Chapter Four, The Beginning (1)

Mikael, with his mouth full of blood, raised his head and took a deep breath. His previously somewhat emaciated stomach immediately swelled several times in size. Opening his mouth, he unleashed a red flame over two meters long, which almost instantaneously engulfed the entire body of the brown bear. In just a short while, the aroma of roasted meat wafted from the bear's carcass.

Haha, fresh bear paw roasted alive!" Michael exclaimed with joy, lunging forward to bite through the major artery in the brown bear's neck, and the fainted bear merely twitched a few times before it breathed its last without even a whimper

Go ahead! I still need to rest for a while to absorb the effects of the medicine, but don't run too far; I currently have no ability to protect myself!" After Lin Tao finished speaking, he put the box into his pocket and casually found a large tree to lean against, closing his eyes to recuperate.

Michael released the bear paw that made him drool, turned around, and said with a hint of grievance: "I was just trying to get you something good to help you recover since I saw you were injured. Bear bile can cure a hundred ailments; otherwise, would I go through so much trouble to get such a big fellow? Master, you must understand me!"

"Get lost, Michael, your mouth stinks!" Lin Tao weakly pushed away the hellhound, which now only had a head left. Enduring the pain throughout his body, he sat up, feeling as if there were thirty helicopters taking off simultaneously in his head, leaving him dizzy and disoriented

Lin Tao immediately rolled his eyes dramatically and disdainfully said, "Don't act so righteous; I know you too well. Even before we got to Russia, you were already asking me if there were bears here, and wasn't it you who had been wanting to eat bear paws all along!"

Michael excitedly dashed out with a whoosh, and before long, a commotion erupted in the forest, filled with the sounds of flapping wings and barking dogs, alongside the continuous angry roars of wild beasts. Half an hour later, Michael returned dragging a brown bear that stood about two to three meters tall. However, the most terrifying aspect was that the bear seemed merely to be knocked unconscious, as it continued to exhale hot breath.

Having seemingly grown accustomed to Michael's flatulence, Lin Tao shook his head helplessly, looked up at the unfamiliar surroundings, furrowed his brow, and asked, "Where is this? Has the corpse tide receded?"

It seems like it's almost noon! An unbelievable thing has happened; this dog actually spoke human language, and it spoke with a genuine Texan accent. It licked the drool from the corner of its mouth, patted its belly in a very human-like manner, and said: "Master, I am so hungry; I want to go get something to eat first"

... ...

Hello, how are you? I thought you were done for last night!" Lin Tao said, gently rubbing his abdomen in confusion

Mikael let out a loud belch, swaying as he walked over, using the shiny tip of his paw to pick at his teeth, and lazily asked: "What shall we do now"

Lin Tao pulled out a few crimson capsules from his pocket, raised his head, and swallowed them. After shaking his head, he said: "It tastes really awful... Are you alright now that you have lost a head?"

Lin Tao felt as if his entire body had fallen apart, and even though his willpower and intellectual strength were exceptional, he could not help but let out a groan

I am also unclear! Lin Tao slowly shook his head, which is precisely the aspect he found utterly perplexing. Last night, those blood clan members walked calmly among the corpses, not only were they not attacked by any of the living dead, but they also provoked a massive frenzy of living dead attacking them.

More than an hour later, a person and a dog had a delightful meal, and the pill that Lin Tao had swallowed earlier was evidently a healing medication. Now, Lin Tao could move freely, although he still felt relatively weak.

The red hunting dog named Michael raised its hind paw, which was as thick as an adult's arm, and scratched where its other head used to be. It shook its head in confusion and said with a clear expression: "It seems there is no problem; I am doing quite well! It's just that I might have a slight disadvantage in battles from now on!"

Because his watch was damaged in the battle, Lin Tao looked up at the sky and estimated the time in his mind, saying: "It seems to be our reinforcements, but how could they arrive five hours early... Never mind, Michael, stop being so chatty and stay alert to the movements around us!"

Haha, that was a ploy of self-sacrifice, wasn't it you who taught me? That damned skinner pushed me there, and I could only endure the beating. If I didn't sacrifice myself and pretend to be dead, those little brats would definitely have killed me!" Michael looked exceptionally pleased with himself, wagging his tail over there, truly resembling a human in a dog-like manner.

What’s wrong?" Lin Tao also stopped in his tracks to look at him, knowing that the only things capable of silencing him, aside from delicacies and bitches, were enemies.

Lin Tao opened one eye and saw that Michael had actually dragged back an entire bear. He immediately shouted, "You worthless creature, I told you to go hunting and you brought back a bear. Can you even eat that?"

"Roar~ Master, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. The horde of corpses that those little rascals attracted last night was truly ferocious. If it weren't for me carrying you in a desperate escape, both of us would have long since become fertilizer in this jungle!" Michael proudly wagged his tail, but then curiously added, "However, Master, I find it strange that those living corpses don't bite those vampires. They all seem to avoid them, as if they were afraid of stepping in dog waste!"

Slowly opening his eyes, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, the first thing that came into view was not anything else but a gigantic dog head. The dog's head was covered with dried blood that had formed scabs, and a long dog tongue was happily licking Lin Tao's face, continuously making a "slap, slap" sound with its saliva.

Lin Tao held the box in his hands and studied it for quite some time, yet he could not figure it out. Meanwhile, Michael, unable to contain his impatience, said, "Master, I am getting really hungry. Shall I go get something to eat?"

By the way, Master, I found something good on Glas's corpse; it should be the target of our mission!" Michael's eyes suddenly lit up, and he happily opened his mouth to reveal a shiny gold watch. However, his dog-like face immediately flushed red, and he shyly said, "No, no, this is the right one, hehe~ Glas is already dead, so his gold watch shouldn't go to waste!"

Unable to personally bury his comrade's remains, Lin Tao could only take out three cigarettes, light them, and place them in the sand. With great effort to suppress the sorrow in his heart, he respectfully bowed three times in the direction where the incident had occurred the previous night

Mikael had been following Lin Tao, talking to himself for several hours, like a machine gun that never stopped. Fortunately, Lin Tao had long since become accustomed to it and did not pay any attention to even a single word. However, suddenly, just as Mikael was getting into the swing of things, he abruptly fell silent, merely standing there and shaking his ears incessantly.

Michael nodded and said with a playful smile, "Don't worry, it's on me. Even if a fly passes by us, I will tell you whether it is male or female!"

"What time is it, Michael?" Lin Tao scratched his head, unsure if he had injured his brain, as he unexpectedly asked the dog beside him.

Lin Tao took out the military GPS he carried with him and tested it, relieved that it had not been damaged in the battle. After discerning the direction slightly, he said: "We will head west for fifty kilometers, and there will be someone to pick us up there"

"Stop with the grandstanding. Alright, alright, I'll rest a bit longer while you deal with the bear!" Lin Tao cursed helplessly and had no choice but to continue resting with his eyes closed.

... ... it hurts, it really hurts

Michael was caught off guard by Lin Tao's revelation of his little secret, so he could only grin foolishly at *Tu* and say: "Hehe, isn't it all the same? Master, you eat bear bile while I eat bear paws; we, as master and servant, share our blessings together!"

As he spoke, Michael spat out a shiny silver metal piece from his mouth. He held it in his mouth and, with a charming smile, presented it to Lin Tao. Lin Tao furrowed his brows as he took it, carefully examining the metal piece. The piece was square and comparable in size to a delicate Rubik's Cube, but it had no seams. Instead, it was entirely engraved with black mysterious patterns, resembling the totem of a certain tribe.

Master, can we not stay in that dreadful place in Texas this time when we go back? That way, we can find a big house and raise a few hundred female poodles. Well, I actually quite like golden retrievers too; although their lineage isn't that great, they don't have the cold arrogance of poodles. However, I definitely don't want Saint Bernards; I don't like big, chubby dogs. I prefer those with a stunning figure, hehe. Why don't you just find me a few beautiful women instead...

"A helicopter has just landed fifteen kilometers ahead, but it is currently unclear how many people are involved," said Michael, tilting his head and speaking in a serious tone.

Oh my, my goodness, there are still fifty kilometers to go. Don't you know that my slender arms and legs are most afraid of walking? Although Michael was reluctant, he had no choice but to waddle along with Lin Tao, his belly having grown enormous from eating half a bear. He certainly did not want to stay in this damned deep mountain forest and become a hellish wild dog, even if there were delicious bear paws here.