Under the shadowy veil of night, White trembled slightly as he heard Xiao Feng's question."Yes… and it was because of this incident that Lisa left me," he murmured, his voice tinged with remorse.
"Will you tell me what really happened?"
"It was an accident," White said heavily. "One day, Lisa and I got into a terrible argument. I was so enraged that I pulled out my gun, just to scare her. But Alice stepped in to stop us... and the gun went off. The muzzle flash caught her eyes. That's how she was hurt."
"No wonder Lisa hates you so much. If I were her, I would too."
"Say no more," White groaned, guilt thick in his voice. "It was my fault. I never should have drawn a weapon. What grudge between us could have possibly warranted that?"
"Now I live with regret, every single day. But what use is regret? All I can do now is earn money—enough to get Alice treated."
Xiao Feng looked at the man before him and found himself at a loss for words. Yet there was no blame in his heart. White already seemed wretched enough. If anything, Xiao Feng only felt deeper pity for Alice.
"Uncle," Xiao Feng said solemnly, "tomorrow I'll bring you the head of that white alpha wolf. Then we'll take Alice to the big city for proper treatment."
Tears welled again in White's eyes. "Child... were you sent to me by the heavens themselves?"
"Enough with the sentiment. Go to bed," Xiao Feng said, rolling his eyes.
"You little brat," White chuckled, pulling him into a rough embrace.
"By the way, Uncle… do you know Alice might have some latent ability too?" Xiao Feng added thoughtfully.
White blinked in surprise. "What did you say?"
"I suspect Alice has some kind of special power. If I'm not mistaken, she might've inherited it from you."
"Alice… has an ability? That's impossible—I've never seen any sign!" White said, his brow furrowing. "What kind of ability are we talking about?"
"I'm not sure yet," Xiao Feng replied. "But I'll try to test her again when I get the chance."
White fell silent, not with excitement—but with worry.
The next morning, Xiao Feng rose early and quietly prepared breakfast. White, utterly drained from the battle against the demon wolves, was still asleep, his body heavy with exhaustion.
Xiao Feng didn't wake him. Instead, he slung his sniper rifle over his back, checked his revolver, secured his dagger, and stepped out alone.
It was a cold morning in early winter. The overgrown weeds along the roadside were dusted with pale frost.
Pulling his leather jacket tighter, Xiao Feng quickened his pace. As he neared the gate of the sanctuary, he spotted a familiar silhouette—broad and strong, but it wasn't White. It was Viper's Turner.
Turner carried a massive rifle on his back, striding toward the wilderness alone.
Xiao Feng caught up. "Hey, big guy, where are you off to this early?"
Turner glanced at him. "You again? What are you up to?"
"I'm going to finish off that alpha wolf."
Turner frowned. "By yourself? Where's White?"
"Still asleep. I can handle it alone. What about you? Going after the demon wolves too?"
Turner lit a cigarette and took a slow drag. "I owe it to our fallen brothers to wipe out every last one."
"Then let's go together."
Turner regarded Xiao Feng curiously. He'd seen what the boy was capable of yesterday, and while thin and wiry, Xiao Feng clearly had talent. But daring to face the alpha wolf alone? That caught him off guard.
He exhaled smoke. "Kid, you'd better turn back. If something happens to you, I'm not taking responsibility."
"Then don't take it. I never asked you to."
Once outside the sanctuary, Xiao Feng broke into a sprint, agile as a hunting panther. Turner, surprised by his speed, soon fell behind and couldn't keep up.
In less than an hour, Xiao Feng reached the demon beast forest, arriving at the site of yesterday's battle. The bloodstains remained, though the corpses of wolves and mercenaries were gone. Scattered footprints and bones were all that remained—evidence that other beasts had cleaned the battlefield overnight.
Frowning, Xiao Feng muttered, "Why are there so many demon beasts here?" He tried to track the white alpha's trail, but the ground was a tangled mess of prints—not just wolves but many different creatures. The wolf carcasses had clearly become prey themselves.
After an hour of searching with no success, he slung his sniper rifle forward and followed the faintest scent into the forest's depths.
Though winter had stripped the trees bare, the towering trunks and entangled branches cast dark shadows across the ground, making the forest more perilous the deeper he ventured.
Then, at last, he caught a strong whiff of the white wolf's scent. Xiao Feng climbed into the trees, cautiously making his way toward it.
Minutes later, he crouched silently on a thick branch.
About thirty meters ahead, he spotted several massive black shapes—not demon wolves, but jungle demon apes.
Standing nearly two meters tall, the apes howled and shrieked as they surrounded a solitary white beast.
Peering closer through his scope, Xiao Feng saw it clearly—it was the wounded white alpha wolf.
Alone, sightless, and weakened, the alpha stood its ground, growling lowly. Its eyes were hollow, dark pits. Blood no longer flowed. It lashed out blindly at the approaching apes, its body covered in wounds.
Perched in the branches above, Xiao Feng smirked."Serves you right," he whispered. "Looks like you won't live to see the sun set, even without my help."
But as the battered wolf turned, something beneath it caught his eye—a small, trembling white figure.
Xiao Feng's gaze narrowed.
Lifting his rifle, he peered through the scope.
Beneath the alpha stood a tiny, quivering life. A white infant beast, huddled close to its fallen parent.