Chapter Seventy-Three: The Pack of Wolves

Zhou Yi had no time to scold Fatty; his mouth truly seemed to bring about whatever he spoke of. He inserted the tablet into the control panel, and it immediately shrank to the size of a mobile phone. Zhou Yi tapped the red dot, and sure enough, a route appeared.

“Hurry, we need to get here as quickly as possible and see if we can find shelter. This rain won’t be light, and in such a barren place with these temperatures, even pitching a tent on the mountaintop won’t withstand this kind of storm. It’s best if we can find a cave to hide in.”

Fatty was silent now, not daring to say a word. To be extra safe, he even covered his own mouth, his face tense as he looked at Zhou Yi.

Cheng Zhi nodded, glanced at the sky, and then at the navigation map in Zhou Yi’s hand. “We need to move fast. It doesn’t look far, but it won’t be easy on foot.”

The three of them quickened their pace, running toward one side, but when they reached the edge, they were stunned. It was practically a cliff. Although the spot they needed to reach was close in a straight line, the vertical drop made it nearly impossible to descend.

Cheng Zhi glanced nervously at the darkening clouds behind them; it was already raining not far off. “The rain’s started. Should we use the ropes?”

Zhou Yi shook his head. “We brought plenty of supplies, but not much rope. Who knows what we’ll face later on? We can’t use the rope here. We'll slide down over there.”

Fatty took one look and turned pale. The spot Zhou Yi pointed to was a collapsed area, no longer the edge of the cliff, but still at a steep angle—fifty or sixty degrees at least. Sliding down would set your backside on fire.

But glancing back at the clouds, Fatty clamped his mouth shut and dared not protest.

Zhou Yi was already running over. It was still dry, but if they waited until it rained, who knew where the water might carry them? Zhou Yi looked at his two companions. “I’ll go first!”

He didn’t jump, but sat down along the edge, arms crossed over his chest, straightened his body slightly, and in a flash, slid out of sight.

After a moment, Zhou Yi’s voice called up to them. “Come down!”

Cheng Zhi looked at the pallid Fatty and patted his shoulder. “You go first, Fatty. I’ll hold you back a bit so you don’t go too fast.”

Fatty nodded. “Buddy, take it easy. I’m over two hundred pounds. If you can’t hold me or push me too hard—ah, forget it, I won’t jinx myself. Anyway, these two hundred-plus pounds are in your hands now. Cheng, you’d better steady yourself!”

He shuffled to the edge, mimicking Zhou Yi’s posture, wrapped his arms tight around his elbows, and squeezed his eyes shut. “Ready!”

“You ready?” Cheng Zhi asked.

Fatty was about to snap, lifting his head to yell, “Stop talking nonse—ah—”

Before he could finish, Cheng Zhi grabbed his shoulder and gave a strong push. Though it wasn’t quite freefall, Fatty’s weight sent him hurtling down at breakneck speed.

Zhou Yi, following the noise, caught sight of Fatty just as he neared, grabbing his arm and steadying him. Fatty was still shrieking.

Zhou Yi raised his hand and smacked Fatty on the neck. “Shut up!”

Fatty immediately opened his eyes, saw Zhou Yi holding him, and scrambled upright.

Just then, Cheng Zhi slid down, stopping before he reached Zhou Yi and Fatty. He stood up, dusted himself off, and Fatty, swallowing his words, quickly did the same.

Their clothing was remarkably durable—no tears, and, much to Fatty’s relief, no sign of his backside catching fire from the descent.

By now, rain was already falling, each drop hitting the ground with enough force to send up little clouds of dust, a testament to their size.

Zhou Yi raised his wrist and pointed to the right. “Stick close to the cliff. The red dot isn’t far now. I’m guessing it’s a cave.”

No one argued. The rain was coming down in sheets, and in just a few words’ time, all three were soaked through.

Clinging to the cliff’s edge, they struggled forward. Rounding a massive boulder, Zhou Yi abruptly halted.

Cheng Zhi and Fatty craned their necks to look. Fatty shuddered, slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from shouting.

Wolves.

Three of them stood ahead, blocking their path.

Retreating was impossible—wolves were far too fast, and Zhou Yi, being in front, would be the first to suffer any consequences.

“What do we do, boss?” Cheng Zhi whispered.

Zhou Yi raised his hand. “Don’t make any sudden moves. There might be more wolves inside the cave behind them.”

Even as he spoke, another dozen wolves emerged behind the first three, each pair of green eyes fixed hungrily on the trio, a ravenous, predatory gaze that chilled them to the bone.

Zhou Yi slowly turned his wrist behind his back, feeling for and pressing the blue button. The storage space appeared. Fatty and Cheng Zhi understood—time to arm themselves.

Cheng Zhi grabbed a military spade, while Fatty, seeing no firearms, reluctantly chose a knife and a baseball bat. Rummaging at the bottom, he found a gasoline bottle and quickly took it. Searching his pockets, he found a napkin to stuff in the bottle’s neck; Cheng Zhi found a lighter.

“Boss, here’s a bottle of gas. Should we blow them up?”

Zhou Yi nodded. “Light it and throw it. Give me a weapon!”

Cheng Zhi ignited the cloth in the bottle’s mouth. As the flame reached two-thirds of the way down, he hurled it into the midst of the wolves.

Bang!

A burst of fire exploded, sending the pack into chaos. Several wolves caught fire and leapt off the cliff in panic.

Animals have an innate fear of fire; the remaining wolves scattered in all directions. One, finding itself cornered, charged straight at Zhou Yi.

He was ready. Raising his knife, he slashed at the wolf’s neck.

Blood splattered against the cliffside. The wolf’s corpse tumbled away, and Zhou Yi was spattered with blood.

Cheng Zhi, just to be sure, smashed the wolf’s head repeatedly with the spade. This time, it was well and truly dead.

The rest of the wolves had scattered, save for one large wolf that began backing toward the cave. Zhou Yi grew anxious.

If the wolves retreated into the cave now, it would spell disaster for them.

Zhou Yi dashed toward the cave entrance. There was no fear or hesitation—survival demanded risk, or the next death could be his own.

Cheng Zhi and Fatty didn’t fall behind, charging forward with their weapons. The narrow ledge prevented the wolves from attacking en masse, so the three quickly reached the cave.

The last three wolves arched their backs, ready to strike, but just as Zhou Yi and the others prepared to fight, the lead wolf, with the other two, turned and bolted from the cave, leaping down toward the valley below.

Zhou Yi was dumbfounded.

Everything had happened so suddenly he struggled to comprehend it. Moments before, the wolves had fought fiercely, but the leader fled with the remaining two without a backward glance.

Fatty, standing at the edge, peeked down, then drew back with a grin. “Boss, that big wolf must have taken its two wives and run for it. Didn’t even look back, just leapt straight down. They know this terrain well. Even in this downpour, their speed isn’t slowed at all.”

Zhou Yi didn’t look relieved. He glanced around—the cave mouth reeked with a pungent, animal stench.

No need to ask; this was clearly the wolves’ den. Now that they had taken it, the wolves would never let it go so easily. They might well return for revenge.

Especially with the rain intensifying outside, Zhou Yi’s unease only grew.