As soon as he stepped out of the car, Ryan was drenched by the driving rain, but he paid no mind. He simply held his gun and walked slowly toward the white wolf.
The wolf had already sustained some injuries from the explosion, and Ryan's shots had added to its wounds. Although none of the bullets had hit any vital spots, the wolf was clearly hurt.
Coupled with the impact from Ryan's car, it was barely holding on.
The wolf lay on the ground, struggling a few times before finally managing to rise shakily to its feet.
Even so, the ferocity in its eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest. It glared at Ryan, ready to pounce..
Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly and stopped in his tracks, maintaining a cautious distance.
He had witnessed the wolf's terrifying speed and leaping ability earlier and didn't dare get any closer. If the wolf lunged at him now, it could be dangerous.
He glanced at the wolf again and couldn't help but marvel at its tenacity.
Despite being pushed to such an extreme, it was still alive.
The wolf looked at the gun in Ryan's hand and seemed to understand the threat it posed, so it didn't make any sudden moves.
The two of them stood off against each other in the storm, neither making a move.
After a moment, Ryan was the first to break. His left arm was already injured, and the rain-soaked limb began to throb with intense pain.
He knew that if he continued like this, his wound would surely get infected, which would be a real problem.
Without warning, Ryan raised his gun and aimed at the wolf, firing without concern for accuracy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the gunshots rang out, Ryan's face fell in astonishment. The moment he raised his gun, the wolf had turned tail and fled.
His shots all went wide.
"Wha—t?"
Ryan's face was full of confusion.
The beast had clearly been ready for a fight to the death, yet it had run away at the first sign of danger.
After a brief moment of stupefaction, Ryan snapped out of it.
The wolf had clearly been at the end of its rope and couldn't hold on any longer. Its ferocious display had been nothing more than a bluff, an attempt to scare him off.
The wolf had actually used a psychological tactic on him, and Ryan had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.
Ryan felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment. He had been outsmarted by an animal.
Fuming with frustration, Ryan gave chase, but by the time he reached the bend, the wolf had vanished from sight.
He knew he couldn't continue the pursuit. After being drenched in the rain and battered by the wind, he was shivering uncontrollably and feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Continuing the chase would not only be futile in terms of catching the white wolf, but he would most likely end up with a severe cold or fever.
Ryan's left arm was already injured, and if he developed a fever, his chances of survival in this game would be severely compromised.
He had to take care of himself first. He quickly turned around and ran back to the car, retrieved a small box from the trunk, and got back inside.
He changed into a clean set of clothes as fast as he could, then tended to his wound before starting the car and heading off.
Driving was extremely hazardous now. Half the windshield was shattered, and the wipers were broken, making it nearly impossible to see through the downpour.
Ryan had no choice but to drive slowly and cautiously down the mountain road. After maintaining a low speed for ten minutes, Ryan arrived at the entrance of the first villa at the foot of the mountain.
He immediately turned the steering wheel and drove toward it.
The owner of this villa was Jasper Jackson, a tycoon who made the wealth list and was also the one who had recorded a compromising video with a top-tier actress.
Ryan was already feeling unwell. He had initially planned to drive away from the villa area on the mountaintop, but now he felt like his body might give out.
Since the white wolf was also significantly injured and wouldn't be able to hunt him down anytime soon, Ryan decided to take a few days' rest at Jasper's villa. It was well-stocked with supplies, so he wouldn't have to waste time gathering resources elsewhere, especially with his injured left hand making the task extremely difficult.
Ryan parked the car in front of the villa, grabbed an umbrella, and ran to the entrance. After pushing the door open, he immediately locked it behind him.
Then he went through the entire first floor, the second floor, and the third floor, locking all the windows and doors before he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Ryan lay down in the master bedroom on the third floor to rest for a moment, but he immediately felt a chill run through his entire body. Even with a blanket wrapped around him, he couldn't stop shivering.
He suddenly realized something was wrong. He vaguely remembered reading somewhere, either on TV or in a book, that if you're bitten by a dog, you should avoid water until the wound heals, otherwise it's very easy to get infected. Although he had been bitten by a wolf, he figured the principle should be the same.
At the time, he had been so focused on taking down the white wolf that he had completely forgotten about this.
Now, he wasn't sure whether he was infected or just coming down with a cold and fever.
He wasn't a doctor and didn't have much medical knowledge, so he had no idea what else to do. He could only force himself to get another blanket from another room and wrap it around himself, trying to warm up.
After doubling up on the blankets, he felt a bit better, but only for a short while. Soon, he felt extremely uncomfortable, his body becoming feverish and breaking out in a cold sweat. He had no choice but to kick off the blankets, only to start shivering again.
At this moment, Ryan felt like he was caught between two extremes, ice and fire. No matter what he did, he was in unbearable agony.
Going through this cycle of feeling cold and then hot, he became completely exhausted and couldn't muster any strength.
He had never experienced anything like this in his life. It was as if he was being slowly tortured, watching his vitality drain away bit by bit, and fear began to take hold of his heart.
He felt a deep sense of helplessness and panic, as if he were drowning, struggling in the water, fighting to survive.
It was at this moment that Ryan suddenly came to his senses and realized what was happening.
This had to be the doing of the survival game.
"Damn it!!"
Ryan was now completely furious. This damn game was never-ending.
Even the slightest mistake would be exploited by the game to torment him.
He had initially wondered why, even if he was infected, the symptoms wouldn't have come on so quickly.
But considering the game's previous unreasonable tactics, it all made sense now.
First, there were natural disasters like the storm, followed by his own mistakes that led to more trouble, then the wild beast attacks, and now this illness.
It was truly one thing after another, giving him no chance to catch his breath.