Logan's expression grew serious as the Cornucopia detected another source beast. Last time, the alert had come too late, and Logan had missed the chance to take down the mutated wild boar before it fully transformed. He wouldn't make that mistake again.
Max Knight, standing beside him, suddenly emitted a fierce battle aura. His eyes locked onto the mutated tabby cat with a hostility that told Logan all he needed to know. Max Knight paced for a moment before looking up at Logan, silently asking for permission.
"You want to take on the cat?" Logan asked, immediately understanding his companion's intent.
Max Knight nodded.
Killing the source beast would boost their strength, and Logan wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. Still, he was a bit surprised that Max Knight was volunteering for the fight. This would be a good chance to gauge his companion's combat abilities. It didn't matter who killed the source beast, as long as it died.
"Need help?" Logan asked, but Max Knight nudged him aside, signaling for Logan to stay out of it.
"Alright, go for it," Logan said, confident he could step in if things went south.
Max Knight cast one last grateful glance at Logan before slowly advancing toward the tabby cat. Sensing the approaching threat, the cat turned its attention from the fleeing humans to Max Knight. It arched its back, hissing violently.
"Meow!!"
Max Knight quickened his pace before launching himself at the cat, initiating a fierce battle between dog and cat. Although Max Knight had the advantage in size, the tabby cat was extraordinarily fast. Their fight erupted in a violent clash of claws, teeth, and muscle.
Meanwhile, inside the jewelry store, chaos reigned.
"We need to get Cooper to the hospital!" the middle-aged woman pleaded, wrapping her son's severed hand in cloth.
"You know what the hospitals are like now! There are no doctors, and it's a death trap. Plus, that giant cat is outside—how can we leave?" the man retorted. Over the past few days, hospitals had become the most dangerous places in the city. With endless crowds of frostbitten and wounded people, the hospitals were overcrowded, undersupplied, and hopelessly chaotic.
"So what, we're just going to let Cooper die?!" the woman cried, on the verge of hysteria.
"Mom, we should tie off his wound to stop the bleeding," the girl, who had remained quiet until now, suggested.
The woman's face twisted in anger, and she snapped,
"Shut up! Are you trying to cripple your brother?"
The girl timidly replied,
"I read it online… If he keeps bleeding like this, he'll die."
The couple's fury erupted. The man stormed over and slapped the girl across the face.
"You want him dead, don't you? Why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you grab the beef patty? Why weren't you the one bitten?!"
The girl fell to the floor, glass shards digging into her palms as blood trickled from her wounds. Ignoring her, the couple continued berating her:
"If something happens to him, it's your fault!"
The girl numbly pulled the glass shards from her hands, her eyes darkening as blood dripped from her wounds.
Outside, the fight between Max Knight and the tabby cat was brutal. Both were bloodied within minutes. The humans who had been chased by the cat had long since fled, taking advantage of the battle to escape.
The tabby cat limped, its right leg bleeding from a bite Max Knight had delivered earlier. Max Knight, meanwhile, sported deep claw marks beneath his eye, narrowly missing his vision, and his leg was slashed deeply, some wounds exposing bone.
Logan watched intently, ready to intervene if Max Knight's life was in jeopardy. The tension mounted as the cat dodged another of Max Knight's pounces, retaliating with a powerful swipe that tore through Max Knight's jacket, sending feathers flying.
Logan's eyes narrowed as his killing intent surged, a handgun silently slipping from his sleeve. But before he could act, a girl's scream rang out behind him:
"Run! They're going to kill you!!"
Logan spun around to find the middle-aged couple advancing on him with knives, murderous intent gleaming in their eyes.
"Ungrateful wretch!" the man cursed, glaring at the girl who had warned Logan.
No longer hiding their intent, the man sneered at Logan.
"Your dog isn't here to save you now. You crippled my son, and now I'll grind your bones to dust!"
"Stop talking and kill him! I want his coat, and you can have the beef patties," the woman urged impatiently.
They had been planning this ambush since earlier, first eyeing Max Knight as a threat, then deciding Logan would be an easier target once the dog was distracted. Cooper's injury had only sped up their plans.
Max Knight, sensing Logan was in danger, let out a furious growl. In a powerful move, he slammed the tabby cat to the ground and latched onto its injured leg, tearing it off with a brutal bite.
The cat screeched in agony as Max Knight pinned it down. In one final, savage motion, Max Knight crushed the tabby cat's neck under his paw, ending the fight.
Meanwhile, Logan prepared for the couple's attack. As they charged him with their knives raised, the girl, who had been silently watching from the corner, suddenly rushed forward with a cleaver she had found, swinging it at the couple!