Chapter 3: Wolf Blood

Chu Danqing’s gaze rested on the crippled wolf, but he did not ignore the old wolf.

Thus, the old wolf’s actions remained within his vigilance, especially after learning the two wolves could coordinate with cunning precision.

In his view, the old wolf’s threat far exceeded that of the crippled wolf.

The injury to the old wolf’s left hind leg made its pounces anything but fierce—instead, they appeared awkward and clumsy.

Yet the old wolf, being a wild beast with seasoned experience, struck sharply at Chu Danqing’s hand, as if aiming to disarm him first.

Too bad—beast it remained, its eyes still red with hunger.

It knew nothing of “a inch longer, a inch stronger.”

The rusted tines of the hayfork pierced through the old wolf’s chest and abdomen as it lunged upward.

The already emaciated wolf was instantly skewered and flipped onto its back, then pinned firmly to the ground.

Pain caused the old wolf to snarl uncontrollably, thrashing wildly on its back, desperate to free itself from the hayfork.

Wolf blood seeped through its fur, and with its twisted posture, it looked especially grotesque.

At that moment, two choices surfaced in Chu Danqing’s mind.

The first was to use the [Type-I Standard Summoning Contract Scroll] on the old wolf.

Given the current disparity in their stats, he could certainly obtain a cunning summon.

But the moment this option arose, he rejected it outright—had it been a pup, he might have tamed it and gradually raised its loyalty.

Most importantly, this old wolf had eaten humans; keeping it around would only be a hazard—better to kill it outright.

With his decision made, Chu Danqing stepped firmly on the old wolf’s abdomen, using the pressure to yank the hayfork free.

Blood gushed out instantly, splattering a few drops onto his clothes.

Chu Danqing paid it no mind; gripping the hayfork with both hands, he drove it repeatedly into the old wolf’s neck with all his strength.

Until the old wolf’s neck was a mangled mess, motionless at last.

“Huh~” Chu Danqing exhaled deeply, his gaze falling on the crippled wolf struggling to crawl away.

The crippled wolf sensed Chu Danqing’s stare; to avoid meeting the same fate as the old wolf, it frantically dug at the ground with its sole remaining forepaw, desperate to flee.

He charged forward and killed it in three swift strikes.

The crippled wolf was outside his contract range—its mobility issues were a fatal flaw.

“Done.” Chu Danqing murmured. His hand holding the hayfork trembled—not from fear, but from excitement.

He had no pathological tendencies; he was just an ordinary man who dared not even kill a chicken, let alone harm cats or dogs.

The excitement came from the adrenaline rush.

“Then… a chest?” Chu Danqing leaned on the hayfork and saw a wooden chest floating above the crippled wolf.

He reached out to touch it—and instantly, Dimension Park’s prompt appeared.

【You obtained: Chest (Common Tier)】

You may choose to open it or store it in your inventory.

“An easy difficulty—reward obtainable at the start simply by having enough courage.”

“Is this really normal difficulty?” Chu Danqing knew very little about Dimension Park.

He didn’t know whether this was the Park’s generosity—or whether the probationary trial was genuinely this simple.

After scanning his surroundings and seeing no other figures or traces, he chose to open it immediately.

【You opened: Chest (Common Tier), obtained: Wolf Blood, Park Points ×100】

A foul-smelling blood, contained within a vessel made of wolf bones, landed in Chu Danqing’s hand.

As for Park Points, they became a data entry on his panel, labeled as the universal currency of Dimension Park.

Chu Danqing ignored them for now—he had no use for them yet.

But this wolf blood had tangible effects.

【Wolf Blood】

【Type: Consumable】

【Quality: Common】

【Effect: After full consumption, restores 50% of maximum HP at an extremely slow rate】

Simple, unadorned—it restored HP upon drinking. To Chu Danqing, the only flaw was the phrase “extremely slow.”

He immediately stored it in his inventory.

It was a lifesaving item—Dimension Park clearly feared probationers dying.

“Maybe… a good boss?” Chu Danqing mused, offering himself a wry chuckle.

If Dimension Park’s generosity remained unchanged, the atmosphere and pressure among its apostles might not be as dire as he imagined.

He suppressed further speculation for now and rose to carry both wolves on his shoulders.

He planned to take them to Xianghua Village—they might bring him some surprises.

At the very least, there’d be meat—useful for gaining favor or trading for supplies.

Leaving them behind would be pure waste.

But just as he prepared to leave, he suddenly remembered something.

The crippled wolf had been hiding in the haystack—might there be something else inside?

“People’s fragments,” Chu Danqing’s mind suddenly surfaced the term.

Since he was already here, if there were indeed bones, helping to collect them wouldn’t hurt.

He wasn’t afraid of bones or fur—he’d handled plenty of animal remains before.

Occasionally, he even found human bones mixed among animal remains.

Inside the haystack, Chu Danqing found a partial skeleton, completely devoid of flesh.

The bones were covered in bite marks; from his observation, the corpse had been dead at least seven or eight days.

The crippled wolf had survived on it this long.

“Poor thing,” Chu Danqing sighed. The child was young—perhaps only ten or so.

He gathered the remains neatly; night was falling fast.

“I don’t know whose child you were. I’ll ask around in Xianghua Village.” Chu Danqing collected all scattered cloth fragments and small items—he’d need them later for identification.

As for potential complications, he was neither an extreme do-gooder nor a cold-blooded man—he acted as he thought best.

Do good deeds; ask not for the future.

If a task could be helped without endangering himself, and met those two conditions, he had no objection to lending a hand.

After finishing, he carried the wolf carcasses on his shoulders, his waist wrapped with a bulging bundle that made him look slightly bloated.

Fortunately, it didn’t hinder his movement much.

Yet as he rose, a rustling sound suddenly came from behind him.

Chu Danqing instantly went on alert, spinning around with the hayfork raised.

There stood a burly man, his face dim in the fading light—but Chu Danqing spotted the dagger in his hand at once.

“Who are you!” he shouted first, raising the hayfork in defense without hesitation.

(End of Chapter)