Chapter 254: Wolf Pack

The party, loaded with roe deer, hares, pheasants and the corpse of a wild boar as big as a small hill, trudged with heavy steps through the forest snow on the return journey.

The lingering glow of the setting sun filtered through the bare branches, tinting the snow with a mournful orange‑red and stretching the weary yet excited shadows of the members.

The joy of the harvest temporarily eased their physical fatigue, and the chatter and the scraping sounds of dragging game echoed through the silent forest.

However, Li Ping'an, who was at the front of the party, furrowed his brow slightly. His sense far beyond ordinary people, or rather that subtle Divine Perception, was picking up something unusual. It did not come from ahead nor from the noise the members made, but from behind the party and from the dark forest depths on both sides.

A feeling of being watched, like a cold spider silk, silently coiled around his spine.

At first came a faint rustle, almost merging with the wind, as if something moved lightly across the snow. Then a few suppressed, low wails from deep in a throat drifted on the wind, intermittent and broken.

Li Ping'an abruptly halted, raising his right fist. The entire party fell silent at once, everyone watching him warily.

"Chief, what's wrong?" Wang Dahu, shouldering a roe deer, panted as he asked.

Li Ping'an did not answer immediately; his ears twitched slightly, and his Divine Perception, like the most precise radar, expanded outward with full force. Eighty meters... one hundred meters... one hundred twenty meters!

Within the outer limits of his Divine Perception, one gray‑brown, lithe silhouette after another flickered in and out of view under the cover of snow and brush. Their vivid green eyes glittered with hunger and cruelty in the dimming light, forming a loose semicircle far behind the party, gradually drawing together.

Wolves! At least a dozen! And judging by their size and coat, they are the most formidable forest wolves in these woods.

"It's a wolf pack!" Li Ping'an's voice was low and clear, like ice shards striking each person's heart. "We've been marked! Discard the less important game! Everyone move toward me! Form a circle! Quickly!"

Joy was instantly replaced by terror! The members turned pale, hurriedly tossing some relatively minor hares and flying dragons into the snow, hoping to satisfy the wolves' appetite.

But they all knew that for these dozen hungry wolves, this token "toll" was far insufficient, especially the massive wild boar exuding a heavy scent of blood, which was the real lure!

The party quickly contracted, forming a back‑to‑back circle, shielding the most important wild boar and roe deer carcass in the center. The members raised their old‑style rifles and spears, fingers trembling slightly from the strain, eyes nervously fixed on the dim forest around them.

The wolves seemed to sense the prey's vigilance, halting their advance but not retreating. They hid in the shadows of trees and rocks, green eyes flashing, low growls rising and falling, creating an invisible pressure that tormented everyone's nerves.

"Damn it, these beasts—are they waiting for us to let our guard down?" Wang Dahu spat, gripping his spear tightly.

"They're waiting for the alpha wolf's command," Li Ping'an said, his gaze sharply scanning the directions where the pack might be hidden, his Divine Perception straining to lock onto the strongest aura.

He could sense that behind the pack stood a particularly robust male wolf with an even fiercer aura, likely the leader of the hungry wolves.

The setting sun sank bit by bit into the ridge, the forest light dimming rapidly, the chill deepening. The standoff between humans and wolves persisted in dead silence, broken only by the wind and the increasingly loud pounding of hearts.

Suddenly, a long, mournful, majestic wolf howl rang out from a small knoll behind them!

"Awooo—!"

The howl sounded like a battle horn! The previously hidden pack sprang into action! No longer concealed, they surged from all directions like a dozen gray arrows released from a bow, baring pale fangs as they launched a ferocious assault on the human circle.

"Fire!" Li Ping'an barked.

"Bang! Bang! Bang…"

The old‑style rifle spat fire and smoke, iron sand fanned out toward the charging wolves! The two or three wolves at the front were instantly struck, howling miserably as they rolled on the ground, and the snow erupted with blossoms of Blood Plum.

But the pack was too numerous and extremely cunning! They used trees and terrain to evade, moving at astonishing speed. After the first volley, four or five wolves broke through the fire net and lunged at the edge of the circle!

"Stab!" Wang Dahu roared, thrusting his spear hard, piercing a leaping feral wolf. Hot, raw wolf blood splattered across his face.

Other members also rushed with spears and machetes to clash with the charging wolves! In an instant, roars, howls, the clash of steel on flesh, and screams filled the air! The snow was trampled into a mess, drenched in blood.

Li Ping'an did not use a rifle; he wielded a specially‑made dagger, moving like a phantom around the outer rim of the circle. His motions were so swift they left only a after‑image, each swing striking precisely at a wolf's throat, eye, or joint—its vulnerable points.

The listening power of Tai Chi allowed him to anticipate the wolves' attack paths, the ferocity of the Eight‑Level Fist gave the dagger lethal penetration, and Carefree Step let him dodge the wolves' bites without a hair's breadth.

He was like an invisible shield, keeping the most dangerous attacks outside the circle. In a brief moment, three wolves fell beneath his dagger.

However, the pack was extremely fierce; the death of its comrades did not make them retreat, but instead spurred their ferocity, making the attack even more frantic! A young operative, slightly careless, was bitten on the calf by a wolf and, screaming, was dragged to the ground!

"Xiao Chen!" someone nearby shouted in alarm, trying to rescue him, but was tangled by another wolf.

Li Ping'an's eyes hardened, his body shot out like lightning, the dagger thrust straight at the wolf's hind neck! The wolf seemed to sense danger, opening its mouth to dodge, but Li Ping'an was faster! The dagger pierced like a Poison Snake, ending its life.

He had just lifted the wounded Xiao Chen, and before he could retreat back into the circle, the ever‑lingering, now intensified sense of danger in his heart surged to its peak!

An indescribable fear, born from the depths of the soul, instantly seized everyone and every wolf present!

The wolves, which had been attacking wildly, seemed to have hit a pause button; their movements froze, and a fearful "wu‑wu" sound rose from their throats, causing them to retreat involuntarily.

Even the alpha wolf that had been hidden behind, directing the pack, ceased howling, anxiously pawing at the snow.

The entire battlefield fell into a strange, deathly silence.

Li Ping'an jerked his head upward, gazing toward the darker, denser primeval conifer forest to his front‑left.

There, a pair of eyes as large as lanterns, emitting cold golden light, lit up the darkness. Immediately after, a colossal, breath‑taking, variegated figure stepped forward with heavy yet graceful strides, emerging silently from the shadows.

It measured nearly three meters in length, its shoulders almost at chest height, muscles bulging with explosive power. Its yellow‑black mottled fur glimmered with a splendid yet dangerous sheen in the remaining daylight, and a white "Wang" pattern on its forehead was clearly visible in the dusk, exuding an overbearing majesty.

Tiger!

The true, undisputed king of these woods!

It seemed to have been watching from the side for a long time, and only now revealed its hopelessly massive body and terrifying presence.

It ignored the trembling wolves and the scattered prey on the ground; its cold golden pupils swept over the chaotic battlefield, locking firmly onto the strongest presence at the edge of the circle—Li Ping'an, who held a blood‑stained dagger.

The air seemed to solidify.

The wolves' threat had not been eliminated; the even more terrifying forest king had already arrived.

Wolves encircled ahead, a fierce tiger watched from behind.

The dying sun, blood‑red, reflected the mottled bloodstains on the snow, the struggling human silhouettes, the retreating wolves, and the variegated behemoth that seemed to have walked out of antiquity.

Li Ping'an tightened his grip on the dagger, feeling the oppressive, pure force and murderous intent emanating from the top of the food chain, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

He knew the true life‑or‑death trial was only just beginning. He inhaled deeply, forced the surging qi back, concentrated all his spirit, and his Divine Perception locked tightly onto the slowly pacing Dongbei tiger, which was seeking the optimal attack angle.

Fight? Flight? Or…

Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to the figure standing at the front, facing the forest king from a distance.