Since the extreme cold had begun, the nights had grown eerily silent, with no sounds of insects or birds. This unnatural quiet made the already isolated atmosphere around Dragonrest Village even more unsettling.
As Logan approached the dark entrance of the village, a sense of danger crept up his spine. He knew there were only few living villagers left, but the real threat now came not from humans but from the wild animals that roamed the night—and perhaps something worse, source beasts.
Dragonrest Village was located deep in the mountains, where the chances of encountering wild beasts or source beasts were significantly higher than in other places. Logan hadn't expected source beasts to emerge so early in this life, and if he had known, he might have chosen a safer location for his safehouse.
He had originally thought that the surrounding wildlife would provide him with a steady source of meat once his supplies ran low, but now that decision seemed riskier than ever. To prepare for what might be lurking in the shadows, he put on his infrared night-vision goggles and armed himself.
In the darkness, any warm-blooded creature within 200 meters would light up through the infrared lenses, and Logan proceeded carefully along the village path. One side of the path led to open fields, while the other was lined with old village houses. Snow quietly blanketed the ground, and Logan kept his focus on the buildings, scanning for any signs of movement.
After several minutes, the only sound was the crunch of his boots in the snow. Everything seemed normal, but Logan didn't lower his guard. In an apocalypse, it was better to be overly cautious than to risk death through carelessness.
Suddenly, a faint flash of red appeared in his night vision, only to vanish behind a building. Logan froze. His hand instinctively went to his weapon. Whatever had caused that flash wasn't human.
He waited, his eyes locked on the spot where the red glow had disappeared. Several minutes passed before the red glow reappeared—closer this time—then vanished again.
A sharp sound broke the silence, followed by another flash of red. Without hesitation, Logan aimed his gun and fired.
"Bang!"
The shot echoed through the village. The creature fell into the snow with a heavy thud, but to Logan's surprise, it quickly scrambled back to its feet and lunged toward him again.
This time, Logan got a clear look at it—a massive, ape-like creature. Through his night-vision goggles, he could see that its arms were grotesquely large, and its handprints in the snow were as wide as dinner plates. It was an evolved gibbon.
Logan immediately realized what had been making the sounds earlier—the creature had been swinging between the village buildings. Now that it was within 100 meters, a notification appeared from his treasure basin:
[Detected a first-level source beast within 100 meters.]
Logan's excitement grew. This was his chance to test his theory. Could he tame a source beast?
He had already planned to build an army of source beasts, but if they couldn't be tamed, his entire strategy would be pointless. With his second phase gene lock unlocked, this also seemed like the perfect opportunity to test his strength against a first-level source beast.
Eyes gleaming with anticipation, Logan stowed his gun and pulled out his combat knife. He charged toward the gibbon, eager to see if he could overpower it.
The gibbon saw him coming and let out a powerful roar, swinging one of its massive hands toward him. Logan dodged to the side, the foul stench of the creature's fur filling his nostrils. He slashed at its arm with his knife, but the blade only sank about an inch before meeting the dense resistance of its muscles.
"What strong defense," Logan muttered.
Even with his enhanced strength, his attack barely left a mark. The gibbon bellowed in anger and raised its other hand, intending to crush him. Logan abandoned the knife and leaped backward just in time to avoid the crushing blow. Snow flew in every direction as the gibbon's fist slammed into the ground where he had just stood.
In that critical moment, Logan activated his gene lock, and his entire demeanor changed. His mind raced, analyzing the gibbon's attacks with precision.
The gibbon's arms were clearly its strongest feature, both in terms of strength and defense, but its torso seemed less protected. If Logan wanted to win, he would need to strike there.
The gibbon lunged again, spreading its two-meter-long arms wide, trying to trap Logan in an inescapable bear hug. Logan didn't back away.
Instead, he used the creature's arm for leverage, springing off it with agility far beyond human limits. He landed on the gibbon's shoulder and, with one swift motion, plunged his knife deep into its neck.
The gibbon howled in pain, but Logan had avoided its major arteries, dealing only a serious but non-lethal wound.
Once he cut horizontally from there, he could easily end the gibbon's life.
Logan tightened his grip on the knife and, with cold determination, growled, "Submit to me, or I'll kill you!"