Chapter Fifty-Seven: Lu Chen's Counterattack

In his previous life among hunting dogs, the Dogo Argentino was renowned. This creature embodied the finest qualities of hunting breeds worldwide, earning the title “King of Hunting Dogs.” With a robust physique and remarkable stamina, its senses of smell and hearing were acute, making it adept at tracking prey over long distances.

Most importantly, the Dogo Argentino was large and ferocious; as an adult, it could weigh between seventy and a hundred pounds, and was even used to hunt and corner cougars and wild boar. So, upon recognizing the hulking beast behind him, Lu Chen’s first instinct was to flee.

Of course, if it were just one Dogo Argentino, he would not be afraid. Life or death meant little to him—if challenged, he would fight. As a massive carnivorous predator weighing over two hundred pounds, Lu Chen held an absolute advantage in size; killing a single dog would not be difficult.

The problem was that three hunting dogs had launched their attack together, making it impossible to fend them all off at once, let alone kill them in a short time. Most crucially, there were three humans carrying hunting rifles behind them. If he got entangled and failed to escape in time, death would be inevitable.

In the face of modern weapons, even the fiercest beast is nothing but a wretch.

His pursuit of the clouded leopard had already drained much of his strength. After sprinting over a thousand meters, Lu Chen’s body began to overheat, and his speed inevitably slowed.

He could not continue like this.

Lu Chen was keenly aware that in his current state, he could run only a few hundred meters more before his strength was utterly spent. At that point, he would have no power left to fight back.

It was a pity there was no river nearby; otherwise, he could have easily escaped pursuit by hiding in water. Climbing a tree was not an option either, given the three armed humans.

As he pondered his options, a buzzing sound suddenly came from overhead.

Damn, a drone!

Hearing this, he knew hesitation was no longer an option.

Crocodiles live in swamps and rivers, a well-known fact. If a drone captured footage of a crocodile sprinting through a mountain forest, anyone would sense something was amiss—such an image would completely overturn common knowledge. If the video were transmitted to the human world, the commotion it would cause was unimaginable.

Even if Lu Chen escaped being dissected, he would hardly avoid becoming a “scientific guinea pig.” Those poachers were no fools; they surely understood the immense profits hidden in such a discovery.

Spotting a dense bamboo grove not far to his side, Lu Chen conceived a plan. His dark, massive form flashed and darted, slipping inside just before the drone arrived.

A few seconds later, the three hunting dogs vanished from the screen, barking furiously.

“How is it? Did you see what it was?” Brother Liu asked the young man beside him anxiously.

“No, it moved too fast to catch on camera… But I think it’s a leopard. Look at those claw marks up there,” the young man replied, pointing to the tree trunk where Lu Chen had previously hidden.

Claw marks, left by felines as they pass, are a way to mark territory. There are “ground marks” and “tree marks.”

Seeing the scratches, Bald Jiang’s eyes lit up. He gestured excitedly, “The width of these marks is nearly twenty centimeters—definitely a leopard, and a big one at that. We’ve struck gold this time! Wait, something’s off… It doesn’t quite match. What could it be?”

Doubt flickered in his eyes.

“Old Jiang, who cares about that now? We’ll know when we catch up. Let’s hurry,” Brother Liu urged, unwilling to delay with potential riches so close.

***

This wild bamboo forest had stood for who knows how many years. The ground was covered with thick layers of fallen leaves, and bamboo roots twisted and sprawled everywhere, making it nearly impossible to find solid footing.

The stalks and leaves crowded together, blocking out the sun and filling every space where light might have shone.

When Lu Chen’s massive body entered, progress was painfully slow. The hunting dogs also found their speed greatly diminished. Their tall bodies faced even greater restrictions.

Lu Chen deliberately slowed down, allowing his strength to recover while luring the dogs deeper into the bamboo thicket. In such an environment, the hunting dogs could not coordinate, reducing the danger significantly.

He listened closely for sounds behind him. The humans seemed to have been left far behind; their voices were barely audible.

Upon spotting a protruding boulder the size of a millstone, Lu Chen stopped decisively.

It was time!

He lunged, leaping onto the nearly two-meter-high rock. From this vantage, he looked down at the struggling hunting dogs, a cruel glint in his beastly eyes.

These creatures—did they really think he feared them?

“Roaaar!”

As the lead Dogo Argentino tried to emerge from the bamboo, Lu Chen let out a low growl, seizing the moment to attack.

With a crash, his colossal form dropped from above.

Dense bamboo blocked the sides and rear, while a large boulder stood in front; the Dogo Argentino’s movements were severely restricted, leaving no room to dodge.

With a single agonized howl, its body was sent tumbling, breaking two stalks of bamboo in the process.

Taking advantage of its dazed state, Lu Chen pounced again, jaws wide.

Crunch!

His powerful bite, combined with a rolling motion, unleashed terrifying lethality.

The Dogo Argentino’s cervical vertebrae, along with throat and blood vessels, were shattered in an instant.

Warm blood gushed into his throat, fueling an even more savage bloodlust. Without pause, he charged at another dog—a second howl, and blood sprayed, staining the bamboo forest red.

Witnessing the slaughter of its companions, the last hunting dog, cowed by Lu Chen’s ferocity, tucked its tail and tried to escape.

Lu Chen had no intention of letting it go—seconds later, he finished the fight with swift efficiency.

He dragged the three warm carcasses deep into the bamboo and waited patiently.

As expected, the buzzing overhead soon returned.

To get a clearer look inside the bamboo grove, the drone descended lower, finally hovering above the thicket.

But the area was vast, and with dusk falling, the drone’s camera was severely limited. The operator seemed to notice nothing amiss, lingering briefly before moving on to search elsewhere.

Lu Chen did not hurry out of the bamboo; instead, he began eating at a leisurely pace.

Three hunting dogs could provide nearly two hundred pounds of high-quality meat—enough to last him through the night.

He had no intention of leaving yet.

Though he had vanished into the bamboo before the drone arrived, he could not be sure he had avoided being filmed.

Better safe than sorry.

He would wait for nightfall, then investigate the poachers’ camp to be certain.