Seeing that the experimental subject had somewhat recovered, the researchers who had intended to switch to studying a swift dog became interested in him again. They subjected it to a series of rather brutal experiments, even skinning it and dismembering it to observe its recovery speed.
The result was that its tolerance for pain was extraordinarily high. Xu Cheng highly suspected that when the alien species designed this thing, they deliberately weakened its pain receptors or simply abolished the sense of pain altogether.
However, on second thought, he felt something was off. If it truly couldn't feel pain, how could the drill penetrating it make it act like a rabbit?
At this point, the experimental value of the swift dog was almost depleted. Xu Cheng, very satisfied, told Ou Zhanpeng, "Next one!"
Without a word, the soldiers immediately brought in the second swift dog. They followed the same procedure, binding it with the number eight cable.
However, the first experimental subject was not completely useless to the military, even if it was no longer useful to the researchers.
Soldiers wrapped the heavily wounded experimental subject in a colorful cloth, loaded it onto a vehicle, and transported it to the base's shooting range.
Ou Zhanpeng had heard about this creature's performance on the battlefield. As per superior orders, they had to figure out where the swift dog's fatal weak point was.
He took a small-caliber pistol from the armorer, aimed at the experimental subject, and fired several shots. He then examined it personally, only to find a slight graze on the dog's abdomen.
Although it was already half-dead, the experimental subject's eyes darted around, fixing intently on Ou Zhanpeng, as if it had etched his appearance into its memory, seeming to threaten: Even as a ghost, I will never let you go!
Young Master Ou switched to a rifle and fired two shots.
This time, the effect was much better. Two bloody holes appeared on its belly, but there wasn't much bleeding, and the blood was a strange gray-green, resembling sewage from a ditch.
Ou Zhanpeng tried to recall if the blood drawn in the experimental chamber had been red. It seemed so, didn't it? It should have been, right? Perhaps... probably?
Ah, whatever!
Next were the limbs and torso. Each part was test-fired with medium-caliber rounds. After confirming they could penetrate, Ou Zhanpeng shot through the swift dog's neck.
He intended to time the bleeding rate to see how long it took for the creature to die. To his astonishment, the dog didn't die, and the bleeding stopped, shocking everyone present.
Next, he aimed directly at the dog's head. The result was even more astonishing. Each shot left a bloody hole, and the dog's head, as if hit by a hammer, violently shook with each bullet, yet the bone wouldn't penetrate!
7.62mm rounds were ineffective? Ou Zhanpeng reached out, switched to a .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle, and blasted half of the swift dog's head to smithereens.
However, despite such a fatal blow, the swift dog, with only one eye left, was still not entirely dead, almost dropping everyone's jaws.
Its skull was shattered, yet it still wouldn't die?
Was this thing a cockroach?
The situation was truly beyond expectations. Ou Zhanpeng rubbed his face vigorously. "Loosen the dog's leg restraints... What are you doing, one at a time!"
As soon as the number eight cable was slightly loosened, the dog's legs began to move, struggling and twisting frantically.
All four legs, without exception.
Ou Zhanpeng frowned deeply and shot through the experimental subject's remaining half of its head.
The struggle finally ceased. Seconds later, the swift dog ended its wicked existence.
"This is too ridiculous," a soldier whispered.
Such vitality, even a machine should have shut down by now. It was impossibly strong for a biological creature.
Ou Zhanpeng held his rifle backward and returned it to the armorer. "Listen, all of you. No one is to speak of today's events."
"Yes!" the soldiers replied in unison.
For a period thereafter, every swift dog that lost its experimental value was personally dealt with by Ou Zhanpeng.
Experiments revealed that merely blowing off half of a swift dog's head was useless. Only by smashing its entire head could the problem be fundamentally solved.
This was truly beyond anyone's expectations. How did this creature even grow?
Finally, the researchers provided the answer. They dissected several swift dogs and discovered that although the creature's brain was divided into left and right hemispheres, its neural centers were not singular. Instead, there were two centers on each side!
That's right, two on the left and two on the right, for a total of four centers. Furthermore, they were connected at the lower end by nerves, forming a complex neural network. Damaging one hemisphere or parts of the neural network was utterly useless, at most causing a slight lag in reactions. Only by destroying both hemispheres or completely severing the entire neural network could death be ensured.
Ou Zhanpeng didn't know how to react. As expected of an artificial creature, they had truly considered every possibility!
Just as the base was busy researching the swift dogs, packs of them began appearing frequently across the globe, causing casualties to skyrocket. In just a few days, tens of thousands of people had died, and tens of thousands more were injured.
Allied nations spontaneously deployed their armies to suppress them. However, few dogs were killed, while casualties mounted significantly.
It wasn't a matter of command issues or lack of effort from the soldiers. It was because all military training was designed with humans as hypothetical enemies, and there had never been any combat training against animals.
The swift dogs themselves were biological weapons created by an alien species. Their behavior patterns and attack methods differed vastly from humans. The usual tactics and strategies used against the dog packs were completely mismatched, proving to be extremely ineffective.
This problem was not unique to their side; it also plagued the other allied forces.
Building a wall to contain and seal off the area was not impossible. They had the materials and manpower, but constructing such a long wall would take at least ten to fifteen days. By then, the dog packs would have long since broken out of the containment zone.
In their desperation, the military could only resort to the final measure: mine laying!
Using vehicles, aircraft, and missiles, the military completed the encirclement of the entire containment zone with minefields in just half a day!
Time flowed like water, and years flew by.
Due to past wars, the southern region had suffered greatly from mine hazards, which became an unforgettable memory for an entire generation.
However, times had changed. The landmines used by the military now were smart models. After deployment, they automatically entered a hidden state, remaining motionless against wind and rain. Whether they would detonate even after being struck by lightning was uncertain.
But as soon as they detected the presence of a swift dog nearby, the control system would immediately activate the mine, locking onto the target. The warhead would automatically detach from the casing and charge towards the target, achieving a mutual kill with the swift dog that had entered the minefield!
If an animal entering the detection range did not match the characteristics of a swift dog, the mine would not activate. It wouldn't detonate even if someone danced on it.
In other words, the minefield only affected swift dogs. Other humans and animals could pass through harmlessly, without any danger whatsoever.
Furthermore, upon detecting humans entering the minefield, the mines would automatically lock down, refusing to detonate even if a swift dog appeared.
Smart weapons were standard operating procedure, after all.