Chapter 136: The Wolves Who Understand Tactics

Ahead at Shan Yakou, the three wolves shifted from sitting and lying to standing, but they didn't charge, only assuming a stance.

What actually moved were the slopes on both sides; clearly one could hear the rustling sounds growing denser, and the snow on the branches fell with a soft patter.

How many wolves are there, and why is the commotion so great?

Lu Cheng had already pulled the Rifle's bolt; fortunately the Rifle didn't jam this time, and any wolf that dared to pounce would be taken down with a single shot.

"Da Kui, if a wolf lunges at you later, hit it hard with your fist for me."

Facing such a perilous situation, even Lu Cheng couldn't help but get tense, while Da Kui acted as if nothing were wrong, completely unaware of how terrifying the wolves were.

Sometimes Lu Cheng even envied his carefree, worry‑free demeanor.

Tian Shukuan, on the other hand, was different, clutching his satchel tightly, both nervous and scared.

Just then, a sudden "whoosh" sounded as a wolf leapt out of the forest on the slope, moving at great speed, its mouth opening to bite the horse's hind leg.

"Group Leader Lu, over here!" Tian Shukuan shouted.

Without his shout, Lu Cheng had already noticed the side situation and immediately raised his Rifle to fire.

"Bang"—the gunshot rang, deafening in the forest, making the eardrums hum.

With that shot, Lu Cheng felt confident; after all, the distance was so short, and after the gunfire, everyone expected the wolf to fall dead on the spot.

But to everyone's surprise, the bullet struck only the hard ground, sending a spray of snow into the air.

It's not Lu Cheng's aim that's at fault; the moment he lifted the Rifle to aim, the wolf had already braked midway, leapt in another direction, and vanished into the woods.

While Lu Cheng lamented the waste of a Bullet, the horse suddenly let out a mournful whinny.

Turning his head, he saw another wolf attacking from the other side, faster than the first, and it bit the horse's leg outright.

Lu Cheng raised his Rifle and fired again, but missed; that wolf didn't linger, taking a bite before leaping away.

Lu Cheng instantly realized that the first wolf that charged seemed to target the horse, but was merely feigning an attack.

After drawing Lu Cheng's attention, it created an opening for another wolf!

Isn't that a classic feint—making noise in the east to strike in the west?

Damn, that's too cunning.

"Da Kui, urge the horse!"

Lu Cheng shouted, insisting they couldn't stop here, otherwise they'd be worn down to death by the wolf pack.

As the Snow Plow surged forward again, the wolf pack in the woods grew noticeably more agitated.

Periodically wolves leapt out from both sides; like before, the first one wouldn't bite directly, waiting for the second to charge and tear at the horse.

Livestock are still livestock; seeing through their intent, Lu Cheng ignored the first charging wolf and, without even looking, fired toward the other side.

There's no need to keep aiming with each shot; otherwise the more you aim, the less likely you hit.

Sure enough, the second wolf that leapt collided with the muzzle and fell dead on the spot.

"Hit! Hit! Group Leader Lu, you're amazing!" Tian Shukuan shouted excitedly.

Lu Cheng was unimpressed; three Bullets to kill a single wolf wasn't something to brag about.

Moreover, it gave him no room to boast—he had thought that killing one wolf would intimidate the pack and provide a chance to break out of the encirclement.

But it was nothing like he expected; the wolf packs on both slopes grew even more restless, whizzing like torpedoes, constantly leaping out, and even the crisp air carried a whiff of blood.

As the Snow Plow kept charging forward, the leaping wolves made only brief contact before quickly hopping away.

Lu Cheng, standing on the Snow Plow, saw the Rifle's muzzle swing back and forth between left and right, unable to lock onto a target.

Standing on the moving Snow Plow, his balance was already unstable, and the wolf pack kept hopping around, causing even two consecutive shots to miss.

Yet he dared not stop to fire; he just wanted to rush out of Shan Yakou as quickly as possible.

And as they drew nearer to Shan Yakou, the three wolves that had been guarding it finally moved.

Lu Cheng still considered charging straight through; since the wolves had come forward on a straight line, he didn't hesitate—when ten meters away, he lifted the Rifle and shot one down.

He feared the remaining two would be crushed under the horse's hooves, yet he was overthinking.

The other two, perhaps fearing Bullets, quickly split and leapt into the woods on either side.

Just as Lu Cheng thought there were no more obstacles and burst out of Shan Yakou, Niu Da Kui, seated on the rear Snow Plow, suddenly shouted.

Lu Cheng turned and saw that the three wolves from behind had also charged forward.

He then realized that the three wolves ahead had only been feigning attacks to create opportunities for the wolves behind.

The horse was fast, but it couldn't withstand a lone wolf's harassment, draining a lot of the horse's stamina.

Moreover, the wolves were even faster; one that surged forward instantly clamped onto Da Kui's arm.

Just as Da Kui raised his other fist to strike, that arm was also seized by a wolf.

Swinging the two wolves left and right, he couldn't free his hands; the remaining wolf seized the chance, leapt and bit at Da Kui's throat.

"Bang!"

A gunshot exploded by Da Kui's ear, and the wolf that lunged at his throat toppled over, landing on the ground and whimpering.

"Da Kui, are you okay?" Lu Cheng, holding the rifle stock, knocked down a wolf.

Perhaps terrified to the extreme, they no longer felt fear; even Tian Shukuan, gripping his satchel, struck another wolf.

When the two wolves that had bitten his arm fell, Da Kui's ears still rang, and the horse's whinny was drowned out.

"Stop, stop, we can't run any more!"

When Lu Cheng fired at the wolves behind, the packs on both sides went berserk, charging at the horse.

It seemed they knew that as long as they bit the horse dead first, the humans wouldn't be able to escape.

After Lu Cheng halted the horse, the wolf packs instantly fell silent; the silence only meant they no longer leapt out, but lay low in the forest, still ready to strike.

"Group Leader Lu, why aren't we moving? We've reached Yakou, we can run out ahead!"

Tian Shukuan, after finally spotting a chance to flee, was terribly anxious.

Lu Cheng, staying alert on all sides, said, "We can't get out at all; even if we break through Yakou, the forest behind remains, the horse's body has already been bitten several times, and no matter how fast we run, we can't outrun the wolf pack."

The wolf pack is fighting a war of attrition with them, first draining the horses' strength.

Lu Cheng also said a piece of news that terrified Tian Shuankuan: now only three bullets remain, how to fight?

Even if they killed three more wolves, what good would it do?

This wolf pack is simply crazy; they clearly already shot and killed three, yet it had not the slightest deterrent effect, and they kept coming forward in waves.

Tian Shuankuan plopped down on the wooden frame: "That's it, we're going to die here today. Sorry, Group Leader Lu, I've dragged you into this."

Tian Shuankuan thought that even if he died, he wouldn't be afraid, but now he had also dragged others' lives into it, and the materials couldn't be sent out; he immediately burst into tears from anxiety.

"Group Leader Lu, why don't you take the materials and leave, I'll stay behind to feed the wolves."

That's actually a good idea; it could at least buy some time to escape.

But Lu Cheng couldn't bring himself to abandon his teammates, watching helplessly as they were devoured by the wolves.

"Don't cry! This isn't right!"