[One-Eyed Lizard Blood]
Description: Rich in trace elements, highly beneficial for anemia.
This One-Eyed Lizard blood was indeed nourishing. Su Chen fought the urge to gag from the pungent metallic scent and stuck out his tongue to take a small taste.
As expected, the taste was awful. Let's just say—it was all nutrition and zero flavor.
There wasn't much of the blood to begin with. Su Chen downed it in just two small sips.
Instantly, a wave of warmth surged through his body, and his stamina began recovering at a noticeable rate.
Damn, this felt amazing—
It was like getting the deluxe VIP treatment at a massage parlor. Right now, Su Chen felt fully recharged.
"Rumble rumble—"
At that moment, the buzz of a drone echoed from above. Su Chen looked up.
Sure enough, a drone zipped across the sky, and Su Chen's excitement spiked.
"No way I'm losing track of it again!"
He quickly packed up his spoils from defeating the One-Eyed Lizard and sprinted off in the direction of the drone.
But the drone was just too fast. No matter how hard Su Chen tried to keep up, he was quickly falling behind.
Regret hit him hard. He should've brought Jun Ma out with him—that horse could've saved him so much time.
Dripping with sweat and gasping for air, Su Chen collapsed to the ground, watching helplessly as the drone vanished into the distance.
"Woof woof woof—"
Er Bao barked beside him, full of energy and determination.
The little dog tugged at Su Chen's sleeve, trying to get him back on his feet. But Su Chen didn't move a muscle.
He lay there like a dying stray, completely spent.
"Er Bao, follow that drone. Don't let it out of your sight."
"If it drops an airdrop, stay with it. Guard it with your life, okay?"
This was the first time Su Chen had ever entrusted Er Bao with a task. He wasn't sure if the little guy could pull it off.
After all, in Su Chen's eyes, Er Bao had always been a pampered little pup.
But the moment he gave the order, Er Bao bolted toward the drone, sprinting with all his might.
It wasn't easy to come across an airdrop—there was no way he could let another survivor get to it first.
The drone was simply too fast for any human to catch up to on foot.
Right now, Su Chen's only hope was Er Bao.
The drone seemed to be traveling in a straight line. If it dropped an airdrop, it'd likely be soon—and Er Bao would already be there waiting.
At that same moment, three other survivors also spotted the drone.
"Boss, look! Isn't that an airdrop?"
"Why the hell are you just standing there? Go after it!"
"Useless. Look at Liu Fei already way ahead of us."
The three of them were in luck—they found the airdrop shortly afterward.
It was only about ten meters away.
Next to it, a small pug-like dog paced around the crate, seemingly standing guard.
The trio began to chat among themselves.
(Zhao Qiang): "What's that little dog doing? Wagging its tail like that—it's hilarious."
(Liu Fei): "Probably part of the airdrop—some kind of pet reward. Whoever gets the crate first must get the dog too."
(Boss): "Don't get careless. What if it's a trap? You never know in situations like this."
(Liu Fei and Zhao Qiang): "Come on, Boss. You're being paranoid. It's clearly a survivor bonus drop—let's just crack it open already."
Without a hint of caution, the three strolled boldly toward the airdrop.
Er Bao had already noticed them. Standing in front of the crate, he braced himself.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
He stared the three men down, eyes filled with fierce determination.
They were caught off guard by the sudden barking, startled by the little dog's aggression.
(Boss): "Shit, I told you—this dog's guarding the airdrop. It's not gonna let us take it."
(Zhao Qiang): "Boss, how about we just deal with it? It's just a dog—how dangerous can it be? Afterward, we can even roast it."
(Boss): "Good idea. Let's go with that."
The three of them grinned wickedly. The boss pulled a dagger from his belt—it was the best weapon they had.
Liu Fei and Zhao Qiang rushed over and grabbed Er Bao.
Er Bao barked and struggled violently.
"Woof woof woof!"
He saw a hand reaching for him and didn't hesitate—he sank his teeth into it.
There was only one thought in his tiny mind: Follow Master's command—protect the airdrop at all costs.
"Argh! This damn mutt!"
Liu Fei cried out as Er Bao bit into his arm. Rage twisted his face.
He yanked his hand back, but Er Bao refused to let go.
"Boss! Kill it! We're having dog stew tonight!"
Su Chen was still on his way...
The boss lunged forward and stabbed Er Bao in the chest. Blood sprayed out, soaking the dagger.
"Woof... woof..."
The barks grew weak—no more strength left.
Yet Er Bao still clung to Liu Fei's arm, remembering his master's command and what he was guarding behind him.
Seeing the blood only made the three even more frenzied. The boss pulled out the dagger and stabbed again and again, like a crazed animal.
It was only then that Su Chen finally arrived, not yet fully aware of what had happened.
As he stepped closer—"What the hell? Is that… Er Bao?"
A dog was lying on the ground, riddled with stab wounds. Su Chen recognized it instantly.
It was Er Bao.
Rage exploded within him.
He raised his Uzi and stormed up to the three men.
"What the hell are you doing to my dog?!"
The three turned to find a submachine gun pointed right at them. Zhao Qiang, the coward, pissed himself on the spot.
They all dropped to their knees.
"Sorry! We didn't know it was your dog! Please, have mercy!"
"You're a bigger man than us—let it go, please!"
"We're begging you!"
No amount of groveling could change anything.
Su Chen looked at the blood-soaked Er Bao lying motionless on the ground. His mind went blank.
He took a step forward—slow, disbelieving—then dropped to his knees beside him.
Er Bao's body was cold. Still curled in front of the box, just as Su Chen had commanded. Loyal, even to the end.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three sharp bursts from the Uzi—three bodies collapsed.
But it didn't bring Er Bao back.
"Er Bao… it's all my fault…"
"I never should've sent you out alone… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
He gently reached out, fingers brushing against the blood-matted fur.
"Let's go home, okay? We'll go home now…"
Su Chen's cries were heart-wrenching.
But Er Bao… lay still.
No breath.
No sound.
"Er Bao, let's go home and have your favorite meat slices, okay? I'll give you two today."
He waited.
But nothing came.
No matter how much he shook or begged… there was no response.
Er Bao was gone.
______
Support me on patreon and get early excess to new chapters and exclusive content:
patreon.com/user?u=79514336