Chapter Twenty-Five: The Mutant Wolf Pack

“Northeast, five hundred meters away, a pack of mutant wolves has been detected. Host, prepare for battle as soon as possible.” Just as Lin Lei thought he could not escape his fate, the system issued a sudden alert.

And the warning came when the wolves were still five hundred meters away, a clear sign that this pack would not be easy to deal with.

“Wait, Xiaoxue, don’t you feel something’s strange?” The wolves had appeared at exactly the right moment. Lin Lei was fretting over how to change the subject, and now he had the perfect excuse.

Yang Xueli glanced around, but she couldn’t see anything beyond five hundred meters, so she pressed on, refusing to back down. “I don’t see anything strange! Lin, stop trying to change the topic!”

“Let me ask you, where are we right now?” Lin Lei prompted her.

“Wild Wolf Ridge, obviously!”

“But we’ve been here for nearly half a day. Not only have we not seen any wolves, we haven’t even seen a single wolf hair. Does that seem normal to you?”

“Did you notice something?” Yang Xueli finally became serious.

In truth, after working together for so long, Lin Lei was always the first to spot traces of mutant beasts. Once or twice could be luck, but every time? Yang Xueli was no fool—she knew there was something unusual about it.

Seeing the conversation finally diverted, Lin Lei breathed a sigh of relief and explained, “This tactical helmet of mine is equipped with infrared radar, capable of identifying the movement trajectories of creatures nearby. Just now, it detected a mutant wolf pack in the northeast.”

Lin Lei wasn’t lying—his infrared radar could indeed detect movement, but its range was only fifty meters. To avoid wasting energy, it was usually switched off. Now, it served as a perfect scapegoat for the system.

“Fight or retreat?” Yang Xueli asked.

She cared nothing for the wolves’ strength; all she needed was Lin Lei’s decision.

“Let me fly over and scout first.” Lin Lei switched to flight mode and headed toward the wolves.

“System, how many wolves are there? What’s the highest level among them?” Lin Lei’s reconnaissance was just a pretense—what he really wanted was intelligence from the system.

“For just five contribution points, you can receive the precise count, level distribution, evolutionary attributes, fatal weaknesses, and recovery value of the wolf pack!” the system replied.

“You’ve barely been quiet, and now you’re trying to squeeze contribution points out of me again!” Lin Lei was exasperated. “Weren’t you offering this information for free before?”

“That was because you were poor,” the system said matter-of-factly.

Lin Lei’s face darkened.

So, when he was broke, the system feared his debt would turn bad and gave him free intel to help him get ahead. Now, with his debts cleared and some surplus contribution points, the system was eager to make a profit.

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“I refuse to believe I can’t get my own intel without you. At least tell me the recovery value of the mutant wolves.” Lin Lei decided to be stingy this time.

“The mutant wolf recovery price list is as follows…”

Level One mutant wolf: 0.03 contribution points (no crystal core), 0.15 contribution points (with crystal core).

Level Two mutant wolf: 0.09 to 1.2 contribution points.

Level Three mutant wolf: 0.85 to 13 contribution points (level three mutant beasts always drop a crystal core).

Note: Crystal cores must not be removed before recycling, or the corpse will be valued as one without a core.

“System, between a level three mutant wolf and a level three zombie, which has greater combat strength?” Lin Lei seemed to be making small talk, but he was fishing for useful information.

“Guess,” the system teased.

“I guess you’re asking for trouble!” He had never seen such an eccentric system.

With free information out of reach, Lin Lei had to get closer for reconnaissance.

It seemed the gunshot from killing the mutant bird earlier had drawn the wolves’ attention—they were heading straight toward Yang Xueli.

After scouting, Lin Lei counted about sixty wolves, eighteen of which were larger—probably level two mutant wolves.

At the center of their formation was a snow-white wolf, average in size, but it caught Lin Lei’s eye.

“Surrounded by four level two wolves, obviously the wolf king. But its build… could evolving to level three make you automatically slimmer?” Lin Lei was uncertain.

“Never mind whether it’s a level three mutant wolf. Xiaoxue is a true level three evolver—these wild wolves are nothing to worry about!” Having analyzed their respective strengths, Lin Lei decided to take on the pack.

Soon after Lin Lei reunited with Yang Xueli, the wolves appeared within their line of sight.

“Same as always: you handle melee kills, I’ll provide ranged fire support,” Lin Lei ordered.

He didn’t want to be a man hiding behind a woman, but he had no choice—he simply wasn’t strong enough.

Battle commenced. Yang Xueli, wielding a laser longsword, charged into the wolves like a goddess of war, slaughtering them with abandon. Blood and severed limbs scattered everywhere; none could withstand her.

“System, set recovery markers for level one to level three mutant wolves.”

Dense jungle surrounded them, and with Yang Xueli’s method, Lin Lei worried that he might miss some pieces, reducing their recovery value.

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Once he’d given the system instructions, Lin Lei began sniping from afar.

Bang!

A shot struck a level one mutant wolf’s head, stunning it briefly. It shook itself and rose, ready to attack again.

Bang!

If one shot wouldn’t do, then another. The second bullet also hit its head, this time blowing off its skull. It twitched twice on the ground before dissolving into a streak of white light and vanishing.

“These mutant wolves don’t look impressive, but their skulls are harder than those of level two strength-type zombies,” Lin Lei muttered in awe.

His shell-less bullets could blow the heads off level two strength-type zombies with a single shot, but a level one mutant wolf required two.

Moreover, the wolves’ speed was impressive—level one wolves moved as fast as level two speed-type zombies. Level two wolves matched level three speed-type zombies, equaling Yang Xueli’s own speed.

“This could be trouble,” Lin Lei foresaw danger.

After all, there was still a level three mutant wolf in the pack that hadn’t made a move.

The laser longsword could certainly kill a level three wolf, but only if it could land a blow!

With this in mind, Lin Lei searched for the snow-white wolf.

“Ah! Found you. Keeping your distance—too proud for a group fight? At least that’s better manners than zombies.” He spotted it.

Guarded by four level two wolves, it stood far from the battlefield, seemingly observing Yang Xueli’s abilities.

“Yes, just like that. Stand still and let me test your eyes—are they as tough as your skull?” Lin Lei adjusted his breathing, muttering quietly.

Bang!

Bang bang bang!

After the first shot, to ensure a serious wound, Lin Lei fired a burst into its belly.

However… after the first bullet struck its eye, the pure white level three mutant wolf instantly dissolved into a streak of white light and vanished.