Chapter 18.1

Wolves!?

Wei Li’s expression changed instantly.

He immediately looked towards Mu Ling in the cage.

Mu Ling had also heard the sounds from outside. Her face grew serious, and she quickly tried to get up.

Wei Li said, “Don’t move yet. I’ll go take a look.”

With that, he left hurriedly.

Mu Ling didn’t dare delay either. She hastened to change the little wolf’s bandage, then picked it up and rushed after him.

At that moment, the live chat exploded.

「Is the wolf pack real?」

「It must be staged. They just mentioned the little wolf’s identity might be questionable, and now this happens. I bet they’ll end the stream now and post a blog tomorrow saying they returned the cub to the wolf pack. Haha, by then there’ll be no evidence left.」

「Honestly, a mentally unstable retired war beast wouldn’t just avoid humans; it wouldn’t be friendly to other animals either. It’s strange for it to mate in a zoo.」

「Unless they have another Snow Wolf, I don’t believe this cub is Qingjiao’s offspring.」

「Wait, is she going out?」

Of course, Mu Ling had to go out. If a wolf pack really invaded the service area, there were many maintenance staff around. If anyone got bitten, the medical expenses would bankrupt her.

However, before going out, Mu Ling put on her protective suit and helmet to ensure her safety.

When she opened the door, Mu Ling found the outside deserted. There wasn’t a single soul in the open area in front of the office building.

She glanced up at the building, guessing the staff had probably retreated to their dormitories.

Mu Ling felt slightly relieved that no one had been injured.

Holding the wolf cub in her arms, she tentatively took a few more steps outside. At that moment, she saw Wei Li emerge from the supermarket’s side door.

Wei Li hadn’t noticed Mu Ling. He was holding a tranquilizer gun and wearing a full protective suit. After coming out, he immediately aimed the gun towards the direction of the mountain pass.

Mu Ling then noticed that the wolf pack hadn’t actually entered the service area; they were still lingering near the mountain pass.

Mu Ling spotted a very eye-catching gray wolf. It was enormous, with golden eyes. It stood on a protruding hillside, its cold and ominous beast eyes fixed intently on Wei Li, who was aiming the gun at it.

「Whoa! That’s a huge wolf! What kind of wolf is that? How can it be so big?」

「It’s a Wind Chaser Wolf, native to Shuangmu Star. Wind Chaser Wolves are a Level 1 protected species in the Federation. They’re extremely wild and difficult to tame, known as the forest overlords. They’re among the few species prone to mutation due to unstable genes. Despite their power, Wind Chaser Wolves can’t become war beasts. This zoo is impressive to have one.」

Mu Ling initially thought the giant wolf was Qingjiao, but upon closer look, it wasn’t. Qingjiao had red eyes, while this wolf had golden eyes.

So who was this striking giant wolf?

Mu Ling looked down at the wolf cub and asked, “Is this your father?”

The cub, still nestled in Mu Ling’s arms licking her fingers, was oblivious to the world. Hearing Mu Ling speak to it, it raised its little head, wagging its small tail, and nuzzled its forehead against Mu Ling’s clothes, affectionately cuddling her.

Mu Ling absentmindedly stroked it once, about to look back at the large wolf when she heard a “bang!”

Wei Li had fired!

Mu Ling looked again and saw that although the giant gray wolf had dodged incredibly fast, it was still hit in the leg. Within half a second, its body rapidly softened, and it finally collapsed on the hillside.

「What a fast shot!」

「So decisive, and accurate too. This employee’s got skills. His gun stance is very standard.」

Just as the giant wolf fell, a black shadow leaped out from the bushes behind it. It was a slightly smaller black wolf. It approached the gray wolf, sniffing it and making whimpering sounds.

“Bang!” Wei Li pulled the trigger again, taking down the black wolf as well.

Mu Ling was stunned.

“Brother Wei’s gone crazy!”

The live chat, however, understood:

「A wolf pack actively entering human territory must be prepared for battle. Taking down these two vanguard wolves is a deterrent, meant to scare off other lurking wolves. This employee is doing the right thing. We can’t give the wolf pack any signal that humans can be bullied.」

The consecutive gunshots frightened the little wolf cuddled in Mu Ling’s arms.

Mu Ling was also a bit startled. She wasn’t sure if Qilin had been frightened too, so she thought about going back to the veterinary station to check.

But just as she turned around, from the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw something pouncing at her from behind.

It was a dark gray wolf with blazing red eyes and stark white fangs.

It leaped through the air, aiming directly for Mu Ling’s throat!

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”

「Ahhhhhhhhhhh!」

The sudden change happened in an instant, with Mu Ling and the live chat screaming simultaneously.

Wei Li heard the sound and turned to see a gray wolf, which had somehow sneaked into the service area, attacking Mu Ling. He pulled the trigger, and with a “bang,” shot the wolf in the waist.

The wolf, just three steps away from Mu Ling, suddenly fell from mid-air, but only for a moment. After hitting the ground, it wasn’t tranquilized. Instead, it quickly sprinted and lunged at Mu Ling again.

Wei Li’s face changed as he shouted, “Run!”

Mu Ling was already running faster than a rabbit before Wei Li could finish. She ran straight towards the veterinary station. This must be Qingjiao; it wasn’t tranquilized. Wei Li couldn’t hurt it, and she couldn’t outrun a wolf. Who else in the park could save her?

“Qilin!”

Mu Ling’s heart-wrenching cry for help echoed through the entire service area as she rushed into the veterinary station’s hall, running straight towards Qilin’s ward.

As she was still pulling open the iron gate, the red-eyed vicious wolf had caught up and was about to pounce on her shoulder.

At that very moment, the tiger, which had been lazily lying on its bedding, sprang up like a coiled spring.

Qilin’s golden body quickly rushed to the front of the railing. It lowered its upper body, all its black claws fully extended. Its piercing brown-green beast eyes, filled with rage and killing intent, glared furiously at the gray wolf outside. At the same time, it opened its crimson mouth, and from between its silver-white fangs, an earth-shaking tiger’s roar erupted: “ROAR!”

This was the pressure from the king of beasts, a warning from an S-class war beast.

The roar made Mu Ling’s knees go weak, nearly causing her to fall.

The live chat went absolutely crazy.

「Ahhhhhhhhhh!」

「Qilin!」

「Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my! These are the only words I can say right now!」

The vicious wolf preparing to attack from behind was indeed intimidated by the tiger’s roar.

It paused, its aggressive stance instantly shifting from facing Mu Ling to facing Qilin.

Mu Ling seized the opportunity to pull open the cage door, quickly slipped inside, and then locked it.

Separated by the black iron bars, the wolf and tiger glared at each other menacingly, with rumbling growls continuously emanating from their throats.

Having entered Qilin’s territory, Mu Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. She sat down, half of her body drenched in sweat.

The little wolf curled up in her arms was also terrified by Qilin’s roar, its whole body trembling. And why did it feel wet?

Mu Ling lifted the little wolf to check and found that it had wet itself out of fear.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. A puppy’s urine isn’t dirty.”

Mu Ling casually used her protective suit to wipe the little wolf’s bottom, then turned her attention to the vicious wolf outside.

This was definitely Qingjiao. Mu Ling tentatively picked up the little wolf and waved it in front of the vicious wolf.

Sure enough, the red-eyed vicious wolf’s gaze was immediately drawn to the little wolf, and its expression towards Mu Ling became even more ferocious.

Mu Ling felt a chill run down her spine and quickly said, “I’m returning it to you. I’m giving your child back right now. You suddenly attacked me outside without saying a word, so of course I had to run. I didn’t intentionally take your child away. I’m really returning it to you.”

Earlier outside, Mu Ling could have thrown the little wolf to Qingjiao, but she wasn’t sure if that would stop Qingjiao from attacking her. After all, in Qingjiao’s eyes, she was already confirmed as an enemy, and wolves are known to hold grudges and have a strong desire for revenge. So Mu Ling didn’t dare to gamble on that fifty-fifty chance of survival and just ran first.

Now that she was safe, she had time to reason with Qingjiao properly.

Mu Ling carried the little wolf to the door. She carefully opened a small gap in the door and, before Qingjiao could look over, quickly pushed the little wolf out and then closed the door again.

But outside the door, the little wolf became even more frightened by Mu Ling’s “abandonment.” It trembled all over, its body pressed tightly against the iron bars, whimpering and looking at Mu Ling.

Qingjiao’s current appearance was too fierce, and the little wolf was too scared to approach its mother.

Qingjiao had also seen its child, but with enemies still present, it couldn’t relax. It could only continue to howl at Qilin: “Aooo!”

Could Qilin tolerate that? It roared back: “ROAR!”

The little wolf’s body went limp, and more urine flowed from beneath its bottom.

Seeing that this approach wasn’t working, Mu Ling had no choice but to slowly approach Qilin, gently stroking its waist and back.

「Sh*t, don’t get close! You dare to approach a war beast in battle mode? Are you crazy?」

「I’m so afraid Qilin might turn and bite her first.」

Yet Qilin didn’t bite her; instead, Mu Ling softly caressed it while slowly saying: “It’s okay Qilin; she can’t come in here—be good now.”

Word by word, she gradually calmed down the tense muscles of the fierce tiger. Then Mu Ling hugged Qilin’s body, hugging it as she retreated. Qilin seemed to understand she was trying to mediate. Although it still growled softly, it cooperated by slowly backing away.

Only when Mu Ling had hugged Qilin back into the corner did Qingjiao finally relax outside the cage. It lowered its head to sniff its cub.

The little wolf still didn’t dare to move until Qingjiao had sniffed for quite a while, confirming this was indeed its own cub. Then it affectionately nuzzled the cub’s body with its nose.

The little wolf staggered from its mother’s nuzzle, plopping down on its bottom.

While Qingjiao and the cub needed some time to restore their relationship, Mu Ling took the opportunity to observe Qingjiao closely.

This was indeed a very fierce and robust mother wolf, clearly a strong fighter.

But why was its fur so worn? Wait, why was its fur so coarse? Oh my, many patches of fur were matted, and its tail was even partially bald!

Mu Ling grew increasingly surprised.

Is this an S-class war beast, the Dark Snow wolf?

It looks worse than a beggar!

Is this what long-haired animals look like without grooming? Well-groomed, they’re top-tier; neglected, they’re bottom-tier?

Mu Ling turned back to look at her precious Qilin. Tigers have short hair, so a crew cut always looks beautiful. See, even after eight months in the wild, it’s still gorgeous upon return.

Mu Ling couldn’t resist and suddenly, quite inappropriately, gave Qilin a quick kiss, “Mwah!”

The tiger, which had been on guard against the gray wolf outside, was suddenly kissed by Mu Ling. It glanced at her sideways, then turned its beast eyes away. Oh well, it was used to this by now. Hehehe.

The little wolf finally recognized its mother and stopped trembling. It wagged its tail at its mom.

Qingjiao was delighted. Then it opened its big mouth and bit the cub’s head.

Mu Ling: “…”

“…”

Wait, you’re biting its head?

The cub’s entire head was suddenly swallowed into its mother’s mouth!

Qingjiao seemed to want to carry the cub away by biting its head.

Mu Ling watched in shock. Although wolves express affection by biting each other’s heads, when traveling, aren’t you afraid your teeth might break your cub’s neck?

“Yip, yip!”

Sure enough, the little wolf felt very uncomfortable and kept struggling.

Qingjiao didn’t dare to really bite down on the cub’s head, so every time the cub struggled, it had to let go.

The little wolf, with a head full of its mother’s saliva, shook its head and then staggered back, seemingly upset and wanting to find Mu Ling.

Qingjiao wouldn’t let it leave and bit the cub’s head again, trying to drag it away forcefully.

By now, Mu Ling understood. This was Qingjiao’s first time being a mother. It didn’t know that you’re supposed to carry cubs by the scruff of their neck, not by the head. Well, it made sense. Qingjiao was bred and raised by humans, never having been raised by a wolf mother itself, so not knowing these instincts was normal.

But this was hard on the little wolf.

Unsurprisingly, the cub once again cried out and struggled in pain, forcing Qingjiao to release it. This time, the little wolf was angry. It jumped up and pounced on its mother, but Qingjiao was so tall and big, while the cub was so short and fragile. When it hit its mother’s body, the little wolf was deflected by the muscle and fell back to the ground, belly up, rolling around.

The little wolf quickly stood up, shook itself, pretending nothing had happened.

Mu Ling: “…”

Mu Ling felt like laughing. What a pair of hopeless mother and child!

Actually, in animal groups, parents have a very strong blood dominance over their offspring. Qingjiao could have completely ignored the cub’s struggles and dragged it away forcefully, but for some reason, every time the little wolf cried, it would let go.

Mu Ling guessed this might be related to the cub’s recent injury.

Brother Xiang said that when they saw Qingjiao and the cub last night, Qingjiao was trying to forcibly carry the cub away from the tree trunk. But the more it tried to carry it, the more the cub hurt, and the more its wound tore open, causing the smell of blood to grow stronger. This probably created psychological trauma for Qingjiao, so now whenever the cub cried, it didn’t dare to force it.

But this standoff couldn’t continue indefinitely.

In the end, Mu Ling and Qilin had been sitting in the corner for nearly five minutes, while Qingjiao and the cub outside still couldn’t communicate properly.

Qingjiao grew impatient and started scolding its child: “Aooo!”

The little wolf, frightened by the howl, whimpered “Yip yip” and struggled again to squeeze through the bars to find Mu Ling.