The Savage Within

Chapter 11: This Is My Territory

“Boss, please copy this video for us.”

Inside a ramen shop on Xihu Street, Detective Li Yanchiu handed a USB drive to the shop owner.

“Sure, no problem.” The owner gladly took the drive and copied the requested footage.

“Thanks. If we need more later, we may come back. Please cooperate again when the time comes.”

“Of course, no problem!”

“And one more thing—don’t casually tell others that we pulled the surveillance.”

“Absolutely, you can rest assured.”

“Good.”

Satisfied, Li Yanchiu and her partner left the shop.

The young officer, Han Li, had just transferred from the security team earlier this year. Once they stepped outside, he immediately said excitedly, “The day Lucky disappeared, this guy left with a suitcase and came back empty-handed. Definitely suspicious.”

Holding the USB, Li Yanchiu glanced at the wooden housing block across the street, shrouded in night. Strangely, her expression wasn’t as triumphant as Han Li expected.

Seeing her quiet, Han Li added, “Sister Qiu, are you thinking about what the residents said—the strange disappearance of rats in the area?”

Over the past two days, even though she hadn’t uncovered solid leads, Li Yanchiu noticed many odd details. One in particular: despite the size of the block, there wasn’t a single rat in sight. After asking around, she learned that the place used to have a terrible rat problem, but since around the New Year, they’d been dwindling. Lately, none at all—no sightings, no corpses.

“I’m wondering how so many rats could vanish so quickly without leaving bodies behind,” she said thoughtfully.

“Strange for sure, but I doubt it’s related to the missing pets. From the look of things, that guy Yan Feng is our strongest lead. We should use him as a breakthrough.”

Li Yanchiu nodded slightly. “Maybe. But the video alone isn’t enough—unless we find that suitcase.”

“So what do we do now?”

“Keep digging. Track where he took the suitcase. And in the meantime, monitor his movements.”

“Got it.”

Yan Feng hadn’t planned Lucky’s death at all—it was pure accident. But if the police really investigated, the trail would be easy to find. What he didn’t expect was how quickly suspicion had already fallen on him.

After his workout, Yan Feng showered, turned on the AC, and lay comfortably on his bed scrolling through an online shopping app for fitness gear. Since he had to train anyway to suppress his surging aggression, he figured he might as well go all in. He ordered an ab roller, resistance springs, and a hydraulic power trainer.

After placing the order, he skimmed social media for a while, then turned off his phone, ready to sleep. Even wolves needed rest.

But once he lay down, he couldn’t fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, something inside whispered to him—go outside and mark territory.

He tried to hold out, even peeing into an empty sports drink bottle by the bed, but it didn’t help. By nearly 1 a.m., he couldn’t stand it anymore. The urge was overwhelming, almost driving him insane. It’s late… not many people out… if I sneak out, no one will see me, right?

With that thought, he dressed, tuned his enhanced hearing to scan for nearby movement, and slipped outside.

At this hour, only a few bar workers and late-night youth were around. Yan Feng crept toward a corner near his apartment, checked the surroundings, then unzipped and peed.

The moment his urine hit the wall, a rush of euphoria surged through him. His whole body tingled with pleasure, as if every cell was cheering. He even shivered from the overwhelming release.

“Damn, that feels incredible.”

Unlike normal, he didn’t empty his bladder all at once. He only released a little, then instinctively moved to another spot to repeat. Over and over, he marked his path, each time lifting his leg slightly like a dog.

Eventually, under a giant banyan tree near his office, he squeezed out the last few drops and exhaled in bliss. The relief felt so good it was almost transcendent.

It was past 1 a.m., and the streets were nearly empty. Just as Yan Feng zipped up and glanced around, his heart froze—an old man across the street was leaning out of a window in his pajamas, cigarette in hand, staring at him wide-eyed.

“s**t! Hope he didn’t recognize me!”

Panicked, Yan Feng bolted, sprinting down the street. But as he reached Xihu Street, a sudden wave of primal danger washed over him—hard to describe, like the gut feeling when a muddy child is about to climb onto your clean bed.

He stopped. Focused. The source was close.

Following the sense back into the housing block, he saw it: a yellow mutt sniffing around one of his marked spots. It lifted its leg, ready to piss over his scent.

Instant rage flared in Yan Feng. Before he knew it, he was storming forward, baring his teeth. His eyes flickered amber, glowing with a cold light.

The dog froze mid-lift, then saw the “human” stalking toward it with a predator’s gaze. Terrified, it dropped its leg, tucked its tail, and fled into the night.

Watching it scamper off, Yan Feng felt a surge of primal dominance.

But moments later, his jaw and finger joints began to itch—the same sensation he’d felt during his night transformations.

“What the hell? Am I… growing fangs and claws?”

Fear struck, but as soon as the mutt was gone, the itching faded. He sighed in relief and hurried home.

In the same neighborhood, a small eatery called Gui Lin Rice Noodles was run by a middle-aged couple. They kept a mutt, nameless, brought from their hometown the year before.

Like many old houses, their place had a front yard and a little “dog hole” by the gate so pets could roam freely. That yellow dog Yan Feng had scared off earlier belonged to them.

It lived a carefree life, mostly ignored aside from one daily meal. Hungry often, but free.

After Yan Feng chased it away, the dog wandered the streets. Soon, an irresistible smell caught its nose. Following the scent, it spotted half a sausage lying beneath a tree.

Glancing around, it cautiously grabbed the sausage. But before it could sneak off to enjoy, a shadow dropped from the branches above, slamming onto its back.

The mutt yelped but froze as sharp pain pierced its neck. Its body went limp, collapsing to the ground.

Its final sight: a hairy black blur with glowing, blood-red eyes.