Zixin's pupils trembled as he watched the creature slowly raise its head and swallow.
Gulp.
The sound was horribly clear.
For a moment, Zixin simply stared. His mind went completely blank, as though it had finally reached its limit.
The creature let out a loud burp.
That was the second…something inside him snapped.
The grief that had been crushing his chest only moments ago was suddenly drowned beneath an overwhelming, uncontrollable rage.
Every bit of fear, helplessness, and despair he had been forcing himself to swallow since the apocalypse began erupted all at once.
Sparks of electric energy sparkled from his fingertip, slowly crawling up his arm.
Electricity exploded throughout his body instantly.
Blue-white sparks raced across his arms, shoulders, chest, and legs, spreading over him until his entire body was wrapped in crackling electrical energy.
The ground beneath his feet began to tremble from the force pouring out of him, and loose pieces of stone jumped from the pavement as electricity snapped violently through the air.
Bao, who had still been coiled around his neck, was caught completely off guard.
"Zixin—!"
The sheer amount of electricity surging through him forced the little snake to release his grip. Bao quickly unwound himself and darted away, landing several meters behind Zixin before turning around with wide ruby-red eyes.
"Are you fucking insane?! Your body can't handle that much electricity!"
Zixin didn't answer. In fact, he couldn't hear him.
His eyes were locked on the monster.
His breathing had become heavy and uneven, and wisps of smoke escaped between his clenched teeth as electricity continued to crawl over his skin.
"You…"
His voice came out low and trembling.
The creature slowly turned toward him.
Zixin's fingers curled into fists.
"You give him back to me!"
The words tore out of his throat.
"GIVE HIM TO ME!"
A massive burst of electrical energy exploded from Zixin's body forming into a huge ball of energy.
The attack surged forward like a violent wave, tearing across the street and smashing directly toward the creature.
The monster reacted instantly. It threw itself sideways, narrowly avoiding the main force of the attack.
The electrical blast struck the building behind it instead.
BOOM!
The entire wall shook.
Concrete exploded outward, windows shattered, and blue electricity crawled over the surface of the building before disappearing into the cracks.
The creature barely had time to recover before Zixin was already there.
His figure flashed forward, electricity propelling him across the ground at a speed that even surprised Bao.
Zixin appeared beside the monster and swung his electrified hand directly toward its head.
"DIE!"
The creature's eyes widened.
Its long neck suddenly bent sideways.
The attack missed by mere inches as its head twisted away from Zixin's hand, moving with an unnatural flexibility that no human body should have possessed.
Zixin's attack sliced through empty air.
The monster immediately whipped its neck back toward him, but Zixin was already attacking again.
Electricity crackled from his palm as he swung.
The creature ducked.
Every time the monster attempted to create distance, Zixin closed it again, his movements becoming increasingly frantic as the rage inside him consumed whatever fear he might have had.
"Give him back!"
The creature dodged another strike.
"Give him back!"
Zixin slammed his electrified fist into the ground.
BOOM!
Electricity spread through the pavement in every direction.
The monster leapt over the crackling wave.
"GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!"
Zixin didn't stop. In fact, he couldn't.
The creature had taken Lin Jing from him.
His little brother.
The only family he had left.
The child he had promised to protect.
Tears started to stream down his face as he ran after it, lips trembling he bit them holding back the sob that was threatening to escape.
There was nothing else in Zixin's mind now except getting him back, even though a part of him already knew there was nothing left to save.
His grief twisted into fury so violent that he stopped caring about his own body.
The Thunder Claw continued pouring electricity through his veins.
His muscles trembled from the strain.
His fingertips had begun to numb.
His vision flickered occasionally from the excessive energy surging through him.
He ignored all of it.
The hunter had become the prey.
The monster that had been chasing Zixin only moments ago was now desperately trying to escape him.
It unleashed its full strength and sprinted down the street, its enormous body moving with terrifying speed, but Zixin followed directly behind it.
"You think you can run?!"
Electricity burst from his feet as he accelerated.
"YOU FUCKING ATE MY BROTHER!"
Small balls of concentrated electrical energy began forming around Zixin's hands.
He raised one arm and pointed at the fleeing creature.
"Then die with him!"
Several bolts shot forward.
The monster twisted violently to the side.
The first blast struck the ground.
BOOM!
The second tore through a wall.
CRACK!
The third passed directly over the creature's head, scorching a line across its back.
The monster finally seemed to understand that continuing to run in the open was dangerous.
It abruptly changed direction and charged toward one of the abandoned buildings.
Zixin's eyes narrowed.
"Don't you fucking dare!"
The creature smashed through the entrance and disappeared inside.
Zixin rushed after it without hesitation.
He didn't care that he was running straight into an enclosed space with an evolved monster nor that his body was already screaming from the amount of electricity he was forcing through it.
"GIVE HIM BACK!"
His roar echoed through the village.
The sound was followed by a violent explosion of electricity as Zixin charged into the building after the creature, his entire body glowing with unstable energy.
Inside, the monster tore through the corridors, knocking down walls and smashing furniture aside as it desperately searched for another way out.
Zixin followed it inside.
Pieces of concrete rained down from the ceiling as his attacks grew more reckless and powerful.
"Come out!"
His voice echoed through the building.
"COME OUT!"
The monster remained silent.
Zixin's chest heaved violently as his bloodshot eyes frantically searched through the place.
Electricity continued snapping across his skin.
"come out!!! You fucking monster!!"
Then he heard something.
A faint movement somewhere above him.
His head slowly lifted. A dangerous expression spread across his face.
"You're hiding?"
His lips curled into a furious smile.
"Fine."
He raised both hands.
Lightning gathered between his palms, growing brighter and louder with every second.
"I'll tear this entire fucking place apart until I find you."