The wolves suddenly pushed off the ground with their forelimbs and pounced towards the center of the three.
Chen Hao's mind went blank, but his body moved first. He held the metal rod horizontally in front of his chest, squatted down, and with all his might, he flicked it upwards. A wolf was struck in the chin by the rod, its head snapped back, and it rolled away.
"Ouch!" he cried out, his hand trembling from the impact, almost losing his grip.
At the same instant, Nana activated her powerful flashlight, and two beams of blue and white light burst forth from her eye sockets, shooting directly at the faces of the three wolves in front of her. The wolves immediately turned their heads to dodge, their steps faltering, and one even spun halfway around on the spot.
Without hesitation, Susan slid sideways and broke out of the triangular formation. Her short knife sliced across the ground, and using the momentum, she leaped, the tip of the blade precisely striking the hind leg of a wolf that was about to jump. The wolf howled in pain and landed, limping back a few steps.
“You can still press down on the left side!” she shouted.
Chen Hao, panting, gripped the bar tightly again: "I can't hold on! This thing isn't a gym piece!"
“Then let’s just say it is!” Susan replied, quickly returning to her original position.
Nana's calm voice rang out: "There was a break in the rhythm of that attack just now. The alpha wolf's second command was delayed by 0.4 seconds, which is 20 percent longer than before."
"Is it tired too?" Chen Hao asked, wiping the sweat from his face. "Does the animal kingdom also experience leadership pressure?"
"It's more likely that it was injured or disturbed," Nana continued to analyze. "When the firelight flashed just now, its right ear twitched once."
Susan squinted at the platform: "So you mean it's afraid of the light?"
“It’s not necessarily fear, but the visual system is sensitive to strong light,” Nana said, as the robotic arm slightly adjusted its angle. “I can release the strobe again, increasing the power by thirty percent.”
“Then let’s go.” Susan gritted her teeth. “This time I’ll go straight on stage.”
"Wait!" Chen Hao suddenly reached out to stop him. "If you go up there, who will guard this side? I can't handle attacks from both directions at the same time."
"If you don't step up, who will?" Susan turned around and glared at him. "That's what you're supposed to do standing in the middle."
"I'm a meat shield, not a wall!"
"You are the wall now."
Before the words were even finished, another loud bang echoed from the bushes on the right. Two wolves leaped out simultaneously, their target clear—the gap between Chen Hao and Nana.
Chen Hao roared and swung the metal pole horizontally. The pole struck the first wolf's shoulder with a dull thud. The wolf was knocked off balance, but the second wolf was already sliding close, its jaws snapping shut.
Nana kicked out, her mechanical foot striking the wolf's jaw with pinpoint accuracy. With a snap, the wolf's mouth was forced open, its teeth missing their mark, and it staggered back three steps after landing.
"Thanks!" Chen Hao said, panting heavily.
"I suggest you anticipate the attack path next time," Nana said. "Your defensive move just now deviated from the standard blocking angle by seven degrees."
"I've never learned martial arts, all I know is calisthenics!"
"The third set or the fifth set?"
"Is this the time to talk about this?"
Susan suddenly raised her hand to signal for quiet. Everyone stopped.
The wolves did not charge immediately. They scattered around, crouching low, ears forward, their eyes fixed on the triangular formation of the three. The alpha wolf stood on the platform; there was indeed a fresh gash in its right ear, oozing blood.
"It's really injured," Chen Hao said softly.
“Not only that,” Susan said, squinting. “It’s waiting for us to make the first move.”
"Then let's not move."
“But we can’t keep going like this forever,” Nana added. “My cooling system has started to give me warnings; continued high-intensity operation will cause the joint lubricant to evaporate faster.”
How much longer can you hold on?
"Under normal circumstances, it can last for forty-seven minutes. But now that the ambient temperature has risen, coupled with combat losses, we expect to experience sluggishness in twenty-three minutes."
"So, we have less than half an hour left?"
"To be precise, it's 22 minutes and 18 seconds."
Chen Hao grinned: "You really know how to time things."
“This is no joke,” Susan said softly. “The wind has stopped, and the smoke is gone. They can see everything clearly.”
Sure enough, the lingering black smoke had completely dissipated. Only the smell of charred wood and earth remained in the air. Moonlight shone through the sparse canopy of trees, casting long shadows on everyone.
One wolf tentatively took two steps forward.
Chen Hao immediately raised his stick and aimed.
The wolf stopped, sniffed the ground, and then backed away.
“They’re calculating too,” Nana said. “The failed coordinated attack just now made them realize that a direct assault would be too costly.”
"So we need to change tactics?"
"Very likely."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a rustling sound came from the woods on the left. Three wolves silently circled around from behind, forming an arc to encircle him.
"There's new activity behind us," Nana immediately warned. "They're moving slowly, trying to approach covertly."
"We can't let them get close." Susan thought quickly. "Nana, can we play the high-frequency sound again?"
"Yes, but it requires five seconds to charge."
"Five seconds is too long."
“I can stall,” Chen Hao gritted his teeth. “Trust me this once.”
He suddenly took a big step forward, slammed the metal rod into the ground, then slapped his thighs and shouted at the wolf pack, "Come on! Fatty's here! Hot and delicious! You'll miss your chance if you don't come today!"
All the wolves were stunned for a moment.
Even Susan turned to look at him: "Are you crazy?"
"This is psychological warfare!" Chen Hao continued to shout. "Your leaders are all wounded, what's the point of fighting? Go home and recover!"
The alpha wolf indeed became agitated, pawing at the ground with its front paws and letting out a low growl.
Just then, Nana's eyes flashed blue, and a sharp, pulsating sound suddenly erupted. The sound was like a needle piercing the ears, and the five wolves around her shook their heads simultaneously, their steps becoming disordered.
Susan seized the opportunity, picked up a sharp stone, and hurled it with all her might. The stone streaked across the night sky and struck the alpha wolf squarely on the forehead. The wolf groaned, staggered backward, and nearly fell off the platform.
"Hit!" Chen Hao cheered.
"Don't be so smug," Susan said coldly. "It hasn't fallen yet."
Sure enough, the alpha wolf steadied itself, its eyes growing even fiercer. It lowered its head, its mouth slightly open, as if about to signal an attack.
Nana immediately warned: "A new round of group assault is about to begin, and the main attack direction is expected to be the right rear blind spot."
"I'm in charge of the right side!" Chen Hao said nervously.
“You can’t stop them,” Susan said. “They’ll concentrate their firepower on one point.”
"Then what should we do?"
Nana quickly calculated: "The only way is to actively create chaos and disrupt their combined attack rhythm."
"What's wrong?"
“Fire,” Nana said. “There are still some moss packets left from the fire. I can light them and throw them towards the center.”
“I’ll throw it.” Susan took the bag. “You cover for me.”
"Understood." Nana stepped forward, arms outstretched, ready to unleash the intense light once more.
Chen Hao looked at the pole in his hand, then at the pile of scrap metal at his feet, and suddenly had an idea.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “I have an even more wicked idea.”
He bent down, picked up three pieces of iron of similar size, stuffed them into his pocket, and then inserted one end of the metal rod into a crack in the soil and bent it forcefully.
"What are you doing?" Susan asked.
"A homemade trap." Chen Hao grinned. "Anyway, I can't run fast, so I might as well use it as live bait and a tripwire."
"Are you out of your mind?"
“I’m tough.” He patted his stomach. “Besides, if I don’t go, who will? You two, one a robot and the other a special forces soldier, I’d be at a loss if either of you were to die.”
Nana paused for two seconds: "From a tactical value assessment perspective, you're right."
“Hey!” Susan frowned.
“I’m just stating a fact,” Nana said. “His physique does attract more attention.”
"Well, I've become a professional bait again." Chen Hao sighed. "Oh well, since we're already here."
He took a deep breath, picked up the bent metal pole, walked to the outside of the formation, and deliberately stomped his feet to make a noise.
"Hey everyone, look here!" he shouted. "The newest buffet is here! It's super high in fat, one bite and your mouth will be full of oil!"
The wolves were indeed attracted, and several began to approach him.
The alpha wolf let out a low growl, and the other wolves immediately adjusted their positions, forming a new encirclement.
Just as they were about to launch their charge, Nana's eyes flashed with intense light, and at the same time, Susan ignited the moss bag and threw it with all her might.
The fireball flew towards the center of the wolf pack, igniting upon landing, with flames rising to half a person's height.
Chaos ensued.
Several wolves instinctively avoided the fire, and their formation instantly broke apart.
Chen Hao seized the opportunity and swung the bent metal rod, striking the nearest wolf hard in the belly. The wolf screamed and rolled away.
Another one pounced from the side, but its front paws were tripped by the iron plate he had buried beforehand, and it fell face-first into the mud.
"You've fallen for it, haven't you!" Chen Hao laughed heartily. "This is called the chubby version of the trap!"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Susan rushed to the flank, wielding her dagger and inflicting wounds on two wolves. Nana, meanwhile, continued to use her lights to disrupt their vision, forcing back the frontal attack.
Within a few seconds, the wolf pack retreated completely for the first time.
Three wounded wolves tucked their tails between their legs and fled into the woods. The alpha wolf stood still, staring at them, motionless for a long time.
The air was still for a few seconds.
Chen Hao, leaning on the pole and panting, asked, "Did we win?"
“No.” Nana stared at the data screen. “They’re still roaming around the perimeter; they haven’t really left.”
Susan wiped the dust off her face: "This is just the first wave."
“But I discovered something,” Chen Hao grinned. “They’re afraid of fire, afraid of strong light, and afraid of me cheating.”
“Then you can keep playing,” Susan said.
"Next time, try something different." He cracked his knuckles. "Like, play dead."
"If you dare lie down, I'll really kick you out."
Nana suddenly spoke up: "Based on the battle data from just now, I have established a preliminary model. Next, we can try a more organized counterattack."
Chen Hao looked up at her flickering camera lens: "You mean... the three of us can really work together?"
"The probability has increased from 12 percent to 39 percent."
"Not even half."
"But it's better than before."
Susan wiped the dagger on her trousers and put it back in her boot.
She glanced at Chen Hao, then at Nana.
“Next time,” she said, “it’s my turn to go first.”
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