Chapter 558 - Missing Teammates
The wolves that had lived in the desert for a long time had some mutations in their bodies to adapt to the dry and hot environment of the desert. For example, the ears of the desert wolves were larger than other types of wolves. This was convenient for heat dissipation and made their hearing more acute. They were usually smaller, with strong backs and limbs. They had higher mobility and could run at amazing speeds.
At the same time, they evolved a stronger hunger tolerance due to the lack of resources in the desert. In the absence of food, they could survive without eating for up to half a month without starving.
The desert wolves were often active at night. Xiao Lou retreated to her side alertly when he heard Chu Huaying say there were wolves in the distance and he asked in a low voice, “Huaying, can you judge the distance between the wolves and us?”
Chu Huaying had just pressed her ear to the sand to listen carefully. She frowned and answered, “The number isn’t clear. I only heard the howl of the lead wolf summoning its companions and their footsteps as they ran. The distance is around… three kilometers away. My hearing is enhanced and I can hear sounds as far as three kilometers away.”
For extremely fast running wolves, three kilometers would only take them minutes to cross.
Xiao Lou couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. He looked around. In the vast desert, they had nowhere to hide. In addition, the setting of the cards being invalid once they were used made him not dare to easily use the life saving card of Tao Yuanming.
Brother Jiu and Tang Ci had gone to find the oasis while Yu Hanjiang had a high fever and Long Sen was unconscious. At present, only Xiao Lou, Chu Huaying, Qu Wanyue, Shao Qingge and Ye Qi had combat effectiveness.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible. “I don’t know how many wolves there are. If it is within 100 then the six of us can barely handle them. However, if the number is too large and they are hard to deal with then we can only find a way to escape as soon as possible.”
Ye Qi was worried. “Can we escape from the wolves just relying on displacement cards? Wolves can run fast and for a long time. We don’t have the physical strength to compete with them.”
Gui Yuanzhang suggested, “Wolves are usually afraid of fire. Why don’t we try to surround our makeshift camp with fire?”
Xiao Lou smiled bitterly and shook his head. “We have no fuel.”
Bai Juyi was only responsible for pointing out a small range of flames and didn’t provide excess charcoal. The charcoal fire that Xiao Lou had just lit was divided into several parts for everyone to make a heater. The remaining charcoal fire in the sand was also basin-sized. More tragically, the fuel of this charcoal fire was about to run out. The fire would be extinguished in a few minutes.
If it was the wilderness, they could pick up some branches and dead leaves to continue to light the fire. Now they were in a desert. They were only surrounded by endless sand and not even the shadow of a tree could be seen. Where could they find firewood?
Shao Qingge glanced at the flames in the sand that were about to go out. He was also afraid of fire as a bug but this little flame was only enough to keep warm. It wasn’t really enough to scare off the wolves. Shao Qingge looked around and his eyes finally fell on the tent next to him. “Why don’t we burn the tents? We won’t be able to sleep tonight anyway.”
Ye Qi said, “There is still the quilt in the tent and the cotton inside can burn for a while. If there are too many wolves, we can each use a torch to fight them… by the way, Chief Shao. Aren’t you also afraid of fire?”
Shao Qingge smiled. “It’s fine. I can stay away from you and solve the wolves on the periphery. I’m still in the transformation state and a few wolves can’t hurt me at all.”
Xiao Lou didn’t hesitate any longer. He dismantled the tent next to him with Shao Qingge. He found a pair of scissors and wrapped the quilt around the metal stick supporting the tent. He lit the temporary torches and distributed them to his teammates.
At the same time, he used the Ethanol card he obtained in the bugs’ secret room.
This card could produce combustible alcohol. The production speed was two seconds for a bottle. Xiao Lou seized the time to make more than a dozen bottles of alcohol and handed them to his teammates. Then he told Qu Wanyue, “Teacher Qu, Long Sen is now unconscious and has no ability to resist. If he gets surrounded, he will be eaten by the hungry wolves. You must protect him later.”
Qu Wanyue nodded. Long Sen was swept into the air when they encountered the sandstorm and had already used the Chameleon card in a hurry. However, Qu Wanyue still had her card. She walked over to Long Sen and blended Long Sen with the surrounding desert so that the wolves wouldn’t find him.
Xiao Lou put the bottle with the thumb-sized Yu Hanjiang into his pocket.
At this moment, there was a howl in his ears. Xiao Lou looked back and froze in place.
The wolves had arrived and surrounded them at a breakneck speed.
The countless wolves had eyes that glowed with a strange yellow-brown l.u.s.ter. This color was the characteristic of desert wolves. In the dark night, the eyes of countless wild wolves flashed everywhere like scattered stars. These eyes were all staring directly at Xiao Lou’s group.
Xiao Lou was able to see the appearance of the wolves at close range with the help of the Night Pearl and the torch in his hand. They were indeed lean and strong. At this time, the wolves opened their mouths wide and showed sharp teeth. There was saliva falling from their mouths and it wasn’t known how long they had been hungry.
The group couldn’t help feeling a chill when being stared at like food by hundreds of wild wolves.
Their vision at night was limited. Xiao Lou could only see clearly for around five meters in front of him. The eyes that appeared everywhere frightened him. Xiao Lou leaned toward Shao Qingge’s ear and whispered, “Chief Shao, can I trouble you to investigate how many wolves are around us?”
Shao Qingge nodded. “Okay, be careful.”
Almost as soon as Shao Qingge made his move, there were howls in the distance. Then the group of wolves surrounding them actually rushed forward in spite of the light of the fire!
Xiao Lou’s heart trembled. He hurriedly raised the torch in his right hand. A small wolf was about to pounce at him but after encountering the torch, it stopped and stuck out its long tongue, deep eyes staring viciously at Xiao Lou.
Then there was another movement behind him. Xiao Lou held the torch in his right hand and slammed it behind him, followed by spilling a bottle of alcohol with his left hand. The combustible alcohol met the flames and a fiery flare burst from the torch in his hand!
Flames soared into the sky and sparks splashed everywhere. The wild wolves around him seemed to be afraid of this fierce fire and didn’t dare to approach Xiao Lou’s side anymore.
However, they didn’t retreat. They just formed a circle and stared at Xiao Lou.
The team members followed Xiao Lou’s approach after seeing it. They originally only held one or two torches but thanks to the blessing of the alcohol, the torches burned more vigorously. For a time, they shocked the surrounding wolves so that the wolves didn’t dare to come closer.
Shao Qingge quickly scouted and came back. His expression was very ugly. In addition, he was also afraid of fire so he stayed in the distance and told them in a deep voice, “I roughly counted. There are wolves filling the radius of one kilometer and there are tens of thousands of them. It feels like all the wolves in this desert are here!”
Xiao Lou wondered, “The cry that Huaying heard just now was the wolf king gathering wolves?”
Shao Qingge nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid so. Unfortunately, the wolf king is mixed in with the wolf pack. There are too many wolves and I can’t tell which one is the king. Catching the king first probably isn’t feasible. This time, the wolf king is very good at disguising itself.”
He paused and asked Xiao Lou in a low voice, “What should I do? There are so many wolves that we can’t deal with them all.”
The moment that Shao Qingge finished speaking, a fierce wind blew. The torches in their hands were still burning vigorously thanks to the alcohol but this gust of wind blew up a large amount of gravel and sand. The flames actually showed signs of extinguishing after a few beats.
Xiao Lou felt a chill in his heart. “No, the fire is going to be extinguished. Everyone, be careful!”
The wind stopped and all the torches went out at the same time.
There was silence around them. In the moonlight coming from above, Xiao Lou clearly saw that wolves who were originally afraid of the flames and didn’t dare to approach, immediately advanced. The moment the flames were extinguished, they pounced at everyone violently like arrows released from a bowstring.
Gui Yuanzhang’s eyes were quick. He immediately took out the brush and drew a circle in front of him. A stream of air swept around him and formed a natural wind wall. The dozens of wolves pouncing at everyone were rebounded!
Chu Huaying flew at the wolves like lightning. The spider dagger in her hand slashed the throat of the wild wolf in front of her. The wolf fell to the ground in response and blood quickly stained the sand red.
Their companion was so easily killed and the wolves around it were enraged. They instantly surrounded Chu Huaying and released a piercing roar toward her!
Chu Huaying’s speed was even faster than the wolves.
Her calm voice was heard over the wind. “I will lead these wolves away. Professor Xiao, find a way!”
Under the moonlight, a woman dressed in black held a sharp red dagger in her hand and sped through the wolves like entering No Man’s Land.
She slashed at the wolves with a knife. In the blink of an eye, the corpses around her piled up like a mountain.
The smell of blood stimulated the wolves. More and more wolves were attracted by Chu Huaying and ran to besiege her. Shao Qingge saw this and immediately joined the battle. After all, Chu Huaying couldn’t take care of all directions. Relying on Chief Shao’s help she found it much easier to solve the wild wolves.
Shao Qingge wasn’t afraid of the wolves because he was in the bug king state. No matter how many injuries he suffered, he healed quickly. Therefore, he was even more unscrupulous. His blood colored eyes narrowed slightly as he stretched out sharp nails and specifically attacked the necks of the wolves.
In an instant, Shao Qingge’s whole body was stained with blood. It wasn’t known how many wolves were killed by him.
In this way, he killed the wolves with his bare hands and helped buy time for his teammates with Chu Huaying.
Chu Huaying and Shao Qingge’s entire bodies were covered with blood. The wolves died and died but more batches kept coming. The cries of the wolves became harsher and there was obviously a tendency to launch an all-out attack.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and instructed in a low voice, “Cover me!”
Ye Qi, Gui Yuanzhang and Qu Wanyue heard this and immediately surrounded Xiao Lou, staring around vigilantly.
Most of the wolves were lured away by Shao Qingge and Chu Huaying and there weren’t many left on their side. Old Gui controlled the area while Xiao Ye and Qu Wanyue helped to handle any wolves that escaped. The three of them barely managed to cope.
Xiao Lou freed his hand and quickly summoned Tao Yuanming.
The Peach Blossom Spring skill could be used once a day but this time, the rule of the secret room limited it and the cards were invalidated after they were used. It was a pity that such a strong card was discarded but they couldn’t continue to consume their strength against tens of thousands of wolves in the current situation!
The consequences would be unimaginable once Chu Huaying was physically exhausted.
There was no need to hesitate any longer.
There was no news from Brother Jiu’s side. The best thing to do at the moment was to open the Peach Blossom Spring to avoid the attack of the wolves. At the very least, they would be safe for the next three hours in the Peach Blossom Spring and this would give Brother Jiu more time to find the oasis.
The Peach Blossom Spring needed 10 seconds to be cast and it couldn’t be interrupted in the middle.
Xiao Lou concentrated his mind and opened the Peach Blossom Spring.
The wolves around them howled even louder and it made people tremble with fear.
After seeing that two wolves suddenly shifted their targets and pounced at Xiao Lou, Ye Qi hurriedly took out his guitar and played the strings. The two wolves fell unconscious.
Gui Yuanzhang stared at Xiao Lou’s left side, Ye Qi guarded the back and Qu Wanyue took care of the right. The three of them surrounded Xiao Lou and protected him tightly.
The countdown to the Peach Blossom Spring was 8, 7, 6…
Xiao Lou’s Peach Blossom Spring was about to be released. The wolves became more and more restless and frantically rushed toward Xiao Lou.
The moment the countdown reached 1, a notification suddenly popped up in front of everyone’s eyes. ‘Your teammate Lu Jiuchuan has invited you to teleport to the location he marked. Do you agree?’
Xiao Lou didn’t hesitate to press the agree b.u.t.ton.
Qu Wanyue hurriedly ran and grabbed the sandy Long Sen before pressing the agree b.u.t.ton.
The scene in front of them flickered and Xiao Lou’s group quickly arrived by Lu Jiuchuan’s side.
There was no howling of wolves around them but it was still a desert. There was a bright moon in the sky and the scenery was no different from the place where the tent had just been set up.
To Xiao Lou’s surprise, he saw two familiar faces.
Lu Jiuchuan told them, “I didn’t find the oasis but I found Xiao Liu and Old Mo.”