Chapter 8

Tao Shushu moved her perspective to memorize the wolves’ positions.
The more she looked, the more alarmed she became. No wonder the first half of the night had been so peaceful, it turned out a pack of wolves had surrounded the cave entrance.
The wolves were positioned strategically, lying in wait silently.
Once they attacked, those inside would have no choice but to fight on the spot, with no possibility of escaping outward.
Returning to the cave, Tao Shushu poked the cub. She was hesitating over how to warn him about the danger outside when she saw him suddenly pick up his particle gun and stand at the entrance, even more alert than during his earlier watch.
Truly, the cub I raised.
A new task appeared on the screen: [Activate Side Quest 2, The savage wasteland wolf pack has hunted down fifty percent of the surviving humans. Now, they have set their sights on your cub. Please assist the cub in eliminating the wolf pack. Task rewards: 100 gold coins, 3 Primary Clarity Cards, 20 influence points.]
100 gold coins.
That was a fortune.
Tao Shushu became even more determined to complete the task.
Noticing two plates of fruit still on the table, Tao Shushu moved them to the cave entrance. She drew a rectangular area and used green fruits to mark the position of each wolf.
While she was doing this, Nan Yuan wasn’t idle either.
Nan Yuan felt that person poke his hand.
She wasn’t urging him to sleep but had poked him. Combined with the gust of wind she brought when entering from outside, Nan Yuan immediately realized that person had detected something outside.
Setting aside the question of how that person could come and go despite the cave entrance being blocked, Nan Yuan peered through the crack in the entrance and spotted two green dots in the pitch-black night.
It was a wolf pack.
Nan Yuan grew solemn. Wolf packs were one of the toughest opponents on the barren planet, numerous, and as a group, their intelligence was not low, capable of employing human-like tactics.
Nan Yuan raised the particle gun but ultimately lowered it again. He couldn’t attack recklessly and disrupt the delicate balance.
When he turned back, he noticed a sand drawing on the ground.
As if afraid he wouldn’t understand, the sand drawing was laid out in a square shape. At the bottom, an arch represented the cave entrance, with a stone placed inside. Outside the entrance were many green fruits.
Nan Yuan had just spotted two wolves, their positions corresponding to the fruits in the drawing.
So, this was a coordinate map of the wolf pack outside.
This type of marking, did the person who made it have a military background?
Nan Yuan thought for a moment.
Just then, a wolf’s howl echoed from outside.
Nan Yuan hesitated no longer. He swiftly moved aside the stone blocking the entrance and loaded an energy sphere into the particle gun.
Calmly calculating, he noted that two wolves crouched directly in front of the entrance would lead the charge.
Two more on the side were responsible for ambushing, the moment he stepped out, they would aim to snap his neck.
Nan Yuan raised his weapon and fired, his movements clean and precise. As soon as one shot was fired, he immediately shifted to the next target.
Before Tao Shushu could even react, a series of gunshots rang out.
Then came the wolves’ mournful howls.
Tao Shushu switched her view and saw that six wolves had already fallen.
The cub’s sniping was incredibly accurate, every shot was a clean kill.
This enraged the remaining wolves. They let out long, furious howls and charged forward, rushing straight toward the cave.
Without hesitation, Nan Yuan fired another round of bullets.
The two wolves leading the charge fell to the ground instantly.
The remaining wolves, however, scattered low to the ground.
Observing the wolves’ positions, Nan Yuan took out another energy sphere and reloaded.
His heart sank, the sand drawing had marked eighteen wolves.
Just now, he had managed to take down eight with his marksmanship.
Ten remained.
Nan Yuan knew that after this probing attack, the wolves would grow more cautious, and the deaths of their packmates would only make them more vicious.
His field of vision was limited, so he didn’t notice that outside, three wolves were creeping low along the ground, stealthily approaching the cave from the side, right where the cub had found the beat-up truck.
Just as the three wolves were about to sink their fangs into the tires, Tao Shushu quickly rolled a large rock. Taking advantage of the sloping terrain, she gave it a push.
The rock rumbled downward.
The three wolves had no time to dodge and were all crushed.
Tao Shushu then extended a finger and pressed down on the large rock.
The wolf pack howled mournfully.
Three gunshots rang out.
Nan Yuan finished off the three wolves that were still struggling.
Tao Shushu watched as Nan Yuan stepped out of the cave and immediately panicked. Silly child, it's dangerous outside, there are wolves!
She quickly pushed Nan Yuan, pulling and dragging him back into the cave.
Nan Yuan didn’t linger long and soon dashed back into the cave.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the wolf pack closed in, tightening their encirclement.
Nan Yuan stood guard at the cave entrance, a particle gun in his right hand, his chest heaving slightly from the intense running.
His left hand remained half-raised in the air, frozen in a grasping motion, and it took over ten seconds before he finally lowered it.
Tao Shushu had no idea why, in the middle of the fight, a row of sad crying emojis had suddenly appeared above the cub’s head again.
Nan Yuan lowered his hand. "It’s dangerous outside. I can handle them. Don’t go out, at least, not without a word."
After speaking, Nan Yuan positioned himself at the cave entrance, even blocking the gaps with a few rocks, leaving only the spot where he stood accessible.
Tao Shushu paused. Though she didn’t understand what the child had said, his posture made it clear, he was worried about her.
Nan Yuan’s gaze grew sharper.
His shooting was swift. This time, he didn’t aim for the wolves’ green eyes but targeted their legs instead.
Pain would only enrage the wolves further.
But that was exactly what he wanted, to provoke them, to lure them all toward the cave entrance.
Nan Yuan clenched and unclenched his left hand, forcing himself to focus entirely on the fight, yet an unavoidable flicker of lingering fear crossed his mind.
He had heard the sound of rolling stones and wolf howls outside.
That person was out there!
In that instant, instinct overpowered reason. He rushed out of the cave and swiftly dispatched the three trapped wolves with a few shots.
He thought with lingering dread, At least there’s only wolf blood here.
Then, he was pushed back into the cave by that person.
Nan Yuan instinctively reached out to grab their hand, wanting to stop them from running outside, but his fingers closed on nothing but empty air.
A chill ran down Nan Yuan’s spine. He had to end the fight quickly, only then could he keep that person from risking themselves outside.
He had seen how dangerous the wolves of the wasteland could be. Once, he witnessed a pack hunt down a mutated lion, the lion stood no chance.
Nan Yuan didn’t dare underestimate them. He fired repeatedly at the wolves but avoided fatal shots. His left hand hung outside like a piece of fresh meat in a shop window, tempting the bloodthirsty pack.
Finally, the enraged wolves charged. Nan Yuan quickly counted, only four. Where were the other three?
Judging by their size, the alpha wasn’t among them.
There was no time to spare.
Nan Yuan flung his left hand, tossing a glass vial toward the clustered wolves.
Then, with a single shot, he shattered the bottle.
The air instantly filled with a foul stench as thick, viscous liquid splattered down. The moment the mucus touched them, the wolves howled twice and collapsed.
Nan Yuan watched expressionlessly.
This was the blood-devouring grass mucus he had discovered earlier that day. The fire had burned most of the grass away, and he had only managed to collect two small vials. The mucus was highly corrosive and lethally toxic, a single drop was enough to kill a mutated wolf.
His original plan had been to lure the wolves one by one and pick them off individually, but to end the fight sooner, he had no choice but to resort to this wide-range attack.
Three left.
He had to move even faster.
Nan Yuan’s mind was consumed with ending the battle.
But Tao Shushu’s heart ached with worry.
Realizing she might be in danger, Tao Shushu stopped interfering in the fight. Instead, she hugged her phone, admiring her "cub" with starry eyes.
However, when she saw her cub take down several wolves with just one bottle of medicine, Tao Shushu couldn't help but sigh, her cub was so extravagant! Such a large bottle of medicine could have lasted much longer.
This kind of fighting style was far too wasteful.
As a doting "mother," Tao Shushu felt the need to sternly condemn such behavior, but since they couldn't communicate, she could only grit her teeth in frustration.
Quickly switching out of the cave, Tao Shushu aimed to maximize the use of the remaining medicine.
She teleported to where the bottle had shattered and picked up a fragment coated with sticky residue.
Then, she located the remaining three wolves and pressed the fragment against their bodies.
The three wolves were scattered in different spots.
Upon detecting an enemy, the wolves let out mournful howls.
The alpha wolf tried to flee, but Tao Shushu was faster, instantly pressing the glass shard onto it.
In just one minute, Tao Shushu had eliminated the third wolf.
[Side Quest 2 Completed: Eliminate the Vicious Wolf Pack. Rewards: Gold ×100, Primary Clarity Card ×3, Prestige ×20.]
Tao Shushu clicked "Confirm" and immediately saw Nan Yuan standing nearby, panting heavily as he held a gun.
He had rushed out in a hurry.
So frantic was his dash that one of his feet landed in a pool of blood, yet his gaze remained fixed intently on the empty air.
Tao Shushu felt a twinge of guilt but quickly bolstered her own spirits, why should she feel guilty? If her cub had brought out such a powerful weapon from the start, she could have wiped out the wolf pack in just five minutes.
After a moment's thought, Tao Shushu reached out with a finger and gently poked Nan Yuan's cheek.
Nan Yuan jolted and looked up abruptly.
Seizing the opportunity, Tao Shushu slipped a finger into Nan Yuan's palm.
Nan Yuan froze for a second.
Then, he quickly closed his hand, holding that person tightly in his grasp.
He had to exercise extreme restraint to suppress the urge to squeeze even harder.
Hearing the alpha wolf's mournful cry, Nan Yuan's heart nearly stopped in terror. He had no idea how that person had ended up outside again, confronting the alpha wolf.
Thankfully, he thought with lingering fear as he gently curled his fingers, that person was still here, safe and sound.
The mutated wolves carried energy orbs. With a wave of her hand, Tao Shushu moved the screen to transport all the wolf carcasses into the cave. She then used the remaining bottle fragments to encircle the cave entrance, preventing other mutated creatures from scavenging.
Nan Yuan crouched inside the cave, processing the wolf meat and collecting the energy orbs.
He would occasionally glance sideways, where fruits were being tossed up and caught.
It resembled street performers juggling fruits in pre-apocalyptic films.
Though it was a bizarre sight with fruits moving up and down on their own, Nan Yuan felt a sense of comfort just by looking. Because he knew that person hadn’t left, that person was right beside him.
Suddenly, Nan Yuan’s gaze paused.
A green fruit had fallen to the ground. That person merely wiped it casually and placed it back on the table. But when a red fruit fell, that person wiped it over and over before tossing and playing with it again.
Ever since he first gathered the two types of fruits, that person had shown a clear preference for the red ones.
But on this barren planet, all plants had mutated. The red fruits were more conspicuous and more likely to be eaten by animals. To protect themselves, red fruits usually contained toxins, leaving a numbing sensation in the mouth and a terrible texture. They could only serve as a source of hydration.
Anyone who had tasted them would dislike the red fruits. In contrast, the green ones still retained the flavor of actual fruit.
Nan Yuan speculated that since that person seemed to favor the red fruits, perhaps they had never actually eaten fruit. Could they be an artificial intelligence incapable of consuming food, and not human at all?


Author's Note:
Little cub: She’s protecting me, no way, I need to fight faster!