand revealed a shiny disc of unknown material. As its glow dimmed, so did its temperature.

With no time to spare, Zhou You pocketed the disc and hurried back. Reaching the camp's vicinity, he hid his newly-acquired loot in a tree hollow, intending to transport it using a suitcase later.

Upon returning to the camp, he found it under attack by a horde of beasts. Led by Li Hongxi, some were desperately fending off the onslaught, while others were being dragged away.

Zhou You retreated into the woods. The beasts that had captured their prey soon returned to feast, only to be dispatched one by one by Zhou You. Unfortunately, most of the captured were dead. Two were still breathing: one missing an arm and the other with a sizable chunk of thigh bitten off, both in agony.