Chapter 2: Wild Wolf Mercenary

Soon after, a fully armed individual escorted a middle-aged man into the room. The middle-aged man, possibly around fifty with some balding, wore a neatly tailored suit now muddied and sported gold-rimmed glasses that conveyed an air of scholarship. He looked like someone from the research field, anxiously gazing at the bodies scattered across the floor, silent and speechless.

"Mr. Bai," said the captain smugly, "everyone says your Huaxia Country is a no-go zone for mercenaries, that no one dares to enter. However, it seems that isn't entirely true. Our Wild Wolf Mercenary Group easily brought you to the border. Looking at their combat ability, we needed only two seconds to deal with them, hahaha!"

The man known as Mr. Bai did not get angry but rather smiled ingratiatingly, "Exactly, who doesn't know of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group? Ranked top five among global mercenaries. Just the other day, that reconnaissance team fell into your hands—thirty-some people unable to even send out a distress signal, let alone these border guards blocking your path. Thanks to you, I managed to leave the country smoothly."

"Of course," the captain said proudly, unconcerned by the sarcasm in Mr. Bai's words and continued, "You look down on these border guards? Well, you would, since you could even betray your own country. How could you care about the lives of these soldiers? Considering you're our employer, I'll let it slide. We had planned to let you rest for the night, but we need to leave immediately now."

"Why?" Mr. Bai objected, "Don't forget your principles. Reputation comes first. Without credibility, how will you continue to operate?"

"Don't try to intimidate me with that." The captain's face hardened, a flicker of murderous intent passing briefly as he commanded coldly, "If you don't want to die, stay behind. Forgot to tell you, there should be ten men at the post, but there are only nine bodies now. What does that mean? Use your big brain that studies equations to think about it. Also, take off your clothes and change into a uniform. Being exposed is just a matter of time, so hurry up."

Mr. Bai started to speak but halted, a hint of fear making him hesitantly remove his coat. He then randomly picked a military uniform and began to dress. The captain's icy glance felt like needles piercing Mr. Bai's brain, chilling him to the bone—an aura of death enveloped him, causing him to hastily dress in fear. Any dissatisfaction had evaporated. Throughout the journey, Mr. Bai had witnessed the captain's ruthless killings and was deeply terrified.

Seeing Mr. Bai's newfound compliance and the dropping of his intellectual arrogance, the captain sneered in satisfaction. Suddenly, his earpiece crackled with a warning from a teammate, "Captain, Spider detected a communication frequency, suspecting it's Huaxia's Special Forces catching up, about ten kilometers away. Ah, spotted a Huaxia soldier riding a cart over here. Should we take the shot?"

"Ten kilometers? Too bad they're late. Tell the brothers on the perimeter to fall back," the captain scoffed, ready to leave. Huaxia's Special Forces wouldn't dare to chase recklessly. Pleased with himself, the captain casually ordered, "Take the shot and retreat quickly."

"Not good, they seem to be on alert, they've stopped," said the voice in surprise.

"Forget it, withdraw quickly," the captain ordered.

...

The open wilderness lay sprawled with withered grass weakly struggling against the increasingly cold mountain wind, some being swept up, twirling into the unknown distance. The sky over the highlands remained a clear, washed blue, dotted with lazy clouds—devoid of much life. On an unremarkable ridge, a cart stopped, drawn by a frail horse snorting loudly, panting heavily, tied to the back where sacks were piled up. A young man, holding a whip, crouched behind the cart tying his shoelaces.

The young man, roughly eighteen or nineteen, wore a clean uniform and a military cap. His face was darkened by the highland's ultraviolet rays, but it didn't conceal his handsome features—thick eyebrows like swords, a prominent nose, exuding maturity beyond his peers. His whole demeanor radiated confidence, with lively eyes that also sparkled with astuteness and cunning, a blend of softness and strength that made him trustworthy, yet also approachable.

Unbeknownst to the young man, a sniper had set his sights on him, unaware that the act of crouching down to tie his laces created an illusion for the sniper, who walked through the gate of death back and forth. After receiving a retreat order, the sniper abandoned his assassination mission and left. The young man rose after tying his laces, his stature roughly 176 cm, robust, his uniform crisp and commanding.

"Elder Ma, let's go. I'll give you a nice bath when we get back, groom your beautiful fur. If we don't head back now, we'll have to spend the night out in the wilderness, and this damn weather certainly won't spare us any mercy," the young man said, lifting his whip playfully, though it never touched the horse but rather let a cold breeze seep through his sleeves.

The young man felt a chill and tightened his clothes, then followed the cart forward. Perhaps sensing the cooling weather, Elder Ma quickened his pace, so the young man jogged to keep up, his body warming up. He laughed, "Elder Ma, truly a good brother, knowing just when I'm cold. Thanks, mate. I'll find you a mare when we get back." He looked up at the sky, which was growing overcast, foretelling imminent rainfall.

In the highlands' rainy season, rain came abruptly and left just as quickly. The young man was not bothered by the rain, but worried about the living supplies on the cart getting wet, thinking of his comrades in the outpost filled him with warmth—it had been nearly half a year since he arrived at the outpost, and the care and affection from his comrades were truly warming.

"This damn thieving weather," the young man cursed, urging Elder Ma to run faster.

"Awoo——!"

A wolf's howl shattered the serene wilderness, startling the young man who looked towards the sound. There, on a nearby hillside, stood a lone wild wolf, a hungry wolf separated from its pack, desperately needing food to gather strength with the heavy rain imminent at dusk—it was the trickiest sort to deal with.

Elder Ma roared, halting but remained composed, turning his head to look at the young man. The young man stepped forward, stroking Elder Ma's neck, soothing him, all the while saying, "Elder Ma, our luck isn't the best today, huh? A downpour and a hungry wolf, and it's getting dark. You keep going, I'll handle the wolf." His words were casual, but his eyes held a serious glint—wild wolves were difficult, and hungry wolves even more so. To survive, a hungry wolf would chew off its own leg to stave off hunger, let alone when prey was right in front of it.