Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 185: Turning Defeat into Victory

“What wild smell?” Ouyang Ziyi asked instinctively, sniffing the surroundings. There was no unusual wild scent as Chu Tianyu had described. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Ouyang Ziyi glanced at Qin Nianran and covered her mouth with a smile. “Tianyu, I guess the wild smell you’re smelling comes from the dead wolves!”
“Dead wolves?” Chu Tianyu asked in confusion.
Ouyang Ziyi then described to Chu Tianyu how they had worked together to deal with the wolf pack the previous night. They had fought against the entire pack throughout the night and finally held out until dawn. The wild wolves hadn’t taken another step forward. The smell Chu Tianyu was smelling was likely from the wolves that died last night.
While Ouyang Ziyi spoke, even Qin Nianran beside her appeared relaxed, clearly satisfied with their successful defense the previous night.
However, after Ouyang Ziyi finished speaking, she didn’t hear any praise or words from Chu Tianyu. Instead, he looked deep in thought, and she wondered what he was thinking.
So she asked curiously, “Tianyu, what’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Faced with Ouyang Ziyi’s question and Qin Nianran’s puzzled gaze, Chu Tianyu said seriously, “Do wolf packs only attack at night?”
As soon as Chu Tianyu said this, Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran immediately understood his meaning. Their expressions changed instantly—they had made a habitual thinking mistake. They had assumed that since wolf packs attacked at night and they had held out until dawn, they would be safe during the day. After all, most wild beasts were thought to be active at night, resting or hiding in their dens during the day.
It was this mistaken assumption that made Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran overlook the fact that wolves could be active and aggressive during the day as well.
So, almost simultaneously while thinking, Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran reacted. Ouyang Ziyi quickly climbed onto the roof of the vehicle to take control of the heavy firepower, while Qin Nianran took Ouyang Ziyi’s original position, got into the vehicle, and picked up the sniper rifle.

Actually, a mere pack of wolves wasn’t worth Chu Tianyu saying such solemn words about. But just now, Chu Tianyu had checked his physical condition. After last night’s “deep sleep,” his body no longer suffered intense pain with the slightest movement; instead, he felt a warm and comfortable sensation throughout his body. Chu Tianyu understood that this was greatly related to the beam of moonlight that had shone on him while he was unconscious.

However, this sense of comfort in Chu Tianyu also meant a lack of strength in his body. Aside from sitting up abruptly when he woke up, his body, leaning against the wheel, had no strength at all. He had also tried to sense his internal energy, but it was completely empty—there was no trace of the vital energy that used to fill him.

Therefore, Chu Tianyu didn’t explain his situation in detail to Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran. Faced with the possible danger ahead, he was utterly helpless!

The flames from Ouyang Ziyi’s machine gun, accompanied by a series of explosions, finally erupted. It turned out Chu Tianyu’s intuition was correct—deep in the forest ahead, countless wild wolves were silently advancing. The ones at the front had already reached the edge of the forest, meaning they were very close to them!

Without hesitation, Ouyang Ziyi began shooting. Qin Nianran, from her sniper position, also started firing and quickly ran out of bullets. She then picked up the semi-automatic rifle beside her and continued shooting.

The continuous gunshots not only woke Bai Lei and Lan Yue, who had just fallen asleep, but also awakened Angel, who had gone to bed late in the night.

At the same time, the wild wolves realized their ambush plan had been discovered. With the howl of the alpha wolf, all the wolves rushed forward frantically, as if unafraid of danger or death. Under the lead of their alpha, they had only one goal: charge forward, bite through their prey’s throats, and tear them apart…

Just as Ouyang Ziyi finished firing her machine gun and stopped shooting, the gunshots from Bai Lei and Lan Yue on either side of the vehicle finally rang out, allowing Ouyang Ziyi to breathe a sigh of relief. With their support, she quickly replaced the last box of machine gun bullets.

Taking advantage of this gap, Qin Nianran inside the vehicle also hurriedly loaded more bullets into her sniper rifle. Their semi-automatic rifles had long run out of bullets, and even the few magazines prepared by their relatives the previous night had been used up.

The wolves’ attacks were ferocious, and it seemed an increasing number of wild wolves were emerging from the dense forest—this was precisely why Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran had to fire frantically, depleting their ammunition so quickly. As a result, many wild wolves rushed over. If not for Bai Lei and Lan Yue stepping in to reinforce their defense in time, their small position would likely have been captured long ago. Yet, the brutality of the battle was even too much for determined souls like Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran to bear. Those wolves kept charging forward, stepping over the corpses of those in front of them without hesitation. Even those wolves with torn intestines and ruptured stomachs from bullets would, as long as they still had a breath left, glare green-eyed at Ouyang Ziyi and the others hiding behind the car, roaring incessantly while scrabbling at the ground—though their bodies, now limp, could no longer move an inch. After the machine gun fired its last bullet, Ouyang Ziyi still held the trigger tightly, hearing only a series of hammer strikes. But she quickly reacted, grabbing another gun and shouting at Qin Nianran while shooting, “Nianran, go check on Chu Tianyu first. Try to get him onto the roof of the car behind us.” Clearly, Ouyang Ziyi had been worried about Chu Tianyu’s condition all along. In such a critical situation, he was still sitting on the ground, too weak even to stand—showing just how serious his injuries were. If it weren’t for the urgency of the moment, she would have rushed to check on him right away. With ammunition running low and their defense on the verge of collapse, how could Ouyang Ziyi not think of Chu Tianyu first? Of course, Qin Nianran felt the same way. As soon as Ouyang Ziyi spoke, Qin Nianran dropped her own bulletless sniper rifle, stepped out of the car, and went to Chu Tianyu’s side. Angel, standing nearby, also looked anxious, describing in English that Chu Tianyu couldn’t move at all. Chu Tianyu never expected such a day would come—his safety to depend on so many people’s concern. Though he couldn’t see the situation directly, he could hear clearly the gradually fading gunshots and shooting frequency on their side, along with the growing roars of the approaching wolves—all signs of the critical situation.

Qin Nianran didn’t have time to ask Chu Tianyu more about the situation now, nor did she consider any past awkwardness between them. Instead, she lifted Chu Tianyu’s arm, wrapped it around her neck, and placed it on her shoulder. At the same time, she wrapped her left arm around Chu Tianyu’s waist and, with a push, lifted him onto the roof. There was not the slightest hesitation or attempt to avoid awkwardness throughout the process. Even Chu Tianyu was stunned and let her help him.

But once they were on the roof, there was no way back down, as the wolf pack had already attacked. Several wild wolves came from both sides and pounced fiercely at Bai Lei and Lan Yue.

“Bang~ bang~” A few crisp gunshots rang out, hitting the first few wolves accurately and giving Bai Lei and Lan Yue a moment to catch their breath. Along with Ouyang Ziyi’s shout, “Get on the roof!” they quickly climbed up. As he climbed, Bai Lei grabbed a 50-centimeter-long military knife.

By then, Ouyang Ziyi had run out of bullets from her pistol to protect them both, so she picked up the rifle she had earlier as a temporary weapon, ready to deal with the wolves attacking from below.

Ouyang Ziyi and Lan Yue, who had just climbed up, defended the front. They turned their gun barrels and used the butts to fend off the wolves that kept pouncing. Bai Lei guarded the back and surroundings alone. Thanks to the machete he grabbed as he climbed, he had an extra weapon, which he threw to Qin Nianran on the opposite car.

Only after standing on the roof did they realize they were completely surrounded by the wolf pack. More wolves kept appearing from the dense forest. It was unclear what kind of place this was, with such a large wolf pack existing here.

Bai Lei’s hand holding the knife trembled slightly. He asked in a shaky voice, “Yue, Yueyue, do you think they’ll just come say hello and leave?”

“Then go say hello to them and tell them to leave!” Lan Yue replied irritably.

“Hehe. I was just trying to lighten the mood. Where’s your sense of humor online? To be honest, I’ve seen this kind of situation many times before. I’m not scared at all. Let me tell you about back in the day…” Bai Lei joked.

“Just brag!” Lan Yue teased.

However, their banter did ease the tense atmosphere. Meanwhile, the wolf pack seemed to be waiting for something and didn’t attack the trapped group right away.

“This isn’t bragging. I’m telling you, in such a situation, the first thing is to stay calm,” Bai Lei continued.

“Wasting words!” Lan Yue concluded without hesitation.

“The second is to leverage our strengths, attack their weaknesses, use every available resource, and deliver a merciless strike at them.”
“Like what resources?” Lan Yue asked Bai Lei with a sideways glance.
“Well, um, for example, suppose—oh, right! How about drowning them with spit? Hehe, that’s sneaky—it catches them off guard and insults them at the same time. It kills two birds with one stone!” Bai Lei finally came up with an answer to Lan Yue’s question.
“Die!” Lan Yue roared.
“Never mind, Plan A doesn’t work. I have a ultimate Plan B—heroes in trouble before have used it…”
“What Plan B?” Drawn by Bai Lei’s tempting voice, Lan Yue asked curiously again.
“It’s to shout…” Bai Lei drawled before suddenly shouting loudly, “Help! Help! Someone save us!”
“…” Lan Yue was speechless and rolled her eyes.
The wolves below also became agitated by Bai Lei’s sudden shout, with deep growls echoing back and forth.
Ouyang Zi Yi didn’t stop Bai Lei and Lan Yue’s foolish behavior or their revolutionary optimism in the face of a great enemy. Instead, when Bai Lei casually mentioned using every available resource, Ouyang Zi Yi seemed to seize on that idea.
“A lighter! Right, a lighter, Nian Ran. Did we have one with you when we were making breakfast?” Ouyang Zi Yi suddenly shouted excitedly at Qin Nian Ran across from her.
Before Qin Nian Ran could reply, Bai Lei, who was still arguing with Lan Yue, interjected, “A lighter? What do we need it for? Are we going to use it for a fire attack like my spit attack? Hehe, but since it’s your idea, Ouyang Zi Yi, I guess it might scare them a bit—maybe even burn off a few of their hairs!”
Obviously, Bai Lei thought Ouyang Zi Yi was just joking. Still, as he spoke, he spread his palm in front of her and said, “Here, the latest model ZP—completely windproof. I took it from Wang Shengyi last time I beat him. I brought it along for this adventure, just in case.”
Ouyang Zi Yi didn’t explain further. She grabbed the lighter and ordered Bai Lei, “Bai Lei, use your knife to cut some of the waterproof canvas under our feet for me—quickly!”

Although Bai Lei was puzzled by the canvas beneath their feet, which was originally meant to be used as a rain shield, he couldn’t believe that such a large piece of canvas could really make a difference. Still filled with doubt, he quickly divided the canvas into several large pieces and handed them to Ouyang Ziyi. By then, several wild wolves could no longer hold back and began trying to climb up from the front of the vehicle. Bai Lei and Lan Yue quickly joined forces to block their path.

Suddenly, a terrifying howl came from the wolves below, causing them to become agitated and start howling in response, their voices loud and frightening. Everyone’s gaze finally settled on the exit of the dense forest, where they spotted a wolf king twice the size of an ordinary wolf, with shiny fur. The wolf king took a few steps forward before stopping. Its sharp fangs could be seen between its open mouth as it roared, and its blood-red eyes stared fiercely at the people on the roof, blaming them for their heavy losses.

It raised its head and let out another long howl, as if rallying its troops before battle, its roar standing out even among the wolves’ howls. At the peak of their howling, the wolves finally launched an attack. The wild wolves near the vehicle rushed up onto the roof like mad…

At that moment, two balls of fire were thrown from Ouyang Ziyi’s hands to the left and right, igniting the tree trunks doused in gasoline that Qin Nianran had suggested preparing the night before. Thanks to the gasoline, the flames burst forth instantly, startling the surrounding wolves, who fled in panic. A few unlucky wolves standing on or near the vehicle had their fur catch fire instantly, causing them to scurry away in pain, howling loudly.

This sudden change disrupted the wolves’ original siege strategy, temporarily slowing their attacks on the roof. The flames on both sides also halted the advance of the wolves behind them, and the smoke served to deter them as well. Ouyang Ziyi, Lan Yue, and Bai Lei, who were initially at the forefront, now stood back to back in the center of the roof, constantly on guard against wolves attacking from all directions. Seeing this, Ouyang Ziyi lit the canvas pieces cut by Bai Lei and threw them at the front of the vehicle, the main direction of the wolves’ attacks. Bai Lei seized the opportunity without hesitation, took off his shirt, and handed it to Ouyang Ziyi to continue lighting and throwing. The goal now was to hold on as long as possible.

Compared to them, things were much easier on Chu Tianyu’s side. Although Qin Nianran had been temporarily exhausted yesterday, she had recovered a lot by now. Though she hadn’t yet reached her previous level and couldn’t use her special abilities, her strength was already far greater than that of an ordinary person.

The key was that they had Angel on their side! With her ghostly speed and sharp phantom blades, they could easily deal with attacks from any direction. Moreover, they were under less siege than Ouyang Ziyi’s group, so it seemed that they, along with Chu Tianyu who couldn’t move, were not in much danger for now.

At this moment, Chu Tianyu was extremely anxious. He tried several times to summon his internal vital energy, but all he felt was emptiness and weakness, leaving him utterly frustrated. After several futile attempts, he gave up on this unrealistic idea and began to observe the situation around him.

Ouyang Ziyi’s “minor fire attack” only delayed things for a few seconds and couldn’t last long. Instead, the fires on both sides caused great chaos among the wolves below. If only they could get some gasoline from below and pour it around the cars to set them on fire… But this idea was quickly dismissed by Chu Tianyu. Not only was Angel the only one who could go down to get gasoline under these circumstances, but even if she had the ability, Chu Tianyu wouldn’t risk such a young girl. And even if they could get gasoline, lighting it around them wouldn’t stop the wolves much, and the intense heat and smoke would be unbearable for them on the roof!

Chu Tianyu suddenly understood a term that had always been unfamiliar to him—“at a loss”!

At that moment, the wolf king across from them let out another roar, instantly calming the already panicked wolves. To Chu Tianyu, this imposing roar sounded even more like a provocation and mockery. Combined with the muddy ground behind them, it felt like a dragon trapped in mud, howling at wolves (laughs).

Chu Tianyu wasn’t prone to anger or frustration. Instead, he focused entirely on the current situation. Under the wolf king’s command, the wolves calmed down again, carefully avoiding the two piles of flames, ready to launch another attack on their prey on the roof.

Ouyang Ziyi and the others were now affected by physical exhaustion, and their movements were far less agile than before. Especially Bai Lei, who was using an axe and covered in wolf blood. Yet Chu Tianyu could still clearly see several deep blood marks on his arms—clearly the work of wolf claws. It seemed these wild wolves, under the leadership of the wolf king, were full of cunning, far beyond what they could withstand at the moment. Thinking of this, Chu Tianyu was deeply feeling helpless when suddenly his body trembled as if he had caught some inspiration. He exclaimed to himself, “That’s right, the wolf king! To catch the thief, catch the king first. How could I forget that wolf king? The only way out now is to have another bullet to shoot the wolf king from a distance—that’s their only chance to turn the tide and survive.” Realizing the key to the situation, Chu Tianyu forced himself to gather his strength and shouted, “Who has more bullets? Shooting the wolf king is our only way out!” His words startled everyone, who immediately turned their gaze toward the arrogant wolf king in the distance. Unfortunately, Ouyang Ziyi and the others had searched every pocket but found no more bullets. “Could this work? I took one to play with…” At that moment, Angel spoke softly, and on her outstretched palm, a copper-yellow semi-automatic rifle bullet appeared before Chu Tianyu and Qin Nianran’s eyes. Qin Nianran immediately rushed forward, hugged Angel, and kissed her fiercely, saying, “Angel, you’re truly an angel!” Even Chu Tianyu wanted to kiss this adorable angel—she was so cute! Qin Nianran quickly loaded the bullet into the rifle and was about to aim when she lowered the barrel and shouted, “No, my shooting angle isn’t good. You’re right in front of me!” Only then did Chu Tianyu realize that the wolf king happened to be right in front of them, in a space no bigger than the roof of a car—there was no good shooting spot. Moreover, Ouyang Ziyi and the others were in front, constantly facing attacking wolves and moving around, making it impossible for Qin Nianran behind them to shoot. “Give it to me!” Ouyang Ziyi also noticed this and quickly coordinated with Lan Yue and Bai Lei, moving to Qin Nianran’s side in an instant, spreading her arms and getting ready.

Qin Nianran hesitated not at all. Seizing the opportunity, she firmly threw the rifle in her hand to Ouyang Ziyi. With the rifle in hand, Ouyang Ziyi gave a low shout, “Turn, cover me!” Then she turned back to face forward, while Lan Yue and Bai Lei stepped forward frantically to block the wolves that were leaping at them, creating some space for Ouyang Ziyi. As she turned, Ouyang Ziyi prepared herself to aim and shoot. Her mood gradually calmed down—she had received professional shooting training and knew exactly what to do. The howls of the wolves and the sounds of Bai Lei and Lan Yue fighting faded away. In her eyes, nothing else existed but the target she was aiming at!

“Be careful!” Just as Ouyang Ziyi pulled the trigger, Bai Lei screamed in alarm. A wolf had taken advantage of her focus to leap at her from the front, gripping the car window with its front paws before lunging at her. Bai Lei saw this happen and, in his urgency, didn’t think twice. After shouting, he swung his sword at the wolf. However, due to the suddenness, although he managed to stop the wolf, his arm was thrown backward by its momentum, hitting Ouyang Ziyi hard… With a “thud,” Ouyang Ziyi’s gun barrel was lifted upward by the impact, and the trigger was pulled, sending the precious bullet into the sky.

“Arcane Bow!!!” Just as everyone felt disheartened, thinking all hope had been lost with that accidentally fired bullet, Chu Tianye suddenly roared. Before anyone could react, Ouyang Ziyi’s face lit up with understanding. She threw the rifle downward, hitting the head of a wolf that was about to attack, causing it to fall back heavily. Taking advantage of this moment, an ethereal bow glowing with green light appeared in Ouyang Ziyi’s hands, along with a green arrow that slowly materialized. Given her current condition, it was already extremely difficult for her to conjure a bow and arrow—she was barely holding on, with sweat the size of beans forming on her forehead and dripping down her face.

Since returning to her home country, Ouyang Ziyi had also tried using this Elf Bow. But every time, even when she was in the best physical condition, she could only conjure two arrows, and after each shot, she would feel utterly exhausted. She would be listless for several days afterward, feeling as though the bow was absorbing her vitality to function. After a few attempts, she gave up on it. If not for Chu Tianye’s timely reminder from a distance, Ouyang Ziyi herself would never have considered trying it again.

Ouyang Ziyi held her breath, stabilized her arm and wrist as she drew back the bowstring, and fixed her gaze intently on the distant Wolf King. Bai Lei and Lan Yue also learned from their previous mistake and focused their attention on Ouyang Ziyi, doing their utmost to protect her “arrow of salvation”!

As a result, Bai Lei’s bare back was covered in scratches from sharp claws, and Lan Yue’s right arm, from the wrist down, kept dripping blood.

With a “whoosh,” Ouyang Ziyi finally shot the arrow. The emerald-green arrow, accompanied by a burst of green sparks, flew like the wind and lightning toward the Wolf King.

The Wolf King clearly hadn’t expected that one of its prey, surrounded on all sides, could possess such a powerful counterattack ability and long-range attack capability. It sensed a mighty force rushing toward it, one filled with a terrifying power.

Driven by its instinct to sense danger, it tried to dodge to the side and turn its head, but its body was too slow to avoid it…

With a “pfft,” the emerald-green arrow pierced through its neck. As a gush of blood sprayed out, the Wolf King’s massive body was knocked down by the arrow’s immense force, as if struck by a real arrow, pinning it to the ground forever.

The Wolf King, suffering intense pain and filled with resentment, let out a final scream as it died on the spot, deprived even of the chance to struggle in its dying moments—proof of the arrow’s devastating power!

Along with the Wolf King’s screams, all the wild wolves in the area stopped attacking at once and turned their heads toward it.

“Woof~ Woof~” A series of howls first came from the wolves surrounding the Wolf King, then instantly spread throughout the entire valley. All the wolves began to howl, their expressions no longer fierce but replaced by a sense of sorrow, a pitiful sadness…

At this moment, all the wolves turned and rushed back to where the alpha wolf had died. They gathered in a circle, howling loudly toward the sky. Two slightly larger wolves grabbed the alpha wolf’s carcass with their mouths and ran into the dense forest, while the entire pack followed behind, disappearing from sight in an instant…
“Clang~ clang~” Suddenly, sounds came from the roof of the car. It turned out that seeing the wolves finally retreat, Bai Lei and Lan Yue, who had been fighting non-stop, could no longer bear their exhaustion. Their machetes and rifles slipped from their hands and landed on the roof, and they sat down heavily, panting heavily…
However, they didn’t rest for long before being called by Ouyang Zi Yi. Now was not the time to relax—who knew if the wolves might return to attack? So they had to take this opportunity to prepare for further defense as soon as possible.
Everyone understood this. Except for Chu Tianyu, all the others got to work. Just as Bai Lei had said, they used every available resource—piling up more branches and firewood in front, filling several beer bottles with gasoline to make incendiary bombs, joining the two cars together, and moving everything they could onto the roof.
By the time they finished everything, it was already dark, and the moonlight shone down. While Chu Tianyu enjoyed the moonlight bath once again, Ouyang Zi Yi and the others began counting the remaining supplies on the roof…