Although the werewolves passing through Rino City weren't attracted by Norton himself, there were still familiar werewolf groups monitoring the surroundings of Rino City outside its walls.
This particular group was the one surveilling Norton.
Deep within the forests surrounding Rino City.
The thick night darkness made the moonlit woods appear pitch black.
"Heavy breathing, heavy breathing, heavy breathing..." Panting sounds resembling those of a large dog echoed faintly through the trees as a green phosphorescent glow flashed briefly through the dense undergrowth.
Compared to ordinary wolves, werewolves possessed superior night vision capabilities in darkness.
This night vision ability made their eyes appear to glow, though it was actually gathered and reflected diffuse light sources.
"Awooo!!!"
A wolf's howl pierced through the forest, mournful and terrifying.
But compared to this terrifying werewolf that issued the howl, the silent hunter moving through the night darkness inspired even greater fear within it.A familiar presence pursued closely behind it.
Within the dense forest, no sound of any creature moving could be heard, yet the aura made the werewolf clearly sense that this being was drawing ever closer. Even the icy aura emanating from its magnificent form could easily pierce through its lungs, making breathing difficult.
This inevitably caused the werewolf to emit whimpering sounds like an anxious dog.
A crimson streak flashed through the dark night, chasing toward the green phosphorescence with wind-like speed, visibly closing the distance at a rapid pace.
Sensing the presence drawing increasingly closer behind it, the werewolf knew escape was impossible and quickly halted its fleeing steps. It stood upright on its hind legs, reaching nearly two meters in height as it spread its arms wide, adopting a ready-to-attack stance. Its oil-green eyes fixed intently on the dark dense forest behind it while emitting warning barks like an attacking dog.
However, Norton would only fear a pack of werewolves—after all, chaotic punches could defeat a master, and with sufficient numbers, even God could be gradually worn down.
How could this single werewolf compare to Norton's strength?
Forget strength—Norton's ability to maintain optimal stamina during high-intensity pursuit was the most unbeatable capability of all.
"Thump!"
The werewolf faced backward, yet a slender figure swept past from behind it. A withered arm pierced through the werewolf's heart as if encountering no resistance.
"Argh!" A dog-like scream of agony erupted from the werewolf's mouth, immediately followed by a wrinkled mouth full of sharp teeth circling around from behind to bite into its neck.
The sharp teeth pierced through the werewolf's carotid artery, sending scalding hot blood into Norton's mouth. The life essence's sensation left Norton with an endlessly memorable aftertaste.
The nearly two-meter-tall werewolf, held by Norton with one hand piercing its heart and the other restraining its body, offered no meaningful resistance before completely becoming blood sustenance.
Compared to the battle at the cliff several years ago, Norton had experienced substantial growth in both combat experience and fighting capability.
The blood quality of werewolves stood in a class of its own among animals, containing far more life essence than ordinary deer or antelope.
As for human blood? Perhaps obese nobles and church personnel could qualify as adequate blood sustenance, while those emaciated poor people—being able to draw blood from them was already fortunate enough. They truly weren't suitable choices for Norton's prey.
Who knows—the value gained from sucking a few mouthfuls might not even cover the consumption required for the feeding action itself.
A terrifying nearly two-meter-tall giant beast being held and fed upon by a slender, bizarre figure—unfortunately, this classic horror movie scene played out unwitnessed within these dense forests.
Norton's withered skin made his body appear far less robust than the werewolf's, and his stature lacked the werewolf's imposing presence.
As for why he didn't use stealth attacks to eliminate them all?
Damn it, this was a source of premium nourishment! Norton had no habit of wasting food!
Although currently being pursued by werewolves left him rather disheveled, Norton remained firmly convinced he would eventually grow to the point where he could ignore them completely.
After confirming that the werewolves outside Rino City weren't attracted by him, Norton's previous feelings of guilt vanished completely.
He continued residing in Rino City with peace of mind, persistently stationing himself at his usual intersection daily, observing the Church's every move.
Apparently due to the werewolves' unusual activities, Carl's family imposed stricter controls, significantly lengthening the intervals between his visits.
However, each time he came, he brought Norton substantial accumulated information.
After multiple observations, Rino City's Church also discovered that the werewolves outside the city were merely passing through, which slightly eased the city's tense atmosphere. Though it felt more like the final calm before a storm.
Regardless of Rino City's situation, Holy Lord City definitely seemed to be experiencing major trouble.
After another two or three months, during Carl's third visit, he brought Norton rather shocking news.
"Holy Lord City has been occupied by werewolves, Mr. Norton. This is what my father said—I eavesdropped on his conversation with Bishop Good. They said werewolves are gathering in Holy Lord City, and Bishop Rosen is desperately requesting reinforcements from the Church. And they seem to be mobilizing, possibly planning some major operation!"
The thing was utterly useless—its foul stench far exceeded that of ordinary wild deer, its fur lacked softness, and while individual wolf hairs weren't as hard as steel needles, they resembled the stiff bristles on pigskin. Skinning it served no practical purpose whatsoever.
"This shouldn't be possible. Although werewolves possess some intelligence, their wisdom primarily manifests in hunting. How could they suddenly gather such massive numbers? Could it be related to that item the Church reportedly found in Holy Lord City mentioned previously?" Norton frowned deeply.
He considered himself relatively knowledgeable about werewolves, having dealt with them constantly these past few years.
Although werewolf intelligence showed some improvement compared to ordinary wolves, these enhancements mainly manifested in cooperative hunting and pack coordination. They remained essentially wild beasts at core, incapable of comprehending deeper human concepts like national sentiment or homeland attachment.
Although currently being pursued by werewolves left him rather disheveled, Norton remained firmly convinced he would eventually grow to the point where he could ignore them completely.
"What exactly did the Church obtain from Holy Lord City last time? Do you know?" Norton asked, looking at Carl before him.
"I don't know, Mr. Norton. It seems even Bishop Good himself doesn't know. I heard them say this cargo was delivered directly to the Vatican without interruption."