Chapter 96: Chapter 95: So You’re Playing Schemer Now, Huh?

Lin Chen knew, of course, that the production team must have been aware of his situation by now, so he wasn’t panicking at all.

The sound of a helicopter engine was especially distinct in the quiet forest, clearly audible even from one or two kilometers away.

When he opened his eyes again, his surroundings had grown dim. The once-tall trees had become terrifying shapes in the shadows, and the wolf carcasses beneath him were now just two blurry outlines.

Glancing around, he couldn’t even pinpoint the wolf pack’s exact location with his naked eye.

He flexed his arms, feeling that about half his strength had returned.

He took a deep breath, letting the bone-chilling wind fill his lungs and sending a shiver through his entire body.

’I wonder what the best way to cook wolf meat is. Does it taste anything like dog meat?’

He murmured to himself, and the tension he had been feeling immediately eased.

For a while during his childhood, Huajiang dog meat was very popular. He remembered his parents often took him along when they went out for meals, specifically to dog meat restaurants.

There would be a table right at the entrance with a stainless steel tray on it. On the tray, there was always a whole cooked dog, along with half of one that had already been partially carved.

If you didn’t look at the restaurant’s name, it looked almost like a small lamb.

Back then, he always had it as a hot pot. Pounds of boneless, sliced dog meat would be added to a seasoned broth. Everyone got their own dipping sauce, and once the pot boiled, you just picked out the meat, dipped it, and ate. After the meat was gone, you’d add other things to the pot.

He was still young at the time. Even though he thought dogs were cute, he had to admit the meat was delicious. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

If it had any downside, it was that eating too much dog meat was considered very ’heaty.’ He’d once eaten so much that he got a massive nosebleed right there on the spot.

Then later, at some point, all those dog meat restaurants seemed to vanish overnight. In the decade or so that followed, he never saw the name "Huajiang dog meat" again.

’Wolf meat should be pretty similar, right?’

’But wolves live in the wild. Their muscles are more developed and they have less fat, so the meat is probably tougher. It would most likely be better suited for stewing for a long time.’

For some reason, the moment he started thinking about how to cook the wolf meat, his stomach began to grumble in protest.

’Settle down, settle down, I’ll get you something to eat right now!’

Letting his mind wander had actually worked. Now, there wasn’t a trace of nervousness left in him—only a mind full of curiosity and anticipation for a new ingredient.

He drew a fletched arrow and nocked it on the string.

He switched on his Hat Lamp.

WHOOSH.

A blinding beam of light lit up the jungle, pointing directly at the distant wolf pack crouching near the bushes.

The spot where the Wolf King had been was long empty.

The sudden, piercing light made the wolves instinctively squint and flinch. A few of the more startled ones even shot to their feet.

’What a pity.’

His plan to use the Hat Lamp for a sneak attack on the Wolf King was over before it even began. Lin Chen sighed to himself.

He drew his bow.

WHOOSH—

A gray wolf dropped to the ground.

"AWOOOO~~~~"

A mournful howl came from behind him. Lin Chen whipped his head around, and only then did he realize—within the cone of light from his Hat Lamp—that the cunning Wolf King had somehow repositioned itself behind him.

Caught in the beam, the Wolf King showed no panic. It turned its head and leaped in the same motion, vanishing directly into the bushes.

Even as he swiveled his head to follow, he could only catch a fleeting black shadow in the undergrowth.

Most importantly, the creature was extremely cunning and intelligent. From Lin Chen’s current position, it was impossible to cover the ninety-degree blind spot behind him, blocked by the tree trunk.

He couldn’t even draw his bow from that angle unless he leaned half his body out, but that would make it far too easy to lose his balance and fall.

"Oh, so you want to play mind games, do you?"

Lin Chen sneered. After scanning his surroundings, he had a rough grasp of the situation.

There were still about fourteen or fifteen wolves left, including the unlucky one with an arrow stuck in its rear.

He had seventeen arrows left in his quiver, which meant he only had two shots to spare.

That was true in theory, but according to the information in his mind, wolves weren’t the type of creatures to fight to the death.

It wasn’t easy to build up a pack, especially one that had grown to about twenty strong. That would have taken years and several territorial wars to achieve.

If taking down a single piece of prey meant losing more than half the pack, the Wolf King would certainly choose to retreat, as long as it wasn’t a fool.

If it fought to the bitter end and the pack suffered heavy losses, the scent of blood would attract other nearby packs, who would seize the opportunity to come and end its life.

At that point, not only would it lose its own life, but its mates would be stolen away to bear pups for the victor, while its own cubs would be forced to accept a usurper as their new father.

While a wolf lacks a human moral compass and wouldn’t feel that kind of humiliation, the Wolf King’s pride would never allow such a thing to happen due to its own poor decision-making.

Lin Chen drew another fletched arrow and nocked it. His Hat Lamp locked onto a gray wolf that had just been standing beside the Wolf King.

Sensing the imminent danger, the gray wolf nervously mimicked the Wolf King and bolted, causing two other nearby Yukon Wolves to scatter as well.

Just then, without warning, Lin Chen snapped his body back around. The blinding light illuminated the bushes in front of him.

The already taut bowstring was instantly released.

"WHOOSH—"

Another black wolf, caught completely off guard, was struck by the arrow and collapsed.

"That move is called a feint! Learn a thing or two, you pups!!"

The string of successful shots made Lin Chen’s confidence swell, and his voice boomed.

The black wolf that had already been hit was especially terrified, its limbs trembling uncontrollably as it watched its companions fall one after another.

If the Wolf King weren’t still nearby, it probably would have already turned tail and fled.

The moment Lin Chen finished speaking, a slight breeze stirred beneath him, accompanied by the scratching sound of something scraping against the tree bark.

He instinctively looked down just in time to see a pair of eerie green eyes flash in the darkness before vanishing, leaving only deep claw marks in the trunk.

’Hiss... That thing... it actually tried to jump up and ambush me?’

Luckily, he was high enough up. At five meters, even with his legs dangling, his feet were still more than four meters off the ground. It wouldn’t matter how strong the Wolf King was.

As he drew his hunting bow once more.

"Awooo~~"

A howl with a different cadence from before rang through the forest, its source constantly shifting.

The next second, the surrounding wolves dove into the bushes without a backward glance and vanished.

’They’re running?!’

Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed. He took aim at the hobbled, unlucky wolf and let an arrow fly.

"Whimper..."

With a faint whimper, the black wolf collapsed, its front paws clawing feebly at the dirt as it struggled to stand again.

He didn’t move.

This Wolf King’s intelligence far exceeded his expectations. It was hard not to suspect this was a fake retreat, a ploy to lure him down from the tree.

He remained on the branch, leaning against the trunk, quietly watching the black wolf’s final struggle as death approached.