When Fu Chao and Lao Ying’s childhood friend saw the key, they were both stunned.

Those who had known Lao Ying for a long time were very familiar with this key to the Fu family home, because the eleven little knots on the red string had been handwoven by Fu’s mother, one by one.

On the day Lao Ying enlisted in the army and left, she had hung it around his neck. It was his greatest treasure, something even more important to him than his own life—how could it possibly appear here?

“Is it Lao Er?” Fu Chao was in disbelief.

“I think it’s him too,” Lao Ying’s childhood friend said, his heart pounding, feeling in that instant that these people might really be saved.

Although he didn’t know all the details about Lao Ying, he had heard a lot—he was a king among soldiers, part of the most mysterious and powerful group.

Lao Ying’s parents also seemed dazed.

Seeing that the family had recognized him, Xiao Liu finally breathed a sigh of relief and remained silent.

He thought to himself, Good, that’s a relief. Then he calmly approached Lao Ying’s mother, threw the key in front of her, and immediately curled into a small ball, burrowing into the pocket of her clothes.

The few of them watched in astonishment as a willow twig seemed to come alive with a soul, and while they were shocked, even more, they were filled with hope.

“What’s going on?” the four of them stared blankly at the scene before them.

Fortunately, after the acid rains of the apocalypse, too many strange phenomena had emerged around Lingshan, so seeing a lively willow behaving like a child wasn’t so hard to accept.

“Lao Er is back?” Lao Ying’s mother said uncertainly.

Lao Ying’s father nodded, and both Fu Chao and Lao Ying’s childhood friend firmly believed that Lao Ying had returned. Since he could send the key over, it was probably to reassure them that he was back.

The young man let out a long sigh. “We’re saved.”

Lao Ying’s mother, who had completely lost hope before, now felt a glimmer of it reigniting upon hearing news of her second son.

Before they could continue discussing what exactly was happening, a sudden, eerie wolf howl echoed from the mountain behind the temple. The howl was sharp, chilling, and continuous.

The people huddled in the corners instinctively shrank back further, trying not to draw attention.

However, Lao Ying’s family didn’t seem afraid; instead, they were more curious.

The tiger that had been dozing lazily on a pile of straw suddenly opened its eyes. It stood up, cautiously surveying its surroundings, and seeing that the crowd was still huddled together and accounted for, it slowly strolled out the temple gate.

Sensing the threat from its old rival in the back mountain, the tiger let out a deafening roar that shook the entire mountain—more ferocious and piercing than the wolves’ howls, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

“What does that mean? Are they about to fight now?” Lao Ying, watching Xiao Liu crawl into his mother’s pocket through binoculars, felt a little relieved.

Now he could finally pay attention to other matters.

Nan Muran looked up at the sky and shook her head. “The wolf pack will probably wait a bit longer.”

“They’re waiting for nightfall?” Si Ye asked.

“Mm. Only once it’s dark will the wolves’ advantage in attack fully show,” Nan Muran replied calmly.

Lao Ying picked up the binoculars again, scanning his family, worried that if the tiger and the wolf pack fought, his family might get caught in the crossfire.

“With Xiao Liu protecting them, you don’t need to worry,” Nan Muran said reassuringly. “We just need to stay put and wait for the result. We might even get a big reward out of this.”

She flipped over, lying contentedly on the grass.

The sky had already turned a bluish-gray, and by the looks of it, stars might soon appear.

“A reward?” Lao Ying was puzzled.

But Si Ye understood what Nan Muran meant. “That tiger is a level-four mutant beast. What about the wolf pack?”

“The wolf king is a level-five mutant beast. In the pack, there are also two level-three mutant wolves and four level-two mutant wolves,” Nan Muran said casually. Mutated beast cores were much more compatible with the human body than plant cores and could help people improve their powers faster.

Lao Ying was a bit shocked. What exactly was in this mountain to cause such rapid mutation in animals and plants? “Since the wolf king is a level-five mutant beast and has so much help from the pack, the outcome is pretty much decided then, right?”

“Not necessarily. Although the tiger is only a level-four mutant, it has already reached the peak of level four. Plus, it’s the king of beasts, carrying an innate aura of dominance. Even if the entire wolf pack goes all out, they might not win.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have waited for nightfall to launch an attack.”

As Nan Muran spoke, she was also carefully sensing every subtle anomaly in the mountain, trying to find the special substance that caused the entire mountain to mutate.

Si Ye, knowing her intention, said, “I have a theory that might help you find it.”

“Go on,” Nan Muran’s eyes lit up.

“Just now, the tree-man said many plants here had mutated. And it’s obvious that the plants on the back mountain are lusher than the ones in front. The wolf king and the tiger’s mutations are also much more advanced than the smaller creatures we saw earlier,” Si Ye analyzed.

Nan Muran thought for a moment and used her spiritual sense to scan the plants in the back mountain, confirming that it was true.

“You mean, the thing I’m looking for is very likely in the back mountain of Lingshan?”

“After we rescue everyone, we’ll help you find it,” Jiawu said, rolling over to look at the darkening sky.

Nan Muran smiled and nodded. Her heart felt warm. Having companions, support, and people she could completely trust—this was something she had never experienced in her previous apocalyptic life.

“The wolf pack is approaching the temple,” Lao Ying said suddenly after nightfall as he continued observing.

Everyone immediately became alert and focused their attention downhill.

They saw the wolf pack slowly approach the temple from the back mountain. About a hundred meters from the temple, the wolves split into two groups: one part headed toward the rear wall, and the other moved straight for the main entrance.

Meanwhile, the wolf king stood on a high point not far from the temple entrance, observing all movements closely.

“These guys are way too smart,” Lao Ying said. They knew how to attack from the front, flank the enemy, and monitor the battle situation at all times.

“Wolves are naturally well-trained and disciplined,” Si Ye sneered. “They are top predators in the food chain.” After all, wasn’t the Blood Wolf squad named because of the wolves’ traits?

Lao Ying nodded. “Truly impressive.”

As they watched strong adult wolves steadily infiltrate the temple courtyard, the tension rose—both the tiger and the wolves were moments away from clashing.