22: Grey Wolf Pack

After a night of rest, Lu Yuan felt refreshed.

His Source Power was full, and the 79-point limit was like a cup about to overflow, just one last drop from breaking through.

It was still compressed biscuits with dried meat.

"Today, I'll strive to break through to eight stars!"

Lu Yuan put on his backpack and stepped out of the inn again.

The underground base still looked the same, but there seemed to be fewer people coming and going than yesterday.

The alloy gate slowly slid open.

Lu Yuan took out his map.

"Gray Wolf Hills..."

He had already cleared the outermost area yesterday; to improve faster, he had to go to places with denser demonic beasts.

The central part of the hills!

The map indicated that it was the main activity area for first and second-tier Gray Wolves, with occasional sightings of third-tier Gray Wolf Kings.

"Pack demonic beasts are a bit troublesome, but the rewards are also the greatest; I won't have to bother searching for them."

He confirmed his direction and stepped into the jungle.

Not long after he left.

"Creak—"

An old, weathered bus stopped in front of the dilapidated hut.

The car door opened.

Five men wearing skeleton jackets got off one by one.

The leader was Bald Head Qiang!

The others with him were all skilled members of the gang, at least late-stage first-tier Card Master Apprentices.

They had come to the Wild Mountain Outpost overnight on Black Crow's orders.

"Is this the place?" one of his subordinates looked at the ruined house, somewhat doubtful.

"No mistake," Bald Head Qiang took out his terminal and confirmed the location, "Our target is the Outpost."

The group walked towards the stair entrance.

The two soldiers on guard immediately raised their rifles and stopped them.

"Identity card."

"Beep... beep..." several green lights lit up.

"Go in."

Bald Head Qiang retrieved his card and led his subordinates down the stairs.

Entering the underground base, a hint of disdain flashed in Scarface's eyes.

"Look at the photos and split up to search!" he ordered in a low voice, "Focus on the inn! Look for a young student named Lu Yuan, about sixteen or seventeen years old. Be careful not to alert anyone, and report back to me if you find anything."

"Yes!"

The men immediately dispersed, blending into the base's crowd... Lu Yuan didn't know that danger had quietly arrived.

He was currently traversing the central part of the hills.

The terrain here was significantly more complex than the outer areas, with jagged rocks and dense bushes, limiting visibility.

"Come out, Wind Bamboo Worm."

The thumb-sized reconnaissance worm appeared again, flying low and relaying fuzzy sensory information.

Lu Yuan also slowed his pace, spreading his Source Power perception.

A faint, musky smell permeated the air.

It was the scent of wolves.

He perked up, becoming even more cautious.

He advanced for about several hundred meters.

In the Wind Bamboo Worm's relayed vision, a gray shadow appeared, flashing past.

At the same time, Lu Yuan's Source Power perception also captured several moving energy sources.

Just behind a pile of rocks not far ahead!

He immediately crouched down, held his breath, and used a half-man-high rock to conceal himself.

He cautiously peeked out.

He saw five or six agile Gray Wolves scattered around the rock pile; some were sniffing the ground, while others lay on the ground feigning sleep.

First-tier Gray Wolf

Quality: White

Star Rating: Two-star

Type: Demonic Beast

These Gray Wolves had dull gray fur, cunning eyes, and agile movements, making them far more troublesome than the Iron Mane Wild Boars he had encountered before.

Fortunately, there was no third-tier Gray Wolf King, Lu Yuan mused.

However, these two-star Gray Wolves, when working together, were also a problem.

He had to find a way to separate them!

Lu Yuan observed the surrounding terrain.

Not far to the front left, there was a narrow rock crevice, like a natural gully, wide enough for only two or three wolves to pass side-by-side.

"Got it!"

He rummaged through his backpack for the remaining Hard Shell Beetle carapace fragments from yesterday, and also took out some dried meat.

He infused a faint amount of Source Power into the dried meat, making it emit a more enticing smell.

Then, he carefully circled around to the other side of the crevice entrance.

He threw the dried meat with Source Power aura and the carapace fragments deep into the crevice.

After doing all this, he quickly retreated and hid behind a bush near the crevice entrance.

He held his breath and waited.

Wolves have extremely keen senses of smell.

Soon, the two Gray Wolves closest to the crevice twitched their noses and noticed something unusual.

They whimpered a few times, signaled to each other, and then cautiously approached the crevice entrance.

After a few tentative steps, confirming there was no danger, they squeezed into the crevice to find the source of the enticing smell.

Now!

"Crocodile! Block it!"

Lu Yuan let out a low shout, and the blue card glow flashed!

Roar!

The massive Swamp Crocodile appeared with a rumble, directly using its heavy body to block the entrance of the crevice!

"Howl—!"

The two Gray Wolves inside the crevice, realizing they were trapped, immediately let out panicked howls.

The wolf pack outside was also startled by the sudden change and gathered around the crevice, emitting threatening growls.

But the crevice was narrow, and they couldn't rush in immediately.

"Mantis! Go!"

A white card emerged, and the Shadow Mantis transformed into a black shadow, silently sneaking into the crevice from the other side!

"Sharpness Technique!"

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate and directly activated the skill card he had just bought!

Buzz!

A faint glow integrated into the Shadow Mantis's body.

Its two bone blades were instantly covered with a faint energy aura, making them even sharper!

Pfft!

The Shadow Mantis was incredibly fast; taking advantage of a Gray Wolf being distracted by the Crocodile, its bone blades slashed like lightning!

A deep, bone-visible wound was instantly torn open on the Gray Wolf's neck! Blood gushed out!

It let out a pained howl and fell to the ground, twitching.

The other Gray Wolf, seeing this, became ferocious and turned to pounce on the Shadow Mantis!

The Shadow Mantis nimbly dodged the Bite, and its bone blade slashed back at the Gray Wolf's side waist!

Howl!

The Gray Wolf yelped in pain, its movements stalling.

The Shadow Mantis seized the opportunity, pressed forward again, and its bone blade precisely pierced the Gray Wolf's eye socket!

The battle ended quickly.

With the Sharpness Technique's enhancement, the Shadow Mantis's attack power increased by a notch, making short work of these two-star Gray Wolves.

Outside the crevice, an old wolf saw its two companions easily dispatched and let out an angry and anxious roar.

It commanded the remaining three Gray Wolves to frantically ram the Swamp Crocodile.

But the Crocodile was thick-skinned and tough, firmly holding the entrance, unmoving.

Lu Yuan dared not be negligent and immediately ordered the Shadow Mantis to rush out of the crevice.

"Wind Bamboo Worm! Interfere!"

The Wind Bamboo Worm buzzed towards the wolf pack, attempting to distract their vision.

"Mantis! Prioritize the Gray Wolves in front!"

The Shadow Mantis moved like a ghost, circling to the wolf pack's flank, and, cooperating with the Swamp Crocodile, began attacking the remaining three Gray Wolves.

The battle erupted again!

Although the Gray Wolves were fierce, under the Swamp Crocodile's containment, their formation was quickly disrupted.

Rip!

One Gray Wolf failed to dodge in time and had its belly ripped open by the Shadow Mantis's bone blade, its internal organs spilling onto the ground.

Roar!

The Swamp Crocodile seized the opportunity, bit down on another Gray Wolf's hind leg, and violently flung it!

Crack!

The sound of bones shattering echoed.

The last Gray Wolf, seeing the gruesome state of its companions, a flicker of fear in its eyes, turned to flee.

But the Shadow Mantis was faster, catching up and delivering a fatal blow to its throat!

In a flash, all five ordinary Gray Wolves were dead!

Only the lone old wolf remained!

"Howl—!"

The old wolf let out a mournful roar, knowing it had no retreat.

Its mane bristled, its muscles tensed, preparing for a desperate fight.

Lu Yuan looked at the situation before him, his heart settling slightly.

He had consumed a good amount of Source Power, with over forty points remaining.

"Crocodile, suppress from the front!"

"Mantis, look for an opening!"

"Slaughter!"

The Swamp Crocodile let out a low growl and actively pressed forward.

The old wolf showed no weakness, pouncing fiercely, its sharp claws and teeth savagely attacking the Crocodile!

Clang, clang!

The claws scraped against the Crocodile's thick scales, leaving only shallow white marks.

"I didn't expect it to be a second-tier one."

The old wolf's Bites always aimed at the Crocodile's weakly defended joints or belly; a second-tier demonic beast already had some intelligence.

The Shadow Mantis, meanwhile, circled around, looking for the opponent's weak points.

Just as the old wolf pounced and bit again, its old strength spent and new strength not yet born!

The Shadow Mantis moved!