No!

  She didn't want this. She refused to be devoured by this disgusting python!

  "Stay back..." Emma cried out in terror, hurling her pistol at the massive serpent. She rummaged through her backpack, throwing everything she could find—a fruit knife, sanitary pads, perfume, even her lunchbox.

  But the giant python's body was covered in rock-hard scales. Her bullets had barely left a faint mark on its armor, and these random objects stood no chance of harming it.

  The serpent moved with terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, it was upon her, its jaws opening wide to swallow her whole.

  "WATCH OUT!!!!!!!!!!"

  A man's voice suddenly rang out from above. The next instant, something wrapped around Emma's waist, and she was soaring through the air.

  Below, she heard a tremendous impact and a skin-crawling sound of friction against concrete.

  "Damn, since when are there so many monsters in the sky? Almost got myself killed."

  As everything settled, Emma heard the man's grumbling. He sounded like he'd fallen from the heavens.

  She cracked her eyes open and looked down, her jaw dropping. Where she'd stood moments ago, a massive crater now scarred the earth. A deep trench, gouged by friction, stretched from the crater's edge all the way to a nearby building—ending in a gaping hole in its wall. The 'black cloth' holding her captive extended from that very opening.

  As for the invisible serpent, only scattered scales remained on the ground. Clearly, it had met a glorious end in what could only be described as a 'crash landing.'

  Before she could process this, the building shuddered and collapsed sideways. From the rubble emerged a bus-sized, twin-headed black dragon, shaking debris from its massive form.

  "Oh my god, a dragon!" Emma gasped.

  Her shock was understandable. While the Z-Virus could alter biological forms and structures, most mutations followed logical patterns. A rat wouldn't become a lion; a lizard might atavistically revert to a dinosaur. But dragons were creatures of legend—no real animal shared their bloodline.

  Had Lucas been present, he wouldn't have batted an eye. He'd witnessed a mutant plum deer undergo secondary mutation into a fire-colored chimera, after all.

  Then Emma noticed the man astride the dragon's back. He held black reins—looped around both of the creature's necks—and the 'black cloth' wrapped around her was actually his hair.

  "Well, hello there," the man looked up, flashing her a smile. "Didn't expect to find survivors here. You alright?"

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  Emma blinked, then shook her head dumbly. She hadn't recovered from the shock yet.

  "I'm Liam. You?"

  Liam slowly lowered Emma to the ground, studying her.

  Yes, the man who'd fallen from the sky was none other than Liam. The twin-headed black dragon was the evolution of a symbiotic parasite he'd implanted in a mutant twin-headed lizard.

  He'd never expected that a slightly atavistic mutant lizard would transform the parasite into a twin-headed black dragon—complete with wings and flight capability.

  Though unexpected, the result pleased him immensely. The black dragon retained all advantages of the original mutant lizard while gaining the parasite's own strengths. Its entire body was encased in black chitinous armor, granting extraordinary defense. Despite its draconic appearance, it was actually a mutated beetle-class creature, meaning its limbs could regenerate rapidly given sufficient food.

  However, the black dragon wasn't without flaws. While currently more powerful than his Black Armor, its potential was lower. It had reached its final form with no room for further evolution.

  Having acquired the dragon, Liam couldn't resist playing dragon rider. He'd taken to the skies, though he'd clearly underestimated the dangers above.

  High in the clouds, crimson floating spores filled the air. The moment the black dragon approached, they detonated violently. Liam ordered an immediate descent, but one crimson cloud suddenly opened a gaping maw, attempting to devour them. The dragon's fire breath barely repelled it. Before Liam could breathe easy, a massive red manta ray—unbelievably huge and clearly targeting them—appeared.

  What followed was a desperate flight for survival. As if cursed, they were then ambushed by a golden eagle, whose wing buffet sent them crashing down.

  Liam hadn't expected to find a beautiful young woman in this abandoned city. Upon hearing her name, he muttered, "Emma... sounds familiar."

  "What was that?" Emma hadn't caught his words, her brow furrowing in confusion.

  Liam quickly shook his head, changing the subject. "Ah? Nothing. Is that dog yours?"

  "Oh, Bentley!" Emma suddenly exclaimed, turning toward the dog.

  Bentley stood trembling atop the bus, his eyes gazing mournfully at Emma—clearly wounded that she'd forgotten him.

  "I'm sorry, Bentley. How are your injuries?" Emma's heart ached for her beloved pet.

  The dog let out a distinctly human-like whine, then turned to show her his wound. The invisible serpent's tail had struck his abdomen, but the injury had already scarred over.

  Though healed, Emma retrieved alcohol and bandages from her backpack to treat him anyway.

  Liam studied Bentley, his mind triggering the Information Integration interface.

  Name: Bentley

  Species: Domestic Dog

  Potential: ★★★

  Constitution: 91

  Strength: 52

  Agility: 33

  Cell Activity: 15

  Reaction Speed: 20

  Combat Power: 118

  Abilities: Electric Shock +20, Beast Intuition +10

  Liam raised an eyebrow in surprise. The dog's combat power exceeded his own by three points. Then he remembered Bentley's abilities, and understanding dawned.

  "Your dog's impressive," Liam said, approaching slowly.

  But as he drew near, Bentley suddenly bared his teeth, growling low—a clear warning.

  "Uh... seems he doesn't like me much," Liam laughed wryly.

  Emma smiled at Bentley. "He doesn't like men. He even bit one of my dad's coworkers once."

  Perverted dog, Liam thought, then approached with exaggerated bravery. He placed his hand on Bentley's head, grinning. "Bentley's not that bad. See? He's behaving perfectly."

  Bentley was severely injured. Though his mutant regeneration was remarkable, he lacked the strength to resist. He could only whine in protest as Liam ruffled his fur.

  Emma found the scene amusing. She barely knew Liam, but anyone who'd argue with a dog couldn't be all bad.

  Besides, without his intervention, she'd be digesting in that python's stomach right now.