Bang!
Although he had expected the journey to be anything but peaceful, the Wolf Pack's encirclement still annoyed Zhou Cang.
He had killed so many wolves, yet these beasts still didn't learn their lesson?
Did he not exude any killing intent?
It seemed the scenes described in novels, where a powerful aura would make all beasts retreat, were indeed a bit exaggerated.
With the gunshot, the head of a wild wolf dozens of meters away was shattered like a watermelon.
Blood splattered onto nearby tree trunks and the snow, and the wolf's body was thrown backward by the bullet, dying without even a whimper.
"Ignorant fools!" Zhou Cang sneered.
Immediately, he fired several shots in quick succession, each a headshot, and with every gunshot, a wolf fell!
Seeing the overwhelming lethality Zhou Cang displayed, the little fox completely relaxed.
In the past, whenever it encountered wolves, it could only hide far away, and several times it narrowly escaped death, surviving purely by its wits.
Now, seeing the powerful wild wolves, stronger than itself, dropping one after another, it felt like all its old and new grievances were settled at once, which made it very happy.
The little fox's eyes narrowed into crescent moons again, looking at Zhou Cang with an expression of adoration.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At this moment, the distant Wolf King could no longer sit still. It had originally led the Wolf Pack to migrate to this area, but before they could even establish themselves, a small portion of them had been wiped out.
"Awoo!"
The Wolf King howled, issuing a signal for the Wolf Pack to retreat.
But it didn't expect that howl to allow Zhou Cang to pinpoint its location!
"Got you!"
Zhou Cang sharply turned his gun. At this moment, the Wolf King was about to turn and run.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out!
"Awooo!"
The Wolf King let out a painful howl. It had been shot in the hind leg and fell painfully onto the snow.
The other wolves, seeing this, all scampered away.
Zhou Cang rushed to the Wolf King's side, with the little fox following him closely.
It didn't want to stay with the Black Bear and the pheasants; what if a wolf attacked while Zhou Cang was far away?
So, it also followed him to the Wolf King's location.
Zhou Cang reloaded his gun as he walked.
The Wolf King lay on the ground, constantly licking its wound. Seeing Zhou Cang approach, it struggled to stand on three legs, baring its fangs and snarling menacingly at him.
Its hind leg had a hole drilled through it, so it seemed quite lucky, having been hit by a normal bullet with an unflattened tip.
If it had been a flat-nosed bullet, its hind leg would probably be gone.
This Wolf King looked even larger than the one killed earlier in the wolf den, clearly never having suffered from hunger.
Wolf Packs have a very strict hierarchy. When there's food, the Wolf King always eats first, followed by higher-ranking members, who must wait for the Wolf King to finish before they can eat.
Zhou Cang slung his gun behind his back and walked step by step towards the Wolf King, which continued to snarl and bare its teeth in defiance.
He walked until he was directly in front of it, forcing it to crane its neck to see Zhou Cang's face.
Zhou Cang suddenly reached out, grabbed the Wolf King by the scruff of its neck, and pressed its snout into the snow.
"You mongrel, who are you messing with?" Zhou Cang cursed.
The Wolf King tried to twist its head to bite his hand. Zhou Cang raised his right hand and delivered a powerful slap to the Wolf King's face.
Slap!
The Wolf King was stunned by the blow. In all its life, it had never been slapped before.
Before it could figure out what was happening, the large hand in front of it moved closer and closer.
"I'll teach you!"
Slap!
"To mess with me!"
Slap!
"And show off!"
Slap!
Zhou Cang slapped it with every word.
After three more powerful slaps, the Wolf King's eyes suddenly became much clearer.
It was as if something in its genes had been activated. It no longer bared its fangs but looked at the human before it with a submissive gaze.
Seeing it quiet down, Zhou Cang looked back at its hind leg and marveled, "As expected of a Wolf King, its physical functions are incredibly strong."
The bullet hole was barely bleeding anymore!
"I'm in a good mood today, and the sled is full, so I'll spare your dog life!"
"Remember this from now on: have some sense, and hide far away when you see your grandpa!"
"Understand who's the boss, got it?" Zhou Cang tugged the Wolf King's ear, gently instructing it.
The little fox watched from the side, excitedly circling around. Zhou Cang's actions left it in awe.
At that moment, it was even more certain that it had followed the right person!
Zhou Cang released the Wolf King's ear, pointed to the distant forest, and said, "Now scram!"
Seeing the Wolf King limp away, Zhou Cang returned to the sled, pulled out his flask, and took a swig.
Looking at the squinting little fox, he said, "Let's go, home!"
After he had gone far, the Wolf Pack that had scattered earlier returned to the spot and began to devour the wolves killed by Zhou Cang.
Although wolves usually don't easily eat their dead companions, the heavy snow in the past few days had left them without food for several days.
Now, with several more killed, the Wolf Pack's strength was greatly diminished. Extreme hunger and the threat to their survival made them resort to their most primitive instincts.
The Wolf King quietly lay to the side, watching. It was injured and, for a short time, completely unable to lead the Wolf Pack in hunting.
At this moment, it dared not stop the other wolves from eating their dead companions; in fact, it too had to eat!
Finally making up its mind, the Wolf King limped over to a male wolf that was feeding, intending to exercise its right to eat first.
But that male wolf suddenly looked up, bared its fangs, and growled, threatening the Wolf King.
The Wolf King was startled. Was this...? A challenge?
That was a male wolf that had once hunted and fought alongside it, and now it was challenging it!
It immediately responded, baring its fangs in return.
The Wolf King and the slightly smaller male wolf stood in a standoff. It understood that the other was challenging its position as Wolf King.
If it was defeated, it would surely die.
Because a defeated Wolf King would either be bitten to death or driven out of the Wolf Pack to fend for itself.
Very few defeated Wolf Kings remained in the Wolf Pack.
It had itself driven out the previous Wolf King.
If it were driven out, with its injured hind leg, it wouldn't be able to hunt for a while, and in less than three days, it would starve or freeze to death!
With its injured hind leg, the Wolf King couldn't exert much force, so it didn't initiate an attack.
The male wolf opposite no longer hesitated and lunged forward. The two wolves instantly twisted into a fierce struggle.
Its wound tore open, and the Wolf King's blood continuously dripped onto the snow. Pain surged like a tide.
But it no longer cared about the injury to its hind leg.
It seized an opportunity and used its left front paw to strike the male wolf's scruff. The male wolf instinctively tried to lift its head to counter.
Then the Wolf King switched to its right paw and fiercely slapped the male wolf!
This was a move it had just learned!
The male wolf, which was exerting effort to lift its head, was sent stumbling by the momentum of the slap, losing its balance and falling backward to one side, head up!
The Wolf King seized the opportunity and bit the male wolf's throat!
"Awooo!"
The male wolf let out a pained cry, with a hint of pleading in its voice.
It had surrendered!
It was known that surrendering would at most lead to being driven out of the Wolf Pack; the victor usually wouldn't kill.
But today was different.
The Wolf King's eyes were unusually cold. With the male wolf's throat in its mouth, it scanned the surrounding Wolf Pack.
All the male wolves whose gaze it met lowered their heads in submission.
Disregarding the whimpering of the male wolf in its mouth, the Wolf King suddenly bit down hard, crushing its windpipe!