The Flame Wolves could spew flames hot enough to melt gold. The secret behind it truly lay in Explosive Stone.
This chemically stable stone lacked sufficient physical strength and could easily be crushed into powder or fragments.
These powders or fragments only needed a mixture of Flame Wolf gastric acid and saliva as a catalyst to unleash astonishing amounts of heat!
Zhang Guangmu suddenly remembered that history textbooks recorded how, around fifty years after the founding of the Xuanlong Empire, they seemed to have developed a type of ore specifically used for thermal power generation.
This stuff actually existed in the Real World!
Back to the matter at hand.
To fully utilize the power hidden in Explosive Stone, many triggering conditions had to be met.
But in Zhang Guangmu's view, there were always more solutions than problems.
After conducting multiple experiments, he discovered that Flame Wolf gastric acid was easy to replace and wasn't unique. As long as the pH value was similar, most acidic liquids could take its place. To put it bluntly, even if they couldn't find a single bottle of Acetic Acid, human gastric fluid vomited up could still serve as a substitute.
The difficult thing to replace was Flame Wolf saliva.
Even now, Zhang Guangmu still hadn't analyzed exactly what that stuff was made of.
After all, he had been Elementary School Scum both in his previous life and this one. For one thing, he wasn't a professional scientist and lacked the relevant knowledge. For another, he lacked research equipment and experimental conditions. He didn't even have a microscope or a culture dish. Even Test Paper for testing acidity and alkalinity had to be made by figuring out how to find the raw materials and crafting it with his bare hands.
In Zhang Guangmu's view, it didn't matter if he couldn't figure out the principles. As long as he could apply them in practice, that was enough!
After all, Wolf Fortress was a Film World. Even if he created some heaven-defying scientific achievement here, it would be completely useless after he returned to the Real World.
Thus, Zhang Guangmu didn't waste vast amounts of time and effort on basic theory. Instead, he focused on simple, crude, practical technology!
He bribed White Moon with roasted meat. While studying, he also befriended other Wolf Riders and shamelessly begged them for quite a bit of Flame Wolf saliva to use as a consumable.
As for the Flame Wolf corpses in the Wolf Tomb, as long as their digestive and respiratory systems hadn't completely rotted away, harvesting them would provide the best raw materials for equipment.
However...
Ultimately, Wolf Fortress wasn't the Real World. Certain physical and chemical reactions weren't entirely scientific and instead carried a touch of fantasy. As for some of the principles behind the equipment he had crafted with his own hands, Zhang Guangmu understood how to use them without understanding why they worked.
"As you can see..."
As Zhang Guangmu spoke, he lightly dipped the glove on his right hand into the "waterskin" at his waist, which was filled with catalyst. He aimed his palm at Lin Yan's Golden-Necked Flame Wolf and clenched his five fingers.
Bang!
A scorching flame shot rapidly out of the glove. The Golden-Necked Flame Wolf dodged in time, but a patch of its fur was still singed away. It immediately lowered its body, fire flashing in its throat, while its wolf eyes were filled with very human panic and confusion.
Seeing this, the White Balls floating in the air grew excited and began offering their grand advice one after another.
"Tremble, natives! This is the power of technology!"
"I hereby announce that, starting today, Zhang Guangmu is officially upgraded from 'Mu Zai' to 'Brother Mu.' Who agrees, and who objects?"
"I object! He can craft Divine Artifacts with his bare hands. Would it really be excessive to call him Mu Dad?"
"Not at all! Not excessive in the slightest!"
"Hahahaha! The Director is probably completely dumbfounded right now! Looking at how things are developing, the Director probably intended to leave behind some foreshadowing and, if the results were good, continue with a second movie. But instead, the 'Assassin' became a 'scholar' and directly deciphered the ultimate secret of the Wolf Fortress world!"
"What does it mean to overwhelm all techniques with sheer force? This is it!"
"I suggest changing 'force' to 'intelligence.' That would be more accurate."
"Is there a class representative here? I don't understand what he did at all!"
"In short—Zhang Guangmu found a high-energy explosive and developed a Flame Gun that looked like a glove."
"My scalp is tingling! Seeing this, I feel like Zhang Guangmu is the best newcomer of the year! Using technology in a fantasy world and breaking through the situation with brute force—this move has completely left me speechless!"
"This doesn't count as technology. It can only be called a basic application of scientific thinking. It's crude, but anyone who received Nine-Year Compulsory Education in the empire could see that there were flaws everywhere. They could make even better and more powerful equipment!"
"Give me a break! This is the Subconscious Film World. The moment you enter, your memories get sealed! When Zhang Guangmu made these Explosive Gloves, he used only the knowledge and world rules of Wolf Fortress. It had nothing to do with textbook content, okay? If you went in, you wouldn't be able to make anything!"
"...That's true. I lost my composure just now and instinctively argued for the sake of arguing. Sorry. Zhang Guangmu really is incredible. I'm convinced."
After being wildly praised by the audience, Zhang Guangmu was overjoyed inside, but his expression looked like that of a cold-blooded, merciless killer.
He looked at Lin Yan and the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf in the distance but didn't press his advantage. Instead, he lightly touched his wrists together and waited for the Explosive Gloves to cool down.
This thing wasn't as powerful as Lin Yan imagined. Killing two Flame Wolves in succession earlier had merely been a surprise attack that exploited the information gap.
After all, in the world of Wolf Fortress, no one would believe that humans could rival Flame Wolves in combat.
As for the two Flame Wolf Guards on the left and right...
Those two were merely making up the numbers.
Seeing their own Flame Wolf die horribly, they were scared witless. Their legs went weak, and they trembled on the spot. Not only did they fail to fight back, they couldn't even make a sound to warn Lin Yan.
Clearly, they weren't qualified guards. They lacked the ability to respond to sudden situations.
To some extent, the Character Setting of those two Flame Wolf Guards had already collapsed. After this film, they would probably have trouble getting similar guard roles again and could only find another path.
Thinking of this, Zhang Guangmu suddenly felt somewhat guilty.
He lowered his gaze, letting it fall upon the corpses of the two Flame Wolf Guards.
Zhang Guangmu stood there like a slender white poplar and sighed. "Originally, I planned to transplant the digestive and respiratory organs of the Flame Wolf who died in battle into myself. If I could solve the rejection reaction, I could evolve into a 'Flame Person' with Supernatural Power."
"Unfortunately, there isn't enough time."
"Hmm, actually, there's nothing to regret!"
His icy gaze focused on Lin Yan. "After killing you, I'll take your position."
"Continuing my research as the Wolf Fortress Lord should greatly improve my efficiency."
Zhang Guangmu's performance and words had almost completely shattered Lin Yan's worldview.
At first, Lin Yan had merely regarded Zhang Guangmu as a disposable Death Warrior, intending to arrange for him to kill Lin Xuan and the mutant young Flame Wolf King, Red Carbon, thereby consolidating his position.
After all, as the Wolf Fortress Lord, Lin Yan had many children. Having one fewer Lin Xuan wouldn't matter, and having one more Lin Xuan wouldn't make a difference.
Even if the matter came to light, it wouldn't really matter. He could simply push Zhang Guangmu out to die and claim that Zhang Guangmu had been bribed by outside forces and betrayed him—there was nothing easier than throwing dirt on a dead man.
But what happened afterward had vastly exceeded Lin Yan's expectations.
Zhang Guangmu had refused the mission he gave him!
Zhang Guangmu had effortlessly killed his two Flame Wolf Guards!
After passing the Water Prison Trial, Zhang Guangmu had, in a very short time, created a pair of Divine Artifacts containing the power of the Flame Wolf King, completely overturning his worldview!
In that short span of time, Lin Yan's emotions had ridden a roller coaster. His mind wavered unpredictably, and his entire body had become somewhat numb.
Despite holding the higher position on the surface, Lin Yan wasn't someone skilled at fighting.
Standing before Zhang Guangmu, he finally understood what it meant to have a powerful enemy right at your doorstep.
The Golden-Necked Flame Wolf, which had originally given him sufficient security and confidence, couldn't provide him with the slightest comfort now.
"K-Kill him!"
As a Wolf Rider, Lin Yan ordered the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf to throw its life away. "No, just hold him back!"
After saying this, he turned and fled toward the hidden room inside the chamber.
A profoundly human sorrow surfaced in the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf's eyes, yet it still didn't defy Lin Yan's command. It pounced toward Zhang Guangmu as though deranged.
The fate of Flame Wolves was bound to that of their Wolf Riders.
Proud and aloof, a Flame Wolf devoted all its feelings to a single person throughout its life. From then on, everything else was mere filth. Whether human or member of its own kind, nothing else was worthy of its notice.
Just look at the young Wolf Rider before them, his body covered in the aura of wolf corpses. Yet the Flame Wolf beside him, called White Moon, never left his side. There wasn't the slightest barrier between them.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Flames erupted violently, and hot wind surged.
The Golden-Necked Flame Wolf ultimately still couldn't defeat Zhang Guangmu and White Moon while fighting one against two.
It collapsed into a pool of blood, yet its eyes were unusually calm, as if it had completely accepted the fate of its impending death.
The Golden-Necked Flame Wolf was the Wolf King of the current age, but at the end of its life, it was ultimately still only a "Golden-Necked Flame Wolf."
From beginning to end, the Wolf Fortress Lord Lin Yan had never given it a name.
I'm so envious of that fellow called White Moon...
If...
If I could also have a companion to fight alongside me...
How wonderful would that be...?
As the Golden-Necked Flame Wolf's consciousness gradually faded, its body temperature slowly dropped.
Suddenly, it felt a warm hand press against its head.
Gentle, without the slightest hint of hostility or killing intent.
It forced its eyes open.
It was the master of the Flame Wolf White Moon.
The pale-faced youth's gaze was gentle, and his tone sincere. "Among humans, the belief in reincarnation has been passed down for a long time."
"I believe that in your next life, you, who sacrificed yourself to protect your companion, will surely find happiness."
Before you continue