Chapter 737: Eyes in the Dark
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Xia Ling got through the night anxiously.
She sat by the fire and watched it flicker, but her heart was with Li Lei, in the dark and in confusion. Did he manage to find Shaohui? The mountain was huge, would he and Shaohui be alright? She felt as if a stone was weighing on her chest, making it all too hard to breathe.
But she knew this could not go on.
Li Lei left her behind not just because he was more adept at surviving in the wilderness, he also wanted her to have a good rest before the long walk the following day.
She could not waste this precious time on overthinking and worrying.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep. After counting sheep after sheep, she finally fell asleep in the cool wind. And yet, she could not sleep deeply, her dreams were a mess and disturbed her.
She woke up in shock.
She opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness. The fire in the cave had died while she was unconscious, with only ashes and residual red flickers in its place.
Outside the cave, the howling of the winds had stopped as well.
Suddenly, she heard a sound.
Something had stepped on the twigs lying in the ashes.
Xia Ling broke into a cold sweat and looked up instinctively. Only then did she realize that a pair of green, luminous eyes was staring at her in the dark silently.
She could feel her hair stand, and in that instant, she held her breath as her mind became a blank. Her body stiffened up and thoughts ran through her mind — What was that? A snow leopard? A wolf? When did it enter? Was it going to eat someone?
Slowly and stealthily, her hands wandered in the darkness and finally found a dagger. Before they left for the expedition, the first team had already reported some sightings of wolves and other predators in the mountains. Li Lei had specially prepared a dagger and a gun for her, but she had lost the gun after the avalanche. Meanwhile, the dagger had been lined with concentrated anestesia; any person or animal struck by it would be immobilized.
She was confused and flustered, but told herself she had to stay calm.
Yet, the moment her fingers wrapped around the dagger, the creature suddenly pounced on her!
Out of shock, she reacted reflexively and rolled away, escaping by a close shave. The creature bit onto her sleeve with its sharp teeth and ripped the fabric apart.
She had no time to be afraid. She reached for the dagger but it took her a few tries to grab hold of it due to the cold. When she finally looked up, she saw that the creature had stopped attacking, and instead, was crouching in a defensive position and sizing her up.
The moon creeped out between the clouds.
Xia Ling could now see that it was a silver-white arctic wolf. It looked malnourished and hungry for any food it could possibly find. The arctic wolf bared its teeth at her and launched another attack!
Xia Ling dodged it again, but this time, her long hair swept across her face and partially blocked her view.
She felt a weight on her body and saw that the hungry wolf was just inches away from her, its green eyes staring straight at hers.
Its paw was on her body.
She could hide no longer and had no choice but to watch it bite down on her. She swung her head sideways and avoided the first bite, but the hungry wolf went for her neck next and tore her apparel slightly.
An awful smell dissipated in the air.
Xia Ling couldn’t be more grateful for her mountaineering apparel — it was thick and of such good quality that the wolf did not manage to bite into her flesh both times. Even so, her apparel was in bad shape now, and the horrid smell was getting stronger.
The wolf sniffed around and crouched lower, but did not attack her. Instead, it let out a whimper.
Xia Ling took advantage of its moment of hesitation and swung the dagger at the wolf!
Alas, the hungry wolf sensed her movement and managed to duck. It was now alerted and aggressive.
The rest of the battle was chaotic.
Xia Ling had no experience surviving in the wild on her own, and she was also not strong enough physically. Yet, each time it bit into her apparel, the smell that dissipated made it stagger backward in apparent disgust.
This went on for a while.
Xia Ling was injured on the face and parts of her body.
The wolf did not have it much better. Having been slashed by the dagger, it was under the influence of anesthesia and was reacting much more slowly. However, it had not eaten for days and was desperate for some food.
It pounced onto Xia Ling again and she fell over.
Xia Ling had lost a significant amount of blood in this arduous battle, and this time, the dagger had flown out of her hand upon being attacked. Knowing that she was defenseless now, the wolf bore with the awful smell coming from her apparel and was ready to bite into her flesh.
It did not act fast, but she was even weaker than it was now, and had no way of escape.
She thought, It’s all over. After living for two lifetimes, I’m going to die in the hands of a wolf… How’s Shaohui and Li Lei doing now? If they’re still alive, will they be devastated to find me dead?
Shaohui…
“Li Lei…”
She missed them so much…
In the blurriness, she suddenly saw a handsome man appear before her eyes, but she had no idea if it was just a delusion. That man had an amazing physique and beautiful features, and he swiftly stabbed the wolf’s head with the dagger.
The wolf that was pinning her down instantly fell to the ground.
The man kicked the dead wolf aside and held her up. “Xiao Ling? Xiao Ling?! Are you alright? Where are you hurt! Hang in there, you’ve got to hang in there!”
“Li… Lei…” She mumbled as she melted into his firm embrace. She could smell the familiar scent on him, and feel the rising and falling of his chest. At that moment, she couldn’t hold it back any longer and burst into tears.