Chapter 118: The Desert Wolf

The outcome was no surprise to Qin Yun.

After lunch, they walked for about two hours when Laura suddenly collapsed without warning.

Qin Yun touched her forehead—it was burning hot.

His face grave: "Brothers, so far I haven't found any suitable herbs, but Laura has collapsed."

"Damn, is this hot chick gonna kick the bucket?"

"What do we do now? Can't we call for a helicopter rescue?"

"How do you rescue? By satellite signal tracking? Will that be accurate?"

"Yeah, and by the time the rescue team arrives, who knows when that'll be."

"I think we've got to rely on Brother Qin—he's our only hope. Otherwise Laura's gonna die out here in the desert."

Qin Yun took off his backpack and hung it on the bighorn sheep's back, then slung Laura onto his own back.

Foreigners have large builds; Laura was over one meter seventy, and he estimated her weight at least eleven kilograms, plus she was dressed in full gear, making it impossible to gauge her figure.

Of course, he had no interest in such thoughts—he picked up Laura and pulled the bighorn sheep forward, setting off.

The drone switched to wide-angle view; in the vast desert, the scene was profoundly striking.

Fortunately, it wasn't summer—otherwise the desert's temperature would've been insane, and Laura would've been baked to death long before he arrived.

As he walked, he occasionally spoke, interacting with the comment section—it wasn't lonely.

After walking about two hours, Qin Yun glanced at the sun and felt the woman's body temperature rising higher and higher.

He found a sheltered spot downwind, laid down an umbrella cloth, and set her down.

Though his stamina was abundant and his energy high, carrying over a hundred jin for two full hours had drained him severely.

"Brother Qin, what do we do?"

"This beauty didn't die from a friend's betrayal—thought luck was turning, but it seems her misfortune isn't over."

"Tragic, just one word—what kind of friends are these? These foreign devils are chaotic."

Qin Yun wiped sweat from his brow, took a shallow breath: "I must speed up my search for suitable herbs, but carrying Laura means I can't move fast right now—I have to make a choice."

"I'll leave Laura here. If bad luck brings desert wolves upon her, then it's her fate."

After saying that, he immediately sprang into action.

He took only a dagger and the main unit, then set off.

"Friends, plants like juniper or white thorn fruit—those with anti-inflammatory properties—won't exist here, because their growing conditions are too harsh; this place is too dry."

"My target is tumao grass—a plant similar to camel thorn. It's an extremely drought-resistant medicinal herb with heat-clearing, detoxifying, swelling-reducing, and pain-relieving effects."

Qin Yun moved swiftly, rapidly scanning the Gobi desert.

He walked for a full hour and a half before finally spotting the plant on a cliff face within a valley.

Calling it a valley is misleading—it's more like a small basin, with vertical drops of fifty to sixty meters, nearly perpendicular.

But for Qin Yun, this difficulty meant nothing.

Without hesitation, he descended directly, approaching the tumao grass with ease.

He pulled up one plant, pointing to the thumb-sized hard lump on its root: "This is the root of the tumao grass—bitter in taste, and this part is what gives it heat-clearing, detoxifying, and anti-inflammatory properties."

As he spoke, he kept pulling; soon he filled an entire bag with tumao grass roots.

He then swiftly turned back the way he came.

This walk took another hour or more.

When Qin Yun finally spotted the bighorn sheep and Laura from afar, his heart sank—four or five desert wolves had her and the sheep tightly surrounded.

Laura held a dagger, half-kneeling on the ground, her face deathly pale, eyes glazed, clearly her mind already blurred—she clung to life only by raw survival instinct.

The bighorn sheep, facing the desert's top predator, had collapsed in terror, emitting only pitiful, shrill "baa-baa" cries—proof it still lived, and as if desperately calling out for Qin Yun.

"Bad! Desert wolves!"

Qin Yun raised his wrist—the drone instantly ascended, streaming clear footage to the livestream.

When netizens saw the ferocious-looking wolves, the comments exploded.

"Holy shit! Isn't that the big male wolf that attacked Brother Qin a few days ago?!"

"What are the odds? Again?"

"666! Desert top predator vs. desert survival expert—this is gonna be good!"

Qin Yun's eyes turned cold, his voice low: "Brothers, this isn't coincidence. In this vast desert, how could it be so lucky? —That male wolf has probably been trailing me all along."

"Damn, he's got such a grudge?"

"Obviously—wouldn't you seek revenge?"

"You're the animal, can you even speak properly?!"

"Do wolves really hold grudges?"

"Maybe the ones Qin Yun killed before were his wife and pups—he's here for vengeance!"

"Then this feud is sealed forever."

Qin Yun said nothing—he suddenly accelerated, snatched up loose stones, and hurled them while roaring loudly, trying to intimidate the wolves into retreating.

But no matter how fast he moved, he couldn't outpace starving predators.

"Aow—!"

The male wolf lifted its head and let out a piercing howl; the other four wolves instantly obeyed, lunging at Laura like mad beasts.

At the last possible moment!

A massive chunk of rock suddenly fell from above—with a thunderous "Boom—!"—crashing down less than ten centimeters from Laura's face.

Shards flew, dust erupted.

Laura jolted violently, and the wolves froze mid-lunge.

Taking advantage of this instant of opening, Laura's dim eyes finally caught the figure racing toward her, and she weakly lifted a smile.

The fever had long drained all her strength; before her consciousness fully sank, only one thought remained in her mind: Qin hadn't abandoned me.

The next second, Laura collapsed limply.

The lead male wolf immediately turned its spear-like gaze, its heavy and labored stare locking onto Qin Yun.

The four subordinates flanked left and right, charging together, while the wolf itself crouched low, circling from the side to form an encirclement.

Seeing Laura temporarily safe, Qin Yun's tense heart eased slightly.

Beneath the camera, one man faced five wolves, rapidly closing in across the empty, silent desert—the intense killing intent nearly burst through the screen and slammed into the viewer's face.

"Holy shit, this is suffocating!"

"Palms are soaked in sweat—Brother Qin, hold steady!"

"Brother Qin is peerless—crush these beasts!"

The livestream erupted into chaos.

Yet Qin Yun grew chillingly calm.

Facing the five wolves' ambush again, with prior experience as a warning, he felt no fear—only cold killing intent.

"Aoo~!"

The piercing wolf howl officially opened the prelude to life-or-death combat.

The lead male wolf, nearly two meters long and as stout as a calf, had the other four each around one point eight meters—all ferociously formidable, whether original subordinates or mercenaries gathered en route.

"Bang!"

Qin Yun slammed his right foot hard against the sand, crouched low, and slid sideways in a flash, grazing past a wolf's fangs. His right hand, gripping the dagger backward, stabbed precisely into the gap between the wolf's ribs, then twisted his wrist violently!

The blade instantly shredded its internal organs.

The wolf let out a short, heavy cry before crashing heavily onto the sand, its limbs twitching twice, then falling utterly silent.

Fresh blood gushed out, swiftly swallowed by the dry yellow sand.

Almost simultaneously, two other wolves lunged before his eyes.

Qin Yun ducked narrowly to avoid one wolf's bite, then smashed his left elbow like an iron hammer into its abdomen! As the wolf winced and curled its body, the dagger flashed coldly, slicing straight across its throat.

Warm, salty wolf blood sprayed across his face; the pungent stench hit him head-on.

Qin Yun didn't blink. He rolled like a donkey, dodging the third wolf's claws, spun around, and with his left hand, seized the wolf's lower jaw with a death grip—his right dagger plunged without hesitation deep into its eye socket!

The wolf thrashed wildly, its claws flailing, instantly shredding his sleeves and carving a deep, bleeding gash across his arm.

Qin Yun didn't even frown; he tightened his grip on the blade and shoved harder.

The thrashing stopped abruptly.

It seemed long—but in truth, only a breath had passed; three vicious wolves lay dead.

The remaining wolf finally showed fear, but the lead male wolf's fury burned even wilder, showing not a hint of retreat.

"Huuu—!"

The lead male wolf advanced instead of retreating, its massive body crashing down like a mountain, its sharp claws slashing straight for Qin Yun's chest!

Qin Yun sidestepped, thrusting his dagger toward the wolf's belly—but the lead wolf evaded nimbly.

In the next instant, a thick, iron-whip-like tail lashed through the air!

Qin Yun's expression shifted slightly; he hastily retreated, raising his arm to block with the dagger.

"Snap!"

The sharp crack numbed his palms!

The dagger was whipped clean from his hand, flying over ten meters away. The tail's momentum didn't fade—it slammed hard into his hand, pain exploding through his entire body.

Ssshh… Qin Yun sucked in a sharp breath.

Take advantage of weakness, strike for the kill—beasts understand this best.

The remaining wolf seized the opening, leaping into the air, fangs locked onto his throat!

This scene played out clearly in the livestream; everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

"Brother Qin, watch out!!"

"Damn it, these beasts are too sneaky!"

"Brother Qin, hold on!"

Ice-cold dread pierced Qin Yun's back; he lunged forward and rolled twice in rapid succession.

The wolf's claws slammed into the ground, gouging out two deep trenches.

In that moment's delay, the lead male wolf attacked again.

The dagger was lost—he was unarmed. Qin Yun's eyes blazed with murderous rage.

He knelt on one knee, and as his other foot rose, he scooped up a handful of gravel and hurled it hard into the lead wolf's face!

Yellow sand filled the air, obscuring vision.

Qin Yun seized the fleeting opening and punched out—a solid blow to the wolf's most vulnerable nose!

For any animal, the nose is a vital point—it won't kill, but the pain is unbearable.

The lead wolf howled in agony, its right paw flailing wildly downward.

Qin Yun leaned back to dodge, then kicked hard into the wolf's belly, using the recoil to retreat swiftly. He sprinted a few steps back to where the dagger had fallen, bent down, and seized it again.

At this moment, the two remaining wolves charged forward, leaping into the air, drool dripping, eyes blazing with malice.

The instant Qin Yun gripped the dagger, his body froze—then he spun around sharply!

In his hand, the dagger unleashed a deadly reverse thrust!

"Pthsh!"

The blade drove deep into the lead male wolf's neck, buried to the hilt.

The male wolf let out a heart-wrenching howl, thrashing wildly to shake off Qin Yun.

But Qin Yun gripped the dagger with Han Sisi force, driving his knee into the wolf's belly—once, twice, three times—crazily ramming it.

Until the male wolf's struggles grew weaker, finally collapsing to the ground, utterly still.

With the alpha wolf dead, the last wolf's spirit shattered instantly; it whimpered, tucked its tail, and turned to flee.

The desert returned to deathly silence.

"Huh-huh—huh-huh—"

Qin Yun breathed Heavy and labored, gasping loudly, the sound echoing across the empty Gobi.

This series of life-or-death battles exhausted him more than carrying Laura for two hours.

He pushed himself up on his knees, touched his searingly painful backhand, then hurried to Laura's side, crouched down, and felt her carotid pulse—its beat was still steady.

Only then did Qin Yun exhale, leaning back against the Gobi rock wall, staring at the pile of wolf corpses, pulling the drone's camera closer.

"Haha, friends, lucky break—we got it done?"

"That was insane!"

"Qin Ye is awesome, I bow down!"

"Qin Ye is mighty, 666666!"

"Qin Ye's movements just now—weren't those Guoshu? I swear I saw the shadow of Guoshu!"

The comment section exploded; a dense flood of gifts instantly filled the entire screen.

Qin Yun wiped the blood and grime from his face and smiled faintly: "Correct—someone guessed right. It's Guoshu."

"I learned some fighting techniques in my youth—just enough to protect myself."

After saying that, he raised his head and gazed toward the horizon.

The sun slanted westward; less than an hour remained until sunset.

The wind grew cooler, and stronger.

"Friends, I need to find shelter now."

Qin Yun looked at the unconscious Laura, his voice lowering, "I must set up a wind barrier quickly—I hope she can survive the night."