Chapter 1 The Mist

A dense fog shrouded the world, sealing Xichuan Town like a natural prison.

There was nowhere to go.

"How is the exploration of the sinkhole cave progressing?" Zhang Ji asked.

He intended to enter the sinkhole cave to hunt in the wilderness like the giant wolves, so he had already sent people to explore it.

Liu Youshan said with a terrified expression, "The situation is not good. None of the brothers sent to explore the sinkhole cave have returned. Perhaps they are all... all dead."

"What about the way out? Any clues?"

"No, we sent many people to explore the misty forest, hoping to find a way out, but they couldn't. It's like being caught in a ghost wall; they went around in circles and came back confused."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji's expression became even more gloomy.

The sinkhole cave was too dangerous to enter, and they couldn't leave Xichuan Town. Without a source of blood food, how could he develop? Even if he devoured all living things in Xichuan Town, including people and livestock, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy his needs.

The ninth evolution required too many evolution points.

Zhang Ji realized that he had reached an evolutionary bottleneck.

He walked through the fog towards the street.

It was a narrow path cleared from the ruins. Some members of the Heavenly Serpent Gang, stripped to the waist, were digging through the dirt and rubble, searching for useful things like food, clothes, and alcohol.

"Serpent Lord, have a smoke!"

Liu Youshan pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his crotch and offered one to Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji was about to take it but noticed him hiding the cigarettes in his crotch. He raised an eyebrow and handed the cigarette to Hu San, who was walking over to greet him.

Hu San looked flattered and excited. He accepted the cigarette with both hands, stuck it behind his ear, and said respectfully, "Thank you for the Serpent Lord's reward."

Then, with a wave of his hand, a gang member behind him came forward with a cup of milk.

"Serpent Lord, this is fresh milk prepared for you by your subordinate. Please enjoy it."

The milk was still steaming, obviously just heated.

A smile appeared in Zhang Ji's eyes. "Not bad!"

He hadn't had milk since the earthquake. He had only mentioned it casually the day before, but Hu San had prepared milk for him today.

As he spoke, he picked up the milk and drank it all in one gulp.

"Evolution points +300, total 13.53 million/100 million."

Zhang Ji's eyes widened in surprise.

This milk could actually provide evolution points? And just a small cup gave 300 evolution points!

His eyes instantly blazed with light, and he stared at Hu San with fiery excitement, asking, "How much of this milk is there?"

Hu San was a little frightened by Zhang Ji's gaze and quickly replied, "There are only three milk cows right now. Each cow produces about five hundred *jin* (approximately 250 kg) of milk per day. The milk yield is still decent."

Upon hearing this, Liu Youshan frowned and said, "Nonsense!"

"I haven't milked a cow, but haven't I seen cows produce milk? Cows have a dry period, a peak period, and a low-milk period. Even during the peak period, a cow can only produce about 80 *jin* (approximately 40 kg) of milk per day. How can your cows produce 500 *jin*?"

"Are they divine cows?"

His eyes were filled with balefulness and a sneer, believing that he had finally caught Hu San's weakness.

Zhang Ji's gaze turned cold, and he stared at Hu San ominously.

Hu San said fearfully but earnestly, "Serpent Lord, please investigate. Your subordinate is not lying; every word is true!"

"The cows that your subordinate raises can indeed produce a minimum of 500 *jin* of milk per day. This is the lowest conservative estimate."

"Each cow produces a minimum of 500 *jin* of milk per day, and that's the lowest conservative estimate?!"

Liu Youshan laughed in amusement, looking askance at Hu San, as if saying, 'Go ahead and make it up. See how you die later for daring to speak shamelessly in front of the Serpent Lord.'

Zhang Ji waved his hand and said, "Lead the way. I'll go see the cows you're raising."

He was very curious. After the disaster in Xichuan Town, with the stimulation of the red rain, livestock mutated and scattered. Any cows that survived must be extraordinary.

Could it be that Hu San caught such a cow?!

Zhang Ji was very interested.

Hu San led the way, taking Zhang Ji and Liu Youshan to a manor.

The manor was large and sprawling. The buildings inside had collapsed. A group of Dog Hall gang members were building cattle pens in the open space. They were very tall and sturdy, built with huge stones and horizontal wood, like city walls, and covered with iron nets.

In the enclosure,

there was an arched doorway, and two gang members stood guard at the entrance. They were bare-chested, wearing only large trousers, their muscles were jagged, and they held sharp axes and daggers, their eyes sharp.

When they saw Zhang Ji, they quickly bowed and saluted.

Hu San shouted, "Open the cattle pen!"

"Yes!"

The cattle pen was opened, and Hu San said respectfully and flatteringly, "Serpent Lord, please!"

Zhang Ji lowered his head and stepped through the door. He scanned the area and found no cows, only three scantily clad women.

They had iron chains around their necks and were huddled in a corner, trembling.

Two of the women stared blankly at the sky, seemingly insane, while the other woman had rough skin and a face full of acne, but her eyes were bright.

When she saw Hu San, she was pleasantly surprised, but when she saw Hu San wink at her, she immediately shrank back, but her eyes were full of joy and affection.

"This is...?" Zhang Ji asked in confusion.

Hu San gave a respectful smile and said, "They are the three cows your subordinate is raising!"

"Don't be fooled by their human appearance. They are all cows. When the time for beastification and mutation comes, they will turn into cows and then produce milk."

He pointed to several large buckets placed beside them, which were filled with milk, exuding a milky fragrance mixed with a hint of fishiness.

"There are many people in Xichuan Town, and there are also many women born in the Year of the Ox, but it is too rare to find women who are pregnant and have mutated into milk cows. I have only found these three so far."

Hu San wore a flattering smile, as if asking Zhang Ji for credit and reward.

Nearby,

Liu Youshan listened with wide eyes and an incredulous expression, saying, "Hu San, from you, I finally know what it means to be a scoundrel."

"You actually raise people as cows to produce milk?!"

"Only you could do such an inhumane thing."

His tone was mocking, but his eyes grew more wary and even a little fearful of Hu San.

This guy is even more ruthless than me!

Hu San, however, cupped his fist with a proud look on his face and smiled, "Thank you for the praise, Rat Hall Master. I will continue to work hard and serve the Serpent Lord!"

Liu Youshan glanced at the three women tied with iron chains and snorted, "If these three women were your relatives, could you still heartlessly treat them like this?"

Although he was ruthless, Hu San's actions still refreshed his understanding.

This guy doesn't deserve to be human.

Hu San heard the mockery in Liu Youshan's tone, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes, but his face remained smiling. "Rat Hall Master, you're joking. I treat everyone equally."

"To tell you the truth, one of these three women is indeed my relative, and she is my own younger sister!"

Seeing Liu Youshan's dumbfounded and disbelieving look,

Hu San walked over to the woman with acne on her face and said, "Xiao Si, come, greet the Serpent Lord!"

The woman with acne looked at Zhang Ji with some fear, mustered her courage, got up, and saluted, "Hello... Hello, Serpent Lord, I am Hu Xiao Si, Hu San's younger sister!"

Liu Youshan's face turned red and then pale. He took a cold breath and looked at Hu San, who was still smiling. He felt that the other party was more terrifying and sinister than a poisonous snake, and he couldn't help but shiver.

"Serpent Lord..." He opened his mouth to say something to Zhang Ji, but Zhang Ji waved his hand with a smile.

"Since you are all family, don't quarrel!"

He looked at the woman with acne on her face, leaned over, and smiled gently, "You're called Hu Xiao Si? Hu San's younger sister?"

"Yes, Serpent Lord!"

"Are you not afraid of being a milk cow? Can you adapt to it?"

"I'm afraid, I can't adapt. I feel very embarrassed every time they come to milk me, but my brother said that this is to show my value. With value, I can live, and I can live better, and I can live longer than others."

Her tone was a little stuttering, but the more she spoke, the more fluent she became. She mustered her courage, looked at Zhang Ji, her trembling fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, but her eyes were very firm.

"I want to live my life well, and I also want my brother to live well. My parents are dead, and only my brother is left. I must protect my brother!"

"I have low strength. I have only evolved four times, and I have always been a burden to my brother. Now that I can do something to help my brother, I am very happy."

Her voice was a little hoarse, and her lips were chapped, but her tone was sincere and firm.

Nearby,

Hu San's hands clenched tighter and tighter, and he lowered his head, afraid to look up, because his eyes were already red.

Zhang Ji looked up at the ubiquitous mist in the void and sighed, "It's all this damned strange mist that has twisted human nature, caused our families to be destroyed, and turned us into monsters and beasts."

"If one day I have the strength to clear the clouds and see the blue sky, I will tear those bastards behind the scenes to pieces and eat them bit by bit."

His baleful aura was revealed, and Hu Xiao Si retreated in horror, trembling, her face pale.

Zhang Ji touched her small face, revealed a row of white teeth, and smiled, "At that time, if you are still alive, I will invite you to eat meat and drink blood together!"

"But now, you have to work hard, bring glory to your brother, work hard to produce milk, and become the Heavenly Serpent Gang's cow with the highest milk yield, okay?"

"Yes, I can definitely do it! I can now produce 600 *jin* of milk per day, which is more than those two older sisters."

Hu Xiao Si said loudly, her acne-covered face full of proud light.

Hu San, who was nearby, heard this and his eyes turned red. He secretly wiped away a tear and bowed to Zhang Ji, "Serpent Lord, please rest assured that my brother and sister will definitely serve the Serpent Lord to the death and never betray you!"

Zhang Ji helped him up and said earnestly, "Follow in my footsteps, and at the end of the road, you and your sister will surely be crowned with glory!"

Nearby, Liu Youshan felt that he was about to be marginalized. Anxiously, he quickly shouted loudly, "Serpent Lord, your subordinate is also willing to go through fire and water for you, without hesitation!"

Zhang Ji laughed loudly and said, "Of course, my Eunuch Liu is also very good!"

"By the way, I heard that you have an older sister who was born in the Year of the Rooster. Can she lay eggs? If so, your siblings can also shine for our Heavenly Serpent Gang like Hu San's siblings!"