Wolf King's Demeanor!

The staff members below immediately answered in unison.

"Understood!"

"Reduce the attention on Zhang Guangmu appropriately, and invest more manpower and resources into Yang Chi's Protagonist Group and Zhu Nanhua's villain faction!"

"As expected of someone who nearly entered the Seven Stars sequence last year! Yang Chi has performed excellently all the way until now! He's almost overcome the Wolf Phobia in his background setting!"

After leaving the Water Prison, Zhang Guangmu saw the entirety of Wolf Fortress.

Inns, carriage houses, shops, bluestone streets, training grounds, the Wolf Den, the council hall...

Aside from the Wolf Den, its distinctive area, all of Wolf Fortress gave Zhang Guangmu the impression of a small country with an exotic flair.

Though small, it had everything it needed.

The streets were crowded with pedestrians, and hawking voices could be heard everywhere.

Zhang Guangmu noticed that anyone walking alongside a Flame Wolf held their back ramrod straight. Every one of them looked as though they wished they could point their nostrils at the sky, displaying an unmistakable air of superiority.

The passersby looked at the Wolf Riders with both fear and longing. Some of the bolder ones practically had "I want to replace them" written all over their faces.

The hierarchical superiority of the Wolf Riders was vividly highlighted in this tiny detail.

Led by the masked man, Zhang Guangmu walked through several streets and arrived at the Wolf Den, where he saw the "other half" the masked man had mentioned.

Standing before him was a Giant Flame Wolf. It stood about a meter sixty tall, its fur blazing red and its eyes like burning flames, radiating a soul-stirring light. The muscles hidden beneath its coat were clearly defined and smoothly contoured, seemingly harboring terrifying strength. Its body was huge without appearing bulky, giving off the impression that it could tear tigers and leopards apart with its bare claws.

A timid person wouldn't dare stand before such a giant wolf. Even looking at it from afar would make their heart pound with fear.

"Now that's handsome!"

Zhang Guangmu grinned and moved closer, rubbing the Flame Wolf's chin with practiced familiarity. "We're comrades-in-arms from now on. Remember to protect me!"

The greatest problem with the Subconscious Film was that actors had to meet a certain age requirement before they could begin participating in films, which made it easy for children and animal elements to be absent.

However, more than nine hundred years ago, the empire had already solved this problem—using Artificial Intelligence to replace the unavoidable child and animal roles in the plot.

Zhang Guangmu had heard that because the Great Ancestor believed the lives of digital beings mattered too, the Xuanlong Empire never wiped Artificial Intelligence data. Unless the hardware was damaged or something similar happened, they wouldn't even touch the Artificial Intelligences' memory banks.

At most, like Subconscious Actors, the Artificial Intelligences had their surface memories blocked after entering the Film World, retaining only their core behavior patterns and foundational internal logic.

As a result, many Artificial Intelligences active in the various Subconscious Films might have already existed for several hundred years!

The Flame Wolf standing before Zhang Guangmu was enormous. Even without the ability to breathe fire, its size alone was frightening enough.

If Zhang Guangmu encountered an animal like this in real life, he would definitely run as far away as possible, without even stopping to watch the spectacle.

After all, the fact that a sickly man like him had struggled to survive until now was already the result of giving it everything he had. After enduring countless painful hardships, Zhang Guangmu cherished life more than anyone.

Besides, he was a cat person, not a dog person. Having Mooncake at home was already enough. No matter how cute or handsome other dogs were, they couldn't make Zhang Guangmu's heart flutter.

He knew that in the script setting of "Wolf Fortress," the Flame Wolf before him had been prepared for the winner of the Water Prison Trial.

Among the many Flame Wolves in the Wolf Den, it belonged to the top tier. Its combat power was extraordinary, and it was exceptionally strong. It would rarely lose in a one-on-one fight, and even against two opponents, it still had a high chance of victory.

Against people who weren't Wolf Riders, it was even more unstoppable, slaughtering them as easily as chopping vegetables.

After all, this production was called "Wolf Fortress." Human combat power was insignificant. The Flame Wolves were the dominant force.

"Awoo~"

The Flame Wolf's gaze fell on Zhang Guangmu. It let out a restrained howl, then made no further sound. It quietly stood beside him, appearing calm and elegant, with an extraordinary degree of humanity.

Zhang Guangmu chuckled and happily began stroking the wolf.

Only then did he notice that the exceptionally tall Flame Wolf had a white, crescent-moon-shaped mark on its head. He had no idea whether it was a birthmark or a scar left from fighting other wolves.

"I'll call you Bai Yue from now on. Remember that name!"

Zhang Guangmu rubbed the Flame Wolf a couple more times. "Come on, let's get something to eat first."

As the winner of the Water Prison Trial, he was different from the other losers who had voluntarily given up. He belonged to the Fort Master's direct line and could run rampant throughout Wolf Fortress. He might not be able to oppress men and women, but at the very least, he could eat and drink to his heart's content.

After leaving the Wolf Den with Bai Yue, anything Zhang Guangmu wanted along the way was immediately given to him for free.

This World Setting naturally existed to highlight the nobility and power of the "Wolf Rider" identity.

After all...

Only by establishing the villain's aura first would it feel more satisfying when the protagonist rose up and slapped their faces.

Yes.

Having read the script, Zhang Guangmu knew very well that the protagonist of this production, Young Wolf Lord Lin Xuan, had a truly miserable background. Everyone looked down on him, and anyone could point fingers behind his back or make sarcastic remarks to his face. Yet when the plot began, Lin Xuan had already obtained a Golden Finger capable of turning the tide!

"Awooo!"

A wolf howl caught Zhang Guangmu's attention.

He stuffed the remaining roasted meat in his hand into Bai Yue's mouth and looked toward the sound. He saw a Flame Wolf about the size of an ordinary village dog, half black and half red, barking at its owner as though they were having an argument.

The corners of Zhang Guangmu's lips lifted slightly, and an amused smile appeared on his face.

This "inferior" Flame Wolf, which looked malnourished at a glance, was precisely the cheat Director had given the protagonist Lin Xuan in this production!

It looked completely ordinary, yet carried the bloodline of several generations of Wolf Kings. Its strength, endurance, agility, and other physical attributes were all unremarkable and pitifully weak. However, it had maxed out its "Demeanor" attribute. Whenever other Flame Wolves faced the eruption of this "little wolf's" aura, they couldn't even remain standing and would instantly lose all ability to fight.

That was an extremely powerful cheat. Compared with Chu Fan's logistics-type Endless Food Bag, at least, it gave protagonist Lin Xuan a tremendous advantage in combat power, providing him with the capital to rise through one battle after another.

"I think I understand."

After feeding Flame Wolf Bai Yue, Zhang Guangmu suddenly felt meat juices all over his hands. They were sticky, and he wanted to find a napkin to wipe them, only to discover that Wolf Fortress didn't have such a thing at all.

At that moment, a passerby Extra approached, bowing and scraping. "Wolf Rider, you can wipe your hands on my clothes!"

As he spoke, the other man knelt before Zhang Guangmu and lowered his head, indicating that Zhang Guangmu could wipe his hands on the hemp clothes he was wearing.

"That won't be necessary."

Zhang Guangmu held his hand out toward his Flame Wolf's mouth. "You eat your own food and wash your own plate, so..."

"Doggy, it's your turn to perform!"

Flame Wolf Bai Yue rolled its eyes and looked at Zhang Guangmu as though he were an idiot.

This bastard actually expected it to lick his dirty hands clean...

What kind of dream was he having?

With a single mouthful of old fire, Lord Bai Yue could turn those dirty hands into a pair of braised pig's trotters!

Feeling the threat and disdain in Bai Yue's eyes, Zhang Guangmu awkwardly withdrew his hand and hid it behind his back. "Forget it, forget it. You there... get up. I'm interested in that person. Didn't he have Wolf Phobia? How did he suddenly become a Wolf Rider?"

The passerby Extra hurriedly climbed to his feet and followed Zhang Guangmu's gaze. He saw Young Fortress Lord Lin Xuan of Wolf Fortress. His humble tone carried a hint of worldly cleverness and calculating shrewdness. "My lord, the Young Fortress Lord's Wolf Phobia was originally just a psychological issue. If he toughed it out, it would have passed."

"But as soon as his condition improved a little, he went and found a defective wolf."

"As everyone knows, Flame Wolves are aloof and loyal by nature. They recognize only one master in their entire lives and won't serve anyone who already has a Flame Wolf. That's why they're called the 'other half' of a Wolf Rider."

The Extra had only gotten this far when the Young Fortress Lord Lin Xuan, the center of the conversation, and his defective little wolf began walking toward them.

Unfortunately, while this passerby Extra was respectful toward Zhang Guangmu, he was verbally deferential but inwardly contemptuous toward Lin Xuan. He didn't care at all about Lin Xuan's feelings. "A Young Fortress Lord who raised a defective wolf can never be acknowledged by another Flame Wolf. He won't have the ability to inherit the throne in the future, nor can he shoulder Wolf Fortress's future! Everyone says the Young Fortress Lord can only ever remain the Young Fortress Lord. That word 'Young' will stay with him forever!"

At this point, the passerby Extra looked at Zhang Guangmu and immediately began flattering him. "In my opinion, the Young Fortress Lord is far inferior to you, my lord!"

"After all, anyone with eyes can see how powerful your other half is."

"Elegant, dignified, mighty—this is the demeanor of a Wolf King!"

Lin Xuan's face turned crimson after hearing every word.

He didn't care about the small fry who had spouted such outrageous mockery. He merely glared viciously at Zhang Guangmu, his teeth clacking as he clenched them and the veins bulging on his forehead. "Good, very good! Wolf Rider, tell me your name!"

"I will never forget today's humiliation!"