"King, the one who just saved you… do you know him?"
The Blue Wolf King was carried all the way back to the wolf den by his subordinates. Only after reaching a safe area did the pack members think to ask who that wolf named Zhang Yang actually was.
The Wolf King himself was completely dumbfounded.
He genuinely didn't know Zhang Yang.
"King, from what I saw, that guy looked like one of those Jungle Wolves from over there."
"Impossible. How could a Jungle Wolf possess that kind of power?"
All the blue wolves had witnessed Zhang Yang's strength with their own eyes.
Those giant snakes — Zhang Yang knocked them flying one after another with a single charge.
Could that really be a Jungle Wolf?
Even a fierce tiger wouldn't be that ferocious, right?
"Enough. Stop talking. Prepare to migrate."
The Blue Wolf King had completely lost confidence. Now was not the time to dwell on who Zhang Yang was. Right now, the only thing that mattered was survival.
With a whole nest of snakes suddenly appearing near their den, not only would their food supply shrink dramatically, but their very lives were now in constant danger.
If the wolf pack really tried to fight those writhing masses of snakes, the pack would almost certainly be wiped out.
The blue wolves lowered their heads one by one, tails drooping.
They had never once considered migrating before.
Now they were being driven out by a nest of snakes. The humiliation was unbearable.
"King, where should we migrate to?"
This was a very serious question.
"To the Jungle Wolves' territory."
The Blue Wolf King had given up.
He used to dream of leading the pack to even greater heights, to more advanced lands.
But now that ambition was gone.
Just surviving would be enough.
He even suspected he himself might not live much longer.
His entire skeleton was misaligned; he couldn't recover from such injuries on his own.
The wolves fell completely silent.
They were regressing — actually going backward in life. They never imagined they'd one day have to seize territory from Jungle Wolves.
What else could they say?
Silently, dejectedly, they began packing up to migrate.
But of course, not everyone was willing to accept it quietly.
Some wolves had grown accustomed to eating big fish and fat meat. Asking them to go back to nibbling on small fry and shrimp — how could they be happy about that?
"I challenge you."
One blue wolf stepped forward to challenge the Wolf King.
This was the rule of the pack: any wolf who believed himself strong enough could challenge the king. If successful, he would become the new king.
"What are you trying to do? Where do you plan to lead the pack?"
The Blue Wolf King still had a sense of responsibility. He knew he didn't have long to live, so he no longer cared about holding onto the throne.
What he cared about was the survival and continuation of the pack. It was his duty to ensure the clan endured.
"This is our home. Why should we leave? We should drive those snakes out — or even better, kill every last one of them."
This challenger was full of fire and bravado, posturing as if he were about to make the pack great again.
"Idiot." The cold, ruthless words rippled through the pack.
The Blue Wolf King didn't speak.
None of the other blue wolves spoke either.
The one who spoke was Zhang Yang, who had just returned victorious.
Zhang Yang swaggered openly into the heart of the blue wolf den.
At this moment, no one cared anymore what breed of wolf he was.
They only knew one thing: Zhang Yang was badass. That was enough.
Although he looked quite miserable — large patches of fur scorched and missing from his back, the rest of his body covered in crusted blood — the fact that he had fought his way out of a snake swarm alive proved everything.
"Hmm… you're back?"
The Blue Wolf King stared at Zhang Yang in disbelief.
He couldn't fathom how Zhang Yang had escaped that snake pit.
He had been certain Zhang Yang would die.
"Sorry. I didn't have the courage to go back and save you. I couldn't let the entire pack be destroyed."
Before Zhang Yang could even respond, the Blue Wolf King apologized sincerely. Guilt weighed heavily on him.
"It's fine. You made the right choice."
Zhang Yang genuinely approved of the Blue Wolf King's decision.
If the king had really led the whole pack back to fight the snakes to the death, Zhang Yang would have cursed him out.
That kind of stupidity would have seriously delayed his mission to expand the population — at that point, even killing the Blue Wolf King wouldn't relieve his anger.
"I'm sorry!"
The Blue Wolf King lowered his head deeply toward Zhang Yang. Regardless of whether his choice had been correct, he couldn't forgive himself.
"May I ask your name? Where do you come from?"
"Zhang Yang. Jungle Wolf."
That simple answer was enough to satisfy the Blue Wolf King's curiosity.
Then he suddenly remembered that he had just decided to go rob the Jungle Wolves' territory.
The shame was overwhelming.
He wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
You save us, and in return we plan to steal your land. What kind of wolf does that?
"Zhang Yang, I have one request."
The Blue Wolf King kept his head lowered — a clear gesture of submission.
Not just because Zhang Yang had saved his life, but because Zhang Yang was stronger.
Submitting to the strong was the law of the wolves. Although Zhang Yang wasn't originally one of the blue wolves, after he saved the entire pack, they had already accepted him as one of their own.
"Speak."
Zhang Yang raised his head proudly, waiting.
"I, the Blue Wolf King, respectfully request that you become the next Blue Wolf King. I hope you will lead our pack to thrive and multiply."
After he finished speaking, the Blue Wolf King slightly lifted his gaze, staring into Zhang Yang's fierce, predatory eyes, desperately hoping for an answer.
Zhang Yang was a little surprised. He hadn't expected taking over the blue wolf pack would be this easy.
He had already mentally prepared himself to spend some effort beating reality into them.
"Alright. I accept."
"Ding! Mission completed: Expand the population. Reward: Lifespan +30 days."
Another month of life secured. Zhang Yang felt delighted.
Counting the reward from killing the Snake King, his remaining lifespan had now surpassed one hundred days. He could afford to be a little more reckless now.
"You… really accept?"
To be honest, the Blue Wolf King was surprised.
Jungle Wolves and Blue Wolves had never been on friendly terms. In the past, the blue wolves had bullied the jungle wolves quite badly.
"Yes. I accept."
Hearing Zhang Yang confirm again, every blue wolf in the pack lowered their heads toward him and let out soft, respectful whines.
This time, no challenger dared to step forward.
None of them had the courage to challenge Zhang Yang.
From this moment on, Zhang Yang — this Jungle Wolf — had become the King of the Blue Wolves.
"King, should we start migrating right away?"
The former Blue Wolf King asked. He hadn't forgotten about the migration issue.
"Why migrate?"
Zhang Yang asked back. He had already prepared to show off a little.
"The pythons…"
"No need to worry. They're all dead. Go collect their bodies."
In other words — tonight they could feast.
A full snake banquet sounded pretty good.