I had initially thought that once Song Bing dispatched a wild wolf with a spear, the other wolves would become hesitant.
However, the other wolves seemed oblivious to the death of their comrade and only grew more ferocious.
Within moments, the wolf pack charged towards us. One wolf leaped directly at me.
Fortunately, my reaction was swift. Using the pistol Song Bing had given me, I fired back.
I had become accustomed to using firearms during my time at the Kwantung Army fortress, and though my aim wasn't perfect, I could still fire.
With the wolf less than a meter away, my shot struck its chest. The leaping wolf instantly became like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.
For a time, gunfire echoed incessantly through the camp. I noticed that, apart from Zhao Xuezhen, everyone else was a skilled marksman.
Especially Jin Qiaoyue. Despite her young age and delicate appearance, she managed to kill several wild wolves in this situation!
Frankly, her posture with a pistol in each hand was so starkly different from her appearance that I couldn't help but steal several glances.
As for the bodyguard Ah Yuan, he held a pistol in one hand and a large Damascus saber in the other.
Such knives are rarely seen, but I knew it was a Persian dagger made from Wootz steel ingots, with a blade like flowing clouds and water, exceptionally sharp.
The forging method for this type of blade was unique to Persia and was considered a closely guarded secret.
Damascus blades are extremely lethal, and a genuine one is incredibly expensive.
The one Ah Yuan was holding at the moment looked anything but cheap.
Li Chuang, on the other hand, was cowering in the middle of the group, looking terrified, his face somewhat pale.
It seemed the person Quan Zhen Wan had sent was not particularly capable, with no other special skills besides making thorough logistical arrangements.
As Rexiti leaned closer to me, his body was already splattered with blood. I asked if he was alright, and he shook his head, telling me to call everyone to gather in a circle.
I quickly did as he said and gathered everyone. once we were all huddled together, the wolves, sensing we were a difficult target, ceased their assault.
It was then that a dark shadow began to move slowly towards us from the darkness not far away.
Its appearance caused all the wild wolves to flock towards it.
From dozens of meters away, by the dim light of the campfire, I saw a black wolf with only three legs!
Its black fur blended seamlessly with the darkness, and its yellow eyes gleamed with a chilling light, as if they could see through everything.
Its exposed fangs reflected the campfire's glow.
Upon seeing it, Rexiti couldn't help but exclaim, "It's still alive!"
It was evident that the black wolf king was aging, but its ferocity remained undiminished.
Its entire being exuded an aura of extreme danger.
Before I could get a better look, it slowly retreated back into the darkness. Following its lead, the other wolves also withdrew.
Within minutes, all the wolves had left.
Looking at the carcasses of the slain wolves, I counted about a dozen.
After this ordeal, I could clearly sense that Rexiti was becoming fearful, and his words revealed a desire to turn back.
Before he could voice it, Li Chuang pulled him aside. I didn't know what they discussed, but when Rexiti returned, he no longer mentioned leaving.
Fatty embellished the story of the black wolf king for everyone, making it sound as if he had been part of the wolf-hunting team back then. His storytelling was incredibly vivid.
He even recounted the black wolf king's ordeal of eating its own leg in the cave with great dramatic flair.
He narrated how the black wolf king, after much deliberation, kept telling itself that the wolf hunters would surely return, so it had to persevere, ultimately consuming one of its own legs.
The blood quenched its thirst, and the meat from its front leg sated its hunger.
When I heard this part, I couldn't bear it any longer and said, "What? Were you reincarnated from a wolf in your past life? Can you communicate telepathically with wolves?"
Fatty gave me a disdainful look and said, "Master Xiang, do you understand the art of storytelling? It's about making dull and boring things interesting... It's clear you don't appreciate crosstalk much. When we get to Yanjing, I'll take you to see a few performances."
After speaking to me, he resumed his story for the others.
Apart from Ah Yuan and Jin Qiaoyue, I noticed everyone else was listening intently.
Especially Jiang Ye's wife, the delicate Zhao Xuezhen, who would exclaim, "Oh my god!" at every crucial moment.
After Fatty finished his story, she had uttered "Oh my god!" countless times.
Once Fatty concluded his tale, Rexiti stated, "They will come back..."
We all looked at him. His expression was grim. He glanced at us and said, "The black wolf king will not let us go... It has already memorized our scent. Tonight, it was merely testing our capabilities. Once it understands our situation, it will surely lead the pack to attack us again... By then, we might not be as fortunate as we were today..."
Fatty retorted, "Rexiti, why are you being more superstitious than me? Do you really think that three-legged wolf has become a spirit? 'Testing'?"
Saying this, Fatty pointed at the wolf carcasses on the ground. "See? None of us were harmed tonight, yet look how many wolves died. Do you think they'll dare to come back?"
Rexiti shook his head. "You don't understand... The black wolf king's pack is vast. These wolves we killed tonight are not even a fraction of their numbers... I heard from the elders that the wolf-hunting team back then brought sufficient ammunition to fight the black wolf king, but they ran out of bullets without managing to kill it..."
Fatty laughed, "If what you say is true, then the wolf pack must number in the thousands. Is that even possible?"
Rexiti didn't answer Fatty's question but sat by the campfire, lost in thought.
As the expedition leader, I knew I had to maintain morale and plan our next steps.
So, I announced, "We'll reach our destination in two more days. Until then, for everyone's safety, we will travel more during the day and rest less. At night, we'll divide into three teams for guard duty, ensuring everyone gets enough sleep."
The group had no objections, so I began the team assignments.
Fatty, Rexiti, and I formed one team. Song Bing, Jiang Ye, and Zhao Xuezhen formed another. The remaining group consisted of Ah Yuan, Jin Qiaoyue, and Li Chuang.
As dawn was breaking, I assigned Song Bing's team to night duty, while our group headed back to rest.