Kill the Wolf Pack

Lin Yi let out a soft breath and silently sensed the Source Energy within his body.

"Only thirty percent left... But that should still be enough..."

That earth-shattering strike just now had drained more than half of his Source Energy. Thirty percent was a dangerous level—he still retained his combat strength, but should have proceeded with caution.

Yet Lin Yi not only had no intention of being cautious; the killing intent within him surged, and his gaze grew even sharper.

That was because, when dealing with cunning Abyssal Wolves, the balance of fear was extremely fragile.

At that moment, if he showed fear—even the slightest hesitation or retreat—these bullies that preyed on the weak would immediately recover from their panic. Driven by their lingering wild instincts, they would swarm him.

He had to seize the moment while they were still frightened and uneasy, then completely engrave fear into their instincts with an even more violent and brutal display.

Lin Yi's thoughts raced. Without the slightest hesitation, he erupted into action before the wolf pack could turn its brief fear and turmoil into tentative low howls!

He ignored the two small groups on the flanks, which were few in number and still cowering.

Instead, he aimed straight for the largest group of over thirty Abyssal Wolves in front—the densest cluster, and the one most likely to regain its momentum.

"Die!"

With a short, murderous shout, Lin Yi's figure once again transformed into a silver bolt of lightning as he launched a charge.

The Abyss Breaking Spear trailed behind him, its tip scraping against the ground with an ear-piercing screech and throwing up a line of sparks!

His choice looked reckless, but he had precisely seized the wolf pack's most psychologically vulnerable moment!

The Abyssal Wolves clearly had not expected this terrifying creature, having just completed a hunt, to attack again without resting. Their formation visibly descended into brief disorder, and they began to fall back.

However, there were still over thirty Abyssal Wolves gathered together. In the end, the savagery and unwillingness in their wolfish nature gained the slightest upper hand.

Especially when Lin Yi charged into the pack and entered striking range, the close-up stimulation of bloodshed and their numerical advantage made them howl threateningly once more. Seven or eight Abyssal Wolves pounced from the front and both sides at once, their claws and fangs flashing with cold light, while dark green acid sprayed toward him from behind!

But this time, faced with the same dense assault, Lin Yi chose a different strategy.

He did not use footwork to make large evasive movements. Instead, he spent Source Energy to activate the Deflection Field of his Flowing Cloud Armor and simply endured the attacks head-on!

"Bang! Screech! Splurt!"

An Abyssal Wolf on his left raked its claws fiercely across his shoulder armor, only for the flowing gleam to deflect them away.

The bites of two wolves on his right landed on his Arm Armor and leg armor, but likewise failed to penetrate his defenses.

Several clumps of acid struck his back armor and side, most of them being deflected away. A small amount clung to him and corroded the armor, but soon proved harmless.

Meanwhile, the Abyss Breaking Spear in Lin Yi's hands became the reaping sickle of the god of death.

He used no flashy techniques—only the simplest, most direct, and most energy-efficient thrusts!

The spear tip precisely pierced the eye socket of an Abyssal Wolf lunging at him from the front. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the wolf's corpse flying.

Immediately afterward, he drew the spear back and stabbed again, piercing the throat of an Abyssal Wolf trying to bite his lower leg.

Then, using the momentum, he swept the shaft sideways and used the blade to slash open the neck of a third Abyssal Wolf sneaking in from the side.

In the blink of an eye, three lives were reaped.

Precise, efficient, and merciless!

Hot wolf blood splashed across the silver-gray armor, adding an even more murderous air.

Lin Yi did not even stop moving. He maintained his forward momentum, as if the attacks striking him were nothing more than harmless mosquito bites.

That overbearing, tyrannical attitude—as though their attacks were beneath his notice—finally crushed the wolf pack's remaining fighting spirit.

"Awhooo!!"

Some Abyssal Wolf in the pack let out a brief, terrified howl.

It seemed to become a signal!

The collapse began.

The remaining Abyssal Wolves' formation instantly fell apart. Their survival instincts completely overwhelmed everything else. They no longer cared about surrounding him, instead crying out in chaotic, terrified yelps before turning without hesitation and fleeing in every direction with their tails between their legs.

"Trying to run?"

But how could Lin Yi let them escape so easily?

Pursuing fleeing enemies was the lowest-risk, highest-reward option.

Besides, if he did not beat them badly enough to make them afraid this time, they would still pose a Potential Threat to Hongfu Tower once they recovered.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yi activated the Flowing Star Step. His figure moved like the wind as he chased after the few Abyssal Wolves that were fleeing most slowly.

"Splurt! Splurt! Squelch!"

Three more muffled impacts rang out. Three straggling Abyssal Wolves were stabbed through the heart from behind and fell to the ground wailing.

Without slowing, he fixed his gaze on two more fleeing Abyssal Wolves and accelerated after them.

However, just as he stabbed those two unlucky beasts to death and fixed his sights on targets farther away, a faint weakness spread through his body.

His Source Energy had fallen below ten percent, reaching the warning line he had set in his mind.

"Forget it, forget it... Don't chase desperate enemies..."

Lin Yi decisively stopped and gave up the pursuit.

His Source Energy was almost depleted. The active Deflection Field of the Flowing Cloud Armor was already difficult to maintain. With only the armor's basic defense left, being focused by acid from afar or becoming trapped in a desperate last stand by the wolf pack would be far too risky.

He had worked as an interstellar mercenary in that high-risk profession for several thousand years. What had kept him alive was not merely the courage to fight and struggle, but also the wisdom to stop once he had gained enough.

Lin Yi leaned on his spear and watched the Abyssal Wolves that had already fled into the distance. Only after confirming that they would absolutely lack the courage to turn back anytime soon did he slowly relax.

The battlefield fell silent in an instant. Only the bloodstained air slowly dissipated, while the corpses of the Abyssal Wolves gradually turned to ash.

Lin Yi rested for a while. Once his breathing had somewhat steadied, he turned back and began to clean up the battlefield.

First, he picked up the crystals left behind by the Abyssal Wolves along the route of his pursuit, which he had been too busy to collect earlier.

The ten dead Abyssal Wolves had left behind ten ordinary gray crystals flickering with a hazy radiance.

As he picked them up, Lin Yi sensed the information contained within them, then placed them into the slots at his waist specially designed to store crystals.

Three Guidance Techniques and seven Level 1 Source Energy Crystals. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Next, he walked to the huge pit where the Giant Rock Abyss Bear had died.

By then, the Abyss Bear's corpse had vanished from the pit, leaving behind only a high-grade gray crystal with wisps of white cloudlike strands mixed into its gray surface.

Lin Yi bent down and picked it up. After silently sensing the information within, he curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"So that's what was inside... A 'Sentinel' miniature Mechanical Dog... Now that's a good thing..."

This was truly an unexpected surprise.

The "Sentinel" Mechanical Dog had been an extremely practical low-level construct in the early days of his previous life. It only needed a Tier 1 Source Energy Crystal to operate for a long time, and its energy efficiency was exceptionally high.

Although its combat power was not great—only roughly equivalent to that of a Corrosive Abyss Wolf—its advantages lay in its harder metal body, lack of fear, absolute obedience to commands, and built-in basic sensors. It could detect movement within a certain range, issue alerts based on distance, and track scents.

For Hongfu Tower at its current stage, which needed something to stand watch at night, patrol, and provide early warnings, this item was even more valuable than some offensive techniques or weapons contained in White Crystals.

Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction and stuffed the high-grade gray crystal into the slot at his waist as well.

Only after finishing all this did he head toward Hongfu Tower.