Chapter 138: New Alpha Wolf

The wind above Shan Yakou was stronger, snowflakes striking the face like flying knives.

Lu Cheng almost pushed forward against the wind, while the alpha wolf went with it, and in the blink of an eye they were less than ten meters apart.

At such a close range, he was sure to hit.

Lu Cheng held the reins with his left hand, gripped the rifle with his right, placing the butt against his shoulder to reduce recoil.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, he saw the alpha wolf suddenly leap and lunge straight at him.

There was no time to raise the muzzle; in this situation, he could not waste any more bullets.

He was thinking of turning the horse, but the alpha wolf's speed was like lightning; in an instant, its two claws lunged at his face.

If it grabbed his face, it would ruin his looks; many good sisters would cry themselves to death over it.

Lu Cheng's heart pounded with shock; the alpha wolf opened its bloody maw, its sharp fangs could tear his throat at any moment, and the stench blowing toward him made him want to vomit.

While on horseback, Lu Cheng almost instinctively leaned his upper body back against the horse's back, barely dodging the blow.

He watched helplessly as the alpha wolf leapt over from above; just as he straightened up, he realized he had made a fatal mistake.

He should not have exposed his back.

He could already feel a foul wind rushing at his back.

Purely relying on bodily instinct and agility, without thinking, he kicked out with his right leg, flipped off the horse, rolled several times, and finally steadied himself.

The alpha wolf's leap missed again; after landing steadily on the ground, it did not attack again but fixed its stare on Lu Cheng, who was down on one knee.

Between the wolf and him, the distance was only about seven or eight meters; up close, Lu Cheng finally sensed the beast's terror.

He saw that the alpha wolf was huge, muscles bulging all over, obviously possessing terrifying destructive power; its emerald-green eyes glowed with hunger.

He could not imagine that if he had hesitated even a second earlier, his back would have been ripped apart.

Even so, the military coat on his back was torn open by the claws.

The rifle?

No! When he flipped off the horse just now, the rifle slipped from his hand.

Without a rifle, trying to kill the alpha wolf with bare hands was almost a delusion.

Lu Cheng caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and saw the rifle lying in a snowdrift about two meters away.

Honestly, just two steps would let him pick it up, but the alpha wolf had finally knocked him down—how could it let him have his way?

The alpha wolf fixed its emerald-green eyes on him; if Lu Cheng dared to move, he feared he wouldn't even get the rifle before being knocked down.

Running backward? Also impossible.

He couldn't ride; how could two legs outrun four? He'd still be knocked down.

This was truly a matter of life and death!

Even Tian Shukuan down below could see Lu Cheng's predicament, and his heart leapt to his throat.

What Lu Cheng found even worse was that half the wolf pack surged forward in a dark mass, joining the alpha wolf to surround him.

Now he was truly trapped; even if he fought desperately, he had no chance of winning.

With the enemy unmoving, Lu Cheng also dared not move for a moment; the standoff lasted about two minutes, then the alpha wolf raised its neck and let out an 'aowoo' sound that echoed through the valley, long and unceasing.

Lu Cheng clenched his fists; the alpha wolf's call was surely a command, though he did not know if it was a signal to attack.

Just as he thought he would have to risk his life in close combat, he saw the wolf pack slowly disperse, ceasing its encirclement.

"What does this mean? Are you letting me go?"

When he saw the wolf pack all charging toward the horse, Lu Cheng realized he had overthought it.

Indeed, having killed the wolves' kin, how could this pack let them go?

The wolves that had pounced on the horse bit it, causing it to neigh and run wildly.

Lu Cheng could barely look after himself now; the alpha wolf still fixed its deadly stare on him, leaving him no chance to save the horse.

At that moment, the alpha wolf also moved; perhaps it sensed this young man's agility and, testing him, raised its forepaw.

As long as it didn't come lunging in a big leap, it was a rare opportunity for Lu Cheng.

Furthermore, during the standoff, Lu Cheng had already surveyed the surroundings with his peripheral vision.

At the instant the alpha wolf raised its forepaw, Lu Cheng sprinted sideways and snatched up the rifle.

The alpha wolf reacted quickly; in the blink of an eye it had charged to his rear.

Lu Cheng grabbed the rifle and kept running forward without stopping his steps.

When he reached a large tree, he hugged the trunk with one hand and, using hands and feet together, shuffled up a few times to climb it.

He could already feel the strong wind at his back; he then executed a swift hawk-like flip and landed steadily beneath the tree.

From inertia, the alpha wolf slammed into the trunk, and one could hear the sharp claws scraping the bark with a harsh 'crack'.

When the alpha wolf leapt at nothing and fell awkwardly from the trunk, its back was turned to Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng had already raised his rifle!

He paused for about a minute, and the alpha wolf remained still.

It seemed to have sensed its fate; the alpha wolf, which had held its head high, now lowered it slowly.

"Bang!"

The bullet pierced its skull, and the alpha wolf collapsed at the sound.

Spattering blood splattered Lu Cheng's face.

The heavy snow seemed to stop then; the valley fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the echoing gunshots.

Looking again at the running horse, chased by the wolf pack, it was occasionally bitten, blood flowing from many places on its body, clearly about to collapse.

The rifle's chamber still held one last bullet.

Lu Cheng raised the rifle, but instead of aiming at the wolf pack, he fired the last shot into the air.

Tian Shukuan saw above Shan Yakou that Lu Cheng held the rifle in one hand, one foot on the dead alpha wolf, the cold wind making his military coat snap loudly.

His face covered in blood, his eyes fierce, it was as if a slaughter god had descended.

Lu Cheng was gambling! Gambling that this pack of wolves would retreat.

The wolf pack had a strict hierarchy; to become the alpha wolf, one must have fought countless battles within the pack.

And being able to be the alpha wolf also meant making the other wolves submit wholeheartedly.

Lu Cheng killing the alpha wolf was equivalent to becoming the new alpha wolf.

After the final shot was fired, the wolves that had been besieging Da Kui down in the valley stopped, raised their heads to look up at Shan Yakou, and all let out a "woo" sound.

This time Lu Cheng heard it: the sound was no longer fearless advance, but a whimper of defeat.

Then the wolves that had been chasing the horses also stopped.

Lu Cheng knew he had guessed right.

He saw a larger wolf leap into the forest, and then the entire pack scattered and ran away.

From the distant valley, occasional whimpers could still be heard.

Lu Cheng, exhausted, swayed and braced himself with his rifle.

If the wolf pack hadn't retreated but kept charging heedless of death, today would surely have been more misfortune than fortune.