Chapter 178: Fighting the Wolf Pack (Please Support)

There was never a road in the world; once enough people walked it, it naturally became one.

The lakeside path was uneven and extremely inconvenient to walk on. After trudging along for a while, Qin Yun turned back into Lin Zi.

Although Lin Zi wasn't easy to walk either, compared to the chaotic lakeside path, the forest was actually easier in some ways. Only the forest hid all sorts of dangers in the dark—bugs, poisonous creatures, and the like, as well as hidden ditches and crevices.

But these problems were problems for ordinary people; for him, they were the simplest things in the world.

After finishing a lavish lunch, he set off again, edging bit by bit toward the checkpoint.

A distance of 70KM wasn't too far; at his pace on flat ground, he could cover it in a single day. But in this unfamiliar land of extreme cold, even he had to be cautious and slow his steps.

"Although the temperature is extremely low right now, we can't be a hundred percent sure there aren't any brown bears, grizzlies, or black bears awake in the forest. Hibernating animals don't just fall into a deep sleep and never wake up. They wake when they're hungry, and they wake when there's a disturbance."

Qin Yun walked on, sweeping the path ahead with a wooden staff in hand as he spoke.

From time to time he popped a piece of dried lichen into his mouth. To the viewers in the livestream, this guy looked like he was taking a stroll in his own backyard—none of that step-by-step caution the others had.

Qin Yun couldn't see the comments. If he could, he'd snort and say the current situation was still too childish.

In terms of difficulty, it wasn't even as tough as his usual livestream situations.

"Awooo—!"

Suddenly, a howl came from the distance, and the livestream viewers were startled by the abrupt sound.

"Holy shit, wolves again? Does Qin-ye have a grudge with wolves from a past life?"

"Arctic wolves—one of the largest wild canids in the world."

"Streamer, run! Whenever Arctic wolves show up, they come in packs of five or more."

"The guy above probably hasn't watched Qin-ye's streams, right?"

"Hahaha, definitely not. Anyone who's watched Qin-ye stream wouldn't worry at all—they'd only worry for the wolves."

"Are you guys joking? That's a wolf pack. There's no way a human could survive running into them."

"Heh, just watch."

At home, all was peaceful; abroad, those following Qin Yun's stream wore expressions of shock and excitement.

"Wolves. This Chinese guy is done for."

"Hahaha, he's definitely going to hit the rescue button."

"If it were Jack, he'd definitely find a way to escape, but this Chinese guy—hard to say."

"Qin, please be careful."

TikTok was mostly foreigners, so they hadn't built up much goodwill toward Qin Yun yet—they were purely here for the spectacle. Only a handful, like Jerry, felt some concern over the changes in the stream.

At the production crew camp, Daniel smiled faintly: "George, looks like the Chinese friend you've been rooting for is about to call for rescue."

George calmly took a sip of his coffee, not a trace of worry on his face: "I actually hope he runs into them head-on. Then you'll understand why I'm so sure he can be this season's champion."

Qin Yun narrowed his eyes, calm inside, and said to the camera: "They're Arctic wolves, but don't worry. I have my bow. As long as the pack isn't too big, I can handle myself."

Hearing him speak so calmly, some TikTok viewers scoffed, while others grew excited.

Courage is a human virtue, but not everyone has it. At the very least, the fearlessness Qin Yun showed was the mark of a real man.

For European and American viewers, that hit exactly the right note.

Qin Yun pressed on. The distant howls of wolves rang out every so often, and in just a few minutes his stream's popularity shot up to the top of the charts, with countless viewers fixing their eyes on him.

It was still daylight; sunset was more than two hours away.

As he walked, the terrain ahead began to rise, and an arched earthen mound appeared before him. He didn't stop, climbing up along the slope. The snow here was already fairly deep, and when he finally crested the mound, his steps involuntarily paused.

Then he slipped behind a large tree, but the drone quickly climbed and locked firmly onto another earthen mound some two hundred meters away.

Though layer upon layer of Lin Mu blocked the view, the massive Arctic wolf atop the mound still stood out strikingly. The other wolves were harder to spot, faintly visible among the trees.

At that moment, the wolf king was gnawing on something, its muzzle dripping with fresh blood.

But mid-meal, it suddenly raised its head and looked toward the drone's camera.

In an instant, everyone watching Qin Yun's stream got a fright.

Anyone suddenly locked in the gaze of a ferocious, hideous beast would feel a chill of dread.

At the production crew, George looked calm, but his palms were sweating.

Seeing it on screen is one thing; running into it is another. He couldn't be sure Qin Yun could really scare off these beasts. If they surrounded him and the worst happened... he didn't dare think about it. The coffee in his hand had lost its flavor.

Daniel, on the other hand, was perfectly calm. As long as a contestant didn't call for rescue, the production crew bore no legal liability for anything that happened—that had been agreed in the contract long ago.

To him, show effect, ratings, and viewership mattered above all else.

This collaboration with TikTok was an important experiment.

"Damn, scared the hell out of me. How can these Arctic wolves be so vicious? Not a shred of friendliness."

"I think it's kinda handsome—white fur, like an elf."

"That thing's gotta be at least two meters tall. Holy shit, that's big. Even if it's not as heavy as a tiger, it's gotta be a hundred or two hundred jin at least."

"Piece of cake. For Qin-ye, it's just a one-punch job."

Qin Yun saw the wolf king looking over and knew his scent had already been picked up.

"Wolves have an extremely keen sense of smell. Even at two hundred meters, the scent of a stranger like me is very pungent to them. But wolves are cautious animals by nature—it all depends on whether they'll attack me."

As he spoke, he stepped out from behind the tree, his gaze fixed straight on the tiny figure of the lead wolf in the distance, without the slightest flinch.

This scene was no different from a direct confrontation, and the foreign netizens went wild with exclamations.

"This Chinese guy's got guts. Respect."

"Two hundred meters is less than half a minute for those Arctic wolves. He's being reckless—he should've retreated immediately."

"He's done for. This handsome Chinese guy's gonna get mauled to death. The show won't get canceled, will it?"

"Awooo—awooo—"

The wolf king stared at the creature that had appeared in the distance, sensing a faint threat from it.

As a beast, its six senses were razor-sharp. A creature that made it feel threatened—if it were alone, the cautious nature inherent to wolves would keep it from attacking. But now, with five Arctic wolves under it plus itself, it felt no fear at all.

That wolf howl snapped the Arctic wolves into immediate alertness.

Then the wolf king plunged downward, racing swiftly toward Qin Yun, and the other five Arctic wolves immediately roared and followed behind.

"Aowu—Aowu—Aowu—!"

One howl after another rose and fell in the livestream.

At that moment, Qin Yun's livestream popularity surged to its peak, countless eyes fixed on the handsome, fearless face beneath the camera.

In the sunlight, Qin Yun gazed at the pack of wolves vanishing into the forest, and a faint smile curled his lips.

"Seems I can't avoid it." He casually hung a sports camera on a nearby branch; the drone rose and locked onto him, while another sports camera was strapped to his chest.

"Actually, I already gave them a chance, but they didn't value it—I have no choice but to act."

Qin Yun's words left everyone confused—was this Chinese man mentally shattered from fear?

Meanwhile, on Douyin, Qin Yun's longtime fans all grew excited.

"Hahaha, Brother Qin is about to show off again."

"These wolf pups' relatives in China must not have warned them, or they wouldn't be so stupid."

"How many wolves are there? Can Brother Qin really handle this?"

Su Huan clenched her nails, her heart instantly rising.

Though she knew Qin Yun was powerful, these were wolves—man-eaters; one misstep and he could die.

"Please don't get hurt, idiot."

In the art school dormitory, Chu Xin, Jiang Chujì, and Su Wenjing covered their mouths, faces tense; in Shanghai Ziyuan, Xia Xiaoxing and Xia Xiaochuan stared excitedly at their phones; in the office, Han Wei appeared calm, but her unwavering gaze betrayed her tension.

In Beijing, Shen Hu, Zhang Chao, Jiang Bingbing, Fan Chen, Song Ya… all who knew him had their hearts in their throats, watching this scene in the livestream.

In Zhoushan, Hu Di and Shen Jia hid in the bathroom, barely daring to breathe, as if a loud breath might startle Qin Yun.

In Jinhua, Lin Yao wore a worried expression, while Shi Lulu carried a barely perceptible sneer.

Friends like Chen He, Deng Chao, Zhao Liying, Xiao Zhan—all now wide awake, staring fixedly at the livestream.

In Canada, it was 2 p. m.; in China, it was 2 a. m.

Two hundred meters was nothing for wolves—just a few breaths away.

Qin Yun thought for a moment, then suddenly set the bow aside, drew his dagger in hand, and looked up at the drone: "Friends who've watched my livestreams should know I've got a bit of martial skill—I'll demonstrate today how to properly defend yourself against a wolf pack in the wild using a dagger."

As he finished speaking—

"Aow…"

From the forest, six massive Arctic wolves, as large as oxen, suddenly burst forth, splitting left and right, swiftly appearing at the slope's base.

The lead wolf's face twisted with ferocity, blood still dripping from its fangs; the other five Arctic wolves were much the same—each with bloodied jaws, clearly having just fed.

Facing these six beasts, Qin Yun spoke, then charged down… down… down… down…

Foreign viewers on TikTok stared, baffled.

What the hell, are you in such a hurry to die?

Seeing Qin Yun charge down, the lead wolf roared; the other five wolves instantly scattered and lunged toward him.

The wolf king did not move—he even stepped back a pace, his cold gaze locked unblinkingly on Qin Yun, as if ready to strike at any moment.

As the two sides drew closer, battle was imminent.

The production team, everyone watching this scene, stood up; even the main screen now showed only Qin Yun's livestream feed.

At this moment, the heat from all forty-nine livestreams, if converted to heat values, concentrated instantly onto Qin Yun's livestream. Counting up, the number of viewers watching Qin Yun's livestream had likely surpassed two hundred million.

"Dudududu…"

At that moment, the rescue alarm blared from the production team's camp; the staff reluctantly switched over, only to find it was just a Korean who had broken his leg and had called for help.

Daniel paid no mind, waved his hand to send a rescue team, his full attention fixed solely on Qin Yun.