48: The wolf attacked at night.

In the middle of the night, Lu Fan was having a sweet dream.

Suddenly, Big Horn's hurried and panicked cries rang out like a sharp alarm, violently pulling him from his sleep.

He snapped his eyes open; in the darkness, Big Horn's silhouette was moving frantically within the shed.

"Big Horn, what's going on!" Lu Fan sat up with a start, grabbing the knife by his pillow. His heart was thumping so hard it felt like it might burst through his chest.

Big Horn stomped his hooves in anxiety, pacing restlessly on all fours and letting out a series of short, urgent sounds from his throat.

[There is a wolf outside the Shelter]

Lu Fan hunched over and cautiously approached the door, each step incredibly light for fear of making even the slightest sound.

The moonlight was like a thin veil, spilling through the cracks and forming patches of eerie light on the ground.

Holding his breath, he peered through the crack in the door and saw a massive wolf standing quietly not far away.

The moonlight outlined its skeletal frame. Its eerie green eyes shimmered with a mysterious and dangerous light in the dark, like two ghostly flames staring fixedly at the Shelter.

"Good heavens, there really is a wolf!" Lu Fan gasped.

His hand instinctively tightened around the Broadsword, the muscles in his arm tensing instantly like powerful springs.

Big Horn hid in the shed, his body shaking like a leaf. He poked his head out from time to time only to retract it quickly, his antlers trembling slightly in the moonlight.

The wolf seemed to sense Lu Fan's gaze and let out a low growl, the sound squeezed from deep within its throat.

The roar, filled with endless weariness and ferocity, echoed far across the silent night.

Lu Fan had reinforced the fence earlier, so the wolf wouldn't be able to get in anytime soon.

By the dim moonlight, he carefully sized up the wolf.

He saw a long wound on its hind leg with the flesh torn open; the dried blood appeared dark red under the moon, looking like an ugly centipede crawling on its leg.

"Strange, why is this wolf all alone and injured like this?" Lu Fan's brow furrowed deeply.

"Judging by its age, this wolf isn't young, and its body is quite sturdy..."

Images flashed through Lu Fan's mind like a movie, recalling the wolf tracks and messy traces he had discovered earlier.

"If there was a fight within the pack..."

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead in realization: "Could it be... could it be that a New Wolf King was challenging the Old Wolf King, and that's why there was a fight?"

"In other words, it might be the Old Wolf King who was driven out of the pack."

In the wolf world of the wilderness, the hierarchy is as strict as a feudal dynasty.

When the transition between the new and Old Wolf Kings occurs, the old king is often soundly defeated by his younger, stronger opponent.

He is then ruthlessly expelled from the pack, forced to live a lonely and difficult life as a wanderer from then on.

"Hey, old fellow, what are you doing here at my place?" Lu Fan called out to the Old Wolf, emboldened.

His voice carried through the silent night with a hint of eeriness; after all, who talks to a wolf in the middle of the night?

The livestream room.

"Holy crap, what's going on in the middle of the night?"

"Is that... a wolf?"

"The wolf is here, the wolf is here."

"Luckily I have a habit of staying up late, otherwise I would have missed this."

At this moment, Yu Rui couldn't help but lean closer to the screen: "Great God Lu Fan must be careful."

That's right, as one of the hosts, Yu Rui hadn't gone to sleep yet either.

As if it understood Lu Fan's words, the Old Wolf looked up and let out another roar at him.

This roar lacked its previous strength, sounding as weak as a breeze that could die out at any moment.

A thought struck Lu Fan: if this wolf lost its ability to hunt due to its injury and happened to catch the scent of food from the Shelter...

"So you're here looking for food?"

"Big Horn, don't be afraid. This old fellow probably doesn't have much energy left to cause trouble," Lu Fan patted Big Horn's head and comforted him softly.

Then, taking a deep breath and holding his trident, he slowly walked out of the Shelter, approaching the Old Wolf step by step.

With every step, his heart rose higher in his throat. He kept his eyes fixed on the Old Wolf's every move, ready to react to any sudden situation.

Seeing Lu Fan approach, the Old Wolf instinctively shrank back, a whimpering sound coming from its throat that seemed like a warning, yet also a sign of weakness.

But it was too weak to launch any kind of attack against Lu Fan.

It could only lie weakly on the ground, letting out a roar that held no threat.

Lu Fan stopped a few paces away from the Old Wolf and crouched down to examine its wound.

The wound was deep enough to see the bone, the surrounding skin was severely swollen, and it emitted a pungent, rotten stench.

"It looks quite serious. If it's not treated, this leg will probably be useless," Lu Fan muttered to himself, frowning.

But the Old Wolf seemed to misinterpret his intent; it suddenly bared its teeth, showing sharp fangs, and made a move as if to pounce.

"Hey, calm down, calm down! I mean no harm." Lu Fan quickly stood up and retreated a few steps, his trident ready to strike at any moment.

Inside the Shelter, Big Horn paced in circles anxiously, letting out worried cries from time to time.

After sensing the Animal Affinity emanating from Lu Fan, the Old Wolf gradually calmed down and lay on the ground, licking its wound.

Lu Fan's mind raced as he thought of a plan.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He ran back into the Shelter, took out a piece of leftover Grouse meat, and carefully tossed it in front of the Old Wolf.

"Eat up. Look at you, you're just skin and bones," Lu Fan said softly.

The Old Wolf stared at the Grouse meat on the ground, hesitating for a long time.

In its eyes, hunger and wariness were intertwined.

Finally, hunger won out. It slowly lowered its head, picked up the meat, and began to devour it ravenously.

Before long, the Grouse meat was completely gone.

Having finished the meat, a hint of gentleness appeared in the Old Wolf's eyes, and it was no longer as hostile as before.

Lu Fan took the opportunity to approach again, crouching down to treat its wound.

But the Old Wolf suddenly backed away, dodging Lu Fan's hand.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I mean no harm," Lu Fan smiled helplessly.

He knew that taming a wolf was no easy task.

After a stalemate for a while, Lu Fan suddenly thought of a way.

He went back into the Shelter, brought out a rope, and wound it around his hand a few times.

Then he slowly approached the Old Wolf, whispering, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

Under the influence of Lu Fan's Animal Affinity, the Old Wolf let down its guard.

Taking advantage of the moment the Old Wolf was distracted, Lu Fan suddenly struck, looping the rope around the Old Wolf's neck.

The Old Wolf immediately panicked and began to struggle desperately, its body twisting from side to side as it tried to break free from the rope.

Lu Fan gripped the rope tightly, his feet planted firmly on the ground like a deep-rooted tree.

"I'm telling you, if you want to live, don't move."

The Old Wolf was in a state of extreme panic, struggling continuously, but the more it struggled, the more energy it consumed.