Act Now
Earlier, in order to study Annan's dizziness, Chu Peipei had carefully collected the empty drug bottles discarded by the siblings and brought them home.
Now, they came in handy.
She mixed a bit of water into the bottle, shook it vigorously, and then tossed the nails from the nail gun into the liquid to soak them.
From what Annan had told her, she had only inhaled a small amount of the drug, which caused an immediate reaction. So, soaking the nails for an hour should be enough, right?
An hour passed, and Chu Peipei, seeing that the crocodiles had eaten their fill and were now floating lazily in the water, stood at the seventh-floor window with a bone-cutting knife in one hand and the nail gun in the other.
Not a single crocodile was nearby; they were all gathered by the water on the opposite side of the building.
The water below and the entire complex were eerily quiet.
Due to the earlier carnage, no one dared venture out for supplies anymore.
Taking advantage of the relative calm, Chu Peipei positioned herself at the window and slowly extended the arm holding the nail gun out into the air to attract the crocodiles.
Most of the crocodiles were full and sluggish, but one was still swimming uneasily.
This particular crocodile was weak, having failed to fight for food earlier and even losing its right forelimb when another crocodile snapped it off during the fight.
It had been dazed and, by the time it regained its senses, the water had been cleared of human remains, leaving it starving while its companions feasted.
Now, it was drifting dejectedly in the water when it caught the scent of food and hurriedly swam toward it.
Due to its missing leg, it was a little slower than the others.
As it neared the building's window, it saw a human leaning out, their arm extended.
"What's this? Are they offering me food?"
"How nice of you to offer something for me to eat, knowing that I'm missing a leg!"
…
Chu Peipei watched as the crocodile slowly moved closer, feeling her nerves tighten.
This was her first time hunting a predator like this, and she wasn't sure if the drug-soaked nails would work…
As the crocodile came closer, opening its enormous jaws, Chu Peipei quickly pulled her arm back, then fired several nails at it.
Her shooting practice paid off—the nails hit their target, each one piercing the crocodile's tough hide.
Despite the crocodile's thick skin, the nails went deep due to the gun's high power, and three nails pierced its open mouth.
In pain, the crocodile shut its mouth, causing the last nail to lodge directly in its eye.
The unfortunate crocodile thrashed in the water, creating splashes, its massive body writhing in agony.
Chu Peipei, seeing the creature's powerful movements, couldn't help but feel a bit afraid.
She quickly fired several more shots.
By the time the last nail was used up, the crocodile stopped thrashing.
Surprised at her success, Chu Peipei cautiously surveyed the area to ensure there were no other crocodiles nearby. She then reached out with her bone-cutting knife to poke it gently.
It was indeed unconscious.
With a sigh of relief, she gritted her teeth and began pulling it toward the window.
The crocodile was larger than her, and it took all her strength to drag it inside.
"Wait, what's this?"
"Why does this crocodile only have three legs?"
She threw it onto the hallway landing and paused, unsure of what to do next.
As a child, she had seen her grandmother slaughter pigs in the countryside, but she had never dealt with something like this before. How was she supposed to butcher it?
Chu Peipei thought for a moment, but didn't want to waste any more time. The effect of the drug might wear off soon, and she didn't want the crocodile to wake up while she was still unprepared.
No matter, it was an animal—like butchering a pig. She just had to slit its throat, let it bleed, and process the meat.
She quickly retrieved the wire she had tied around her waist before leaving, her face tense as she wrapped it around the crocodile's mouth.
This step was necessary—once she cut it, the crocodile would wake up in pain, and she couldn't handle it without being prepared.
After securing the mouth with wire, she wrapped it with tape for extra security.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Peipei stepped forward, pressing her foot firmly on the crocodile's long jaws and then swiftly raised the knife to strike its head.
Sure enough, the crocodile woke in pain, thrashing violently and attempting to bite her.
She was grateful that she had tied up its mouth earlier.
The crocodile's powerful jaws tried to open, but the wire dug into its flesh. Chu Peipei stepped in closer, repeatedly striking the same spot with the knife.
It was impossible to say she wasn't scared—she had never faced off against a predator like this before.
—Even though this one had been drugged, was missing a leg, and had its mouth bound.
Several strikes later, blood poured out as the crocodile began to quiet down.
Chu Peipei carefully tested it by nudging its body with her foot, confirming it had stopped moving and was no longer breathing.
Just to be safe, she chopped off its head completely and then sighed in relief.
Untying the wire, she discarded the wire, nail gun, bone-cutting knife, and tape on the ground before slumping down on the stairs.
In that moment, a thought echoed in her mind:
"The greatest difference between humans and animals is the creation and use of tools."
Her teacher wasn't wrong!
She was grateful for the tools!
There was no way she would have been able to face this beast hand-to-hand.
Looking at the crocodile meat on the ground, a sense of deep satisfaction filled her.
The last time she had felt like this was when she had been accepted into the medical university she had always dreamed of.
After all these years of steady progress in the medical field, never had she imagined she'd be fighting a crocodile to the death…
The loud noises from her struggle drew the neighbors from nearby floors.
When they came out, they saw Chu Peipei furiously hacking at the crocodile's head with a large knife.
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
They kept their distance, too afraid to approach, but when they saw her actually kill the crocodile and sit down to rest, they gathered around her.
"Chu Peipei, you're amazing!"
"Such a big crocodile—you can't eat all of it. Why don't you share it with us?"
"Yeah, yeah! I was good friends with your husband when he was alive. He used to call me 'brother'..."
"I know you're a doctor, and doctors are the kindest people, always saving lives. Please, save us and share some meat."
Chu Peipei stood up from the steps, raised the nail gun, and coldly looked at them.
"Step back. Don't come any closer."