Chapter 50: Why Do You Only Have Three Legs?

Act as soon as you think of it.

Previously, in order to research An Nan’s dizziness, Chu Peipei had deliberately picked up the empty bottle of knockout drug that the siblings had left on the ground and brought it home. Now, it was finally coming in handy.

She poured a little water into the bottle and shook it vigorously, then threw in some nails for the nail gun to soak. According to An Nan, she’d only inhaled a tiny bit of the drug before reacting immediately—so soaking the nails for an hour should be enough, right?

An hour later, Chu Peipei saw that the crocodiles had finished eating and were now quietly floating in the water. She grabbed her boning knife in one hand and the nail gun in the other, then headed to the window on the seventh floor.

There were no crocodiles near her window; they were all gathered in the water on the other side of the building. The water’s surface and the whole neighborhood were eerily quiet. After witnessing the earlier carnage, no one dared venture out to scavenge for supplies.

Taking advantage of the relative safety, Chu Peipei stood at the window, slowly extending the arm holding the nail gun outside to lure a crocodile over.

Most of the crocodiles were lazing about, full and sluggish. Only one was still restlessly swimming around. This particular crocodile was thinner and weaker—it hadn’t managed to snatch any food from the others. In fact, during the scramble for food, it had accidentally gotten its right front leg caught in another crocodile’s mouth. With a single death roll, its companion had bitten it off, leaving it crippled.

It had been completely stunned at the time. By the time it came to its senses, there were no human remains left on the water’s surface. Its companions were all stuffed to the gills, not leaving it a scrap! It was the only one still hungry...

Dejected, it was circling in the water when it suddenly caught the scent of food and quickly swam toward it. Missing a front leg, it moved a bit slower.

As it neared the window, it saw a human leaning out with an arm extended.

What’s this? Are you feeding me? How nice of you! You even knew I lost a leg and came over to give me something to eat...

...

Chu Peipei watched as a crocodile drew closer and closer, her heart pounding with nerves. She’d never hunted a wild beast before—would the knockout drug residue on the nails even work?

The crocodile was right in front of her now, jaws wide open.

Chu Peipei immediately pulled her arm back and fired several nails at it in quick succession.

All those days practicing her aim had paid off—not a single nail was wasted. Each shot hit the crocodile dead-on. An Nan had bought the most powerful nail gun available, and at such close range, even the crocodile’s thick hide couldn’t stop the nails from sinking in.

With its mouth wide open, three nails shot straight into its gaping maw. Two more hit its body. The pain made it snap its mouth shut, causing the last nail to go straight into its eye.

The unlucky crocodile thrashed and writhed in the water, sending up huge splashes.

Watching its massive body rage in the water, Chu Peipei couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear. She fired a few more shots, emptying all the drug-soaked nails before the crocodile finally stopped moving.

Seeing it go still, Chu Peipei was overjoyed.

Did it really work?!

She looked around warily to make sure no other crocodiles were nearby, then leaned out and poked the crocodile with her boning knife. Once she was sure it was unconscious, she quickly reached out and dragged it toward her.

The crocodile was bigger than she was. Chu Peipei used every ounce of strength she had, gritting her teeth as she hauled it through the window.

Huh?

Why does this crocodile only have three legs?

She dumped it onto the landing in the stairwell, then hesitated. She’d seen her grandma slaughter pigs in the countryside as a child, but she’d never seen anyone deal with a creature like this. How was she supposed to butcher it?

Chu Peipei thought for a moment, but didn’t dare waste time—the knockout drug’s effect on animals was uncertain, and it would be trouble if the crocodile woke up.

Whatever, it’s an animal just like a pig. The process should be the same: slit the throat, drain the blood, cut up the meat.

Moving quickly, she unwound the wire she’d tied around her waist before heading out and, nerves taut, wrapped it tightly around the crocodile’s mouth. This step was essential—once she started cutting, the pain would surely wake it up, and she’d be no match for it then.

Even after winding the wire tightly, she wasn’t reassured, so she added several layers of tape for good measure.

Chu Peipei took a deep breath, planted her foot firmly on the crocodile’s snout, and brought the knife down hard on its head.

As expected, the crocodile woke up in an instant, thrashing violently and snapping at her.

Chu Peipei was relieved she’d tied its mouth shut in advance.

The crocodile tried to open its mouth, the wire biting into its flesh. Chu Peipei rushed forward and kept hacking at the same spot with her knife.

She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared—she’d never fought a wild beast before, even if this one was drugged, had its mouth tied, and was missing a leg.

After several blows, blood gushed everywhere, and the crocodile gradually fell still.

Chu Peipei prodded it with her foot a few times to make sure it was limp and no longer breathing.

Just to be safe, she cut off its entire head before finally breathing a sigh of relief.

She unwound the wire and tossed it on the ground along with the nail gun, boning knife, and tape, then collapsed onto the steps.

At that moment, a phrase from her school days suddenly echoed in her mind:

“The greatest difference between humans and animals is the ability to make and use tools.”

The teacher was right!

Thank you, teacher! Thank you, tools!

If she’d had to fight this beast hand-to-hand, there’s no way she could’ve won.

Looking at the crocodile meat on the floor, Chu Peipei felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

The last time she’d felt like this was when she’d been accepted into her dream medical university.

She’d spent years steadily advancing in the medical field, never imagining that one day she’d have to fight a crocodile to the death...

The sound of her fierce battle drew neighbors from nearby floors. As soon as they stepped out, they saw Chu Peipei hacking madly at a crocodile’s head with a big knife.

Everyone was stunned by the sight of her killing a crocodile.

They all kept their distance—no one dared help—but once they saw she’d really killed it and was sitting down to rest, they gathered around.

“Chu Peipei, you’re amazing!”

“That crocodile’s huge—you can’t eat it all by yourself. Why not share it with us?”

“Yeah, yeah! When your husband was alive, he and I were really close—he always called me ‘brother’...”

“I know you’re a doctor, and doctors are the kindest people, always saving lives. Please, save our family! Share some meat with us.”

Chu Peipei stood up from the steps, raised the nail gun, and looked at them coldly. “Back off. Don’t come any closer.”"