The four of them quietly crept past the brightly lit house.
Inside, the occupants were enjoying a hotpot, laughing and chatting loudly, completely oblivious to the situation outside.
Lu Fei's group split into two teams to scout the dog farm.
Behind the brightly lit house, Lu Fei found a large room filled with *"meat dogs"*—dogs specifically raised for slaughter.
The room was packed with various breeds, all trembling in fear and huddled in the corners.
"You're free now," Lu Fei whispered, opening the cages to release them.
Afterward, he and Tiger joined A-Long and Jing Jian outside the factory building, where the ominous Yin energy was concentrated.
The factory door wasn't locked. It stood wide open, as if daring someone to enter.
Given the desolate location, it was clear no one worried about thieves.
The air reeked of animal stench, mingled faintly with the metallic tang of blood.
Lu Fei leaned against the door and listened. Heavy, bovine-like breathing came from within.
He gestured to Tiger, signaling him to toss in the drugged beef. Jing Jian raised the repeating crossbow, tense and on guard.
A-Long stood calmly at his side, scanning their surroundings for any signs of movement.
Tiger pulled out three chunks of drug-laced beef from his backpack and hurled them into the dark factory.
Moments later, the sound of chains clinking and cages rattling echoed from within, followed by deep, powerful barking.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
The barking cut sharply through the night, loud and forceful.
Their noise caught the attention of the people in the brightly lit house.
A red-faced man emerged, a beer bottle in hand, grumbling and cursing as he staggered toward the factory.
"Shut up, you damn mutts! What are you howling for at this hour?"
He fumbled along the wall and switched on the lights.
Under the dim yellow glow, three exceptionally muscular, grotesque hunting dogs came into view. Each was caged in a heavy iron enclosure, their powerful bodies straining against thick chains as they crashed into the bars, desperate to break free.
"Quiet down! What's all the racket?" the man yelled, kicking at one of the cages.
The three dogs paused their thrashing, lifting their monstrous heads to glare at the man with their eerie, crimson eyes.
Their mouths opened, revealing sharp, fang-like teeth dripping with thick saliva that splattered onto the ground.
The man shivered under their gaze but reassured himself that the dogs were securely chained.
"What are you staring at? Keep it up, and I'll butcher you for hotpot too!" he shouted, kicking the cage again for good measure.
The dogs remained motionless, their blood-red eyes fixed on him, unblinking. Their saliva dripped more heavily onto the ground.
"Stay quiet!" the man barked, turning to leave. However, after just a few steps, he felt something soft underfoot.
"Huh? Where'd this meat come from?"
He stooped down, picking up the beef Tiger had thrown.
From their hiding spot outside, Lu Fei and the others tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to spring into action.
"Ah, so that's why they're howling—they smelled meat!" the man muttered, laughing drunkenly.
"That idiot Bingzi must've dropped it. These dogs don't usually eat this kind of meat, but whatever—it'll shut them up."
Shrugging, he tossed the beef into the cages, switched off the light, and staggered back toward the house.
"You three, save some for me!" he called out.
Inside the house, someone asked, "What's up with those dogs making such a fuss?"
"Probably hungry. You know they don't eat just anything..."
The laughter and clinking of beer bottles resumed.
Relieved, Lu Fei and his group waited in silence, listening for any sounds of chewing from the factory.
But none came. The clinking chains and heavy breathing continued, indicating that the dogs hadn't touched the drugged meat.
"They're not eating it?" Tiger whispered.
Lu Fei nodded grimly. "No surprise. Jing, take the shot."
Jing Jian raised the crossbow, trembling slightly under the intense gaze of the three bloodthirsty dogs.
"Calm down," Lu Fei said, steadying Jing Jian's arm.
"I'm fine... just hungry," Jing Jian muttered, gritting his teeth as he pulled the trigger.
Whoosh!
The small, precise arrow shot through the dim factory, embedding itself into the muscular body of one of the dogs.
The struck dog roared in pain, its mouth opening wide to reveal its sharp fangs. Instead of retreating, it slammed against the cage with renewed ferocity.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Blood spurted from the wound, but the beast showed no signs of fear or hesitation, only savage fury.
The other two dogs joined in, barking and crashing against their cages with such force that the chains and bars rattled violently.
The commotion drew the attention of the hotpot eaters, who stumbled out of the house in alarm.
"What the hell?!"
"Ignore them—keep going!" Lu Fei ordered.
Jing Jian took a deep breath, steadied his aim, and fired two more shots, each arrow striking the remaining dogs.
The poison began to take effect on the first dog, its barking fading and its movements growing sluggish. Its furious eyes, however, remained fixed on them.
"This poison could kill an elephant. I don't believe these mutts can survive it!" Jing Jian said, his confidence returning as he watched the second and third dogs succumb.
Within minutes, all three dogs lay motionless in their cages, their heaving bodies spilling blackened blood from their mouths and noses.
By this time, the men from the house had reached the factory entrance.
"Who are you? How dare you break into our dog farm!"
Seeing the intruders, they froze in shock, their drunken haze dissipating halfway.
A-Long stepped forward silently, his imposing presence radiating menace.
Tiger cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing ominously.
The three men staggered back, one of them discreetly reaching for a whistle.
A-Long moved like lightning, grabbing the man's hand and twisting it sharply. The whistle fell to the ground, where A-Long crushed it underfoot.
"Ah!" the man screamed.
Tiger swept his leg in a wide arc, sending the other two men sprawling.
Inside the factory, Lu Fei and Jing Jian confirmed the deaths of the red-eyed dogs. Only after ensuring their breathing had stopped did they finally relax.
"Good work!" Lu Fei said, stepping out of the factory with Jing Jian.
Tiger and A-Long had already subdued the three men, who now cowered on the ground.
However, Lu Fei noticed that the short, stocky dog seller from the photos was not among them.
"Did he run, or is he hiding?" Lu Fei muttered, scanning the surroundings.
A sudden chill ran down his spine, like a predator's gaze boring into his back.
Turning quickly, he froze.
From the shadows of a pitch-black building, a pair of crimson eyes glinted coldly—a larger, more menacing red-eyed dog was watching them.