Wolf Pack

The snowflakes drifting across the sky reminded Lin Yu of the news report he had seen before bed.

A massive blizzard was forecasted for the northern regions, with a red alert issued.

Had the storm already begun?

After a moment’s thought, Lin Yu pulled the hood of his down jacket over his head, his mood still calm.

No big deal~

It’s not like it’s hailing.

Just a light snowfall. It won’t be long before the fourth female lead shows up to rescue the "damsel in distress" (or in this case, the "damsel" being him).

No need to panic.

With that thought, Lin Yu averted his gaze, ready to resume his pose as he watched the intersection ahead.

But in that very instant, his body jolted, goosebumps rising all over as he sensed something—an eerie, spine-chilling feeling of being watched.

It was the same sensation he had felt that day after school, when he first met Zhao She.

Following the unease in his heart, he turned his head.

A single glance was all it took for his dark pupils to constrict sharply.

He yanked off the hood he had just put on, sacrificing warmth for an unobstructed field of vision.

At the same time, he instinctively stepped forward, shielding Qing Mo—who still hadn’t realized what was happening—behind him.

Wolves!

Qing Mo blinked in confusion as Lin Yu suddenly darted from her left to her right, extending an arm to block her path. She had no idea why he was doing this.

The next second, her peripheral vision caught several low, gray figures. She spotted the pack of wolves approaching in the distance, a flicker of surprise flashing in her eyes.

But soon, realization dawned on her, and her gaze shifted to Lin Yu beside her, lingering with an even deeper astonishment...

...

The soft snow, driven by the howling wind, carried a faint sting as it whipped against their faces, making them instinctively want to shut their eyes to protect the most vulnerable parts.

But Lin Yu didn’t dare close his eyes—not even squinting too much. He kept his focus locked on the wolves’ movements, not allowing himself a single moment of carelessness.

Cold sweat trickled down his back as he watched the gray wolves, tails dragging, slowly pacing toward them.

Damn it.

They’re really coming for us.

What the hell?

This isn’t how the plot’s supposed to go.

Shouldn’t the female lead be showing up right about now?

Why wolves?!

Unless the wolves are also femal—

No way!

The wolves’ emerald-green eyes practically screamed, "We’re starving!" and Lin Yu knew exactly what kind of hunger they were feeling.

Wolves?

A goat?

Lin Yu suddenly recalled the culprit behind the car accident, as Qing Mo had described it.

That goat...

Now it made sense.

That goat must have been fleeing from the wolves, panicking so much that it dashed onto this fenced-in highway.

So then...

Was everything that happened today just a coincidence?

No time to dwell on that. As the wolves drew closer, Lin Yu unzipped his coat and pulled out the small dinner knife he’d taken from Qing Mo’s house, shaking off the thick layer of tissue paper to reveal the sharp blade.

While Lin Yu remained vigilant against the encroaching wolves, Qing Mo’s gaze stayed fixed on his tense, focused profile.

Aside from that one glance at the wolves when Lin Yu first shielded her, she had spent the rest of the time staring blankly at him.

In this moment, Qing Mo—who had always cared only for the sweetest, juiciest fruits—found herself truly noticing the unassuming little tree for the first time...

...

The wolves’ tails, dragging along the ground, twitched excitedly, their brown eyes brimming with hunger and greed.

Lin Yu, now certain he was the target, quickly strategized, trying to figure out how to escape this perilous situation.

He counted the wolves—nine. That was far beyond what a single human could handle.

Even with a knife!

Unless he had a "great equalizer"!

Fighting was out of the question. What about running?

Lin Yu glanced to his left.

Endless snowy forest stretched as far as the eye could see. Trying to outmaneuver wolves in the woods would be suicide.

To the right...

His gaze shifted to the highway’s edge, skimming past the steep mountain wall before landing on the wrecked car with its smashed front end. His heart grew heavier.

The car would’ve made a decent stronghold—but was it safe?

Would it explode?

When he spotted wisps of smoke rising from the crumpled hood, he abandoned that idea entirely.

In this situation...

Their only option was to make a run for the forest.

Keeping his eyes locked on the wolves slowly encircling them, Lin Yu spoke to Qing Mo without turning his head:

"Can you climb trees?"

"Huh?"

Qing Mo hesitated for a second before answering honestly,

"No."

"How fast can you learn?"

Lin Yu pressed.

Qing Mo reflected on her past experiences and replied with confidence,

"Very fast!"

"Good."

Lin Yu exhaled in relief and nodded.

"Then climb over the fence behind you and get down there. Find a tree you can climb—I’ll cover you."

"Wha—?"

Qing Mo was briefly startled, but a quick look at their surroundings made her realize this was probably their best shot.

She swung her leg over the roadside fence, staring down at the snow-covered slope below. A wave of gratitude washed over her for wearing boots with low heels today.

Gulping hard, she steeled herself before glancing back at Lin Yu, her voice trembling with nerves as she stammered,

"I-I’m going down now."

Too preoccupied with the wolves to respond, Lin Yu gave only a slight nod.

Qing Mo turned back to the steep slope, took a deep breath, and took her first step.

On a slope this steep—nearly fifty degrees—once she started, stopping was no longer an option.

She stumbled downward in a barely controlled sprint. Lin Yu tossed aside the blood-soaked tissue on his forehead and focused entirely on the wolves, his guard at maximum.

Less than three seconds after Qing Mo began her descent, gray shadows darted out from the pack, chasing after her.

The moment the wolves lunged, Lin Yu—already prepared—sprang into action, racing toward Qing Mo almost in sync with three of the wolves.

As soon as Lin Yu moved, the remaining six wolves bared their fangs and charged down the slope after him.

Two humans, nine wolves—four separate groups—raced desperately down the treacherous, snow-covered incline.

Qing Mo, at the front, was the slowest. The three wolves were closing in fast, about to pounce.

With no time to spare, Lin Yu accelerated, throwing himself between Qing Mo and the wolves.

The wolves didn’t falter at the sudden human obstacle.

One of them lunged, jaws gaping, aiming straight for Lin Yu from barely a meter away.

Faced with the wolf’s attack, Lin Yu dropped into a slide—

Twisting onto his back mid-motion, he drove the sharp knife upward into the belly of the wolf leaping over him.

Momentum did the rest. The blade sliced a diagonal gash from the wolf’s stomach downward.

Blood rained down like a crimson curtain, briefly obscuring Lin Yu’s vision.

Lin Yu hastily wiped his eyes with his arm, but before he could even lower it, a sharp pain shot through his thigh. He snapped his eyes open and saw the second of the three gray wolves sinking its teeth into his leg.

Without hesitation, Lin Yu drove the dinner knife deep into the wolf’s eye, burying it to the hilt.

After dealing with the two wolves, he didn’t dare relax for even a second. Yanking the bloodied knife free, he whipped his head around, scanning for the third wolf.

He spotted it almost immediately—its target wasn’t him, but Qing Mo. The beast was closing in fast, its sprinting form unmistakably poised to strike.

Shit!

Ignoring the pain wracking his body, Lin Yu scrambled up from the snow, gripping the gore-smeared knife as he charged toward Qing Mo.