ocean-life Chapter 84 Zombie Cat
Chapter 84 Zombie Cat
"What's wrong?" Seeing Shen Qingci's reaction, Lu Chen immediately became alert and instinctively gripped the gun handle with his right hand.
The others also stopped in their tracks, and Ning Tieshan and Zhao Yongqiang simultaneously raised their guns.
"I don't know! My detection ability gave me some warnings... It feels a bit dangerous, but not quite at the level of an elite zombie." Shen Qingci told the truth.
As she spoke, she closed her eyes, and an invisible wave of perception spread directly in the direction she was speaking.
Lu Chen also turned his gaze to the alley, channeling his mental energy into his eyes, instantly making his vision sharp and clear.
Deep in the alley, several ordinary zombies wandered aimlessly in the shadows. The walls were splattered with dried, blackened blood, and the ground was littered with broken glass and old newspapers that seemed to have drifted in from nowhere.
But apart from those few ordinary zombies, nothing unusual was found.
"It's on the wall on the third floor," Shen Qingci suddenly said, her eyes still closed.
Lu Chen immediately looked up and followed the direction she indicated.
Then he discovered a... zombie cat?
Lu Chen was a little unsure because the cat was really too big.
It lay on the exterior wall of the third floor of that old residential building, its four paws digging directly into the cracks in the brick wall, sticking vertically to the wall as if completely ignoring gravity.
It is about the size of a medium-sized dog, or even a little larger, with a long and lean body, and the outline of its spine and ribs is clearly visible through its gray-black fur that clings to its body.
The muscles in its limbs were extremely well-defined, each muscle was taut, and its claws were dug into the wall to a depth of at least four or five centimeters.
Its eyes were dark yellow, exactly the same color as those of the elite zombies, and it was staring intently in the direction where Lu Chen and the others were.
At first glance, it looks more like a leopard.
This zombie cat was clearly quite intelligent; its gaze frequently lingered on the elite zombies, a look of weighing options.
Clearly, it wanted to rush over and attack the group of humans, but the presence of elite zombies made it hesitant to act rashly.
This ability to assess the strength of friend and foe is something that ordinary zombies could never possess.
"Such a huge zombie cat." Lu Chen stared at the cat-shaped creature stuck to the wall, his mind racing.
This was the first time he had ever seen a zombie other than a human. He had previously seen reports about animal zombies in briefings on the military app.
Zombies are social creatures; bird zombies like to gather with other zombie birds, and the same applies to zombie cats and zombie dogs.
After these animals turn into zombies, they will instinctively leave their former habitats and travel to other areas to find their "kin".
Therefore, animal zombies are rarely seen in human settlements, because they have all migrated to their respective settlements.
Such a strong and solitary creature is quite rare. Either it was delayed for some reason before it could migrate, or its own strength is so great that it doesn't need to rely on a group.
"The size of a zombie can roughly reflect its strength. This cat's exaggerated growth suggests it's probably at the elite level."
Thinking about this, Lu Chen was somewhat tempted.
He watched as the zombie cat dug its claws directly into the brick wall, walking upright on the vertical wall with ease.
If its climbing ability and agility are controlled, it will be an absolute reconnaissance tool, capable of squeezing into the exterior walls of tall buildings, narrow alleys, and crevices of ruins to explore.
But how do we capture them alive?
Lu Chen looked at the zombie cat, and the other cat looked at them.
Its eyes kept scanning back and forth over the elite zombies. Every time the elite zombie moved a little to the outside of the group, its ears would flatten back and its tail would stiffen.
With such a high level of alertness, it's definitely not feasible to simply send the horde of zombies to catch it. Before the elite zombies could even reach it, it would have already jumped to another building.
He thought for a moment, then asked Shen Qingci beside him, "Are you confident you can hit it before it charges? Just hit its body, seriously injure it. It has to be alive!"
Shen Qingci didn't speak immediately. She closed her eyes again, her senses scanning the zombie cat once more, quickly estimating its size in her mind.
It is indeed difficult to guarantee a hit when shooting at the head, but when shooting at the body, the target area is much larger, and the margin for error is much higher.
"I'm not entirely sure about its speed, but judging from its size and muscle density, its sprinting speed should be at least as fast as, if not slower than, that of an elite zombie. If I'm just aiming for the body to inflict damage, I'm only about 50% sure I can hit it with one shot."
"That's enough." Lu Chen quickly did the math in his head.
At this zombie cat's sprinting speed, it would take at least several seconds to rush from 120 meters away to the front of the group.
In those few seconds, Shen Qingci could fire at least three shots, and with his mental power assisting his shooting, the two of them could fire at least five or six bullets together.
With a 50% hit rate, if two or three out of five or six shots hit, it's more than enough to seriously injure this cat.
Moreover, even if they miss, there are still 8 Iron Pillar-level and 17 Strong-level zombies to cover their retreat and intercept the zombie cat.
So there's no need to hesitate anymore; fortune favors the bold.
He gave the elite zombie at the front the order to slowly retreat to the side. The elite zombie took steps, slowly walking outwards along the edge of the street, each step neither hurried nor slow.
As the elite zombies drifted further and further away from the group, the zombie cat's reaction became immediately apparent.
Its ears stood up from being pressed against its skull, its tail began to sway slowly from side to side, and the muscles in its hind legs tightened and relaxed in turn.
It began to pace along the wall, moving laterally along the outer wall of the third floor, its body lowering lower and lower, its shoulder blades protruding with two sharp outlines beneath its gray-black fur, looking as if it were about to attack at any moment.
Finally, when the elite zombies were more than 50 meters away from the group, the zombie cat couldn't hold back any longer.
It kicked off the wall on the third floor with a sudden burst of speed, leaving a row of deep scratches on the brick wall with all four claws, and its whole body shot out like an arrow.
The zombie cat flipped in mid-air and landed precisely on the second-floor windowsill of a building across the street. Its paws lingered on the edge of the windowsill for less than half a second before it launched itself again, charging straight toward the group.
"So fast!" Although Lu Chen was somewhat prepared, he was still surprised when the other person actually started running.
That cat ran in a way completely different from normal cats. Normal cats run by alternating the landing of their four limbs, but this cat flew almost touching the ground. With each step it took, it could propel itself several meters away, and its speed was as fast as a gray-black lightning bolt.
However, Lu Chen had already focused his mental energy and raised his gun to aim.
With his mental support, the zombie cat's movements began to slow down. Lu Chen could see the contraction of its hind leg muscles with each push-off, the angle of its tail swing as it adjusted its body posture in the air, and the scratch marks its claws left on the ground each time it landed.