In the snowy night, deep in the mountains, surrounded by wolves, even the experienced rescue team members felt their scalps tingle.
What's more, they were not facing ordinary wolves.
"Everyone huddle closer. Don't be afraid. We have torches and guns now, they won't dare to come near," said Li Changhai, holding a shovel, his expression serious.
However, his trembling legs betrayed him. It was clear he was terrified. Even Zhang Cheng, the armed police instructor next to him, held his assault rifle with stiff hands.
Theoretically, no carbon-based life form could withstand human bullets. But that was assuming sufficient distance. In their current surrounded situation, he could only shoot one or two wolves before being torn to shreds by the pack. Only a man named Yan Shuangying could possibly break through such a situation.
Perhaps to ease the tension, Zhang Cheng suddenly asked Elder He, "Elder He, are these the legendary驴头狼 (lü tóu láng)? They're so huge."
Elder He nodded immediately. "Yes, they are. Fifty years ago, I encountered two of them stealing pigs. I had a hunting rifle then, but they still escaped. Later, those two 驴头狼 frequently descended the mountain to raid our village. I finally trapped and killed them once. I thought they were all gone, I didn't expect there to be so many. With more than ten 驴头狼 here, they are likely invincible in this mountain forest. And 驴头狼 are extremely hostile towards humans. We are in big trouble this time."
Upon receiving Elder He's confirmation, the team's tension did not ease but intensified.
At this moment, the team's cameraman suddenly spoke, "Yang Yuanzhang and the others have been missing for so long, they weren't eaten by them, were they?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the team members' faces turned ashen. They even pictured the bloody scene of Yang Lin and the others being attacked by the 驴头狼.
Just as the thought emerged, Li Changhai's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a figure sprinting towards their location. As the person approached, they realized it was Yang Lin, who had disappeared into the mountains earlier.
Upon first seeing Yang Lin, they thought they were hallucinating. Until Yang Lin casually walked through a gap between two 驴头狼. To their astonishment, as Yang Lin passed in front of them, these ferocious 驴头狼 acted as if they didn't see him, showing no intention of attacking.
"What's wrong with you all? Why are you looking at me like that?" As Yang Lin spoke, the six people finally snapped back to reality.
At this moment, Li Changhai suddenly showed a hint of vigilance. "Everyone be careful. He might not be Yang Yuanzhang. He could be a 伥鬼 (chāng guǐ) of these 驴头狼. They sent him deliberately to confuse us. The real Yang Yuanzhang has likely been eaten by the 驴头狼 already."
Li Changhai's theory caused all five of the others to change color. Even though they were basically educated individuals, they were aware of some folklore. The eerie environment combined with Yang Lin's peculiar appearance made it difficult for them not to overthink. After all, the legendary 驴头狼 had appeared.
Meanwhile, Yang Lin, upon hearing their words, couldn't help but feel amused and exasperated. "What kind of wild imagination is this, bringing up 伥鬼?" "What animal in this world can eat me? A few mere 驴头狼, I can lead them back to Xihong Zoo without any problem."
As he tried to explain to Li Changhai and the others, Teacher Xiao Liang and the other four, whom he had left behind, also arrived, panting. As soon as they appeared, they saw the strange scene.
"What's going on? Wasn't Yang Yuanzhang coming to rescue us? How did he get himself into trouble too?" "Why are they pointing their weapons at Yang Yuanzhang?" "Something's not right, very not right."
"Captain Li, there are a few more 伥鬼 coming from over there." "Aren't those Teacher Xiao Liang and the others? Did they also fall victim?" "Is there a possibility they are still alive?" "How is that possible? Didn't you see their clothes still have blood and bite marks?" "In this weather, with severe injuries, they wouldn't have survived until now." "That makes sense." "Today, we're really going beyond the realm of science."
For a moment, the atmosphere became incredibly bizarre.
As everyone and the wolf pack remained motionless, a sudden gust of wind swept through the nearby forest. The wind was so strong that the entire mountain forest rustled noisily. At the same time, the wolf pack, which had been calmed by Yang Lin, suddenly became agitated again, their brown fur standing on end.
This strange situation instantly drew everyone's attention. As they all turned their gaze towards the direction of the strong wind, a golden figure had quietly appeared on the low hill beside them at some point. Illuminated by the reflection of the snow, everyone clearly saw its full appearance at a glance. And with that one glance, everyone, including Yang Lin, stood frozen.
A colossal body like a small mountain, golden fur like luxurious silk, a head the size of a millstone exuding majesty, and a ferocious face that could awe all beasts. What drew the most attention were its long, saber-like fangs. This was clearly a golden tiger as imposing as Hua Dajie. Of course, it was different from ordinary tigers. Ordinary tigers didn't have such long fangs, nor were they so large, nor were they golden. It looked like a product of prehistoric saber-toothed tigers and golden tigers.
After the shock, a gleam flashed in Yang Lin's eyes. "It seems this is the Guoshan Huang, another relict species. How many secrets does Shennongjia hide?"
As soon as he finished speaking, on the other side of where they were standing, a sturdy white figure suddenly leaped down from a large tree. The massive movement once again shook the mountain forest. Yang Lin realized it was the white bear that had previously rescued Teacher Xiao Liang and the others. Perhaps sensing that Teacher Xiao Liang and the others were in danger again, it had rushed from its cave.
With the white bear's appearance, the situation at the scene changed once more. Yang Lin was indifferent, but Li Changhai and the others were so scared they almost fainted. "My life is over!"