The Savage Within

Chapter 17: Targeted Again

The moment the hunger hit, Ian Feng panicked a little. Now that there was no second “Youfu,” it would be a real problem if he lost control.

He activated his enhanced hearing to listen to the surroundings, and right away, sounds of excitement came from next door.

“Thank you, big bro, thanks for the plane gift! Wishing you good health and fortune!”

It was Yan Qiaorong—she was livestreaming again.

Next to the third-floor balcony, there was a shared kitchen (used by three households; Ian hardly ever touched it). Right now, the couple across the hall was cooking in there.

The landlord and his wife were eating in the first-floor dining room, chatting as they ate. From their conversation, it sounded like another pet had gone missing. Now, as soon as it got dark, nobody dared to leave their pets outdoors—not even on their own balconies.

Meanwhile, the tenants on the second floor were all home.

“With this many people around, if I lose control, the consequences would be unimaginable. Looks like I’ll need to buy some chickens, ducks, or rabbits to raise at home, just in case. Wonder if I can still find some this late.”

After the initial wave of panic, Ian realized the hunger wasn’t as intense as he’d feared. It felt about the same as the hunger on the day before he’d lost control with Youfu.

What’s more, the usual frenzy hadn’t come back. It seemed to have been replaced by hunger instead.

He wondered, Maybe I won’t completely lose control until tomorrow?

Still, whether it was tonight, tomorrow, or the day after, staying in his rented apartment was too risky.

With that thought, Ian shut down his computer, left his apartment, and headed straight for the market.

At the same time, inside a small parking lot near West Lake Street, close to Mucuo, sat a jeep.

Han Li was behind the wheel, scrolling through his phone. In the passenger seat, Li Yanqiu sat with her arms crossed, her eyes locked on the intersection outside Mucuo village.

Another stray mutt had gone missing the previous night. On the same evening Youfu disappeared, a family living near West Lake Park lost a ragdoll cat worth over ten thousand yuan.

According to its owner, the cat had vanished from their balcony. When they couldn’t find it the next day, they reported it to the local police station. The case was only transferred to the Xiufeng Criminal Investigation Unit yesterday.

Over the past month, including Youfu, twelve pets had disappeared.

Other than Youfu, none of the pets weighed more than fifteen kilograms. Some were common mutts, others were expensive breeds like the ragdoll cat.

“Captain Yan, there are already a lot of posts online about the missing pets in Mucuo,” Han Li said.

“Getting a lot of clicks?”

“Yeah. Ever since the ragdoll cat vanished, the buzz has been building fast. I bet by tomorrow morning, the captain’s going to call us in for a talk.”

Yanqiu’s face tightened, but she said nothing.

“Some trashy media are making things worse too, spouting nonsense about supernatural forces and turning this into some ghost-story hype.”

These past days, they’d interviewed all the pet owners and neighbors in the area, but hadn’t found a single eyewitness.

They’d also gone over surveillance footage from every exit out of Mucuo again and again. Other than Ian Feng carrying a suitcase out of the neighborhood—suspicious at best—they hadn’t found a single clue. The whole thing was baffling.

“So far, the only person remotely suspicious is that Mr. Feng. Other than that, there’s nothing. Unless the perp can fly or tunnel underground, there’s no way they slipped past every camera.”

“Fly or tunnel underground? Captain, you’re not saying this isn’t human work, are you?” Han Li’s eyes went wide. “You don’t actually believe the supernatural stuff, do you?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Yanqiu shot him a glare. “Tomorrow, we’ll go to the West Lake Zoo and see if they’ve had any animals go missing. I remember they’ve got an adult golden eagle.”

“You think maybe a big bird of prey has been snatching the pets?”

“It’s possible. Unless it’s something that can fly—or something coming up from the sewers—there’s no way this happened without leaving a trace.”

“What about Youfu, then? What about that Mr. Feng?”

“Youfu might be an exception. It could be unrelated to the other missing pets.”

“What if we set up bait? Strap a micro-camera to it and release it in Mucuo after midnight, see what happens. What do you think?”

“That could work. Let’s go find something right now.”

“Alright!”

Meanwhile, Ian arrived at the market, hoping to see if the poultry stalls were still open.

On the way, he noticed his senses had become razor-sharp. Without even focusing, just a flick of intent would make every sound around him crystal clear, every scent instantly identifiable.

He guessed this was a prelude to losing control—his body adapting to the hunger, sharpening his “hunting” abilities.

The streets were still crowded, so Ian kept his head down, careful not to accidentally activate his night vision in front of anyone.

At the market, the mix of gamey musk, fishy stench, blood, and animal odors instantly sent his blood boiling.

It was like being starving all day and then walking into an all-you-can-eat buffet—the excitement was overwhelming.

But to his disappointment, all the poultry vendors had already closed up.

With no other choice, he left the market and decided to head to his favorite steakhouse.

On his way home earlier, he’d eaten two chicken drumsticks, and unlike last time, they’d stayed down instead of passing right through.

He figured that once his hunger kicked in, his body could even process cooked food.

Still, he really wished he had some raw meat to try.

At the steakhouse, he ordered two steaks, a plate of beef p***s, and a bowl of beef soup. He skipped his usual favorite, the salty rice.

Normally, he avoided eating so much meat at night, even at lunch.

But tonight, without the fear of gaining weight, he indulged freely.

Even so, though his stomach was full, that gnawing hunger remained.

Ian had been expecting this. After paying, he walked out onto the street.

Checking his phone, he saw it was nearly 7:30 PM.

If memory served, the night he lost control with Youfu had been right around this time.

Though he didn’t think he would lose control tonight, he still didn’t want to risk going back to his apartment. Instead, he decided to hang out in the park where it was safer.

West Lake Park was packed—runners, people doing square dances, even groups singing at the top of their lungs.

Luckily, the park was big. Ian avoided the crowds and settled on the lakeshore, where it was quieter.

But as soon as he sat down, he realized the place wasn’t all that “quiet.” Couples were hidden in the shadows all around him, fooling around.

He didn’t want to listen, but his heightened senses betrayed him—one thought and every gasp, every whisper was as clear as day. Not that he wasn’t curious…

Eventually, the sounds got so distracting he had to bury himself in a game on his phone.

By 11:00 PM, he realized the hunger was finally fading.

After finishing his last match—securing a Pentakill with Guan Yu—he quit the game and focused inward. Sure enough, the hunger was subsiding.

An hour later, it had stabilized at a low level.

“Looks like after the mutation, my body’s peak activity window is from sunset until about 11 PM, and again for about an hour before sunrise.”

Feeling reassured, Ian figured there would be no loss of control tonight.

He left the park and headed home.

On the way, he cut through the alleys of Mucuo instead of taking West Lake Street.

The village was crowded with migrant workers, and though technically a village, it had plenty of shops.

Passing by a self-service adult store, he noticed a goat munching on leaves, standing alone at the alley entrance. A few wilted cabbage leaves lay on the ground nearby.

“Who the hell leaves a goat out here at night?”

The goat wasn’t fully grown—maybe ten kilos at most.

Ian’s hunger had lessened earlier, but it never disappeared.

The instant he saw the goat, that hunger flared up again. His body trembled with excitement as he moved closer.

The nearer he got, the stronger the hunger surged.

But just as he was within arm’s reach, he spotted something strapped to the goat’s back—

A miniature camera, lens aimed straight at him!