Chapter 00042: Gray Wolf
# Gray Wolf
Chapter 42
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 42: Gray Wolf
As soon as Luo Caisi thought of wolves, a shadow appeared in her line of sight. The shadow gradually became clear, and when it fully emerged in front of Luo Caisi, her legs trembled slightly.
Before her stood an adult gray wolf, at least two meters long, with eyes shimmering like bluish-green light, its mouth half-open, staring right at Luo Caisi.
Even on the grasslands, wolves that are two meters long are rare, let alone those exceeding that length.
“Lan Xiaobu, what should we do?” Luo Caisi's voice trembled slightly; she had no idea what to do. Fortunately, the wolf was merely watching her and Lan Xiaobu and hadn’t started to attack yet.
Lan Xiaobu remained bewildered, mumbling about things Luo Caisi could not comprehend, except when he was eating.
Luo Caisi was well aware that she couldn’t rely on Lan Xiaobu at this moment, but facing a creature that resembled a wolf king, the fact that she wasn’t crying was already brave enough. Perhaps she should be grateful that this was a solitary wolf.
The three of them—a girl and a wolf—stared at each other. Luo Caisi didn’t dare to move, and the wolf remained still. Lan Xiaobu stood behind Luo Caisi, utterly oblivious to the imminent danger.
Ten minutes passed, and the mist in the mountain gorge dampened Luo Caisi’s hair; she felt a bit cold.
The gray wolf seemed to perceive that Luo Caisi posed no significant threat and took a few steps forward. Luo Caisi hurriedly took off her backpack, keeping her eyes fixed on the wolf, and pulled out a fruit knife from within.
Despite her trembling hands, Luo Caisi managed to complete these movements.
The few inches long fruit knife felt somewhat empowering in her grasp. She didn’t turn back, only trembling as she said, “Lan Xiaobu, you need to leave quickly. Remember the way you came, just climb back up. Once you reach the Taichuan Ancient Path, call me Lan Xiaobu...”
Luo Caisi knew she could never hold off this wolf, and with Lan Xiaobu being a useless rascal, he wouldn’t be of help at all. Instead of both dying here, it was better to let Lan Xiaobu escape first.
It wasn't because of some noble intention to give the chance of survival to Lan Xiaobu, but rather because she knew she had no way to escape; her strength simply wouldn’t allow it. If she couldn’t escape, she would have to stay in this gorge, and sooner or later the wolf would catch up to her, so there was no point in trying to flee.
Lan Xiaobu was a medical prodigy; there was no need to mention anything else. Just based on his potential to improve Lancomycin and treat Frozen Silkworm Disease, he still had a chance of survival.
Yet surviving could be miserable; the downfall of the wealthy Fei family made Luo Caisi acutely aware of how terrifying Thousand Sounds could be. Even if Lan Xiaobu survived, he would probably have to live under the thumb of Thousand Sounds. Unless Lan Xiaobu was recognized by the country immediately upon his return, that possibility was quite slim. The reason being, Thousand Sounds would likely act quickly to take Lan Xiaobu, otherwise, some pharmaceutical companies might secretly whisk him away, and the last possibility was the country discovering Lan Xiaobu and ensuring his protection.
Seeing the fruit knife in Luo Caisi’s hand, the gray wolf once again paused.
This time it only hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching Luo Caisi. It must have realized that Luo Caisi was merely a facade.
Luo Caisi’s palms were sweaty; her legs trembled violently, and her eyes brimmed with fear. The difference between not being afraid of death and facing death was a completely different concept. She seemed to see herself being bitten to death by the wolf, the horrific image playing out in her mind.
The gray wolf drew nearer, prompting Luo Caisi to instinctively step back.
“Why are you still here?” Luo Caisi’s retreat was blocked by Lan Xiaobu. She turned and said angrily, “Do you know how precious time is? How long can I hold it off? If I could leave, I wouldn't even bother with you!”
As these two urgent sentences spilled out, Luo Caisi surprisingly noticed that her voice no longer trembled.
Just as she was about to turn back to look at the gray wolf, she felt a rush of fetid wind sweeping toward her. In a panic, she slashed out with the fruit knife she held.
“Crack!” The fruit knife snapped, and the gray wolf's massive paw had already gripped her shoulder, its mouth wide open, aiming to bite Luo Caisi's neck.
Luo Caisi shut her eyes, and the image of her grandfather’s face and smile surfaced in her mind.
The agonizing pain of death did not overwhelm her; as she opened her eyes, she found Lan Xiaobu gripping the gray wolf’s neck, and the two of them had rolled down together. Although this was a gorge, there was still a slope.
“Splash!” Luo Caisi saw Lan Xiaobu and the gray wolf tumble into the stream at the bottom of the gorge, splashing water everywhere.
Her shoulder was slashed by the gray wolf, leaving several bloody marks. A searing pain radiated out, but Luo Caisi didn’t have time to care about that; she quickly grabbed her backpack and rushed toward Lan Xiaobu. At that moment, whether they could escape or not, she had no thought of fleeing.
The stream was shallow, and Lan Xiaobu had pinned the gray wolf's neck against a rock beside the stream.
Luo Caisi hurried over to pull at Lan Xiaobu and anxiously said, “Doctor Lan, are you alright?”
Lan Xiaobu seemed oblivious to her words, his mouth still mumbling something, but his grip did not loosen.
“The wolf should be dead; let go and come up.” Luo Caisi saw that Lan Xiaobu had several deep scratches on his body, and the water in the stream was tinged with red.
Lan Xiaobu seemed to understand Luo Caisi’s words, as he released his grip and climbed up. However, once out of the stream, he began to mumble again.
The gray wolf was likely knocked unconscious by Lan Xiaobu. Luo Caisi quickly picked up a rock, preparing to bash the gray wolf’s head in, aiming to kill it.
But just at that moment, she noticed that the gray wolf’s belly was quite large. As a medical student, Luo Caisi understood immediately— the gray wolf was pregnant. Furthermore, the time until it would give birth was not long.
The gray wolf opened its eyes at the right moment, seeing the rock raised by Luo Caisi. Luo Caisi’s heart jolted, and before she could react, she noticed the wolf closed its eyes again.
Was it waiting to die? Luo Caisi quickly realized that the gray wolf had lost much of its strength from being choked by Lan Xiaobu, or perhaps it was simply weak from the start. It understood that even if it resisted, it would ultimately be choked to death by Lan Xiaobu, so it simply chose not to fight back.
As Luo Caisi pondered whether she should strike down, she saw a tear trickle from the corner of the wolf's eye.
This was clearly the ferocious wolf that had just tried to sever her neck, yet Luo Caisi couldn't bring herself to strike. She knew she had to act; otherwise, this would be the story of the farmer and the snake.
Understanding aside, she could not persuade her own heart.
Letting out a sigh, Luo Caisi spoke, “Considering you're pregnant, I won’t kill you. You better leave quickly and don’t come near us; otherwise, I’ll have Lan Xiaobu kill you. You should know, it’s very easy for Lan Xiaobu to kill you, just like before, simply choking your neck; you wouldn’t even be able to breathe.”
As Luo Caisi spoke, she mimicked the motion of choking with both hands. Despite her desire to make it look more threatening, her actions fell far short of that mark.
Perhaps hearing Luo Caisi’s words, the gray wolf struggled to rise before staggering away.
Luo Caisi held the rock high; if the wolf made any sudden moves, she would smash it down, ready to instruct Lan Xiaobu to act.
She could see that Lan Xiaobu wasn’t completely mentally shattered; he was just bound by something. As long as there was danger, Lan Xiaobu would definitely still take action. Luo Caisi didn’t know what was holding Lan Xiaobu back, but she guessed it must be something significant. Otherwise, how could such an extraordinary doctor like Lan Xiaobu be mumbling to himself all day?
Once the gray wolf had moved far away, Luo Caisi then led Lan Xiaobu along a different path.
Compared to when she first arrived in this deep gorge, Luo Caisi felt a bit more relaxed. She sensed that Lan Xiaobu was quite strong; otherwise, he couldn’t have subdued that gray wolf. Moreover, Lan Xiaobu's clothes were in tatters, barefoot soaking wet from the stream, yet he hadn’t even sneezed once up to now, which was not typical of ordinary constitution.
After walking along the bottom of the deep gorge with Lan Xiaobu for about three or four hours, Luo Caisi was nearly exhausted when she spotted a good place to rest.
It was a cave, the entrance of which was at least two meters wide. Inside was pitch black, and she could hardly see anything.
Luo Caisi approached the entrance of the cave and turned to look back at Lan Xiaobu. She felt a bit scared and wanted to call Lan Xiaobu to go inside and check it out. However, remembering Lan Xiaobu's current state, she had no choice but to turn on her phone flashlight and cautiously feel her way in.
(Today's update ends here, good night friends!)
(End of this chapter)