Scattering the Wolf Pack

Lin Yi exhaled softly, silently sensing the Source Energy within his body.

"Only thirty percent left. But that should be enough to handle this."

That earth-shattering strike just now had drained nearly half of his Source Energy. Thirty percent was a dangerous level—one where he retained combat capability, yet needed to act with extreme caution.

However, far from feeling cautious, Lin Yi felt his killing intent surge, his gaze growing even sharper.

For an Abyss Beast as cunning as the Abyss Wolf, the balance of fear was incredibly fragile.

If he showed weakness now, even the slightest hesitation or retreat, these bullies would instantly snap out of their panic. Driven by their remaining wild instincts, they would swarm him.

He had to strike while they were still terrified, using an even more violent and brutal display to burn fear deep into their instincts.

Lin Yi's thoughts raced. Without a moment's hesitation, he surged forward before the pack could convert their brief panic and agitation into tentative growls!

He ignored the two smaller, timid groups on his flanks.

Instead, he set his sights directly on the main pack of over thirty Abyss Wolves—the largest, densest, and most dangerous group capable of regrouping.

"Die!"

With a short, murderous shout, Lin Yi's figure transformed into silver lightning once more, launching a proactive charge.

He dragged the Abyss-Splitter spear behind him, the tip scraping against the ground with a teeth-gritting screech, sending a trail of sparks flying!

His choice seemed reckless, but it precisely seized the most vulnerable moment in the pack's psyche!

The Abyss Wolves clearly hadn't expected this terrifying creature, having just finished a hunt, to attack again instead of resting. Their formation showed clear signs of panic and retreat.

Yet, being a pack of over thirty, the cruelty and unwillingness to yield inherent in their wolf nature ultimately gained the upper hand.

Especially when Lin Yi charged into the pack and entered their attack range, the close-range scent of blood and their numerical advantage made them howl in threat once more. Seven or eight Abyss Wolves lunged from the front and sides simultaneously, claws and fangs glinting with cold light, while green acidic venom sprayed from the rear!

But this time, despite the dense attack, Lin Yi chose a different strategy.

He didn't use his footwork for wide-scale dodging; instead, he spent Source Energy to activate the Flowing Cloud Armor's deflection field, ignoring the attacks and taking them head-on!

"Bang! Scritch! Pfft!"

The claws of an Abyss Wolf on his left raked hard against his shoulder armor, only to be deflected by the shimmering light.

The bites from two wolves on his right landed on his arm and leg armor, failing to penetrate the defense.

Several globs of acid splashed onto his back and side, most deflected away, with only a small amount clinging and corroding, though it mattered little.

Meanwhile, the Abyss-Splitter in Lin Yi's hand became the Grim Reaper's scythe.

He used no flashy moves—just the simplest, most direct, and most efficient thrusts!

The spear tip precisely pierced the eye socket of an Abyss Wolf lunging from the front; with a flick of his wrist, the carcass was tossed aside.

Immediately after, he retracted the spear and thrust it through the throat of another wolf attempting to bite his calf.

Then, he swept the shaft horizontally, the blade slicing open the neck of a third wolf sneaking up from the side.

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

Precise, efficient, cold!

Hot wolf blood splattered onto his silver-gray armor, adding to his fierce aura.

Lin Yi didn't even pause his stride, maintaining his forward momentum as if those attacks were nothing more than mosquito bites.

This savage, domineering posture, treating their attacks as if they were nothing, finally shattered the remaining fighting spirit of the Abyss Wolves.

"Awooo!!"

A short, terror-filled howl erupted from somewhere within the pack.

It was as if this had become a signal!

The collapse began.

The formation of the remaining Abyss Wolves disintegrated instantly. Their survival instinct completely overwhelmed everything else; they no longer cared about surrounding him, instead letting out chaotic, terrified yelps before turning tail and fleeing in all directions.

"Trying to run?"

Lin Yi would not let them off so easily.

Chasing a routed enemy was the lowest-risk, highest-reward tactic.

Besides, if he didn't beat them until they were hurt and afraid, they would remain a potential threat to Hongfu Restaurant once they recovered.

Lin Yi didn't hesitate. He channeled his Wandering Star Steps, his figure moving like the wind as he hunted down the slowest of the fleeing wolves.

"Pfft! Pfft! Scritch!"

Three more muffled sounds rang out as three straggling Abyss Wolves were pierced through the heart from behind, collapsing with howls.

He kept moving, his gaze locked onto two other fleeing wolves, and pushed himself to give chase.

However, just as he skewered these two unlucky ones and set his sights on a more distant target, a subtle sense of weakness washed over his body.

His Source Energy was below ten percent, hitting the warning threshold he had set for himself.

"Forget it. Don't chase a desperate foe."

Lin Yi decisively stopped in his tracks and ceased the pursuit.

With his internal source energy now nearly depleted, the active deflection effect of the Flowing Cloud Armor was becoming difficult to maintain. Relying solely on its base defense posed too great a risk, especially if he were to be targeted by concentrated acid fire from afar or caught in the desperate, last-ditch counterattacks of a wolf pack.

He had survived thousands of years in the high-risk profession of an interstellar mercenary not just by being daring and aggressive, but by knowing when to quit while he was ahead.

Lin Yi leaned on his spear, watching the Abyssal Wolves that had already fled into the distance. Only after confirming they had no courage to turn back in the short term did he slowly relax his stance.

The battlefield fell silent in an instant, leaving behind only the scent of blood slowly dissipating and the corpses of the Abyssal Wolves as they gradually turned to ash.

Lin Yi rested for a moment, and once his breathing had steadied, he turned back to begin clearing the battlefield.

He first picked up the crystals left behind by the Abyssal Wolves, which he had been unable to collect while in pursuit.

The ten dead Abyssal Wolves had left behind ten ordinary gray crystals that shimmered with a dim, hazy light.

Lin Yi sensed the information within them as he picked them up, then placed them into the specialized slots on his waist designed for storing crystals.

Three Guidance Techniques and seven Level 1 Source Energy Crystals—a standard haul.

Next, he walked over to the large crater where the Giant Rock Abyss Bear had met its end.

By now, the bear's corpse had vanished, leaving behind only a single high-grade gray crystal, streaked with faint white wisps.

Lin Yi bent down to pick it up, silently sensing the information within, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"So this is what's inside. A 'Sentry' small mechanical dog—this is a good find."

This was an unexpected delight.

In his past life, the "Sentry" mechanical dog was a highly practical low-level construct during the early stages. It only required a single Tier 1 Source Energy Crystal to operate for a long time, boasting extremely high energy efficiency.

Although its combat power was not high—comparable only to a single Corrosive Abyssal Wolf—its advantages lay in its tougher metallic body, lack of fear, absolute obedience to commands, and built-in simple sensor modules. It possessed dynamic sensing within a certain range, distance warning, and scent-tracking capabilities.

For Hongfu Restaurant, which currently needed night watchmen, patrols, and early warnings, the value of this item even exceeded that of some offensive techniques or weapons found within white crystals.

Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction and tucked this high-grade gray crystal into the slots at his waist as well.

Having finished all this, he finally began to walk in the direction of Hongfu Restaurant.