Wolves, having lived in the desert for generations, have undergone some physical mutations to adapt to the arid and hot environment. For example, desert wolves have larger ears than other wolf species, facilitating heat dissipation and enhancing their hearing. They are typically smaller in size, with strong backs and limbs, giving them greater mobility and astonishing speeds when running.
At the same time, due to the lack of resources in the desert, they have also evolved an extremely strong ability to withstand hunger. In the absence of food, they can go for up to half a month without eating anything and not starve to death.
Desert wolves are usually active at night. Upon hearing Chu Huaying say there was a wolf pack in the distance, Xiao Lou immediately retreated to her side and whispered, " Huaying, can you judge the distance and number of wolves between us?"
Chu Huaying had just pressed her ear to the sand and listened carefully. She frowned and said, "I don't know the number. I only heard the howl of the alpha wolf calling its companions and the footsteps of the pack as it ran. The distance... is about 3 kilometers away. My hearing has been enhanced so I can hear sounds up to 3 kilometers away."
Three kilometers is a distance that a pack of wolves, which runs extremely fast, can cover in just one minute.
Xiao Lou felt a little nervous. He looked around at the vast desert, where they had nowhere to hide. The fact that cards were invalid after being used once also made him hesitant to use cards like Tao Yuanming, which could be a lifesaver in a critical moment.
Ninth Brother and Tang Ci went to find the oasis. Yu Hanjiang had a high fever, and Long Sen was unconscious. Currently, only Xiao Lou, Chu Huaying, Qu Wanyue, Gui Yuanzhang, Shao Qingge, and Ye Qi are left with fighting ability.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible, "I don't know how many wolves there are. If there are fewer than 100, the six of us can barely handle them. But if there are too many, they will be difficult to deal with, and we need to find a way to escape as soon as possible."
Ye Qi worriedly said, "With just the displacement card, can we outrun the wolf pack? Wolves can run for a long time, and we don't have the stamina to keep up with them."
Gui Yuanzhang suggested, "Wolves are usually afraid of fire. Why don't we try using fire to surround our temporary camp?"
Xiao Lou shook his head with a wry smile: "We're out of fuel."
Bai Juyi was only responsible for lighting a small fire and did not provide any extra charcoal. The charcoal that Xiao Lou had just lit was divided into several portions to make stoves for everyone. The remaining charcoal on the sand was only about the size of a washbasin. Even more tragically, the fuel for this charcoal fire was about to run out, and the flame would go out in a few minutes.
If it were in the wild, they could gather some branches and dry leaves to start a fire. But now, in the vast desert, as far as the eye can see, there is only endless sand for hundreds of miles around, and not even a single tree can be seen. Where can they find firewood?
Shao Qingge glanced at the dying flames on the sand—as a Zerg, he was also afraid of fire, but these little flames were only good for keeping warm; they were no match for scaring away a pack of wolves. Shao Qingge looked around and finally fixed his gaze on the tent beside him, saying, "Why don't we burn the tent? We don't need to sleep tonight anyway."
Ye Qi said, "There are blankets in the tent, and the cotton inside can burn for a while. If there are too many wolves, we'll each take a torch to deal with them... By the way, CEO Shao, aren't you afraid of fire?"
Shao Qingge laughed and said, "It's alright, I can stay away from you and deal with the wolf pack on the perimeter. I'm still in my transformed state, so a few wolves can't hurt me at all."
Without further hesitation, Xiao Lou quickly set to work with Shao Qingge to dismantle the nearby tent. They found a pair of scissors, wrapped a quilt around the metal stick supporting the tent, lit it, and used it as a makeshift torch, distributing it to their teammates.
At the same time, he also used the ethanol token he had obtained in the Zerg's secret chamber.
This card can produce flammable alcohol at a rate of one bottle every two seconds. Xiao Lou quickly made more than a dozen bottles of alcohol and handed them over to his teammates. He then instructed Qu Wanyue, " Teacher Qu, Long Sen is currently unconscious and unable to resist. If he is surrounded by wolves, his body will be eaten by the hungry wolves. You must protect him later."
Qu Wanyue nodded. Long Sen was swept into the air when he encountered the sandstorm and had already used the Chameleon Card in desperation, but Qu Wanyue still had her card. She walked to Long Sen's side and blended him into the surrounding desert so that the wolves would not be able to spot him.
Xiao Lou then put the shrunken Yu Hanjiang into his pocket.
Just then, a loud "woof!" rang in his ears. Xiao Lou turned around and froze on the spot—
The wolf pack had arrived and quickly surrounded them.
Countless wolves, their eyes gleaming with a strange brownish-yellow light—the unique eye color of desert wolves—stood staring intently at Xiao Lou and his companions in the pitch-black night.
With the help of the light from the luminous pearl and the torch in his hand, Xiao Lou could see the wolves up close. They were indeed lean and agile. At this moment, the wolves all opened their mouths wide, revealing sharp teeth, and drool was dripping from their mouths. It was unknown how long they had been hungry.
Being stared at like food by hundreds of wolves sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Visibility was limited at night, and Xiao Lou could only see about 5 meters in front of him. The sight of eyes everywhere made him wary. Xiao Lou quickly leaned close to Shao Qingge's ear and whispered, " CEO Shao, could you please go and scout around and see how many wolves are around?"
Shao Qingge nodded: "Okay, be careful."
Almost as soon as Shao Qingge moved, a cry of "Awoo!" suddenly came from afar again.
"With a howl, the pack of wolves that had surrounded them suddenly charged forward, heading straight for the firelight!"
Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly raised the torch in his right hand in front of him. A wolf cub was about to pounce on him, but it stopped abruptly when it saw the torch, sticking out its long tongue and staring fiercely at Xiao Lou with its deep eyes.
Just then, another commotion came from behind. Xiao Lou suddenly held the torch horizontally behind him with his right hand, and then splashed a bottle of alcohol with his left hand. The flammable alcohol met the flame, and the torch in his hand suddenly burst into a ball of fire!
Flames shot into the sky, sparks flew everywhere, and the surrounding wolves seemed to fear the raging fire, none daring to approach Xiao Lou.
However, they did not retreat, but instead formed a circle, staring intently at Xiao Lou.
After seeing what Xiao Lou did, his teammates followed suit. They had only brought one or two torches, but with the help of alcohol, the torches burned brighter and brighter, and for a time they actually intimidated the surrounding wolves, preventing them from getting close.
Shao Qingge quickly returned after scouting the area. His expression was grim, and since he was also afraid of fire, he stayed at a distance and said in a deep voice, "I roughly counted them. There are tens of thousands of wolves within a kilometer radius. It feels like the entire desert's wolves have mobilized!"
Xiao Lou said, " The howling Hua Ying heard just now, could it be the wolf king summoning the pack?"
Shao Qingge nodded seriously; "I'm afraid so. Unfortunately, the wolf king is mixed in with the pack, and there are too many wolves around. I can't tell which one it is. Capturing the king first probably won't work. This wolf king is very good at disguising itself."
He paused, then asked Xiao Lou in a low voice, "What do we do? There are so many wolves, we can't handle them."
As soon as Shao Qingge finished speaking, a gust of wind blew in their faces. The torches in everyone's hands, which had been burning brighter and brighter with the help of alcohol, were suddenly extinguished by the wind, which carried up a lot of sand and gravel.
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down his spine: "Oh no, the fire's going out! Everyone be careful!"
When the wind stopped, all the torches went out at the same time.
Silence reigned all around. By the moonlight overhead, Xiao Lou could clearly see that the wolves, who had initially been afraid of the flames and dared not approach, pounced on them like arrows released from a bow the moment the flames died down.
Gui Yuanzhang, quick-witted and agile, immediately took out a brush and drew a circle in front of him. A stream of air instantly swept around, forming a natural wind wall that repelled the dozen or so wolves that were pouncing on them!
Chu Huaying darted into the wolf pack like lightning. With a single stroke of her spider dagger, she slashed the throat of the wolf in front of her, and it fell to the ground, its blood quickly staining the sand.
Her companion was easily stabbed to death, and the surrounding wolves seemed to be enraged. In an instant, they surrounded Chu Huaying and let out a piercing howl at her!
Chu Huaying was faster than a pack of wolves.
Her calm voice carried on the wind: "I'll lure these wolves away, Professor Xiao, think of something quickly!"
Under the moonlight, a woman dressed entirely in black, holding a sharp red dagger, swiftly weaved through the wolf pack as if it were her own backyard.
With a swift stroke, she killed a wolf, and in the blink of an eye, the corpses around her piled up like a mountain.
The scent of blood attracted the wolves, drawing their attention to Chu Huaying and causing them to swarm and attack her. Seeing this, Shao Qingge immediately joined the fray. Since Chu Huaying couldn't possibly watch over everyone, with CEO Shao's help, dealing with the wolves became much easier.
Shao Qingge was not afraid of the wolf pack because he was in his insect king form, which allowed him to heal quickly no matter how severe his injuries were. Therefore, he became even more unscrupulous. The man's blood-red eyes narrowed slightly as he extended his sharp nails to attack the wolves' necks!
In an instant, Shao Qingge was covered in blood, and he had strangled countless wolves to death.
He charged into the wolf pack with his bare hands, working with Chu Huaying to buy time for their teammates.
As Chu Huaying and Shao Qingge were covered in blood, the wolves around them died one after another, one after another, in an endless stream. The howls of the wolf pack were becoming more and more piercing, clearly indicating that they were about to launch a general attack.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and whispered, "Cover me!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qi, Gui Yuanzhang, and Qu Wanyue immediately came over and stood around Xiao Lou, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
Most of the wolves were lured away by Shao Qingge and Chu Huaying, leaving few on their side. With Old Gui controlling the main area and Xiao Ye and Qu Wanyue helping to pick up the leftovers, the three of them could barely manage.
Xiao Lou freed up his hand and swiftly summoned Tao Yuanming.
The Peach Blossom Spring skill could originally be used once a day, but the escape room now has a rule: once a card is used, it becomes invalid. While it's a pity to waste such a powerful card, they can't afford to continue fighting against tens of thousands of wolves in this situation!
If Chu Huaying becomes physically exhausted, the consequences will be unimaginable.
There's no need to hesitate any longer.
There's still no news from Ninth Brother. The best course of action right now is to use Peach Blossom Spring to avoid the wolf pack's attack. At least for the next three hours, Xiao Lou and the others are safe, which will also give Ninth Brother more time to search for Peach Blossom Spring.
Peach Blossom Spring requires a 10-second loading time and cannot be interrupted.
Xiao Lou focused her mind and began The Peach Blossom Spring.
The wolves around them howled even louder, their howls rising and falling, sending chills down one's spine.
Seeing that two wolves behind him suddenly shifted their target and pounced on Xiao Lou, Ye Qi hurriedly took out his guitar and quickly plucked the strings, putting the two wolves to sleep.
Gui Yuanzhang kept an eye on Xiao Lou's left side, Ye Qi was responsible for his back, and Qu Wanyue took care of his right side. The three of them surrounded Xiao Lou in the inner circle, protecting him closely.
Peach Blossom Spring countdown: 8, 7, 6...
Xiao Lou's Peach Blossom Spring was about to end, and the wolf pack became increasingly restless, frantically pouncing on Xiao Lou!
Just as the countdown reached 1, a notification suddenly popped up in front of everyone's eyes—[Teammate Lu Jiuchuan invites you to teleport to the location he marked. Do you agree?]
Xiao Lou clicked "agree" without hesitation.
Qu Wanyue hurriedly ran over, picked up the sand-covered Long Sen, and then pressed the "agree" button.
The scene before them blurred, and Xiao Lou and the others quickly arrived beside Lu Jiuchuan.
There were no howls of wolves around, only desolation. A bright moon hung in the sky, and the scenery was no different from where the tent had been pitched earlier.
To Xiao Lou's surprise, he saw two familiar faces.
Lu Jiuchuan said, "I didn't find the oasis, but I found Xiao Liu and Lao Mo."