Chapter Twenty-Eight: Far From Being a Wolf

The giant wolf lunged and missed again, its face smashing into the ground and leaving a long, deep scar in the earth. It looked as though its muzzle must be aching terribly. Its forelimbs twisted awkwardly, but it quickly regained its footing, shook its head, and once more squared off against Qin Tian.

Qin Tian scrambled up from the ground as well, his previous joking demeanor with Lin Jian gone in an instant.

The giant wolf glanced down at its own belly, a dull ache radiating from where the human had nearly pierced a bloody hole moments before. Enraged at the thought, the wolf let out a furious howl, its wrath reaching a fever pitch.

“I didn’t expect this wolf’s hide to be so tough and thick,” Qin Tian muttered with a frown. “It’s almost unnatural.” The stick he’d used had jabbed the wolf’s belly, but it felt as if he’d struck solid leather armor—impossible to penetrate.

Just then, Qin Tian’s phone began to ring, surprising him. Who could be calling at a time like this, so inopportunely?

He ignored the call, continuing to face off with the wolf until the ringtone finally ceased—only for it to start up again almost immediately.

Damn it, who could it be? Of all times to call and make trouble!

Qin Tian still didn’t answer, but the phone rang a third time, persistent as ever.

Enough is enough! Still keeping his eyes on the wolf and suppressing his irritation, Qin Tian pulled out his phone, not bothering to check the caller ID. He answered brusquely, his voice raised, “Hello?”

“Qin Tian, where are you? My father’s in trouble!” came Jiang Yingying’s anxious voice from the other end.

Her distress snapped Qin Tian back to his senses. He frowned and asked, “What happened to your father?”

“My dad, my dad—” Jiang Yingying was sobbing, her words choked with emotion.

“Don’t panic. Take your time and tell me.” Qin Tian shot a glance at the giant wolf but stayed focused on the call.

“Oh, let me explain!” Shen Xiaoqing’s voice abruptly cut in, snatching the phone from Jiang Yingying.

“Qin Tian, Uncle Jiang’s been hospitalized. Someone hit him with their car,” Shen Xiaoqing said.

“What? He was hit? Is it serious?” Qin Tian’s frown deepened—trouble upon trouble.

“There’s a risk he’ll lose a limb! Someone ran him down on purpose! You should get to the hospital as soon as you can,” Shen Xiaoqing urged.

“Yingying’s at a loss right now. Seeing you would help calm her down,” Shen Xiaoqing added in a hushed tone.

“Alright, I’ll head over as soon as I’m done here!” Qin Tian replied, immediately hanging up.

He turned his attention back to the giant wolf. This beast was a problem in its own right.

“Captain Lin, when will reinforcements arrive?” Qin Tian asked.

“They should be here any moment. Be careful—don’t take it head-on, just keep it occupied,” Lin Jian cautioned.

“This thing’s hide is like iron, not at all like an ordinary wolf. Makes me suspect it’s some kind of bioengineered creature,” Qin Tian said, his expression odd.

“Bioengineered?” Lin Jian was momentarily stunned. Such things were highly classified; many countries had secret programs, but none were rumored to have succeeded.

Back in the early twentieth century, several Western nations, led by M and Y, had begun developing biological weapons. More than a century had passed, but no confirmed successes had ever come to light. There had been rumors of breakthroughs, but most were fake; the rare ones that seemed real were just half-finished products, and the altered creatures seldom survived an hour.

“Qin Tian, have you actually seen a bioengineered creature before? Are you sure this wolf is one? If so, I’ll need to report this up the chain—it’s beyond what our local city can handle,” Lin Jian said.

“I was just guessing—don’t take it too seriously,” Qin Tian replied with a bitter smile.

“Don’t joke about things like that! You know how terrifying bioengineered creatures are—so far, they’ve only existed in theory. If one appeared in reality, humanity would be in grave danger!” Lin Jian exclaimed.

“Captain Lin, take that elderly couple away first. They’re so frightened they can barely stand,” Qin Tian said, gesturing toward the trembling old man and woman nearby.

Lin Jian nodded, hurried over, and helped the couple away from the scene.

The giant wolf stepped back, crouching low, clearly preparing to attack again.

A chilling howl split the air as the wolf charged once more. Qin Tian swiftly shifted aside, ready to dodge. But to his astonishment, the wolf feinted—its attack was a bluff!

At that instant, the wolf’s tail swept a massive stone toward him, hurling it through the air.

Qin Tian hadn’t expected to be outmaneuvered by a beast. The stone was as large as a human head and hurtled toward him with alarming speed—if it hit, it would surely shatter several of his ribs.

There was no time to react. Qin Tian raised his stick to shield his chest and braced for the impact.

Crack!

A sharp snap echoed as the stick broke in two, accompanied by the sound of Qin Tian spitting blood.

Clutching his chest, he staggered back several steps. When he looked up at the giant wolf, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

This creature had definitely been trained by humans! The intelligence in its eyes was unmistakable—almost as if it were toying with him on purpose.

The giant wolf even bared its teeth at Qin Tian in a mocking grin.

Damn it, was he supposed to just take that?

Qin Tian reached into his pocket for a packet of acupuncture needles, wondering if they might be of any use against the wolf.

But with its thick pelt, would the needles even penetrate?

Having grown up among wolves, tigers, monkeys, and other animals, Qin Tian was intimately familiar with animal physiology. He’d often amused himself with the big tigers and wolves—animals had pressure points just like humans, some of them rather interesting.

For instance, the “laughing point”—people might have seen monkeys laugh, but how many had seen wolves or tigers laugh?

But Qin Tian had! He’d done it himself.

Tigers laughed with a series of deep roars; wolves with a chorus of mournful whimpers.

Qin Tian crooked his finger at the giant wolf, taunting it. “Come on, try again.”

The giant wolf narrowed its eyes and began circling Qin Tian warily, as if searching for an opening.

Likewise, Qin Tian was watching for any weakness in the wolf’s defense. Man and beast, locked in a deadly contest of skill.

Suddenly, the wolf let out another howl, having spotted a gap in Qin Tian’s guard, and launched its attack.

But Qin Tian remained calm. As the wolf charged, he stepped forward and flicked several silver needles from his hand.

To his disappointment, the needles were all stopped by the wolf’s pelt, unable to pierce through.

“What in the world is this monster? It’s nothing like a normal wolf!” Qin Tian cursed, barely dodging the giant wolf’s renewed assault.