Listening to the principal's booming voice, A-Lai stood silently beside him. Diz Dan, a robust young man, swaggered over and stood next to A-Lai, making exaggerated winks at him. Dan was somewhat like A-Lai's senior, though the master had only officially taken A-Lai as his apprentice.
Dan, however, clung to the master daily, cooking, brewing tea, and acting every bit the senior disciple. Only A-Lai knew that the master had never formally taken a second apprentice, though Dan had learned a lot of martial arts over the years. Dan had arrived several years before A-Lai and always called him"junior brother" without hesitation, a title A-Lai never contested.
Half of the students were still lining up to enter the school building, with a large number of villagers waiting behind them. Among the last few students, a pair of anxious eyes nervously watched A-Lai, seemingly eager to convey something, but shyness held her back. A-Lai's sixth sense picked up on someone watching him. When he turned around, the girl had already moved to help an elderly villager cut in line, her position hardly changing.
In his heart, A-Lai thought,"I like this kind-hearted girl!" He gazed at her familiar slender figure and long, black hair, feeling a touch of sweetness. He instinctively raised his hand as if to wave, but it hung in midair."What am I doing? Saying goodbye to that girl? What if she doesn't even like me?" These thoughts flooded his mind, rendering him immobile.
Suddenly, everything around him fell silent. A-Lai had never experienced such an eerie situation. The quiet was so profound that he could hear his companions' heavy breathing. He looked around. The night was dark, and the forest's rustling leaves and snapping branches grew louder. Moonlight filtered through the treetops, casting a silver sheen on the ground and revealing slowly gathering hellish creatures. Five, ten, hundreds of terror wolves silently surrounded the schoolyard, their endless red eyes like the gazes of demons from hell, their silent presence sending shivers down spines and making it hard to breathe.
Terror wolves were said to be the ancestors of modern wolves, towering and with especially long, sharp teeth exposed in a menacing snarl. When they stood, they were taller than A-Lai. The wolves slowly tightened their encirclement, their breaths and low growls echoing in the night. In the shadows of the forest, the pack seemed endless, a dark, suffocating mass. Most of the terror wolves closed in on A-Lai, seemingly mocking his isolation.
A-Lai smelled blood mixed with the wolves' foul stench. Their low growls and footsteps made him uneasy. The wooden fence seemed weak against the wolf pack, and the schoolyard felt like a sieve. Wolves easily jumped over the fence, closing in on the school's main entrance.
The school's two main doors were packed with students and villagers seeking refuge. The principal and Dan hastily formed two semi-circular defensive lines outside, but how effective could these defenses be? No one had confidence."Quick! Get inside the school!" several teachers urged at the doors. The young villagers guarded the perimeter, but the line consisted mainly of the elderly, women, and children. Speed was not on their side, much to everyone's frustration.
A-Lai didn't follow his classmates into the school building but resolutely stood at the edge of Dan's team. He vividly remembered his master's question on the first day:"Why do you want to learn martial arts?" Without hesitation, A-Lai had replied,"To protect!" Dan had laughed loudly at A-Lai's answer."Kid, I've heard many reasons—people wanting to become the greatest martial artist, seeking revenge, or wanting to defend themselves. But to protect? That's a first! With that sharp spear, what do you think you can protect? Forget it, you won't become the master's apprentice!"
But before Dan's laughter had faded, the master's eyes lit up. He grabbed A-Lai's arm."Finding a good master is hard, but finding a good apprentice is even harder! Tell me, what do you want to protect?"
Much to Dan's chagrin, from that day on, A-Lai had become the master's first apprentice. Today was no different. A-Lai's spear was ready to protect his fellow villagers, his classmates, his teachers, and his school. How could he possibly hide in the school building?
Dan glanced sideways at him."Kid, don't say I didn't warn you. This is a bigger deal than anything I've seen. You'd better leave while you still can!" Dan's slightly condescending attitude made A-Lai feel humiliated. He snorted but didn't move. Dan grinned and ignored him.
The wolves' eyes glinted coldly in the night, closing in, creating a sense of inescapable pressure. Someone shouted, trying to scare the beasts, but it sounded more like self-encouragement. Villagers instinctively tightened their defensive circle, the young men holding wooden sticks, standing shoulder to shoulder. More terror wolves gathered around A-Lai, seemingly identifying him as an easy target.
A-Lai slightly turned his head, realizing he was too close to the protected villagers. He told himself he couldn't retreat any further. Squatting slightly to steady himself, he ended up at the forefront of the battle. The tense atmosphere created a standoff that favored the villagers.
With forty minutes remaining, a terror wolf fixed its malevolent gaze on A-Lai and suddenly leaped forward, rapidly closing in before stopping and growling. A-Lai's pupils contracted as he instinctively stepped back, his spear tip pointing upward. The spear shaft unintentionally stopped his retreat, forming a defensive stance from martial arts. He realized the wolf's action was a test, gauging his reaction. As he suspected, the wolf barked furiously, as if mocking his weakness.
A-Lai's heart twinged with shame. After years of rigorous training, this was his performance in battle. A sudden surge of anger and determination welled up inside him."No retreat, fight to the death!" he shouted. This was an ancient military command, passed down in village legends. Inspired, the villagers echoed,"No retreat, fight to the death!" The scattered shouts grew into a thunderous roar, momentarily halting the wolves' advance.
The surrounding wolves' momentum weakened, displeasing the initial wolf. It prowled before A-Lai, growling, trying to catch his attention. Its fur bristled as it feigned attacks, pausing each time. It forced A-Lai to follow its movements with his gaze, misjudging the next attack as another feint. Suddenly, another terror wolf lunged from the side like lightning, its fangs aimed at A-Lai's throat. This was the real attack they had been preparing for.
At the same moment, the wolf in front launched a genuine assault. With their intricate feints and real strikes, even seasoned hunters would struggle to counter such tactics. A-Lai was undoubtedly in grave danger.