Alaska Gold Rush Diary

Chapter 196 Shepherding

Since they had entered the wolf pack's territory, Bell adjusted the night watch strategy that night, arranging for two people to keep watch in pairs, with two women also joining in.

In addition, they gathered more firewood to make the campfire bigger.

Wolves are terrified of fire, which can effectively drive them away.

At Sophia's insistence, he and Zhou Xin took turns on duty for the first three hours.

Their campsite today is located in a clearing in the woods, where the cold wind is blocked, making it much warmer.

The surroundings gradually quieted down, with only the sound of snoring coming from inside the tent.

As Sophia and Zhou Xin were chatting in hushed tones, suddenly, the howling of wolves echoed from the distant woods.

Awoo—

Logan also stood up, tilted his head back, and howled.

The sounds from afar were continuous, sometimes coming from the east, sometimes from the west.

Zhou Xin and Sophia exchanged a glance, both understanding what had happened.

Although the wolves did not attack due to the threat of the firelight, they continued to watch them from a distance.

The others had also crawled out of their tents, their faces showing fear.

"You should all go back and rest," Zhou Xin said, looking at the somewhat flustered group. "I think this might be the wolf's tactic."

"What tactics?" Windsor asked, puzzled.

"Perhaps we have underestimated the collective wisdom of wolf packs," Zhou Xin stared at the fire, seemingly deep in thought. "They seem to know very well how to break down the psychological defenses of their prey; in other words, they are waging psychological warfare."

Bell frowned. "I have indeed heard that when facing a powerful enemy, wolf packs will use constant tracking and howling to make their prey sleepless, anxious, and impaired in judgment."

"This—this is terrible." Windsor's face turned pale.

"So, Mr. Zhou is right. We can't let these wild beasts lead us by the nose. Everyone should go back and rest as usual. With the campfire burning, they won't dare to attack rashly." After saying this, Bell was the first to crawl back into the tent.

The others immediately followed his instructions and went back to rest.

The howling of wolves barely stopped that night.

Although everyone knew they were playing psychological warfare, none of them slept well.

However, the oppressive feeling brought by the wolf pack kept them on edge, and they were not listless.

"In two more days, we should be able to reach Hibernation Valley." Bell looked at the map and identified the direction to go.

The premise is that there was no wolf attack.

Although he didn't say it aloud, everyone knew what he meant.

"Come on, everyone! 4000 ounces of gold are waiting for us!" Bell shouted again.

Upon hearing this, a gleam immediately appeared in everyone's eyes.

Windsor, who was a little timid, had been somewhat dejected after being harassed by the howling wolves last night, but upon hearing these words, she immediately regained her courage.

Under the lure of enormous profits, all dangers become less important.

With renewed spirits, everyone continued their journey toward Hibernation Valley.

Along the way, the wolf pack's tracks became more numerous, and more scenes of prey being devoured appeared.

Everything reminded them that the wolf pack was nearby and could appear at any moment.

Even the hunting dogs began to get restless, running around the group and barking incessantly.

In this tense atmosphere, no one spoke, and no one even had the mind to chase the prey running past in the distance.

Around noon, the group rested briefly and ate some dry rations before continuing their journey.

They hadn't gone far when the hounds suddenly started barking fiercely and darted off in one direction, disappearing into the woods.

Logan didn't follow, but he bared his teeth and howled in that direction.

"Russo!" Sofia shouted, and was about to follow.

But she immediately stopped, and everyone's expression changed drastically.

From the direction where the hunting dogs disappeared came even more intense barking and howling.

"Something's up, everyone follow!" Bell said, grabbing his gun and running over.

Sofia, worried about the hound's safety, immediately followed.

Seeing this, the others had no choice but to follow suit.

Zhou Xin remained at the very back of the group, his attention focused not on what was in front, but on what was behind him.

These wolves are very cunning; perhaps they are using a feint attack.

Bang bang bang!

Several gunshots rang out from the front of the column.

When everyone saw what was in front of them, their pupils contracted.

Sofia's eyes were filled with tears, and her hand holding the gun trembled uncontrollably.

The six hunting dogs were covered in wounds, and two of them were lying on the ground, barely alive.

When they arrived, six hunting dogs were fighting with four sizable wolves.

Although hunting dogs are well-trained, they are still no match for wolves that have grown up fighting in harsh natural environments.

Moreover, the four wolves did not attack head-on, but instead used their agility and nimbleness to roam and harass from the perimeter.

They often run around a few times before suddenly rushing up and taking a couple of bites, as if they are toying with the hunting dogs.

When Bell and his team arrived, the hounds had already suffered heavy casualties.

But as soon as they saw them arrive, the wolf pack immediately turned and ran away.

Bell and Sofia, who were running at the front, fired their guns repeatedly, but missed.

Sofia had raised the six hounds since they were puppies, and she was deeply attached to them. Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran over to them.

"Watch out, don't go that way!"

Zhou Xin shouted and rushed forward, grabbing her in the process.

Then, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it somewhere to the side.

Everyone looked in that direction, their expressions changing drastically once again.

Not far to the side, several gray shadows vanished quickly; clearly, they had been hiding there, watching the spot where the hound had been attacked.

These wolves actually knew how to surround the corpse and attack reinforcements.

Zhou Xin could have hit one, but he didn't fire rashly.

"Look over there!" Windsor suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing, and their expressions grew even more somber.

About a kilometer away in the mountains, several wolves darted about, occasionally stopping to look in this direction.

Everyone realized that these wolves were not hunting, but herding sheep. They wanted to use a feint attack to drive the group toward their chosen slaughterhouse.

However, their destination was precisely the slaughterhouse the wolf pack had chosen for them: Hibernation Valley.

boom!

A gunshot rang out, and a wolf that had been standing in the distance looking this way fell to the ground.

The other wolves scattered and fled, quickly disappearing from sight.

Wyatt got up from the ground and put away his gun with satisfaction.

"Well done, Wyatt! Let these bastards know we're not to be trifled with!" Walsh cheered loudly.

Windsor looked on with admiration and kept praising him.

But Bell and Zhou Xin exchanged a silent glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

The reason Zhou Xin didn't fire just now was precisely because he had some concerns.

These wolves are clearly still in the probing stage; although they want to drive the group into the hibernation valley, they may not actually intend to attack them immediately.

After all, there are plenty of wild animals in the area, and the wolves wouldn't bother with them if there were easier prey to catch.

But Wyatt's shot just now may have enraged the wolf pack leader, putting the two sides on opposite sides.

This war between humans and werewolves will become inevitable.