75: Chapter 75 False Judgments

The Sha Jin Wolf streaked past like a bolt of black lightning, rushing back at extreme speed; its velocity far exceeded that of the level 14 lead Claw-Tooth Wolf.

If not for the gray dust kicked up, the lead Claw-Tooth Wolf probably wouldn't have been able to catch sight of the Sha Jin Wolf at all!

At this moment, the Claw-Tooth Wolf felt a surge of instinctive fear; the development of the situation seemed to have completely exceeded its expectations, and its charging pace faltered for a split second.

"Afraid?"

Qin Ding, receiving a twenty percent feedback boost from the Sha Jin Wolf, barely managed to see the fleeting moment when the Claw-Tooth Wolf halted and slowed down, and he lowered his long spear.

He was going to launch it into the air!

"Know fear now? It's too late..."

In an instant, just as they were about to approach, Qin Ding leaned forward, and the Sha Jin Wolf crouched low as well; man and wolf were practically gliding along the ground.

At the moment of contact, Qin Ding thrust out his long spear with absolute decisiveness.

The spear swept upward from below, its cold, gleaming tip piercing through the Claw-Tooth Wolf's jaw and penetrating its skull; the momentum of that massive force sent the wolf's body flipping into the air on the spot.

Leveraging the Sha Jin Wolf's charge, Qin Ding smoothly and effortlessly pulled the spear back out, leaving the Claw-Tooth Wolf leader—its skull pierced and blood pooling on the ground—to twitch its limbs a few times before it stopped moving altogether.

"Four left..."

As he whispered, Qin Ding glanced at the remaining four Claw-Tooth Wolves, observing that the death of their leader had not caused them to show grief or fear; instead, their wolfish faces appeared even more ferocious.

Grabbing the fur on the back of the Sha Jin Wolf's neck with one hand and clamping his legs around its belly, Qin Ding felt as if he had merged into one with the Sha Jin Wolf; he held his long spear level like a lance, pointing directly at the second target as the Sha Jin Wolf charged.

That Claw-Tooth Wolf was running while baring its teeth and roaring at him, its entire face twisted into a grim and vicious expression.

When the Sha Jin Wolf reached close proximity, it suddenly swerved sharply; utilizing the centrifugal force of the turn, Qin Ding swung his long spear in a wide arc, smashing it fiercely against the flank of the Claw-Tooth Wolf.

The spear shaft, driven by immense power, whistled through the air as it struck the Claw-Tooth Wolf's flank.

With a crisp crack, the level 13 Claw-Tooth Wolf yelped and collapsed, its hindquarters completely paralyzed; it could only drag its body using its front paws, its jaws opening and closing as it let out a low, defiant growl.

"Copper head, iron bones, tofu waist... Second one!"

Accompanied by a cold, calm voice, the long spear thrust forward, and the second Claw-Tooth Wolf was dead.

A cold smile curled onto Qin Ding's lips as he charged toward the nearest and most enraged Claw-Tooth Wolf atop the Sha Jin Wolf.

This Claw-Tooth Wolf was positioned at their side, and it looked like it intended to pounce on him.

The Sha Jin Wolf's eyes shifted slightly to the right, and it decisively slammed into that direction; the moment they drew close, the long spear shot out like a viper, piercing straight into the third Claw-Tooth Wolf's eye.

With a squelch, the blade punctured the eyeball and the spear tip sank into the socket; the third Claw-Tooth Wolf, which hadn't even had the chance to pounce, saw its charge come to an abrupt halt as its massive body crashed to the ground, blood foaming from its mouth as its limbs twitched in its final moments of life.

"Whimper..."

[Boss, two left...]

Two level 12s remaining.

Hearing the panting in the Sha Jin Wolf's voice and feeling the heaving of its body against his legs, Qin Ding knew that his Earth Dog had expended quite a bit of energy.

But in the current situation, he couldn't afford to stop even for a second.

"Can't stop. Two left. We can only rest easy once they're killed."

Just then, the two remaining level 12 Claw-Tooth Wolves, which hadn't kept up with the main group, began to maintain a synchronized pace, closing in on the charging Sha Jin Wolf from both the left and the right.

"Awooo!"

"Awooo!"

Both Claw-Tooth Wolves let out howls, seemingly signaling to each other, and began to accelerate.

One black, two yellow; the three wolves were engaged in a pincer movement through the forest, one in front and two behind. Whenever the Sha Jin Wolf tried to close in on one, it would immediately pull away, while the other would close in on the Sha Jin Wolf.

They maintained their pincer formation the entire time.

Noticing this, Qin Ding's eyes narrowed slightly.

The distance advantage he had seized earlier was gone; now that two Claw-Tooth Wolves of the same level and aptitude remained, and factoring in the Sha Jin Wolf's previous exertion, there was no longer a significant gap between them and the enemy.

"If we force it, the Earth Dog can definitely catch up, but it will consume even more stamina..."

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ding lightly patted the Sha Jin Wolf's back with his left hand.

"Earth Dog, wait for them to close in, then we'll slow down. We'll burst into speed once they're within range."

The Sha Jin Wolf's eyes flashed; understanding Qin Ding's intent, it immediately followed his instructions.

Sure enough, as the Sha Jin Wolf's speed gradually decreased, combined with the earlier high-speed running and turning charges, the situation appeared to the remaining two Claw-Tooth Wolves as a sign that it was running out of stamina.

The two remaining Claw-Tooth Wolves approached the Sha Jin Wolf in perfect sync, and Qin Ding gripped his long spear tightly, his heartbeat slowly accelerating.

Seeing that the distance was just right, both Claw-Tooth Wolves pounced simultaneously. Just as Qin Ding, thinking one of them would surely lunge at him, raised his spear to strike, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Because both Claw-Tooth Wolves were actually pouncing on the Sha Jin Wolf at the same time!

At this moment, Qin Ding's pupils constricted.

He had misjudged the situation!

Caught in the middle, the Sha Jin Wolf could only hastily lunge at one of them, while the other, howling, slammed directly into the Sha Jin Wolf's body from the side.

"Roar!"

In an instant, man and wolf were sent tumbling; Qin Ding was thrown right off the wolf's back. Fearing injury and worried about losing his grip on the spear, he hugged the shaft and rolled along the ground for seven or eight meters before coming to a stop.

The Claw-Tooth Wolf that had been knocked down by the Sha Jin Wolf successfully escaped with the help of the second, and it immediately charged at full speed toward the fallen Qin Ding.

The Sha Jin Wolf immediately tried to give chase, but the second Claw-Tooth Wolf jumped onto its back and latched on. Seeing this, the Sha Jin Wolf's eyes burned with rage, and an extremely furious howl erupted from its chest.

"Awooo!"

[You deserve to die!]

Qin Ding, rising anxiously from the ground, looked up to see the Claw-Tooth Wolf lunging at him.

"Damn it!"

In his haste, although he thrust his spear out, it lacked precision; the cold gleam slid past the Claw-Tooth Wolf's shoulder, piercing the wolf skin to leave a visible gash and drawing a spray of blood.

But this did not sap the Claw-Tooth Wolf's strength, nor could it stop its pounce.

Thud!

Qin Ding was tackled to the ground, a thick, fishy stench rushing straight into his face.

He held his long spear firmly against the Claw-Tooth Wolf's jaws, while its claws pressed into his shoulder, instantly tearing through his clothes and revealing the scale armor he wore underneath.

The Claw-Tooth Wolf, which had expected to kill or severely injure Qin Ding, was visibly stunned for a moment when it realized its claws were pressing against scale armor.

"Get lost!"

It was precisely this momentary lapse that gave Qin Ding his chance; he exerted force with both arms and flung the Claw-Tooth Wolf, which was biting onto his spear shaft, to the side.