All Heavens Strategy Game

Chapter 40. A wolf is lured into a trap by a mantis unaware of its prey! [Second Update]

The sounds of wind, snow, and the increasingly clear and intense howls of wolves and panicked cries of wild beasts from afar mingled together, like the prelude to death.

Su Ming crouched low, moving swiftly through the sparse trees and jagged rocks, like a weightless shadow, rapidly approaching the source of the sound.

After crossing a low, snow-covered slope, the view suddenly opened up before us.

Below the slope lies a relatively open snow valley.

A dozen or so panicked deer were being driven by three or four gray wolves, stumbling and running through the deep snow, kicking up clouds of snow.

The deer herd was clearly terrified; their formation was scattered, and several weak does and fawns gradually fell behind.

Meanwhile, the howls of wolves rose from all directions, echoing each other as if responding to the call of death.

Three more gray wolves rushed out of the woods on the side and joined the hunting party.

Before long, the seven robust gray wolves had formed a loose encirclement, forcing the deer herd toward the steep cliff face on one side of the snow valley.

The leader was a male wolf that was noticeably larger than the other wolves and had dark gray fur.

It didn't immediately pounce, but instead, like a composed general, hovered outside the encirclement, constantly issuing short, sharp warnings.

The commanding growl directed the movement and aggressive rhythm of the other wolves.

Under its command, the wolf pack operates with great discipline, constantly encroaching on the deer herd's space, creating panic, and exhausting the prey's stamina.

"The wolf pack truly lives up to its reputation as advanced predators; their division of labor is precise, and their hunting methods are sophisticated."

""

Su Ming lay prone behind a snow-covered rock at the top of the snow slope, only half of his head showing, his eyes coldly watching the bloody hunt below.

He recognized it; this dark gray wolf was not the silver-white wolf king he had seen that night.

Judging from its physique and command ability, it is probably one of the alpha wolves in the pack, second only to the wolf king.

The deer herd was completely cornered on the cliff, with nowhere left to retreat.

The strongest male stags raised their antlers and let out threatening howls, fighting like cornered beasts.

But the wolf pack was already prepared.

The dark gray alpha wolf let out a sharp, long howl!

The all-out offensive begins!

Like seven gray arrows released from a bow, the seven wolves pounced on the deer herd from different angles!

With a clear objective and excellent teamwork, one or two wolves harass and attract the attention of the strongest buck, while the other five focus on the doe and fawn that are lagging behind!

In an instant, the mournful cries of deer, the howls of wolves, the muffled sound of sharp teeth tearing flesh, and the hot steam from spurting blood mingled with the wind and snow, creating a scene of the most primitive and cruel struggle for survival in the valley.

Su Ming's heart was as hard as stone; he waited quietly.

"A perfect opportunity—when they finish hunting, are exhausted, and are least alert after eating, that will be the perfect time for me to strike."

He lay like a lifeless rock in the wind and snow, silently calculating the time and observing the state and fighting style of each wolf.

About an incense stick later, the killing gradually subsided.

The herd paid the price with four deer—two adult males and two half-grown fawns.

Blood stained a large area of ​​snow.

The remaining deer took advantage of the chaos to break out of the encirclement and fled in panic into the depths of the forest.

The wolves did not pursue; they circled their spoils, making satisfied growling sounds in their throats, but were not in a hurry to eat.

Under the low growl of the dark gray alpha wolf, several wolves began to try to drag the deer carcass.

They seem to want to bring their prey back to their nests for distribution and consumption.

"An organized wolf pack—" Su Ming's gaze deepened.

The behavior of a wild animal that does not immediately eat its prey after a successful hunt, but instead tries to drag the food back to its den for distribution, goes beyond the typical behavior of a wild beast.

This indicates that the wolf pack has a strict hierarchy and discipline, which can, to a certain extent, restrain the individual's animalistic instinct to eat and obey the collective arrangements.

Such a wolf pack poses a far greater threat than a disorganized pack of wild animals.

No wonder, Little Chongshan has become their hunting ground.

A wolf pack of this size would be like an uninhabited land in Xiaochongshan, killing indiscriminately and catching anyone they encountered.

Not to mention there's also a silver-white wolf king that's over ten feet long!

With such a wolf pack present, let alone wild animals and livestock in the mountains, even if four or five hunters went up the mountain together, they would probably be in grave danger!

"We can't fight head-on—" Su Ming quickly changed his original plan.

While the wolves were dragging the heavy deer carcass through the deep snow, their strength waning and their attention focused more on their prey, Su Ming quietly retreated from his hiding place, circled around, and descended to a concealed spot upwind at the edge of the snow valley.

There are several huge weathered rocks here, forming a natural shelter.

He took out a frozen lamb leg from his small bag, which he had deliberately saved yesterday.

This is no ordinary lamb leg; it's coated with a poisonous herb juice that is said to have hallucinogenic and paralyzing effects on wild animals—a so-called hallucinogenic drug.

He bought the hallucinogenic drugs from other old hunters' shops.

The stall owner explained that dogs and wolves generally don't eat poison because they have a keen sense of smell, so ordinary poisons are hard to fool them. This hallucinogenic drug, however, is not a poison but a tonic. To be precise, it is a mixture of several herbs that replenish qi and blood, which produce a hallucinogenic effect.

The main effect is to enhance blood and qi; the side effect is hallucinations.

After all, it's a tonic. Its effects on humans are mild, but after becoming hallucinogenic, it can slightly enhance physical constitution. Its effects on wild animals are terrifying, with hallucinogenic effects several times stronger. Su Ming had tested it beforehand with the neighbor's dog, and it was indeed effective.

The dog fainted shortly afterward, but the effect only lasted for half an hour. After half an hour, the dog immediately woke up, full of energy and with a slightly improved blood circulation.

This hallucinogenic tonic is especially effective on wolves—hopefully it will work!

He leaned out and, with all his might, hurled the poisoned lamb leg, which exuded a strong, bloody, and tempting smell, towards the side and front of the path where the wolves were dragging the deer carcass!

"puff!"

The lamb leg landed on the snow, creating a shallow crater, which fell within the line of sight of several wolves.

Su Ming immediately retreated behind the rock, held his breath, and even took out a small bottle of "Tibetan Flavor Powder" from his pocket, sprayed some on himself, and then buried himself deeply in a thick snowdrift that had been prepared in advance, leaving only a very small gap for observation.

Believe it or not, other hunters buried themselves in the snow to hide?

Forget hunting, he'd probably freeze to death!

Only Su Ming, who relied on his internal energy to dispel the cold, could achieve this.

Using meat to lure wolves, they're resorting to the same old trick!

But this time, the prey is smarter, and the risks are greater.

"Whoosh—"

The wind howled, carrying with it a strong, fresh smell of mutton and blood, which immediately alerted the wolves.

The wolves responsible for guarding and dragging the sheep immediately stopped, their ears perked up, their nostrils flared wildly, and their gleaming green eyes all turned toward the direction where the lamb leg had landed.

meat!

They found a leg of lamb!

Unexpectedly, they did not pounce immediately, but instead appeared unusually cautious.

After a low, warning growl from the dark gray alpha wolf, the pack stopped dragging the deer carcass.

The alpha wolf, accompanied by two strong male wolves, crouched low, ears pressed to the back of their heads, and cautiously approached the lamb leg.

The other three wolves remained beside the deer carcass, vigilantly watching their surroundings, especially the direction from which the lamb leg had flown.

They are investigating!

Check the vicinity for other predators lying in ambush or for traps!

The dark gray alpha wolf was extremely experienced; it even directed the other two wolves to spread out in a fan shape, expanding the search area.

Su Ming's heart, buried in the snowdrift, suddenly skipped a beat!

One of the wolves that was searching for him actually started to sniff around towards the snowdrift where he was hiding!

Closer and closer — five meters — three meters —

At its closest, the cold wolf's nose was less than two meters from the surface of the snowdrift where Su Ming was hiding!

He could even see the deer blood and ice crystals stuck to the wolf's mouth through the gaps in the snow, and smell the strong, pungent stench of the wild beast.

The wolf's nose carefully probed the air, seemingly puzzled—there was a faint scent here that shouldn't belong to this snowy place, but it was masked by another strange smell of grass, wood, and earth, making it elusive.

It circled the snowdrift a little, scratching at the surface of the snow with its paws.

Su Ming's muscles were tense, and his right hand had already quietly gripped the hilt of the broadsword at his waist.

If discovered, it will be a swift and decisive strike!

Fortunately, the wolf didn't seem to notice anything amiss. It finally let out a low, puzzled growl, turned around, ran back to the wolf, and shook its head.

Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief, but a fine layer of sweat had already broken out on his back.

"That was close—this Tibetan-style rice noodle is truly amazing!"

His opinion of Old Hu's medicine powder rose even higher; if it weren't for it, he probably would have been exposed just now.

No wonder this medicine powder is worth selling for one or two taels of silver a bottle!

Calming down, he quickly analyzed: "The deer were hunted together and they had exhausted themselves. According to the rules, they need to be taken back to the den to be distributed."

"But this lamb leg that appeared out of nowhere is different—it was found, not a hunting reward, so theoretically it can be disposed of on the spot, and doesn't even need to be handed over."

"Wolves are inherently greedy, and when hungry, faced with a feast that requires no effort," especially after a fierce hunt, when they are exhausted and in dire need of replenishment—can they resist the urge to immediately devour it?

"Let's take a gamble! We'll bet they're hungry enough!"

If these wolves choose to take the lamb leg back to their den to eat, then Su Ming is helpless and finds it difficult to deal with these guys.

But if they are hungry enough and choose to devour the lamb leg on the spot, then that would be Su Ming's chance!

Su Ming's judgment was quickly proven correct.

After searching the area and finding no obvious danger, the dark gray alpha wolf seemed to relax its guard somewhat.

It lowered its head and sniffed the lamb leg carefully, then looked up and around. In the end, hunger and the readily available, succulent meat overwhelmed its last doubts.

It let out a short, low growl, as if giving a command.

Immediately, the four wolves that looked the hungriest and had contributed the most to the hunt pounced on the poisoned lamb leg and began to tear it apart.

They ate very quickly and hurriedly, making satisfied swallowing sounds in their throats.

However, three wolves, including the dark gray alpha wolf, did not rush forward to compete for the food. Instead, they retreated to a slightly farther distance, forming a triangular formation, and warily watched the surrounding rustling of leaves.

One pack of wolves is eating meat, while another pack is on guard.

Clear division of labor and strict discipline.

"What a cunning beast!" Su Ming thought to himself with a chill.

The pack's organization far exceeded his expectations.

They even keep watch while eating!

However cunning they may be, they are still beasts at heart.

They discovered the "trap" and checked for danger, but they never expected that the "poison" was not in the trap, but in the food itself!

What was even more unexpected was that the poisoner was able to hide almost perfectly right under their noses.

"Eat up, eat more—" Su Ming waited patiently.

Time passed little by little.

The four wolves quickly devoured most of the lamb leg, even chewing up and swallowing a lot of the bones.

They seemed unsatisfied, licking the blood from the corners of their mouths, but soon, the effects of the medicine began to appear.

The first to show abnormality was a smaller wolf. It shook its head, its steps became unsteady, its eyes began to glaze over, and it seemed listless.

Following this, the other three wolves that had eaten meat also began to show similar symptoms: they became sluggish, unresponsive, whimpering sleepily, and shaking their heads repeatedly.

Only the three wolves that had been on guard and had not eaten remained energetic.

But they soon noticed their companions' unusual behavior, becoming somewhat restless. They circled the four drowsy wolves, nudging them with their noses and whimpering softly as they inquired.

It's now!

Su Ming suddenly sprang up from the snowdrift, causing the snow to explode!

He had already drawn his bow and nocked an arrow, his target aimed directly at the guard wolf that was closest to him and had its back to him!

"Whoosh—!"

""

The "Heart-Piercing Arrow" transformed into a deadly black line, precisely piercing the back of the neck at such close range, giving the opponent no time to react!

"Awooo—!" The short, pitiful howl stopped abruptly. The wolf collapsed to the ground, twitched twice, and then lay still.

"Ugh—!"

The remaining two guard wolves, especially the dark gray alpha wolf, instantly let out a terrified and angry roar!

They immediately spotted Su Ming, who had "conjured" from the snow, and pounced on him without hesitation!

However, the instant Su Ming fired the arrow, he retreated swiftly to the side and back like a nimble ape, his target clearly the large pine tree next to him that he had already spotted, with its thick trunk and branches that only began to fork more than ten feet off the ground!

He ran incredibly fast, and before the two wolves could pounce on him, he used both hands and feet to quickly climb up the tree trunk and landed steadily on a horizontal branch.

Looking down from a high vantage point!

Another guard wolf chased to the foot of the tree, looked up and hissed threateningly at Su Ming in the tree, leaping repeatedly, but it couldn't reach him at all.

Su Ming remained expressionless, nocked another arrow, and aimed at the wolf that was constantly moving under the tree.

"Whoosh!"

The arrow pierced the air, and the wolf, being alert, leaped to the side the instant Su Ming released it, but the arrow still grazed its hind leg, leaving a trail of blood.

"Awooo!" The wolf cried out in pain and took a few steps back in fear, no longer daring to approach the tree.

The dark gray alpha wolf, on the other hand, appeared even more cunning.

It did not approach the tree, but retreated to a greater distance, maintaining a relatively safe distance from Su Ming, its injured companion under the tree, and the four drowsy wolves.

It stared intently at Su Ming in the tree, letting out a low, hateful roar, but no longer charged aimlessly.

It seemed to understand that the black stick in the hand of the "two-legged monster" in the tree, which could make a sharp sound, was extremely terrifying, and charging in head-on would only lead to its death.

It chose to confront and besiege.

In its view, it has many allies on its side and only one opponent, so it is bound to win!

"Trying to starve me to death?"

Su Ming squatted on the tree and sneered, "Time? Time is the last thing I lack."

He has internal strength to keep warm and dried meat to fill his stomach, so he can stay in this tree for a day or two without any problem.

But what about these wolves?

The effects of the poison on those four wolves will only intensify.

How long can the remaining two remain on guard?

They had just gone through a hunt and were dragging deer carcasses, so their strength was already mostly exhausted.

Time was on Su Ming's side.

Sure enough, after a standoff of about fifteen minutes, the four poisoned wolves had gone from being listless to drowsy. Even though they were still standing and patrolling, they were swaying and could faint at any moment.

The wolf under the tree, its hind leg injured, looked somewhat listless due to blood loss and the cold. It lay on the snow, but still watched the tree warily.

Only the dark gray alpha wolf remained, lurking not far away, its eyes fierce but helpless.

It couldn't understand why its four wolf companions were acting strangely; why they suddenly fell asleep while surrounding their prey.

It had absolutely no idea what was happening.

Just as the dark gray alpha wolf let out a low whimper, inquiring about the condition of its companions, Su Ming knew that the time had come!

He took a deep breath, his eyes flashed, and he suddenly leaped down from the tree!

Instead of jumping towards the wolf, it landed on a soft snowdrift to the side and rolled over to dissipate the force.

His movements were as swift as lightning. In the instant he fell, the black horn bow in his hand was drawn back to its full length, the arrow tip pointing directly at the dark gray alpha wolf that had just stood up and was about to make a move!

The alpha wolf was startled, thinking that Su Ming was going to shoot it, and immediately dodged to the side to avoid it.

However, Su Ming's arrow tip deviated extremely slightly in mid-air, and his finger loosened its grip—"Whoosh!"

The arrow was not aimed at the alpha wolf!

Instead, it shot with even greater speed and precision into the neck of the other guard wolf, which was lying on the ground with an injured hind leg and was listless!

"Pfft!"

"Ugh—" The wolf let out a short, mournful howl before being nailed to its death in the snow.

At this point, the wolf pack had lost two wolves, both of which were guard wolves!

The four poisoned wolves were no different from dead animals.

Su Ming landed, rolled, and got up in one fluid motion, his hand now wielding a broadsword.

Without pausing for a moment, he moved like lightning and pounced on the four wolves that were lying limp on the ground!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Four flashes of light appeared, and four more patches of dark red rapidly expanded on the snow.

Decisive, efficient, and without the slightest hesitation, like a farmer harvesting ripe crops.

"Ugh—!!!"

The last remaining dark gray alpha wolf witnessed the entire process: from the appearance of the bait, to its companion's eerie fall into a deep sleep, to the successive shooting of its two guard companions, and finally, the easy slaughter of its four poisoned companions like chickens and sheep.

All of this happened in a very short time, and the one who created it was this seemingly weak human boy in front of us!

Its ferocity, its cunning, and its alpha wolf majesty were shattered in the face of absolute power and terrifying killing efficiency!

Boundless fear, like icy water, instantly overwhelmed it.

It glanced one last time at the scattered corpses of its kind on the ground, then at the human standing there with a knife, his eyes coldly fixed on it. A whimper, a mixture of fear, grief, and utter resentment, escaped its throat, and—

He turned and ran!

It didn't even try to attack Su Ming, "avenge" its companion, or make any threatening gestures.

It used all its strength to burst forth at an unprecedented speed, running desperately towards the depths of the mountains and the direction of its nest without looking back!

Prey, territory, dignity—none of these matter in the face of the instinct to survive!

"That's exactly what I was waiting for—for you to run away!"

Su Ming had been waiting for this moment!

He had already anticipated that the cunning alpha wolf would choose to flee when faced with a desperate situation.

Just as the dark gray wolf turned around, pushed off the ground with its hind legs, and completely exposed its hindquarters and one hind leg, Su Ming moved!

He seemed to have anticipated every move it made. Almost at the same time the alpha wolf turned around, he discarded his broadsword, raised his black horn bow again with lightning speed in his right hand, and drew the last "heart-piercing arrow" from his quiver with his left hand. He nocked the string, drew the bow, and aimed. All the movements were completed in less than a breath, as fluid as if he had practiced it a thousand times!

The bowstring vibrated!

"Whoosh—!"

The final "heart-piercing arrow," with a piercing shriek, tore through the wind and snow, leaving an afterimage in the air almost imperceptible to the naked eye, with unparalleled precision—

It shot into the junction of the dark gray wolf's taut left hind leg and buttocks, where the wolf was exerting all its strength!

"Awooo!!!!"

A piercing scream, so agonizing it was almost deafening, suddenly erupted, nearly drowning out the howling wind and snow!

The alpha wolf, which was charging wildly, was struck hard in the lower back as if by an invisible hammer. Its entire hindquarters were violently thrown upwards, its forward momentum abruptly halted, and it rolled sideways in an extremely disheveled and painful posture, tumbling several times in the snow and splashing up large amounts of snow.

It struggled to get up, but its left hind leg was completely unresponsive. The damned arrow was not only deeply embedded in its flesh and bone, but the vicious barbs on the arrowhead also tore the wound wider as it rolled and struggled. Blood gushed out like a spring, instantly staining the snow beneath it red.

It turned its head and looked at the human boy in the distance, who was still in a bow-drawing posture with eyes full of extreme pain and fear, his eyes as cold as frost.

It knew it was doomed!

However, after waiting for a while, the dark gray wolf realized that the other party did not chase after him to end his life!

The other person stood still, staring at him.

What is it trying to do?

Will you let me go back?

A desperate yearning for life ignited in the lifeless eyes of the dark gray wolf. "Woo—" it let out a desperate and painful howl, no longer looking at Su Ming, nor caring about the excruciating pain. Using its remaining three legs, it tumbled and crawled, dragging the constantly swaying arrow and a trail of dripping blood, in a comical and utterly miserable manner, desperately and crookedly "escaping" towards its den.

It wants to escape back!

It wants to tell the wolf king everything that happened here!

The king will surely avenge it and kill that damned two-legged sheep!

"Run away, run away—"

Su Ming slowly lowered his bow and arrow, and did not give chase.

He watched indifferently as the wolf disappeared into the woods, and the shocking, broken trail of blood on the snow.

This bloody path will guide him to the location of the wolf's lair!

"Like being struck by a piercing arrow, the thorn is embedded in the flesh, deep enough to expose the bone, and with violent running and struggling—the wound will grow larger and larger, and blood loss will increase."

"Even if you manage to escape back to the lair, you'll be basically crippled. With massive blood loss and the extreme cold, you won't survive the night."

"and----"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Su Ming's lips.

"It would be in my best interest if you escaped back."

2

What will happen when a severely wounded, dying, and terrified alpha wolf escapes back to the pack's den?

It will bring news of the horrific massacre of its own kind!

It serves as a warning of the existence of a powerful, cunning, and ruthless human hunter!

It will bring a lingering, strong smell of blood and death!

The wolf king will definitely avenge the dead wolves, otherwise his position will be unstable!

"Go back and tell your wolf king!"

"I am coming."

"Either you come to me, or I'll come to you!"

Su Ming muttered to himself.

We killed two wolves at the beginning, then six more here, and there's one more dark gray alpha wolf that's sure to die tonight, making a total of nine.

There are no fewer than ten wolves in the wolf den, including that terrifying silver-white wolf king!

He looked up and saw the crimson bloodstains from the wounds of the dark gray alpha wolf, which stretched all the way to the location of the wolf pack's den!

If the wolf king hadn't come looking for him, Su Ming could have easily found the wolf den by following the blood trail!

Recalling the vengeful look in the silver-white wolf king's eyes before it left that day, Su Ming sneered.

"Having killed your partner this time, given your vengeful nature, I probably won't even need to come looking for you—"

"It's time to head to 'Wolf Burial Valley' for final preparations."

"Then—I'll wait for you to come find me. If you're too scared, or I can come find you—"

"The Wolf King".

He tightened his gear, wiped some blood on his body to remove the scent of the Tibetan powder, ensuring the wolf king could accurately locate him, and then disappeared into the snowstorm once more.

This time, his steps were more resolute, and his goals were clearer.

Lure the wolf into the urn!

The real battle had begun as the dying alpha wolf fled.

Su Ming wants to ensure that the Wolf King is buried in the graves he personally chose for them, leaving none alive!