Although the media continued enthusiastically reporting the progress of the clean-up operation, an atmosphere of tension still hung in the air.
Rather than decreasing, the number of residents attacked by animals rose sharply.
Whenever supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores restocked their shelves, the goods were immediately swept clean.
Anxiety seemed contagious, constantly straining everyone’s nerves.
On January 15th, the media released another report denying the rumours.
“Thanks to the efforts of the relevant departments, the number of newly developed animal breeds has fallen significantly. Residents may safely leave their homes, and public order will gradually return to normal.”
However, by noon that very day, reality had viciously slapped those claims in the face.
A flight travelling to another province was attacked by a flock of sparrows. The entire aeroplane crashed, and none of the passengers survived.
Inside Eastern Park, a century-old willow tree directly bound passing pedestrians with its branches and placed them to one side, as though storing them as emergency rations.
The animals at the zoo collectively escaped. They left with ease and wandered freely through the streets. Only a handful were reluctant to abandon their keepers and voluntarily chose to stay behind.
On an elevated motorway, numerous cars were trapped in traffic and unable to move.
The drivers opened their windows to complain, only for a swarm of bees to sting their faces.
They promptly collapsed unconscious behind their steering wheels.
…
Reporting these incidents truthfully would undoubtedly cause widespread public panic, and the consequences would be unimaginable!
Therefore, the information was tightly suppressed, and not even the slightest rumour was permitted to escape.
Unfortunately, no wall in the world was completely airtight.
No matter how desperately the truth was concealed, people would eventually notice that something was wrong.
…
The Zhang family residence, inside the study.
In only a few days, Zhang Yunye seemed to have aged considerably.
More wrinkles had appeared on his face, and the ends of his hair were beginning to turn white.
At that moment, he sat in his chair and released a deep sigh, his expression exceptionally grave.
One of his trusted subordinates had disappeared. No matter whether Zhang Yunye called the man’s mobile telephone or his home number, he received no response.
His most capable assistant had apparently experienced something terrible and firmly demanded to resign and return home.
Neither a salary increase nor additional bonuses could persuade him to stay.
The company’s sales were abysmal, reaching a historic low.
Zhang Yunye could not help wondering whether he had simply grown old.
Why had everything suddenly begun going wrong, with defeat visible everywhere he looked?
A sentence unexpectedly surfaced in his mind:
*When an era abandons you, it won’t even say goodbye.*
At that moment, Zhang Yunye truly felt as though the times had abandoned him.
As for his previous plan to purchase dogs from Gu Xinghang, he had completely forgotten about it.
That could hardly be blamed on him.
The business empire he had worked so hard to build was on the verge of collapsing. How could he possibly spare the energy to consider anything else?
His entire mind was occupied with reversing the situation.
Suddenly, he heard rustling from one corner of the room.
He looked towards the sound and immediately froze.
A black rat was staring directly at him, its eyes filled with vicious light.
Even more frighteningly, the rat was as large as an adult man’s shoe!
Its mouth was slightly open, revealing extraordinarily sharp teeth.
“Someone, come quickly!” Zhang Yunye shouted.
The black rat moved with astonishing speed.
It bit down on his arm and tore away a chunk of flesh.
Zhang Yunye sucked in a sharp breath, trembling from the pain.
With a loud bang, the study door flew open.
Zhang Jiahao rushed inside with the Rough Collie and Samoyed.
“Catch that rat!” Zhang Yunye shouted.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing the command, the Samoyed immediately wrapped itself around Zhang Jiahao’s waist, apparently terrified.
Zhang Yunye fell silent.
Zhang Jiahao also fell silent.
The dog certainly looked intimidating, but it was completely useless when it mattered!
The Rough Collie, however, charged forwards bravely.
Unfortunately, although its courage was admirable, it was still very young.
Its body was only slightly larger than the rat, and its mouth was still filled with tiny puppy teeth.
The Rough Collie and rat soon began biting and clawing at each other.
At first glance, they appeared evenly matched, with neither side gaining the advantage.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry and help!” Zhang Yunye roared.
The moment he finished speaking, he grabbed the ruler from his desk and began fiercely beating the rat.
Zhang Jiahao genuinely felt that his father was energetic enough to handle the situation without anyone interfering.
Nevertheless, he picked up a broom and ran over to assist.
The Samoyed remained at the doorway with no intention of helping.
It wore an exceptionally timid expression, as though it were saying:
*How frightening. I’m still only a baby.*
At that moment, Zhang Yunye swung the ruler and happened to strike the rat’s front teeth.
The rat shrieked in pain and bared its teeth, its fighting strength immediately dropping.
The Rough Collie seized the opportunity and pounced.
It bit through the rat’s neck in a single attack, swiftly ending the battle.
Zhang Jiahao glanced at the Samoyed by the door, then at the badly injured Rough Collie puppy.
He had no choice but to admit, “The dogs I bought really aren’t very good. Neither of them is capable of fighting properly.”
“You still have the nerve to say that?!”
Zhang Yunye exploded in fury and desperately wanted to swing the ruler at his son.
However, the movement pulled at his injury.
He immediately sucked in a breath and trembled from the pain.
“Are you all right?” Zhang Jiahao hurriedly supported him.
“I won’t die.”
Zhang Yunye’s voice was bleak.
“What does it matter if the business empire I worked so hard to build is about to collapse? If we don’t take proper precautions soon, we’ll lose our lives as well!”
…
Rats became a plague.
Many households kept their doors tightly shut, appearing as though the residents had chosen to remain indoors and cut themselves off from the outside world.
In reality, if someone forced their way inside, they would discover the residents lying dead in their homes, their blood already dried and congealed.
Wooden furniture and sofa cushions bore clear marks from rats gnawing on them.
However, the rooms themselves were empty.
The murderous rats had already disappeared without a trace.
Without anyone realising it, large numbers of people had died.
Those fortunate enough to survive were willing to spend their entire fortunes to acquire a pet for protection.
Unfortunately, by then, purchasing one had become extraordinarily difficult.
**
On January 17th, supermarkets began imposing purchase limits.
Upon hearing the news, Gu Xinghang frowned.
The rationing had begun earlier than it had in his dream.
Because he had taken different actions this time, the situation was already diverging from what he remembered.
After thinking for a moment, he put on a mask, scarf, and gloves, covering himself completely.
He then took a German Shepherd for a walk through an old residential district.
At present, the bodies inside the residences had not yet been discovered.
However, Gu Xinghang knew perfectly well that many people had already died.
If helping them endangered his own safety, he would choose to do nothing.
However, if it had no effect on him, he did not mind pointing humanity in the right direction.
After reaching the old neighbourhood, Gu Xinghang knocked on every door.
Whenever he heard voices from inside, he did not respond. He simply lowered his head and quickly left.
After walking for some time, he noticed that one household’s door was unlocked, so he quietly entered.
After looking around, he discovered that the home was otherwise empty.
A woman’s corpse lay on the floor, and the blood around her had already dried.
“She tried to escape but didn’t make it in time? This works out well.”
Gu Xinghang muttered to himself and switched on the computer inside the house.
The internet cable had not been damaged, and the computer still worked, saving him the trouble of searching for another home.
Gu Xinghang sat in the chair and thought for a moment before beginning to write.
At the beginning of the article, he solemnly stated that terrorists were not deliberately causing chaos.
Instead, every living creature was evolving, and humanity’s position would only become increasingly dangerous.
For example, numerous residents had already died inside their homes, yet no one knew.
If the situation continued unchecked, even more innocent people would die tragically.
He then recommended that the government clear individual districts, gradually establish protected zones, and expand them outwards.
At the same time, some retired military personnel operated chicken farms, while others ran pig farms.
If this strength were used properly, it could greatly improve the efficiency of the operation.
At the end of the article, he listed several important precautions for residents to consider.
After finishing everything, he created a new account and posted the article across several major forums.
To prevent every copy from being deleted, he also emailed the relevant authorities.
At the bottom of the message, he added another line:
“Before long, violent criminals accompanied by more than a dozen dogs will begin breaking into private homes and committing robberies. Natural disasters may kill thousands, but human-made disasters can kill tens of thousands. I hope the correct measures will be taken as soon as possible.”
After sending the email, Gu Xinghang calmly left with the dog.
He had considered everything carefully.
The neighbourhood was old, and there were no surveillance cameras nearby.
As long as he concealed himself properly, no one would recognise him.
The online posts had been uploaded from an IP address belonging to the old neighbourhood, and the homeowner was already dead.
The newly created forum and email accounts were all verified using information linked to the homeowner’s mobile telephone number.
As for Gu Xinghang himself, he had worn gloves and left no fingerprints inside the house.
No matter how thoroughly the relevant departments investigated, they would ultimately discover nothing.
**
Because he had eaten too many additional meals recently, Cola’s face had become noticeably rounder.
Gao Xuan affectionately stroked his head.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Cola’s expression became exceptionally solemn.
There was no need to thank him!
He was still capable of eating far more!
However, the number of animals arriving to deliver gifts had decreased significantly, so his assistance was no longer required.
Furthermore, becoming too fat was unhealthy.
Gao Xuan therefore decided to place him on a diet.
Cola sprawled miserably across the floor, looking as though he had lost all desire to live.
He desperately wanted to pretend to be dead.
Suddenly, a sorrowful cry sounded nearby.
Gao Xuan turned around and saw the spotted dove flying unsteadily through the air.
Many feathers were missing from its right wing, leaving it nearly bald, and traces of blood stained the exposed skin.
She hurriedly opened the window and allowed the dove inside.
Cola immediately sprang to his feet and looked around eagerly.
His expression seemed to ask:
*Did it bring a gift?*
However, the dove collapsed weakly onto the windowsill, appearing as though it might stop breathing at any moment.
Could it be planning to offer itself as the gift?
Cola fell into deep thought.
Gao Xuan found some haemostatic powder and carefully cleaned and medicated the dove’s injury.
However, even after a long time, the wound continued bleeding and refused to close.
“Why isn’t it working?”
She could not help frowning thoughtfully.
The spotted dove apologetically pecked Gao Xuan’s finger.
The next moment, it staggered into the air and landed beside the various plants and flowers.
It then took one of the blades of grass it had previously brought, chewed it into pulp, and applied it directly to the wound.
Strangely, the bleeding stopped the moment the pulp touched it.
Approximately fifteen minutes later, the wound had scabbed over and begun healing.
Realisation appeared on Gao Xuan’s face.
“This is a new medicinal herb!”
No wonder the animals had brought those plants to her.
At first, she had assumed they also loved beautiful things and understood how to decorate themselves with flowers and grass…
The spotted dove stretched its wings and flew energetically around the room several times.
Its movements were far more agile than before.
Finally, it landed on Gao Xuan’s shoulder and gently rubbed against her, seemingly apologising for using the medicinal plant.
“It doesn’t matter. As long as you’re safe.”
Gao Xuan thought that she had not known how to use the herbs while they sat inside her flat.
Now that she understood their purpose, there were many things she could do.
For example, she could gather them outside, refine the herbs, and turn them into medicinal ointments.
—
**Author’s Note:**
“When an era abandons you, it won’t even say goodbye.”
— Zhang Quanling
…
Zheng Yuchen: The man who adopted the blue-grey cat in the previous life and had violent tendencies.
Some of the content I wanted to write might involve politically sensitive or disharmonious topics, so I’ve decided against expanding on it.
Staying alive is more important.
*Extremely strong survival instincts.*
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