Chapter 54: Icefield Snow Wolves—The Thrill of Vanquishing Stronger Foes
After confirming his destination, Song Qi didn't head out immediately. Instead, he reached into his system backpack and pulled out a pure white coat, slipping it over himself.
The Endless Snowfield was blanketed in thick snow across nearly all regions.
With the white coat, Song Qi's figure would blend in more easily, making him less conspicuous.
This was to avoid being ambushed by other humans.
Yes.
In the wilderness, danger did not only come from monsters.
It also came from humans.
Having lived two lives, Song Qi understood this well.
Human nature… is indeed counterintuitive.
Now, the world was under invasion by other races, monsters encroaching on humanity's last bastions.
The survival of the human race teetered on the edge; extinction loomed moment by moment.
You might think, in such times, everyone would stand together, united in resistance and purpose.
Yet, the truth was just the opposite.
The direr the situation, the scarcer the resources, the fiercer the struggle between people!
Even with death at their doorstep, some would still try to grab what they could.
Conversely, the safer the times, the more abundant the resources, the friendlier people became toward one another.
When everyone has enough to eat, there's no need to fight.
“When the granaries are full, people understand etiquette; when their clothing and food are sufficient, they recognize honor and shame.”
Stories of leaving doors unlocked at night belong only to times of peace, never to chaos.
The current state of humanity was much the same.
Thus, Song Qi always maintained a healthy vigilance toward others when outside the city.
He even declined the invitation of a beautiful, well-endowed woman!
If that wasn't caution, what was?
After all… it was hard for any man to resist such an offer.
He gave himself silent praise for his iron will, then turned, closed the door, and headed downstairs…
…
Half an hour later…
Outer reaches of the Endless Snowfield…
A pack of Icefield Snow Wolves was in the midst of a hunt.
Several unlucky reindeer were surrounded by the pack.
Two reindeer had already had their throats torn out, their bodies fallen silent.
The remaining reindeer clustered together, fighting desperately against the snow wolves’ assault.
At that moment—
Swish!
A figure suddenly appeared not far off.
It was Song Qi.
With nearly a thousand points in his Spirit attribute, Song Qi could now use Directional Teleportation more than a dozen times in a row without worrying about mental fatigue.
Thus, he had begun treating it as his main travel skill.
The moment he landed, Song Qi noticed the distant scene of snow wolves hunting reindeer.
His eyes gleamed as he summoned the information panel before him.
Monster: Icefield Snow Wolf
Level: 45
Strength: 966
Constitution: 1033
Agility: 1148
Spirit: 843
Skills: [Bite] [Frost Breath] [Frost Blade] [Rapid Digestion]
“It’s definitely Icefield Snow Wolves. And the total number is…”
“One, two, three… eleven, twelve.”
“Twelve Icefield Snow Wolves? Looks like just a small squad—there must be a larger wolf force nearby.”
“Seems my luck’s holding out.”
A bright smile lit up Song Qi’s face.
Icefield Snow Wolves were social creatures; when hunting, they split into teams—sometimes four to six, occasionally over a dozen.
A group of twelve usually meant a hunting vanguard sent by a larger pack.
“Lu Bu, Ying Zheng!”
Bang! Bang!
The two appeared instantly behind Song Qi.
“My lord!”
“Sir!”
Song Qi gripped a triple experience card and pointed ahead. No explanation was needed; they understood at once.
“Remember to let one escape and return home.”
“Yes!” they answered in unison.
They clasped hands in salute, then strode toward the distant wolves…
Lu Bu raised his hand, and the Sky Halberd materialized. The long-missed Red Hare Horse stepped from the void at his side.
Facing twelve monsters with stats not far below his own, Lu Bu grew uncharacteristically serious.
Beside him, Ying Zheng’s expression did not change. He pressed his index and middle fingers together and lifted them slightly.
Whoosh!
Four Terracotta Warriors coalesced on the spot, forming a protective line before him and advancing step by step toward the wolves.
Neither man bothered to conceal himself, so when they drew within several dozen meters, they were immediately spotted.
“Owooooo!”
Sensing imminent danger, the snow wolves wheeled around. Even those who had just finished hunting reindeer abandoned their prey without hesitation.
“The six on the left are yours. Can you handle that?”
“Need me to share a few more?”
Mounting his steed, Lu Bu betrayed no fear, even though the monsters outnumbered and outleveled them several times over.
Ying Zheng smiled faintly.
“For me… there’s no problem.”
“But as for you, don’t exhaust all your skills just yet—you’ll slow down Sir’s leveling if you do.”
“There’s a real battle ahead.”
Lu Bu shot him a cold glance and sneered.
“Hmph! A few mere beasts—hardly worth using my skills on.”
“Hyah!”
With that, Lu Bu snapped the reins. Red Hare, sensing his intent, thundered forward as a crimson bolt streaking across the snow.
Boom!
His halberd fell, slicing the air with a sonic boom.
The lead snow wolf couldn’t react in time; it felt a sudden pain in its neck, then its head soared dozens of meters high, blood spraying wide.
In an instant, a wolf whose attributes were nearly a match for Lu Bu’s had died on the spot.
Seeing this, Ying Zheng wasted no time. He thrust out his right hand—
Boom!
A circle of invisible shockwaves swept outward, filling the five hundred meters around them with a strange, chilling aura of death!
The four Terracotta Warriors grew visibly sturdier.
Meanwhile, the distant snow wolves suddenly hunched, as if weighed down by some invisible force.
[All Under Heaven: Within a radius of 500 meters centered on Ying Zheng, all enemies are weakened to varying degrees, while allies are strengthened.]
“Kill.”
At his command, the four Terracotta Warriors surged forward, their speed abruptly increasing.
They seemed clumsy, but moved surprisingly quickly and fought with seamless cooperation.
A snow wolf opened its jaws, unleashing a blade of frost-shrouded wind.
Two Terracotta Warriors stepped up without hesitation, blocking the attack with their bodies.
The other two darted forward, spears at the ready.
Thud!
Squelch!
A wolf’s belly was pierced clean through.
Without pause, the warriors withdrew their weapons, reformed their formation, and charged the next snow wolf.
And so…
[EXP +46,687]
[EXP +45,355]
[EXP +45,017]
…
“As expected of a level 45 monster—look at all that experience!” Song Qi said, somewhat intoxicated.
Normally, an Icefield Snow Wolf would grant only fifteen thousand experience points.
But with the triple experience card, each one gave forty-five thousand!
Ten meant four hundred fifty thousand experience!
He was now level twenty-one, needing two million to level up.
In other words, kill just over forty snow wolves and he’d advance!
In mid- and low-level dungeons, you could grind all day and never see such numbers.
“Coming out here to grind monsters was definitely the right choice.”
“If I’d stayed in the city, I’d be lucky to gain even one level a day.”
Song Qi felt fortunate for his decision.
Soon, all eleven Icefield Snow Wolves lay dead.
Only one remained, whimpering as it fled into the distance.
“After it!”
Without hesitation, Song Qi rose and gave chase.