Chapter 109: Wolf Pack

Now that he had found water, Qin Yun no longer hoarded it; he simply unscrewed his canteen and slowly drank all fifty milliliters left inside.

Even so, he still felt thirsty, but the sensation had eased considerably.

He glanced around and began searching for materials needed for distillation.

"Distillation requires three core items: a container, a condensation device, and a collection device. In the wilderness, we have no professional distillation equipment—we must use whatever is at hand."

He quickly found a large salt-alkali stone with a flat surface, pulled out his dagger, and polished the stone clean to make it a simple base container.

Then he took parachute cloth from his backpack, cut out a rectangular piece, and gathered some dried camel thorn, piling it beside the salt-alkali stone.

He waved the parachute cloth in front of the camera and smiled: "This parachute cloth is waterproof and heat-resistant—perfect for a condensation device. The camel thorn will fuel the fire, providing heat; when the lake water boils, the steam rises, hits the cloth, and condenses into droplets—that's pure drinking water."

As he explained, Qin Yun moved swiftly, his motions precise and without a single wasted gesture.

He dug a shallow pit in the center of the salt-alkali stone with his dagger, smoothed the walls, then walked to the lake and scooped some water by hand into the pit.

Next, he draped the parachute cloth over the pit, securing its edges tightly with broken stones, then pressed a clean rock down onto the cloth's center to form a funnel, finally placing another clean stone beneath the funnel to collect the condensed droplets.

"666, Brother Qin's move is unmatched—clearly experienced."

"Learned it, learned it—next time I'm in the wild and can't drink the water, I'll do exactly this."

"Brother Qin's hands-on skills are insane—he can do everything, damn it."

"Hurry up, light the fire and see if it works!"

Qin Yun finished assembling the setup: "Look everyone, this simple distillation device is ready. Once the fire heats it, the lake water boils, producing steam; the steam rises, hits the cloth, condenses into droplets, slides down the funnel-shaped cloth, and drips onto the stone below—we just collect these droplets to get pure drinking water."

With that, he began drilling wood to make fire.

The wilderness is inconvenient this way—no fire source, so you have to start from scratch every time. A lighter would be perfect.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he quickly ignited the fire.

Flames leapt and began heating the salt-alkali stone. He crouched beside it, carefully adjusting the cloth's position to ensure the steam condensed properly into droplets.

"The key to distillation is controlling the fire's intensity—not too strong, not too weak," Qin Yun explained as he adjusted the flames. "If the fire is too strong, the steam evaporates too quickly and won't condense fully. If it's too weak, the lake water won't boil, and not enough steam will be produced."

Time passed slowly. As the sun reached its zenith, the air temperature rose. Meanwhile, the fire boiled the water in the pit, bubbling steadily; steam rose continuously, hit the cloth, and quickly condensed into tiny droplets that slowly dripped onto the stone below.

"Success!" A faint smile appeared on Qin Yun's face as he angled the camera toward the stone. "Look everyone—droplets have formed. These are pure drinking water, free of salt-alkali and sulfur—safe to drink directly."

He carefully caught a droplet with his fingertip and put it in his mouth, his face showing deep satisfaction.

"Hehe, sweet and tasty—no different from the water we usually drink."

The live stream audience erupted, comments flooding the screen.

"666, Brother Qin is awesome."

"It actually worked—though not surprising."

"Master math, physics, chemistry, and you'll fear nothing on earth."

"Haha, Brother Qin is mighty—now that we have water, we're safe."

Qin Yun didn't rush to collect the droplets; instead, he continued adjusting the fire to stabilize the distillation device.

After finally finding a large sulfur lake, it would be a waste not to collect more water.

"Brother Qin, if the lake water is undrinkable, how do desert animals survive? Don't they fear poison?"

Seeing this comment, Qin Yun replied: "Someone asked how desert animals drink water—it's simple. Do you remember how I detected moisture on our way down?"

A netizen immediately replied: "The dampness on the rock walls."

"Exactly," Qin Yun nodded. "Animals living in the desert have adapted physiologically—they're naturally hyper-resistant to drought and need only minimal moisture. The moisture on the rock walls is enough to satisfy their needs."

Qin Yun took down his canteen and fashioned a simple drainage device, allowing the condensed droplets to slowly flow into the canteen.

Though the process was slow, he estimated roughly that in half an hour, this 500ml canteen would fill. Still, he planned to use the parachute cloth as another container to collect about a liter more.

Thus, collecting all the water he needed would take over two hours.

As the distillation device operated steadily and droplets continued falling into the canteen, another change occurred.

A low growl suddenly echoed from behind—clearer, fiercer than last night's beast roar, and closer than yesterday's.

Qin Yun sprang to his feet and turned toward the path he'd come. In an instant, his gaze sharpened.

"Holy shit, wolves—exactly like last night."

"There are a lot of them, Brother Qin, run! Flee while you can!"

"We're screwed—the wolf pack's come for us."

"What's to fear? Brother Qin has taken down two wolves alone before—he's not scared."

"Dude, look at the terrain—this sulfur lake is wide open, no cover. If there are many wolves, Brother Qin's in danger."

Qin Yun didn't panic. He gripped his bow, slipped his dagger into his belt, and nocked an arrow. He swiftly scanned the terrain—everything around was flat, with no cover whatsoever; evading the wolf pack was nearly impossible.

As for fleeing—it was even less possible.

Two legs can't outrun four.

As the sounds drew nearer, he could tell the pack was smaller than yesterday's, but still at least three or five wolves.

"Hello everyone, I'm Qin Yun. I'm currently beside a sulfur lake in the Qaidam Desert. Unsurprisingly, a desert wolf pack has smelled me—or perhaps this is their usual watering spot. My presence has been marked as a threat."

His voice remained calm, utterly free of panic: "I have nowhere to hide—I must face them head-on. Don't worry. I'm skilled with the bow and have some basic martial knowledge. A few wolves—I can handle them."

"Damn, he's showing off again."

"Brother Qin, be humble—don't mess up."

"I love watching Brother Qin show off—he's so cool."

"I'm gonna have Qin Yun's babies."

Qin Yun glanced back at the distillation device, then walked away—no more than fifty meters—when five gray-black desert wolves burst from around the corner, crouching and snarling as they surrounded him, just fifteen meters away.

At the center, the lead wolf was massive, its fur dark and dull, eyes fierce, saliva dripping from its jaws, staring at Qin Yun with unblinking intensity, emitting a low, rumbling growl.

The other wolves also snarled at Qin Yun, eyes brimming with hostility, inching closer step by step.

The live stream audience's hearts stopped; comments flooded the screen.

"My god, so many wolves—it's terrifying."

"We're done, Brother Qin is finished, the stream's over."

"Can Brother Qin even beat them?"

"You're joking, right? That's five wolves. Brother Qin only has a handmade bow and arrow—what's that gonna do? Oh right, he's got a dagger too."

"Feng Liu Jie sent the streamer twenty Carnival gifts—Brother Qin, you can do it."

"Bo Lang Ge..."

A flood of gifts scrolled past, but Qin Yun paid no attention; his gaze was fixed dead on the central male wolf, not an inch of retreat.

"Get lost!"

Suddenly, he roared loudly, spreading his limbs wide, assuming the posture of a colossal beast.

The wolves were startled by Qin Yun's sudden roar and quickly stepped back a pace—only the central alpha wolf showed no fear whatsoever.

"Roar—!"

The terrifying roar grew even fiercer; it leaped forward, closing several meters. The other desert wolves followed, advancing toward him.

Crisis was about to erupt.

Qin Yun's eyes turned cold; his right hand drew back the bowstring, then snapped it taut—the arrow instantly formed a full moon.

"If you don't leave, you die!"

The alpha wolf seemed to sense a threat; its growl sank lower, its fur bristled as if standing on end—but still, it did not retreat.

Wolves are very intelligent creatures, highly obedient.

Right now, that was clear: since the alpha didn't retreat, none of the others would either, and they acted in unison, with their own unique tactics.

Qin Yun said slowly: "These wolf pups are smart—they're testing first, then surrounding. The alpha wolf draws my attention, while the other four circle from the sides to ambush me. The moment I show a weakness, they'll pounce and tear out my vital spots."

"Damn, Brother Qin is so calm—surrounded by wolves and still as steady as an old dog."

"That's why he's Brother Qin."

"Go on, Brother Qin! Kill them!"

Just then—'Bang—!'

Qin Yun released the bowstring; the arrow shot like lightning, slicing through the air and thudding into the ground just in front of the alpha wolf.

This sudden change clearly startled the wolves.

"If I could scare them off, that'd be best—I, Qin, value harmony, would rather avoid fighting if I can... damn it."

Before Qin Yun had even finished speaking, the alpha wolf roared and charged straight at him, moving at incredible speed, lunging for his abdomen. At the same time, the four wolves on either side circled around, attempting to ambush his back.

"They're attacking!!"

"Brother Qin, dodge!"

"Watch your back!"

"We're done—caught between front and back, Brother Qin's done for, the screen's gonna go black."

Countless viewers held their breath, eyes locked on the screen, not daring to blink, afraid they'd miss the critical moment.

The AI drone director understood streaming; at this moment, the camera locked firmly in third-person view, crystal clear.

At the last possible instant, Qin Yun's expression didn't change; his body moved as if anticipating it—he slid sharply left, evading the alpha wolf's lunge. Simultaneously, his right hand snapped the bowstring again—'Shhh!'—the arrow pierced the air and struck the alpha wolf's left foreleg with perfect precision.

Unfortunately, the bow's power was limited; it only scratched the alpha wolf's skin, causing no real injury.

Even so, the sudden arrow startled the alpha wolf.

But the pain also ignited its ferocity; its eyes grew even more vicious.

On Qin Yun's side, after firing the arrow, the four desert wolves on either side had already closed in; he stomped the ground and leapt upward, barely avoiding their attacks.

Then he brought his foot down, landing squarely on the head of one wolf, and applied a Thousand-Pound Drop.

His entire body came down like Mount Taishan crushing down—without effort, the wolf was pinned beneath his foot.

'Bang—!'

A thunderous crash—his right hand, appearing out of nowhere, held a dagger; in an instant, he slashed across the wolf's throat, then rolled aside.

The battle erupted outright.