Lin Yi let out a soft breath and silently sensed the Source Energy within him.
"Only thirty percent left. Still, that should be enough to handle this."
That earth-shattering strike had drained nearly half his Source Energy. Thirty percent was still enough to fight, but it was also a dangerous level that called for caution.
Yet Lin Yi had no intention of being cautious. Instead, killing intent surged within him, and his gaze grew even sharper.
For a cunning Abyss Beast like the Abyss Wolf, the balance of fear was extremely fragile.
If he showed weakness now—even the slightest hesitation or retreat—these bullies who preyed on the weak would immediately recover from their panic and, driven by their lingering savagery, swarm him all at once.
While they were still frightened and unsettled, he had to etch fear into their instincts with an even more savage, more ruthless display.
Lin Yi's thoughts raced. Without the slightest hesitation, before the pack could turn its brief fear and agitation into tentative growls, he suddenly sprang into action!
He paid no attention to the two smaller groups on the flanks, still cowering timidly.
Instead, he made straight for the largest, most tightly packed group in front—the more than thirty Abyss Wolves most likely to regroup and regain their momentum.
"Die!"
With a short, murderous shout, Lin Yi's figure became a streak of silver lightning once more as he charged forward.
The Abyss-Splitter Spear trailed behind him, its tip scraping against the ground with a teeth-grating "screee," scattering a trail of sparks!
His choice looked reckless, but he had precisely seized the pack's most vulnerable moment.
The Abyss Wolves clearly hadn't expected this terrifying creature, having just finished hunting, to attack again without resting. Their formation visibly faltered, and they began to pull back.
But they were still a pack of more than thirty Abyss Wolves. The savagery and resentment in their nature ultimately gained a slight advantage.
Especially when Lin Yi charged into their midst and entered striking range. The blood-soaked frenzy of close quarters and their numerical advantage spurred them to howl threateningly once more. Seven or eight Abyss Wolves pounced from the front and both sides at once, their claws and fangs glinting coldly as dark green acid sprayed in from behind!
But this time, faced with the same dense barrage of attacks, Lin Yi chose a different strategy.
He didn't make any sweeping dodges. Instead, he spent Source Energy to activate the deflection field of the Flowing Cloud Armor and simply weathered the attacks head-on!
"Thump! Scrape! Thud!"
A wolf on his left raked its claws across his shoulder armor, only for the shifting glow to deflect them aside.
Two on his right bit down on his arm and leg armor, but their teeth couldn't pierce the defenses either.
Several globs of acid splattered across his back and flank. Most were deflected, while a little clung to the armor and corroded it, but soon posed no threat.
Meanwhile, the Abyss-Splitter Spear in Lin Yi's hands became the Grim Reaper's scythe.
He used no flashy techniques, only the simplest, most direct, most economical thrusts!
The spear tip pierced the eye socket of an Abyss Wolf leaping at him head-on. With a flick of his wrist, he flung its corpse away.
In the next instant, he thrust again, piercing the throat of an Abyss Wolf trying to bite his calf.
Then, following through with the motion, he swept the shaft across and used the spear blade to slash open the neck of a third Abyss Wolf attacking from the side.
In the blink of an eye, three lives were snuffed out.
Precise, efficient, merciless!
Scalding wolf blood spattered across his silver-gray armor, lending him an even more fearsome air.
Lin Yi didn't even break stride. He kept charging forward as though the attacks landing on him were nothing more than harmless mosquito bites.
This savage, domineering display of treating their attacks as nothing finally shattered the pack's remaining will to fight.
"Awwooo!"
Some Abyss Wolf in the pack let out a short, terrified wail.
It seemed to become a signal!
The rout began.
The remaining Abyss Wolves' formation collapsed in an instant. Their instinct to survive utterly overwhelmed everything else. No longer able to think about surrounding him, they cried out in panicked confusion, then turned without hesitation and fled in every direction, tails tucked between their legs.
"You think you can run?"
But how could Lin Yi let them go so easily?
Pursuing a fleeing enemy was one of the safest ways to reap the greatest rewards.
Besides, if he didn't hurt them badly enough to make them afraid this time, they would remain a potential threat to Hongfu Restaurant once they recovered.
Lin Yi didn't hesitate. He used Wandering Star Steps, his figure swift as the wind, and chased down the slowest Abyss Wolves.
"Thud! Thud! Thrust!"
Three more dull impacts rang out as he stabbed three lagging Abyss Wolves through the heart from behind. They wailed and fell to the ground.
Without slowing, he fixed his gaze on two more fleeing Abyss Wolves and surged after them.
But just as he killed those two unlucky beasts and set his sights on targets farther ahead, a faint weakness stirred inside him.
His Source Energy had fallen below ten percent, reaching the warning threshold he had set for himself.
"Forget it. No need to chase down a desperate enemy."
Lin Yi stopped at once and gave up the pursuit.
He had barely any Source Energy left, and the Flowing Cloud Armor could no longer maintain its active deflection effect. With only its basic defenses, the risk was too great: he could be hit by a concentrated barrage of acid from afar or get trapped in a desperate last stand by the wolves.
He had worked as an interstellar mercenary in that high-risk line of work for thousands of years, and it wasn't just because he dared to fight. He also knew when to quit while he was ahead.
Leaning on his spear, Lin Yi watched the Abyss Wolves that had already fled into the distance. Only after confirming they wouldn't dare return anytime soon did he slowly relax.
The battlefield fell silent in an instant, leaving only the lingering stench of blood and the Abyss Wolf corpses slowly turning to ash.
After resting for a while and catching his breath, Lin Yi turned back and began to clean up the battlefield.
First, he picked up the crystals left behind by the Abyss Wolves along the route he had taken during the pursuit, which he hadn't had time to collect.
Ten dead Abyss Wolves had left behind ten ordinary gray crystals, each shimmering with a hazy glow.
As he picked them up, Lin Yi sensed the information within, then placed them in the slots at his waist reserved for storing crystals.
Three Guidance Techniques and seven Level 1 Source Energy Crystals—nothing extraordinary.
Next, he walked to the crater where the Giant Rock Abyss Bear had died.
By then, the bear's corpse had vanished, leaving behind only a high-grade gray crystal tinged with wisps of white.
Lin Yi bent down to pick it up. After sensing the information within, he smiled.
"So that's what was inside. A 'Sentry' Mechanical Dog. This is a real find."
It was an unexpected bonus.
In the early days of his previous life, the Sentry Mechanical Dog had been a highly practical low-grade construct. It could operate for a long time on just one Tier 1 Source Energy Crystal, making it extremely energy-efficient.
Although its combat strength was low—about equal to that of a Corrosive Abyssal Wolf—its metal body was tougher, it felt no fear, and it obeyed orders absolutely. It also had a simple built-in sensor module, giving it some ability to detect movement within a certain range, provide warning signals at a distance, and track scents.
For Hongfu Restaurant, which needed to keep watch at night, patrol, and provide early warnings, this thing was even more valuable than some offensive techniques or weapons contained in white crystals.
Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction and slipped the high-grade gray crystal into one of the slots at his waist as well.
Only after finishing all this did he head toward Hongfu Restaurant.
Before you continue