Chapter 207: 207, Birth of the wolf king

The wolf's howl brought a flicker of alarm to the lives of the new soldiers at the outpost, and one of them asked, "Squad leader, what should we do? Should we run away?"

Li Qingzheng hesitated: "If we run now, we'll be deserters."

"Better than being eaten by wolves," a refugee said. "You haven't seen how big they are. We saw them on our way here—they're bigger than cattle!"

"Really?" Li Qingzheng, who hadn't seen wolves in ages, felt a twinge of fear at the thought of their size, but as squad leader, he had to steady the troops. "Don't be afraid. My martial arts skills aren't for nothing, and we've got guns, don't we?"

The refugees, upon hearing about the guns, suddenly remembered how Ren Xiaosu and his group had also been armed on the road—and how formidable they'd been.

They opened their mouths to speak, but noticed Ren Xiaosu staring at them with a half-smile. The refugees realized that if they betrayed them now, there'd be no escape.

So they swallowed their words.

Besides, Li Qingzheng clearly despised these refugees. Why should he warn the other side?

For some reason, the refugees found themselves less afraid of being in the same outpost as Ren Xiaosu.

Slowly, only Li Qingzheng and the real soldiers remained afraid...

Li Qingzheng waited with his men and their weapons for half a day, but the wolf never came. He relaxed slightly and said, "Let's clear out the house. This wolf must be afraid of our numbers and guns, so it won't approach."

The outpost had been abandoned for ages; pots, bowls, and chopsticks were coated in thick ash. It would take great effort to make it livable.

The refugees worked listlessly, and Li Qingzheng's attitude made them feel like refugees themselves—perhaps the lowest of the low in this world.

Ren Xiaosu showed no sympathy, but he didn't deliberately ostracize them either. The refugees knew he was a ruthless man, and subconsciously, they wanted to lean on him. Since Li Qingzheng disliked them, they needed a patron.

In the small outpost, everyone harbored their own schemes, while the students worked with fiery enthusiasm, their efficiency remarkable.

Because of the wolf's howl, Li Qingzheng's mood was far from relaxed. He longed to call the private military headquarters for reinforcements.

But when he called, he was mocked and received no help. Instead, he was warned not to report false alarms, or he'd face a military tribunal.

Watching Ren Xiaosu calmly lead the students in cleaning, Li Qingzheng asked curiously, "Aren't you afraid?"

Ren Xiaosu paused: "I'm terrified."

The students nodded hastily: "Yes, we're so scared."

Li Qingzheng felt they were just placating him, but in truth, Ren Xiaosu had already privately assured him that the wolves wouldn't attack. Though the students didn't know why he said that, the facts proved him right.

If Ren Xiaosu wasn't worried, what was there to fear?

Ren Xiaosu asked Li Qingzheng, "Why did you become a soldier?"

"For the salary," Li Qingzheng explained. "I need money. Who wants to come to this godforsaken place as a soldier? You heard? Fire Seed Company is buying supernatural blood—100 million per drop! If I were a supernatural being, I'd sell blood until they went bankrupt!"

Ren Xiaosu chuckled bitterly. Who among the smart ones would risk selling blood for money once they became supernatural?

After cleaning, everyone stared at each other, unsure what to do next. In truth, remote outposts were like this—boredom was the norm.

Li Qingzheng sighed: "Honestly, it's a shame these students from the refugee camp came here as sentries. Their minds are full of knowledge with no place to use it. Years of study wasted."

Ren Xiaosu froze. He'd heard Jiang Wu say she hoped the students could continue their education. These kids were promising, diligent, and bright.

He looked at the remaining eight students and said, "I have textbooks here. From today on, study on your own when you're free. I'll buy more advanced ones in the settlement. Even in a place like this, learning can't stop."

The students were stunned: "Study here?"

What they wanted now was hunting, self-defense, protecting others—not textbooks.

After experiencing this cruel world, their desire to learn wavered. Sometimes they even doubted the point of studying.

Ren Xiaosu said patiently, "I'm your squad leader. The academic affairs officer said it—squad leaders are supposed to urge you to study."

The students had no rebuttal, so Ren Xiaosu continued, "In your lives, friends may betray you, lovers may betray you, but math, physics, and chemistry won't. They just won't."

The students: "???"

What nonsense is this?!

Ren Xiaosu whispered, "Study hard, and tomorrow I'll take you to the mountains to practice shooting!"

At this, the students finally smiled.

As Ren Xiaosu watched them, he thought of Yang Shi's side, where they were likely researching nanobots. If there were no side effects, maybe he could use nanobots to enhance their self-defense abilities.

The next morning, as Ren Xiaosu was still asleep, he heard Li Qingzheng shouting outside: "Come out and see this!"

Ren Xiaosu put on his clothes and stepped out. At the entrance of the outpost's flat-roofed house, a goat lay dead. Snow had accumulated, and in the snow were neat, enormous wolf prints.

Ren Xiaosu looked around and saw the wolf king reappear on the mountain peak. It glanced at Ren Xiaosu, then turned and vanished into the wilderness, as if merely greeting him.

The goat was as big as a domestic yellow ox—enough to feed the entire outpost for days.

Though domesticated animals had changed, they paled in comparison to the wild ones. This goat must have been hunted by the wolf pack in the mountains.

As Ren Xiaosu pondered, Li Qingzheng laughed loudly: "Who knew I, Li Qingzheng, would come to this mountain and receive tribute from the wolf pack? From now on, don't call me squad leader—call me Wolf King!"

Ren Xiaosu's eye twitched. This guy really knew how to flatter himself.

Chen Wudi mused beside him, "Wolf King... sounds like a monster. Should we test it?"

...

There should be a single-chapter epilogue. Skip it if you're not interested.