Half an hour after entering the jungle, Xiao Feng, rifle slung across his back, emerged once more before the Viper Squad."Be on your guard," he said calmly. "A magical beast is approaching."
No sooner had he spoken than Turner barked an order, his voice sharp and commanding."All units, hold formation. Gunners, stand ready! Wait for my signal to fire."
But before Turner's command could fully register, a vicious direwolf leapt from behind a great tree and landed before them, exuding a fierce and wild majesty. Standing a meter and a half tall, its coat was a bristling field of steel-grey fur, each strand as sharp as a needle. Cold, murderous light glinted in its feral eyes.
Crouching low, the beast scanned the mercenaries concealed among the trees. Upon noticing the barrels of dozens of rifles pointed its way, it did something utterly unexpected—it turned and began to retreat.
The mercenaries held their fire, waiting for Turner's order. Yet Turner stood frozen, stunned by the appearance of this savage beast. The precious moment to strike slipped by.
His mind momentarily blank, Turner was overwhelmed not by fear, but by recognition. As a seasoned mercenary leader, he understood all too well the implications of this wolf's presence.
Then, a thunderous gunshot cracked through the air.
Boom!
The direwolf staggered and fell to its knees, howling in agony. Its left hind leg had been struck, the joint shattered, and dark blood poured forth.
Perched calmly on a tree branch above, Xiao Feng pulled back the bolt of his sniper rifle, ejecting the smoking shell. He coolly chambered a fresh, golden round."Trying to flee?" he muttered coldly.
The wounded wolf struggled to rise, only to be met by a second resounding shot.
Boom!
Its right hind leg buckled beneath it—another direct hit to the joint. Escape was now impossible.
Even Ai Wei turned, her eyes wide with disbelief. Though the range was close, the wolf had been in constant motion, yet Xiao Feng had struck its vulnerable joints twice—both while it moved. Such precision was beyond even her confident grasp.
Who was this boy, truly?
Turner finally snapped out of his stupor and roared, "Attack! Don't let it get away!"
The entire squad charged from their positions, surrounding the downed beast. But Xiao Feng moved swifter than all of them. With a few deft movements, he leapt down from the trees and landed directly before the direwolf.
With no hesitation, he rammed the long barrel of his rifle into the creature's howling maw and pulled the trigger.
Boom!
The beast convulsed violently, then collapsed, twitching as death took hold.
The mercenaries stood motionless, weapons still raised, staring at Xiao Feng as he slowly withdrew the smoking rifle from the direwolf's gaping mouth.
Three shots. Less than a minute. A lone youth had felled a G-class magical beast. The silence was thick with disbelief.
White clapped the boy's head with a hearty laugh."Well done, Xiao Feng! You've done us proud."
Xiao Feng offered a faint smile."Having a proper sniper rifle certainly helps. Maybe now we won't be the ones running from beasts anymore."
Ai Wei stepped closer."Don't get too confident. This rifle of yours might pierce a G-class beast's hide, but if we encounter an F-class, it'll be as useless as a twig."
Xiao Feng looked at her, surprised."Really? And what does an F-class look like? What kind of gun can even wound one?"
Glancing at her comrades who were handling the corpse, Ai Wei saw she had a moment to explain."For an F-class, you'd need my Browm heavy sniper. It can pierce not just F-class, but even E-class hides."
"You mean the twenty-thousand-credit rifle you mentioned?"
With a proud nod, she replied,"There's only one in the entire Sector 64. I barely even let myself use it."
Xiao Feng chuckled."No matter how good the weapon, if you never fire it, it's nothing but scrap metal."
Ai Wei blinked, momentarily taken aback. He had a point—what value does a weapon have if it remains unused? As she watched him clean the blood from his rifle with a handkerchief, his cool demeanor unsettled her. Was he merely pretending to be composed? Either way, her heart stirred in unfamiliar ways.
Turner, meanwhile, was thrilled. Within thirty minutes of entering the jungle, they had secured a G-class beast—thirty thousand credits earned. Though no one else had fired a shot, Xiao Feng was now part of Viper Squad, and so the beast was theirs by right.
He ordered several men to carry the direwolf's body back to the vehicle.
Lighting a cigarette, he handed one to White."That boy's got real talent."
White grinned."And you forget who trained him? Hah!" He puffed with pride, the shadows of past worries now gone. Noticing Ai Wei lingering near Xiao Feng, he added with amusement,"Seems your sister has taken quite a liking to him, eh?"
Turner laughed."Shame he's still too young. If he were twenty, I might actually consider giving her to him."
"Age is but a number. Give it a couple of years, and he'll be there."
Turner chuckled, but as White turned away, his expression darkened. He narrowed his eyes at Xiao Feng.Don't you dare set your sights on Ai Wei, boy…
Xiao Feng finished cleaning his rifle, and with a hint of disdain, remarked to Ai Wei,"Your Viper Squad is pretty weak. Not a single one of you fired when that beast appeared."
"Hmph! Weak? Hardly. We were waiting for my brother's command. That's the only reason we didn't shoot."
"Yeah, right. Who would believe that?"
Shouldering his sniper rifle, Xiao Feng turned and disappeared once more into the depths of the forest.
Ai Wei stamped her foot in frustration, glaring after him."You arrogant brat! Just wait, you'll see what we're really made of!"
"Aiwei, have you truly fallen for that boy, Xiao Feng?" Turner called his sister to the rear of the squad and asked with a knowing smirk. Romance updates faster than a rocket—dare you not believe it?
Aiwei gave a derisive snort. "Brother, you're such a joker. How could I possibly fall for that infuriating brat?" Though she scoffed, her awkward expression betrayed her denial.
Turner, reassured by her words, let out a hearty laugh. "Good. I still hope to see my sister marry someone truly formidable, so I might bask in a bit of reflected glory. Just look at you—so beautiful, only a young master from a powerful consortium or a general's son would be worthy of you. A penniless brat like Xiao Feng? He's not even fit to carry your shoes! Ha ha ha!"
Aiwei, sensing her brother's intentions, frowned and retorted unhappily, "Whom I marry is my own decision. Those rich young heirs and sons of generals? They hold no appeal for me."
Turner chuckled. "I know how girls talk—what you say is always the opposite of what you feel. You say you don't care, but deep down you must be dreaming of it. Don't worry, I'll handle everything. One day, I'll take you to the metropolis to meet an old friend of mine. He's the perfect match for you!"
"Spare me, Brother. You should worry more about yourself. At your age, if you still don't marry, people will start to suspect something's wrong with you!"
With a mischievous grin, Aiwei pointed teasingly toward Turner's lower half.
Turner glanced down, his expression freezing. "Seriously? People really think that?"
Aiwei burst into laughter and shook her head as she walked deeper into the forest. This fierce-looking yet deviously cunning brother of hers—she loved and loathed him in equal measure.
Several dozen minutes later, as the Viper Squad advanced through the jungle, two sudden gunshots rang out—then two more.
At the very first sound, White's eyes narrowed. He instantly recognized the report of Xiao Feng's sniper rifle. Without hesitation, he slung his hunting rifle from his back and dashed toward the sound. "D*mn kid, disobeying orders again…"
Seeing White run off, Turner and the others immediately gave chase. The rest of the squad needed no urging—another G-class beast meant more credits, more reward, and more blood to spill.
Aiwei, gripping her pistol modified with a sniper scope, followed closely behind. Her heart tightened with worry. She feared Xiao Feng might have gotten himself into serious trouble.
White, leading the charge, arrived within a minute. Panting, he looked up and saw Xiao Feng perched on a thick tree branch. Below him, the forest floor churned with the shifting shadows of more than a dozen large beasts—restless, circling, leaping upward in vain attempts to reach him.
The moment White saw them, dread gripped his heart. These tall, powerful forms—they were unmistakably the same G-class demon wolves they had already encountered.
He halted abruptly, gesturing behind him for the others to stop.
The demon wolves, too, had sensed the new arrivals. Slowly, they turned to face the Viper Squad, their glowing eyes gleaming with malice.
Low growls rumbled from their throats. Each wolf stood at least a meter and a half tall, their posture exuding menace.
Then, from within the pack, a single, even larger white wolf stepped forward. Its cold, murderous gaze locked onto the Viper Squad like a blade drawn in silence.
This white wolf towered above the others by half a head and was built with terrifying strength—it was, without a doubt, the alpha.
It stood at the head of the pack, just as White stood at the front of his team—a leader mirroring a leader.
White, concerned for Xiao Feng's safety, didn't retreat. He stared down the white alpha with unflinching ferocity. Though this horde of beasts was formidable, the Viper Squad behind him was not to be underestimated either. Each member gripped their rifles tightly, ready to clash with death itself.
To them, this confrontation wasn't just a harrowing battle—it was also a fortune waiting to be claimed. These G-class beasts could fulfill their mission's quota. More than that, the bounty might finally cover the cost of Alice's eye surgery.
Perched in the tree, Xiao Feng shook his head and muttered, "D*mn it... I didn't think there'd be this many of them. Looks like we've got real trouble today."
He began loading his sniper rifle. Aiwei had provided him the weapon—but not many rounds. Had he more bullets, he was confident he could handle the entire pack alone.
Counting the remaining rounds in his pocket, he found only five. Even if each bullet felled a wolf, it still wouldn't be enough.
Aiwei arrived then, catching her breath as she beheld the fearsome scene—a vast, coordinated wolf pack, more brutal and awe-inspiring than any she'd encountered before. Her gaze locked onto the majestic white alpha, and a shiver ran through her. She was still a woman, after all.
Turner pulled her behind a tree. "Are you insane? Stay behind cover!"
"Why are there so many G-class beasts?" she asked, breathless.
"Only the heavens know," Turner replied grimly. "Look at that white demon wolf. I'd wager it's not even G-class anymore."
"An F-class beast?" Aiwei whispered.
"Could be. And if that's true, only a gifted user can take it down. The rest of us… we'd never even scratch it," Turner said, his voice tight with worry.
"Then what do we do?"
Before she could finish her sentence, a shot rang out—bang!
All eyes turned to Xiao Feng, still on the tree. Calm and methodical, he racked the bolt, chambered another round, and fired again—this time aiming directly at the white alpha's head.
The two shots struck true, but did little damage. At most, they sheared away a few tufts of fur. It was proof enough—the white wolf was no G-class creature.
"That lunatic," Turner growled. "He's got a death wish."
Enraged, the white alpha turned and howled in Xiao Feng's direction. Then, another shot—bang!—and its left eye burst into a crimson bloom.
The beast howled in pain, "Awooo! Awoooo!" before swinging its head to the Viper Squad and unleashing a guttural roar. A command.
The entire pack responded with a unified howl that tore through the jungle air. And then—like a tidal wave of darkness crashing through the night—the demon wolves charged.