The slope was too narrow for two horses to ride side by side. Vitter followed close behind Shaos, pressing the question: “You couldn’t have killed twenty wolves! Do you southerners even get a chance to see that many wolves?”

Shaos seemed to catch Vitter’s unspoken skepticism. “The Frostwall does block most wolves, but not all. The thousand-mile Wall is flanked by sheer cliffs, but wolves can sneak into the kingdom through those treacherous passes.”

“You’re joking! Those cliffs are an impassable natural barrier—any wolf trying to cross would be suicide.”

“You’re right, but a few do succeed. Otherwise, where would the wolves in the kingdom come from? Your Frostwall Legion is the first line of defense against the wolf hordes, and our Golden Knights are the second—we hunt down any wolves that slip past the Wall. Our contribution is no smaller than yours.”

“Keep blowing smoke!”

“Believe me or not. But I’ll tell you this: Lady Rae has killed over a hundred wolves. So you’d better show her some respect.”

“I don’t disrespect her. Besides, the only respect she cares about is Orek’s.” Vitter touched his lips with his fingers and let out a sharp whistle.

Shaos reined in his horse, bringing it to a stop.

“What’s wrong, old buddy? Did I offend your noble Lady Rae again?” Vitter grinned.

“Look!” Shaos pointed into the distance.

Ding Rui followed his gaze. In the snow-covered valley, something stood upright—something that looked like a creature’s head.

It’s a wolf’s head!

Ding Rui saw it clearly. In an instant, all the stories he’d heard about wolves flooded his mind. He felt his body trembling slightly, gripping the reins tightly to keep from falling off his horse.

“Is… is that a live wolf?” Ding Rui looked at Vitter.

The hunter’s face was filled with shock. “Impossible… Absolutely impossible…”

“Did you see this when you patrolled here thirty days ago?” Shaos was the only one who seemed calm.

“No… No…” Vitter shook his head.

“Did you or didn’t you?”

“Actually, thirty days ago, I… I didn’t patrol this far…” Vitter finally told the truth.

“You!” Shaos clearly wanted to lose his temper, but after glaring at Vitter for a moment, he turned away.

“Let’s go check it out.” Shaos spurred his horse down into the valley.

Seeing Shaos ride ahead toward the wolf’s head, Ding Rui’s fear faded a little. What’s there to be afraid of? The knight and hunter are here. Besides, it’s just a dead wolf!

The three reached the wolf’s head and dismounted.

The head was as tall as a man, tilted upward, its mouth slightly open, two sharp fangs embedded in the snow. The surface was pure white—whether the wolf’s fur was naturally as white as snow, or covered in a thick layer of snow, Ding Rui couldn’t tell.

Are wolves really this big? This was Ding Rui’s first time seeing a wolf. He never imagined a single wolf’s head could be bigger than his entire body.

But the most terrifying part was its open red eyes, as if it were still alive.

It wants to eat me. Ding Rui stared at the red eyes, feeling like the wolf’s head would snap its jaws and swallow him whole at any moment—even though he knew that was impossible.

“Wolves aren’t this big. This isn’t an ordinary wolf—it’s the Wolf God.” Shaos walked around the head in a circle. “I’ve heard the Wolf God is the ancestor of all wolves. They use its head as a totem for worship. This being here proves we’re in the right place—this is a wolf den.”

Ding Rui said, “I thought all wolves were this big.”

“Wolves aren’t that exaggerated. They’re just a bit taller than us.” Shaos struck one of the fangs embedded in the snow. Ice chips shattered and fell away, revealing a silvery-gray tooth. “Now that we’ve patrolled this far, the mission’s truly done. We can head back.”

“Why don’t we chop off these fangs and take them back as proof? What do you think?” For some reason, Ding Rui suddenly had a strange idea—he wanted to take the fangs as his “medal of honor.”

Shaos looked surprised. “Xiao Ding, that’s a great idea!”

The knight’s praise made Ding Rui happy. He turned to Vitter: “Old Vitter, what do you think?”

Vitter’s eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted, staring at the wolf’s head without a word.

Is he scared? No way…

“Is this your first time seeing a wolf’s head this big?” Ding Rui found the old hunter’s expression a little funny.

“When I patrolled here last time, there was no wolf head…” Vitter’s voice trembled.

“You said you didn’t patrol this far thirty days ago?” Shaos frowned.

“Not thirty days ago, but sixty days ago… I was here then…”

“What’s going on? Spit it out clearly!” Shaos’s voice grew tense.

“You know about the large-scale Outer Wastes patrol sixty days ago—nearly twenty scouts went out, and I was one of them. We came to this valley, and it was completely desolate, nothing here. So for the later patrols, I took the shortcut and didn’t come this far…”

“So the Wolf God’s head appearing here means…”

Ding Rui heard a tremor in Shaos’s voice too.

“Neigh!”

Suddenly, one of their horses reared up on its hind legs, kicking up a cloud of snow.

Ding Rui was about to grab the reins to calm the horse when he saw a ring of dark shadows appear above the valley.

Wolves!

Ding Rui spotted a towering werewolf standing on an outcrop of rock above the slope. A real, living wolf!

Just like he’d imagined, it had the mixed features of man and wolf: thick black fur, sharp fangs, claw-like nails… But what struck him most was its pair of red eyes, glinting with a cold, regal light in the dusk. Its gaze exuded the aura of a king.

Ding Rui soon realized there wasn’t just one wolf. The ring of shadows above the valley were all wolves.

We’re surrounded…

A chill ran down Ding Rui’s spine, spreading through his entire body.

Fight… But he quickly reminded himself he was a member of the Frostwall Legion. In this crisis, he couldn’t just wait to die.

Ding Rui tried to draw his sword, but it felt impossibly heavy at his waist. He had to use both hands to pull it free. He gripped the sword with both hands, pointing it at the towering werewolf on the rock.

Don’t let fear take over. He remembered Kammon’s advice: Even if you’re surrounded, never give up as long as there’s a glimmer of hope. I’ll fight alongside the Divine Kindred and carve a path out!

“Old Vitter!”

“Shaos!”

Ding Rui called their names, but got no response. He turned around and saw the knight’s sword lying in the snow. Shaos made no move to pick it up, just standing there staring at the towering werewolf.

“Wol… Wolf King…”

Ding Rui could see the terror written all over his face. No way! He never thought this knight, who’d bickered with Vitter the whole way and was full of pride, would be frozen with fear by a werewolf.

“Old Vitter!”

Ding Rui didn’t have time to think; he turned to the hunter. But Vitter’s condition was even worse. He was soaked… Vitter stood frozen in the snow like a statue, his gaze fixed, and his tan leather trousers were dark with moisture.

They’ve killed so many wolves—why are they like this?

Just then, the towering werewolf on the rock tilted its head back and let out a long, high-pitched howl. The sound echoed through the valley, piercing Ding Rui’s heart.

Clang! His sword fell to the snow. All hope vanished from Ding Rui’s mind. One thought echoed in his head: We’re done for!