It seems this mountain forest is more dangerous than he imagined.
Zhang Cheng looked up at the sky.
The sun was rapidly sinking behind the western mountains, and the light of day was quickly fading.
Snowflakes began to fall again, starting as small particles, but quickly becoming dense and falling in abundance.
A thin layer of fresh snow quickly accumulated on the ground.
Damn it!
It's snowing again!
This awful weather has made tracking and judging the movements of the wolf packs much more difficult.
Zhang Cheng cursed under his breath, tightened his grip on the old hunting rifle, and raised his vigilance to its highest level.
We must find a relatively safe place to spend the night, sheltered from the wind and snow, as soon as possible.
Otherwise, given his current physical condition, spending the night in this icy, snowy, and perilous mountain forest would be tantamount to courting death.
"Awooo—"
A long and mournful wolf howl suddenly shattered the silence of the mountains and forests.
The sound pierced through the wind and snow, echoing through the empty valley, carrying a primal ferocity and hunger that was enough to send chills down the spines of anyone who heard it.
Zhang Cheng stopped almost the instant the howl rang out, his body taut like a fully drawn bow, abruptly turning in the direction from which the sound came.
His deep eyes, sharp as an eagle's in the dim light, warily scanned the surrounding snow-covered landscape.
Another wolf howl came, seemingly closer.
As Zhang Cheng listened to that voice, a sense of urgency surged through him like a cold tide.
He quickly assessed the surrounding terrain and made a decision in his mind.
In these snow-covered mountains and forests, every moment of hesitation could cost you your life.
He checked the old hunting rifle in his hand; it was already loaded.
The cold gun barrel exuded a chilling aura in the wind and snow.
"Damn beast, you came so fast."
Zhang Cheng cursed under his breath, took a deep breath of the cold air, and forced himself to calm down.
His fighting instincts, honed through countless brushes with death in his past life, allowed him to quickly get into the zone.
He moved quietly, like a ghost, stealthily making his way towards the relatively dense woods ahead.
The ground covered with fresh snow was soft, but he deliberately controlled the force and rhythm of his steps, trying not to make any obvious noise and avoid disturbing the wolves that might be lurking in the shadows too early.
Zhang Cheng paused, then instantly disappeared into the shadow of a large tree nearby.
"...Damn it! We clearly saw this roe deer first!" a rough, hoarse voice roared, its head agape.
"Bullshit! Li Junyi! Does your Li family have no shame? You're trying to steal from me!" another voice shouted angrily.
"Enough nonsense! Whoever hits it gets it! Come on, let's have a go!" a younger, more arrogant voice responded.
Zhang Cheng frowned.
It's the same group of people, arguing for so long and still going on, they don't even realize the wolf pack is approaching.
However, just as the argument between the two sides was at its most heated—
"ah--!"
A bloodcurdling scream suddenly pierced the wind, snow, and arguments, carrying with it boundless fear.
Zhang Cheng's pupils suddenly contracted.
Immediately afterwards, gunshots, the sound of clubs being swung, shouts of alarm, and the roars of wild beasts from the ravine came together in complete chaos!
"Wolves! Wolf pack! Run!" someone shouted in terror.
Without further hesitation, Zhang Cheng rushed towards the direction from which the chaos was coming.
He moved with incredible speed, weaving through the snow and trees like a nimble cheetah.
As he rushed out of the edge of the woods, the scene before him made his gaze freeze.
On the snow-covered ground in the mountain valley, seven or eight people brought by Zhang Datou and about the same number of young people from the Li family were being attacked by more than a dozen fierce wolves!
The sticks, hoes, and even two or three old hunting rifles and muskets in the hands of these people seemed so powerless in the face of the fierce and cunning wolf pack.
In a panic, they fought each other, some firing wildly, the bullets flying off indiscriminately, which only further enraged the wolf pack.
Two or three people had already fallen on the snow, their fate unknown, their blood staining the white snow red.
The wolf pack worked in perfect unison, launching attacks from all directions, tearing and pouncing – it was a complete massacre.
Zhang Cheng spotted Zhang Da Toutou, who was being attacked by several wolves, at a glance.
Zhang Da Tou was desperately protecting a young woman who had fallen to the ground. The woman was wearing a floral cotton-padded jacket and should be Zhang Guilan.
Zhang Da Nao brandished a machete, his body already covered in cuts and bruises, yet he still stood fiercely in front of Zhang Guilan, appearing almost crazed.
But more wolves were closing in on them, and one particularly large gray wolf seized an opening and pounced on Zhang Guilan!
"careful!"
Zhang Da Tou roared, trying to defend himself, but was tightly entangled by another wolf.
Zhang Guilan was about to be devoured by wolves!
At this critical moment!
"Bang!"
A dull yet penetrating gunshot rang out, drowning out all the noise!
The burly gray wolf that pounced on Zhang Guilan suddenly paused in mid-air, let out a short, mournful howl, and then crashed heavily onto the snow, twitching a few times before going still.
The bullet hit its head precisely!
The chaotic scene fell silent.
Everyone, including the wolves, instinctively looked in the direction from which the gunshots rang out.
Zhang Cheng stood on a snow-covered slope not far away, holding an old hunting rifle, his face ashen, with wisps of smoke rising from the muzzle.
His gaze was cold and sharp, like the Siberian wind sweeping across the entire battlefield.
"Zhang Cheng?!"
"Er Gouzi?"
Zhang Da Nao and his group, along with the young men brought by Li Junyi, were stunned and exclaimed in surprise and delight.
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