Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 67: Chapter 61: The Slumbering Black Wolf

If a single mutant beast was a Hell Messenger, then a Mutant Beast Group was Hell itself, brought right before your very eyes.

Having struggled desperately to survive in her previous life, Tang Mo knew better than anyone what a Mutant Beast Group signified. To put it simply, ninety-nine percent of all base annihilations were caused by a Mutant Beast Group.

If one was discovered in time, the people in the base could still scatter like birds and beasts to escape.

But if it wasn’t discovered in time, complete annihilation was also a common occurrence.

Tang Mo had fled from countless Mutant Beast Groups, and she had seen countless reports in the Alliance Daily about the tragic aftermath—bases large and small littered with corpses.

Her spiritual power had reached its limit, unable to see the specific situation over there. Tang Mo quickly retracted her spiritual power and sat down on a chair to recover, her heart still pounding with fear.

After sitting there and thinking for a long time, Tang Mo decided she had to go check it out herself.

A Mutant Beast Group was no small matter. If one was truly on its way, she would naturally have to run as fast as possible.

’But what if it isn’t?’

Taoyuan Village was a paradise for spiritual power. The resources she could obtain here were even better than what the scions of the most powerful families in S Base received. She really couldn’t bear to leave.

That was why she had to confirm the situation before she could make a decision with peace of mind.

Although it was nighttime, Tang Mo, who could enhance her physical abilities, was not really affected. In fact, the darkness even gave her an advantage.

The main gate at the village entrance was already locked. The man on watch duty was the same one who had been with Shen Xiaodong last time, and he was currently dozing off, leaning against his chair.

Tang Mo nimbly and quietly climbed over the plant-covered wall next to the gate. The two-meter-high wall was no obstacle for her now.

Taoyuan Village was very close to the forest, only about three kilometers away. Tang Mo arrived there quickly.

The bright moonlight, carried on the cold wind, cast an exceptionally sinister glow on the forest deep in the night. Tang Mo zipped her jacket all the way up, then stealthily approached the woods.

At the edge of the forest entrance, Tang Mo stopped and spread out her spiritual power, probing deep into the woods.

The scene conveyed by her spiritual power was like a freeze-frame from a horror movie.

In an instant, countless pairs of glowing eyes seemed to be staring at a piece of extremely tempting prey—and that prey was Tang Mo.

In that moment, Tang Mo’s scalp tingled. It felt as if countless needles were lightly scraping against her skin, and the hair on her body stood on end in an instant.

This was the closest she had come to death since her rebirth.

Tang Mo subconsciously stumbled back a few steps before steadying herself, but she didn’t withdraw her spiritual power.

’No, if it were just a wolf pack, they wouldn’t have spared Taoyuan Village. They would have attacked long ago.’

’Three kilometers is just too close. Even Basic-level Mutant Beasts would have sensed the scent of a dense population, an irresistible lure to them.’

Propping up her trembling body, Tang Mo continued to spread her spiritual power. Behind what looked like an ancient tree, she finally saw why the wolf pack hadn’t attacked yet.

It was an enormous Black Wolf, at least three times the size of a normal wolf, currently lying there with its eyes closed, resting.

The instant the tendrils of Tang Mo’s spiritual power brushed past the Black Wolf, its closed eyes cracked open slightly. A deep, moss-green light seemed to pierce through countless trees and bushes, shooting straight toward Tang Mo.

As if it still lacked the energy, the Black Wolf quickly closed its eyes again and sank back into silence.

Tang Mo, whose control over her spiritual power was already unstable, collapsed onto the ground. All of her spiritual power instantly snapped back to where it belonged.

That was an Intermediate Beast, still dormant and not yet fully awakened.

Without even needing her ID Watch to identify it, Tang Mo was absolutely certain that it was an Intermediate Beast.

Moreover, it was an existence even more powerful than the great serpent from before.

Back then, the great serpent had still been in a bewildered state, shrouded in mist. This Intermediate Beast, however, had been accumulating Strength during its slumber. When it reawakened, its power would definitely reach a whole new level.

An Intermediate battle wolf, plus a countless pack of Basic Level wolves.

At this moment, Tang Mo had no will to fight. There was only one thought in her mind: get back quickly and tell the village chief. Otherwise, the people of Taoyuan Village would all die. Every single one of them.

The night was now deep, but when Tang Mo pounded frantically on the Shen family’s main door, Shen Qing still dressed and politely welcomed her inside.

Shen Xiaodong, who had opened the door, was full of resentment toward Tang Mo, glaring at her from the side.

Seeing the village chief’s calm and composed face, Tang Mo also calmed down considerably. She recounted everything she had just seen, about the wolf pack and the Black Wolf, to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing’s expression grew steadily more serious as he listened intently, not missing a single word of what Tang Mo said.

After Tang Mo finished speaking, a long silence followed.

”Miss Tang, I understand the situation. Thank you, truly. For your own safety, you should leave as soon as possible.”

Shen Qing’s expression quickly returned to normal, his calmness almost inhuman.

”And what about you...”

Afraid that Shen Qing didn’t understand the dangers of a Mutant Beast Group, Tang Mo had been exceptionally clear and explicit in her explanation.

”The people in the village are too weary to move. It’s better to live out our days in our homeland.”

The village chief picked up his tea from the table and took another sip. Beside him, Shen Xiaodong’s face was completely pale, but he said nothing.

Almost immediately, the intelligent Tang Mo understood the village chief’s meaning.

He had already made a decision. He had made the decision on behalf of the twenty-odd households of Taoyuan Village.

In the end, Tang Mo was just an outsider. She was only living here temporarily and had no reason or right to judge the choices of the people here.

After leaving the village chief’s house, Tang Mo kept wondering if he had made the right choice.

’She knew this was the best choice for the villagers, but the people of Taoyuan Village had been stripped of even the right to know and understand the outside world. To have their fates decided for them while they remained in ignorance—was that truly fair? Was that truly being responsible for their Life?’

’No matter how cruel the truth, they would surely want to know, wouldn’t they? At least before they died.’

However, it wasn’t long before Tang Mo came to understand it all.

Only then did she realize that the village chief was the clearest-headed person in all of Taoyuan Village, the one who understood everyone best.

She also came to understand the profound, half-finished words Shen Xiaodong had spoken that day.

「That said,」

Tang Mo ultimately decided not to leave Taoyuan Village just yet. For one, it was still unknown when the Black Wolf would awaken, so the pack wouldn’t attack for the time being.

Even if the Mutant Beast Group did go on a rampage, with her current abilities, fighting was obviously out of the question, but she was one hundred percent confident she could escape.

When it came to her skill in escaping, she was serious.

She truly couldn’t bear to part with the dense spiritual power here. Even if it meant licking blood from a knife’s edge, she had to take a few more licks to make it worthwhile.

In the days after discovering the Mutant Beast Group, she returned to her previous routine of diligent training.

However, her vigilance was even higher now, and she constantly kept an eye on the area next to the village.

Her training also became more serious and intense, as every day she spent here was on a countdown.

One ordinary day, Tang Mo happened to be heading out with Aunt Li to fetch water.

On the way back, they saw a blood-soaked Tiegen staggering home, supported by Shen Xiaodong.

It was the first time Tang Mo had seen Tiegen injured. His entire body was covered in marks from fighting mutant beasts.

As he passed them, Tang Mo clearly noticed Aunt Li’s gaze flicker away subconsciously as she turned her head slightly.

It was not at all how one would treat a great benefactor who had contributed the most to the village.