Chapter 319 - 162: On the Way

Chapter 319: Chapter 162: On the Way

So it was no surprise that this place had been picked so clean.

Besides, Xu Mo felt this probably wasn’t the work of a single group, but many. Each group that passed through would have rummaged around, taking anything they could carry. The first group would have taken the pots and pans, the second any usable tools, the third would have torn the place apart looking for leftover canned goods, and the fourth might have even stripped the electrical wiring from the walls.

"Picked absolutely clean!"

Xu Mo shook his head with a sigh and turned to leave.

Then, his gaze froze.

In a corner of the courtyard was a pile of collapsed wooden racks.

The pile of racks was leaning against the corner of the wall—it was hard to tell if they had always been there or had fallen over later. A few logs were strewn about haphazardly, and Xu Mo’s eyes fixed on them.

He strode over, crouched down, and ran his hand over the surface of one of the logs.

There were several deep marks on it.

They weren’t ordinary scratches; they looked as if they had been sliced by something sharp. Three parallel gouges, cut two or three centimeters deep into the wood, with smooth edges and not a single splinter.

’Claw marks!’

The words immediately popped into his mind.

He ran his fingers along the claw marks, feeling the smooth cuts. It would take extremely sharp claws and an incredibly fast strike to leave a mark like this. An ordinary zombie couldn’t do it, nor could an ordinary animal.

A Mutant Beast.

Xu Mo stood up, his eyes scanning the surroundings. A Mutant Beast had been here, in this farmhouse restaurant.

Soon, Xu Mo found a few scattered bones elsewhere. They were bleached white and bore gnaw marks on their surfaces. Crouching down for a closer look, he identified a human femur and a few ribs. The breaks in the bones were jagged, as if they had been torn apart.

Xu Mo stood up again and went to inspect another area. This time, on a nearby brick wall, he found more claw marks. Next to them was a black stain that had long since dried, whether it was blood or something else, he couldn’t tell.

After seeing all this, Xu Mo could roughly guess what had happened. Some survivors had come to this farmhouse restaurant to scavenge for supplies—perhaps a lone person, or maybe a small team. While they were searching, the Mutant Beast arrived. Maybe it had followed their scent, or perhaps it had been lurking nearby all along.

Then, a fight broke out. As for the result...

Xu Mo looked at the bone fragments on the ground and shook his head slightly. This was the result.

The Mutant Beast had its fill and left. The survivors remained here forever, reduced to a pile of unidentifiable bones.

As for where the Mutant Beast went afterward, whether it was killed by someone else, or if it was still roaming this area, Xu Mo had no idea.

All Xu Mo knew was that, judging by the weathering of the wood and the color of the bones, this had happened some time ago. At least a few months, maybe even longer.

The Mutant Beast was likely long gone from the area, but it was also possible that it was still around.

Xu Mo stood up, his gaze turning toward the barren fields outside the courtyard. ’It’s certainly possible that Mutant Beasts are active in this region. There were so many mutated zombies over in Luochuan City; it wouldn’t be strange for a Mutant Beast to appear here.’

He shook his head, driving the thoughts from his mind. After one last look at the claw marks and bone fragments, Xu Mo turned and walked toward the gate.

The sun grew more intense. Xu Mo gripped the steering wheel, his eyes on the road ahead.

It was just past nine in the morning, but the thermometer already read thirty-three degrees Celsius. The wind pouring through the open car window was hot, carrying a dry, earthy smell.

Just a few days ago, there had been a torrential downpour. That night in Luochuan City, the rain had been heavy enough to drench a person to the bone. But now, the vegetation on both sides of the road was drooping listlessly, the leaves yellowed and curled as if desperate for water.

After driving for about an hour, Xu Mo suddenly noticed an unusual rustling in a patch of withered grass far ahead to his left.

The movement wasn’t caused by the wind. It was linear, heading straight for the road, as if something was rapidly cutting through the grass.

Xu Mo’s pupils contracted slightly. He slammed on the brakes, quickly killed the engine, and pushed open the door to get out, simultaneously pulling the Barrett from the back seat.

The heavy rifle settled into his hands. Xu Mo worked the bolt, aimed the muzzle at the rustling grass, and observed through the scope.

Whatever was in the grass was moving fast. Judging by the trail of movement, it was charging straight for his SUV. It was only about three hundred meters away, and the distance was rapidly closing.

’Is it the Mutant Beast from the farmhouse?’

Xu Mo didn’t know.

But what he did know was that its target was clearly him.

Xu Mo took a deep breath, steadied the rifle’s muzzle toward the distant grass, and began to speak:

"Can you speak—"

He only managed to get three words out before he froze, because he saw the thing burst from the grass—it was a cheetah.

This was no ordinary cheetah. It was much larger than a normal one, measuring a full two meters from head to tail, with a shoulder height of nearly a meter. Its fur was grayish-brown, covered in dark spots, and its limbs were long and powerful.

Its head was small, but when it opened its mouth, it revealed fangs seven or eight centimeters long that glinted with a cold light. Its eyes were amber, with vertical pupils locked onto Xu Mo, brimming with killing intent.

It didn’t slow down or even pay attention to what Xu Mo was trying to say. Pushing off with its powerful limbs, it bounded across the pavement in a few leaps, moving so fast its trajectory was a blur as it lunged straight for him.