Max Knight instinctively took two steps back, letting out a cautious growl:
"Woof?"
Seeing Max Knight's reaction, Logan realized his own aura was scaring the dog. After killing so many people, his body was radiating an intense bloodlust. Logan decided to calm himself down by taking a shower, washing away the stench of death. Afterward, he made his favorite dish: Boiled Fish in Chili Oil. Cooking had always helped him find peace.
Within twenty minutes, a delicious, fragrant meal was ready. Logan ate several bowls of rice with the spicy fish and shared some fresh wild boar meat with Max Knight.
Feeling much calmer after the meal, Logan called out to Max Knight, gesturing for him to come closer.
Logan wasn't doing this on impulse. After expriments, Logan was quite certain that the space wouldn't cause much damage to Max Knight. In a worst case scenario, if Max Knight got hurt, he had medical supplies that could rescue. Other than that, Max Knight, as a source beast, could heal quickly, and his defense was much stronger than the malicious villagers he did experiment on.
"Max Knight, let's play a game."
Max Knight tilted his head, unsure of what Logan meant.
Logan gently coaxed him, "I'm going to take you to a place. You'll explore it for me. Don't be afraid—I'll bring you back quickly."
Max Knight hesitated, trying to comprehend his master's words.
Logan placed his hand on Max Knight's head, linking his consciousness with the space. In an instant, Max Knight found himself in the middle of the spatial land, bewildered and on high alert.
Inside Logan's mind, he could see Max Knight in the space, jumping in shock and letting out low growls:
"Rrr... Woof! Woof!"
Other than that, Max Knight is perfectly fine.
Logan quickly pulled Max Knight back into the safe house. Seeing Logan again, Max Knight was ecstatic, his tail wagging furiously, practically bouncing on the spot.
After calming him down with a few soothing words, Logan sent Max Knight back into the space. This time, Max was less anxious and began sprinting around the spatial land. The area was roughly the size of a basketball court, and when Max Knight reached the edge, he was stopped by an invisible barrier.
Logan tested the telepathic connection: "Can you hear me, Max Knight?"
Max Knight snapped his head up, looking around in confusion at hearing Logan's voice inside the space.
Seeing the reaction, Logan was thrilled. Communication was possible!
"Max Knight, try digging the soil," Logan instructed.
Though puzzled, Max Knight obeyed, digging into the soil with his powerful hind legs, quickly creating a small pit. Logan pulled him back into the safe house again. Max Knight, still mid-dig, froze for a second as he realized he was no longer in the space. He turned to Logan, confusion and excitement visible on his face.
"Hahaha!" Logan couldn't contain his laughter. The success of the experiment had him grinning from ear to ear.
The thought that had been brewing in his mind now crystallized into a concrete plan: If there is no man trustworthy, I'll create an army of source beasts in this apocalypse.
With such an army, Logan knew he could one day take revenge on the Clarks.
Kneeling down, Logan patted Max Knight's head, his eyes burning with ambition.
"Max Knight, we need to grow stronger—much stronger. I'll make you the king of the source beasts."
The next day, even though Max Knight's minimal injuries had fully healed, Logan decided to venture out alone. His destination was the eastern suburbs.
To avoid drawing attention, he dressed in a nondescript outfit and wore a mask to cover his face. He also took Agent No. 2's identification card with him, knowing the military might be conducting checks.
Logan had used a razor to trim his hair to resemble Agent No. 2's ID photo, and with a mask on, he looked just similar enough. Satisfied with his disguise, Logan left enough food for Max Knight and headed down the mountain.
On the road to the eastern suburbs, Logan encountered many people heading in the same direction. It seemed the flyers had drawn quite a crowd. The atmosphere was subdued—no one dared cause trouble with military patrols stationed along the streets.
Walking from the western suburbs to the eastern suburbs would take a whole day on foot. Logan found a secluded spot and retrieved his snowmobile from the space, covering significant distance before putting it away and rejoining the crowd.
By noon, he arrived in the eastern suburbs. To his surprise, despite his speed, he wasn't early.
The locals and other survivors had already gathered en masse at the entrance of Starsea Apartments. Some, desperate for supplies, had braved the freezing night to arrive sooner, fearing for their families on the brink of starvation or illness. Many of them looked weak and emaciated.
The throngs of people were so thick that Logan couldn't even see the entrance. Since he was here to gather information, he decided to observe from the outskirts of the crowd.
Before long, a loudspeaker crackled to life, cutting through the din of voices.
A rough, commanding voice echoed over the masses:
"Stay Quiet! Listen up! Queue up into five lines in order! Anyone who causes trouble, KILL!"