Chapter 2 – The Breeding Farm

Volume 4: When the Demon Tide Rises

"Time difference…"

Wen Yu wasn't slow. He made the connection at once.

After thinking seriously for a long while, he sighed and lay back down, finding a more comfortable position.

"Guardian No. 1 really is careful."

His first thought was that the Treasure Land Guardian had used his authority to place the exit in another country. Even if they escaped early, they would be useless if they couldn't get back to Huaxia.

Kuangliu sighed deeply and lay down again too.

Over a month in the Demon-Suppressing Tower had worn away his anxiety about Lin Haifeng.

A month was neither very long nor very short. But for men with Lin Haifeng's and Peng Jun's methods, it was enough to turn Huaxia upside down several times. Their war would have been decided long ago.

Neither man knew that the change to the exit was actually Sequence 1's doing.

…

"Where's your communicator? See if you can reach home. Maybe your watch is wrong."

Wen Yu lay flat on his back. The words sounded like a suggestion, but his languid manner made it clear he wasn't particularly interested in where they were.

With their strength, anywhere but the Demon Realm would be fine.

"My watch can't be wrong. The Academy of Sciences made it. Custom-built. One of a kind, for the War God!"

Kuangliu kept up the pointless banter while slowly taking out his communicator.

"Not a trace of a signal."

He tossed it aside. Clearly, he wasn't eager to investigate their location either.

Quietly enjoying the air and sunshine, the two drifted off to sleep.

The thousand-floor tower had truly been an ordeal.

…

In the small wood some distance away, One-Eye and Xing were "playing" enthusiastically.

Xing held a Level 3 Mutant Beast in his jaws, tearing into its flesh and drinking its blood. One-Eye had caught a Level 3 Mutant Dog-a female-and was busily mounting her.

"Xing! Bring your Dog-Ge something to eat."

One-Eye asked for food while riding the female, ignoring the miserable look in her eyes and the disparity in their size.

"No. Get it yourself. There are plenty of Mutant Beasts in these woods. It's not like you can't catch one!"

Xing rolled his eyes, then turned away with his meal, pointing his tail at One-Eye. He wanted no part of the sordid scene.

"Stingy."

Muttering, One-Eye thrust harder, making the female yelp.

"Woof, woof."

She was begging him to stop.

"Stay still, you little bitch."

Ignoring her words, One-Eye lightly tapped her head twice with his huge paw, leaving the poor little dog dizzy.

If a seven-meter-tall Level 3 Mutant Dog could be called little.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

She barked plaintively, apparently trying to tell him something.

Only One-Eye could understand that language, of course.

But after so long trapped in the Soul Realm Space, Xing was curious about almost anything. He turned his large head back.

"Dog-Ge, what's your girl saying?"

"Says these woods are private property. Her owner's breeding farm. She's the guard dog… Huh, would you look at that. A purebred German shepherd. Never thought I'd see the day."

One-Eye grew smug, missing the point entirely. He paid no attention to the mention of an owner.

Whose owner could be tougher than his Boss?

Xing was a little more cautious.

"Should we tell the Boss?"

One-Eye was enjoying himself too much to bother with anything so "boring."

"Go if you want. I'm here now, so this is my turf. Who cares about an owner? Raises a dog and only gets her to early Level 3? Sounds like a weakling to me!"

Crude, but not entirely unreasonable. And Xing was easy to convince.

"Fair enough."

He lowered his head and returned to his feast.

Neither pet stopped to consider that a privately owned wood might have surveillance.

Not far behind them, a pinhole camera concealed in a tree recorded everything.

…

Ten minutes earlier.

Old Sam was relaxing in his woodland cabin with a cup of coffee and a Playboy magazine, reading with great interest.

One wall was covered in monitors displaying the entire breeding area nearby.

He was the farm's caretaker. Strictly speaking, a watchman. But it was undeniably a good job.

Every Class Holder who worked around here knew this property belonged to the great Lord Klaus.

The forest farm was a business, supplying a wide range of Mutant Beast meat to Las Vegas's largest entertainment venue.

And there was plenty to be made on the side.

Old Sam would never have landed the job if he hadn't happened to own a purebred German shepherd with the fearsome strength of early Level 3.

Knock, knock, knock.

He put down the magazine and coffee, donned his large square sunglasses, and grabbed the Hunting Rifle beside him.

Though old, he was at Level 2 Peak himself. Here, near Las Vegas Settlement, his life wasn't in much danger.

And he had a dog.

"Who is it?"

He sounded far from welcoming.

"Uncle Sam. We're here for the goods."

Recognizing the voice, he relaxed. He picked his nose vigorously, checked himself in a mirror, and carefully smoothed the creases in his shirt.

"Come in."

The battered wooden door creaked open. A shifty-looking man appeared, followed by three elaborately dressed blonde women with full breasts and broad hips.

"Anything good today, Uncle Sam?"

Old Sam looked at the man's wrinkled, smiling face, then at the three "sweeteners" behind him. A faint smile touched his lips.

"Plenty of good things lately. Had a calf born not long ago. Early Level 1 straight out of the womb. And…"

He deliberately raised an eyebrow.

"Not on the books."

His voice was so low that only the man heard him.

"Good, good."

The man nodded with a smile and handed over a large cloth bag.

Old Sam squeezed it, judged its weight, and nodded in satisfaction.

"You know how things work, Kid… But didn't I tell you not to bring outsiders?"

His voice feigned severity. His eyes stayed on the women's breasts.

The man gave him an awkward smile. He knew this was only for show. The old lecher was insatiable. Next time, he'd probably have to bring four women.

Old Sam said no more. He led his visitor to the monitors and examined the feeds.

After a while, he pointed to one screen.

"That family."

Two Mutated cattle, each nearly five meters tall, grazed peacefully. A cute little calf toddled unsteadily behind them.

The man nodded with satisfaction.

"Good. Very good! The meat must be tender. Lady Annie will be pleased. But Uncle Sam, what's that Little One beside them?"

He pointed at a small black speck following the three cattle.

"What?"

Old Sam pulled down his sunglasses and pressed several buttons to enlarge the image.

They saw a small black lizard with wings.

"That's…"

Before he could finish, the little lizard swelled into a massive creature twenty meters tall, with a wingspan of dozens of meters.

It picked up the bull in its jaws and flew into the sky.

Old Sam and his visitor stared at the monitor, dumbstruck.

"A dragon… It's a dragon!"

The man swallowed hard, his voice shaking.

Xing resembled a Western Giant Dragon. It was no surprise they recognized him.

Old Sam, however, had only one thought.

"Fuck! My dog!"

Before he could search the feeds, the man pointed to another monitor.

A huge gray shape filled the screen. Only at the edges could Old Sam make out two familiar canine legs.

He flew into a rage, snatching up his Hunting Rifle.

"You dare fuck my dog? I'll blow your head off!"

Fury left him no room to consider the difference in strength.

He had raised the shepherd for almost five years. With no children of his own, he regarded her as a daughter.

His visitor took one look at the screen and ran for the door.

Old Sam might have lost his reason, but he hadn't. Anyone with eyes could see that the "rapist" was over twenty meters tall.

What Level did that make it…?

He didn't bother calculating. He just ran.

One-Eye, meanwhile, had no idea that his victim's furious owner was coming to rescue his beloved dog with an old Hunting Rifle. He kept chatting with Xing while roughly forcing himself on the shepherd.

Until hurried footsteps entered the two pets' range of perception.