With both hands gripping the gun and taking aim, I once again felt that familiar sensation after four years—heavy and cold.
The alpha wolf on the cliff also noticed me. It stood among the rocks, its frame a third larger than a regular wolf.
"Trying to run?"
The alpha wolf leaped across the boulders as my gaze locked tightly on it.
Logically, human dynamic vision shouldn't be able to track something moving at high speed in thick fog, but for me, this was no challenge.
"Team Iron, that impostor is just pretending. Do you really think he can kill the alpha wolf in this fog?" Chen Feng noticed Tie Ningxiang clenching her fists, her high expectations of me evident. It annoyed him.
"He won't even be able to spot the alpha wolf, let alone kill it. All talk and no action," Chen Feng sneered. Realizing no one was paying him any attention, he scoffed and casually moved closer to Tie Ningxiang.
"What a fragrance... Must be her body scent." He took a deep breath and rubbed the spot where he had been kicked earlier, staring at Tie Ningxiang's back. "Dying with her today wouldn't be too bad."
Unaware of what was happening behind me, I cast aside all distractions. Faced with the pressure of death, I focused entirely: Only one bullet. If I miss, the cunning alpha wolf will never expose itself like this again. I have to seize this chance.
A dull pain throbbed between my brows—likely due to overusing my newly awakened ability. My head spun, intrusive thoughts threatening to break my focus.
"No time left!" I aligned my eyes, arm, and sights in a straight line, anticipating the alpha wolf's next move. As it prepared to leap to another rock—fire!
"Bang!"
The bullet hit flesh, followed by the pained howls of the alpha wolf echoing through the ravine.
"I hit it!" Even I was stunned. That state I had entered moments ago felt indescribable and impossible to replicate.
I exhaled deeply, my dizziness worsening. Just as I was about to speak, my legs gave way.
"Ga—Jian!"
Someone caught me from behind. Without turning my head, I smelled a faint fragrance.
"Don't worry, I've got you."
Tie Ningxiang must have acted out of shock. Without thinking much, I gently removed her hands and returned the gun to Zhao Bin.
"The alpha wolf is dead; the pack won't be a threat for now." Tie Ningxiang tried to support me, but I refused. When I returned the gun, I caught sight of Chen Feng's dark expression—like someone had forced him to swallow a sock.
His resentment was palpable, and I worried he might do something reckless. So, I chose not to provoke him further.
With the alpha wolf dead, the wolf pack's attack weakened. We seized the chance to escape the ravine.
"Blessings after disaster," Zhao Bin joked, limping alongside Ape, the two helping each other along. Their optimism was contagious.
Using the makeshift map, we and the police walked for over an hour before finally emerging from the mountains.
"Tie Team!" A crowd had gathered at the base, including Wu Meng and the third wave of reinforcements.
Initially, I was surprised to see that big guy—having come up the shadier side of the mountain, they must've faced more danger than we did. Yet, none of them appeared injured.
"Captain Wu, long time no see, huh?" I instinctively spouted a classic villain line.
"I was reckless not to heed your advice earlier," admitted Wu Meng, vice-captain of the city's criminal investigation unit, bowing to me. That was rarer than finding $50,000 on the street.
Embarrassed, he lowered his head. "Not long after we entered the mountain, strange things started happening. We encountered three different people asking for directions, all heading to the Pine Forest Cemetery. They seemed rushed, and it felt off. Later, we realized they might've…"
Cough cough! A sound came from behind the police car, and Wu Meng quickly opened the door. "We owe it to this Taoist's help; otherwise, we'd have lost our minds and been trapped."
"Old Liu?" The man in Taoist robes was none other than Liu the Blind. His eyes were covered with a black cloth, his coarse robe complemented by an ancestral talisman staff.
"So, this is the reinforcement you brought. My apologies for the lack of respect."
Liu the Blind preferred avoiding involvement with the police. Pulling me aside, he whispered, "What are you doing meddling in a police fugitive case? Do you have a death wish?"
"The fugitive gang kidnapped Xiaofeng. Of course, I had to come."
"They dared to kidnap someone with a Red Phoenix Fate bound to ghosts. You shouldn't interfere. That policewoman you like? She'll be fine; I divined her fate. She's protected."
"Oh, please. Like your divinations are always accurate. A week ago, you said I'd face calamity and despair, but here I am, alive and well!"
"Fine! From now on, don't come crying to me!" Liu the Blind huffed, reminding me of a certain streaming personality, "Liu the Sage of Mount Qingcheng."
"Hey, Liu, does your family have any ties to Mount Qingcheng?"
"Beats me. Leave me alone." He retreated to the police car, only to poke his head out again moments later. "Your dog's having issues. Biting everyone in sight. Go check on it."
"Something happened to Bai Qi?" Though we hadn't been together long, I already considered him family. Wasting no time, I dragged Wu Meng along.
"Where's the dog that came with Liu? Is it hurt?!"
Startled by my outburst, Wu Meng hesitated before replying with a strange expression, "It's not hurt, but…"
"Just tell me already!"
"Better you see for yourself."
We climbed back into the mountains, the air thick with the metallic stench of blood.
"How much blood was spilled here?"
Emerging from the forest, I saw Bai Qi sitting alone on a barren expanse of rocky ground.
He resembled a statue, exuding a profound sense of loneliness and desolation.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary mutt. Yet, no one dared treat him as such or approach him.
A drop of warm blood dripped from his canine teeth, tracing his bloodied fur and soaking the stones beneath him.
Bai Qi's entire body was drenched in blood, as if he wore a crimson battle robe—ferocious, savage, and imposing.
"Your dog is terrifying," Wu Meng said, inhaling sharply as he recounted the scene.
"After Liu saved us, we encountered wolves. In the dense fog, outnumbered four to five times, with no ammunition, I thought we were done for. Then your dog charged into the pack alone!
"I don't know how he did it, but we only saw bursts of blood in the fog. Finally, the alpha wolf screamed, and the pack retreated.
"When we found your dog, he still had the alpha's neck in his jaws, refusing to let go until he was drenched in blood."
Wu Meng's account left him visibly shaken.
"You abandoned him after he saved you?" I asked, anger rising as I looked at Bai Qi, isolated in the wilderness.
"He's just a dog…"
Not waiting for him to finish, I walked toward Bai Qi, ignoring Wu Meng's warnings.
Bai Qi saw me approach, his black eyes filled with a sincerity rarely found in humans.
"Bai Qi." I knelt, stroking his head and nuzzling his pointed ears. "Let's go home."
"Woof!"
"Alright, stop licking me. You've done great today. Let's head back, and I'll treat you to two spoonfuls of child spirit wine."
At the mention of the wine, Bai Qi immediately perked up.
Covered in blood, he wagged his tail and followed me, looking every bit like a pet trying to please its master.