Zhao Yin suddenly realized he'd contracted this monkey quite a while ago, yet still had no idea whether it was male or female.

He grabbed the little monkey's legs and forcibly spread them apart.

Familiar physiological features were immediately exposed.

A tiny toothpick paired with two quail eggs.

At that moment, for reasons he couldn't explain, Zhao Yin felt a wave of relief wash over him.

The little monkey had no concept of shame. Seeing its master liked to look, it actively spread its legs wider. "Master, keep looking! Don't you like looking?"

"Like looking my ass!" Zhao Yin slapped it across the face.

The monkey recoiled in confusion and scrambled to the side.

"Squeak squeak... help!"

Just then, a scream pierced the air from downstairs.

It was Song Xiaodao's voice. Zhao Yin's heart lurched, and he bolted down the stairs.

When he reached the ground floor, Song Xiaodao was sitting in a bucket filled with hot water, her face pale with terror as she stared at something. "Zhao Yin... what... what is that thing?"

Zhao Yin turned to look.

Beneath the chestnut tree stood a massive creature, calmly chewing on the branches and leaves the little monkey had knocked down earlier. Its gaze swept over Zhao Yin with cold indifference.

[Adult Water Buffalo: E-rank Mutant Beast | Strength 42 | Agility 39 | Stamina 50 | Defense 63 | Spirit 8 | Bloodline Talents: Giant Strength, Iron Armor]

Zhao Yin sucked in a sharp breath.

This buffalo had already evolved to E-rank. Its overall combat power far exceeded the little monkey's-and was several times greater than his own!

Once any mutant beast reached E-rank, the massive enhancement to its physique unlocked an additional Defense attribute.

And this E-rank mutant buffalo's Defense was a monstrous 63 points!

Ever since contracting the little monkey, Zhao Yin hadn't encountered a single other mutant beast. Deep down, he'd been looking forward to this moment.

But now that it had actually happened, he couldn't muster any excitement. He wasn't sure if this buffalo would charge over and kill him with a single hit.

What baffled him was how this buffalo had evolved so quickly-reaching E-rank in just a few days!

Zhao Yin didn't dare move a muscle. One hand made subtle gestures behind his back, signaling Song Xiaodao to get upstairs and fetch the little monkey. The other hand gripped the knife at his waist.

Song Xiaodao didn't bother with clothes. She scrambled upstairs completely naked.

Zhao Yin forced a smile at the buffalo from across the yard. "Hey there, Brother Buffalo... hehe...!"

"Hrrrmph!"

The buffalo snorted, dismissing him entirely. It lowered its massive head and went back to eating leaves.

Zhao Yin exhaled slowly and forced himself to calm down.

With his current abilities, nothing in his arsenal could overwhelm this beast.

Fortunately, the buffalo showed no intention of attacking.

Soon, the little monkey came bounding down from upstairs.

The moment it spotted the buffalo, every strand of golden fur on its body stood on end. Its frame rapidly expanded as it activated its Giantification ability in the blink of an eye.

It could sense the danger too.

The little monkey didn't attack first. It gripped its steel rod tightly and positioned itself in front of Zhao Yin, shielding its master with its body.

"Master, where... where did this buffalo come from?" The monkey's mental voice trembled. Zhao Yin could feel the fear bleeding through their bond.

"Hell if I know how an E-rank mutant beast showed up here. Let me think of how to handle this." Zhao Yin replied through their mental link.

He wasn't ready to throw his life away just yet.

At that moment, the buffalo seemed to have eaten its fill. It raised its head, glanced at Zhao Yin and the monkey, flicked its tail lazily, and turned to leave at a leisurely pace.

Its body was more than five times the size of an ordinary water buffalo. Its four legs carried it through the ruins as easily as walking on flat ground.

Cold sweat trickled down Zhao Yin's forehead. He could clearly sense the deepening contempt in those bovine eyes.

Just as the buffalo was about to disappear from view, Zhao Yin sent a mental command. "Monkey, follow it quietly. Find out where it's going."

The little monkey's massive body immediately shrank back down. It crept after the buffalo on silent feet.

"Wait." Zhao Yin called it back.

He quickly pulled off his pants... then stripped off the fishnet stockings.

"Its Agility is higher than yours. Wear these and you'll be faster than it. Remember-don't engage. No fighting."

This buffalo's abilities were Giant Strength and Iron Armor!

On a human Awakened, those two abilities wouldn't be considered particularly rare. But on a water buffalo, they were absolutely terrifying.

The little monkey obediently pulled the fishnet stockings onto its legs. The golden fur was immediately compressed, making its figure look oddly slender. It darted off in the direction the buffalo had vanished.

Zhao Yin pulled his pants back on and turned to head upstairs-only to find Song Xiaodao staring at him with a peculiar expression.

"The... the fishnet stockings are equipment from Star Crystals. It's not what you think." Zhao Yin's face remained expressionless as he explained.

"That cartoon minidress-did you wear that too?" Song Xiaodao asked.

She'd been waiting for Zhao Yin to give her the dress. She never imagined he'd wear it himself.

"Equipment from Star Crystals comes with powerful stat bonuses that increase my combat effectiveness!" Zhao Yin said seriously. "I absolutely do not have that kind of fetish."

"Oh... I see." Song Xiaodao nodded.

She turned around and suddenly fished something out of the pocket of the pants Zhao Yin had just changed out of. "Zhao Yin, what's this?"

Zhao Yin had been quite satisfied with his explanation. But when he saw what was in her hand, his heart nearly stopped.

It was half a box of unused condoms!

He vaguely remembered grabbing them from a hotel room right after his rebirth-completely by accident.

For over a month, he'd never noticed them.

Zhao Yin lunged forward, snatched the box away, and stuffed it into his Spatial Ring. "Adult stuff. Kids aren't allowed to touch it."

With that, he turned and headed up to the rooftop.

Song Xiaodao watched him go with that same strange look. Modern girls spent plenty of time online. They understood these things early.

Only after Zhao Yin's figure disappeared did she look away and return to washing clothes-though a small, triumphant smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Zhao Yin's face felt hot. He decided to stop thinking about it, tossed another piece of firewood into the campfire, and sat by the flames to wait for the little monkey's return.

He had no intention of risking his life for a contract beast right now. But he needed to map out the water buffalo's territory. Once his strength grew-or once he unsealed some kind of beast-capturing item-he could come back for it.

Half an hour later, Song Xiaodao returned. She hung the freshly washed clothes near the fire to dry, then crawled into the tent and fell fast asleep.

The little monkey didn't return until three hours later.

It dragged its steel rod behind it, the weapon caked with zombie blood and brain matter. The fishnet stockings were still on its lower half. Fresh wounds covered its body.

After questioning it, Zhao Yin learned the injuries weren't from fighting the buffalo.

That buffalo had gone berserk for some reason. After leaving the villa, it had charged straight toward the Western Industrial District of Guangzhou City.

That area had been the most densely populated zone in all of Guangzhou. After the apocalypse, it had become a massive zombie congregation point. Zhao Yin had been avoiding it entirely.

The buffalo had stormed into the industrial district like a rampaging demon, plowing through everything in its path. Countless zombies were trampled to death-including five or six F-rank ones.

Until finally, an extremely terrifying zombie appeared.

The little monkey didn't know what rank it was, but in terms of raw strength, it had completely overpowered the buffalo!

A fierce battle erupted between zombie and beast. In the end, that terrifying water buffalo was actually defeated. It fled, wounded.

The little monkey, having followed the buffalo deep into the industrial district, got caught up in the zombie horde. It barely escaped with its life by burning through its ability.