Having prior experience, Lex now knew what that fishy, gamey smell represented.
It was the body odor emitted by wild wolves!
Now, this smell was so strong; how many wild wolves would it take to give off such a scent?
Lex immediately took out his Snake Scale Revolver from under his armpit, a movement that clearly startled Leon.
"Run!"
Lex shouted, "A large number of wild wolves are coming this way."
Leon was even more stunned, and before he could say anything, he heard a rustling sound and saw the grass ahead trembling and shaking.
The Hunters stopped their work, raised their hunting rifles, and pointed them at the grass.
Suddenly, a black shadow leaped out from a patch of woods on the left. Its speed was so fast that the Hunters couldn't react. Even Leon only managed to turn his eyes, sliding them towards where the black shadow appeared.
In the sunlight, an adult male wolf opened its bloody maw, its fangs, white and covered in flying saliva, bit towards Big Beard.
The male wolf's shadow in the sunlight had already enveloped the Hunter; Big Beard was in the shadow of death, yet he couldn't react.
Bang!
A loud gunshot rang in his ears, and the male wolf's head violently snapped. Amidst flying fur, a bullet hole appeared on its head, and it died before even hitting the ground.
The wolf's corpse, still under the inertia, crashed into Big Beard. The powerful impact caused the Hunter to fall to the ground, embracing the corpse. When he got back up, he saw that Lex had arrived beside him at some point.
The young master from the Baron's family had sharp eyes, his arm holding the revolver was held steady and level. With the scorching sun behind him, he seemed to be plated in a layer of golden light, like a deity descended to the mortal world.
Before the Hunters could recover, two more male wolves sprang out from the grass in front. They bared their fangs and claws, their eyes glowing green, as they charged towards the crowd.
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots.
Lex's revolver and Leon's hunting rifle fired simultaneously. The heads of the two charging male wolves exploded mid-charge, and their bodies, under inertia, rolled several times before stopping near the open space.
Only then did Lex have time to observe the male wolves. He noticed that the bodies of these wild wolves were larger than the gray wolves they had hunted before.
Many parts of the wolf corpses' muscles seemed to have rapidly grown in a very short time, so those areas were even uncovered by fur. This rapid growth was also evident in one or two bones that had broken through the skin.
The reason they protruded from the body was likely the same as those muscles.
Their claws and teeth were also sharper and longer than those of their counterparts. Especially their teeth, those wolf fangs were slightly everted, causing the skin and flesh around their mouths to be pushed up, creating several noticeable wrinkles.
"What's going on?"
Leon's face clearly showed unease: "I've never seen anything like this."
"No matter what they are, there should be quite a few similar ones."
Lex vigilantly observed his surroundings. Although he saw nothing unusual in his line of sight, he heard faint sounds coming from nearby.
There were still many such frenzied wild wolves, circling, not rushing to attack, but the oppressive feeling in the air made it impossible to ignore.
"Let's retreat into the cave first!"
Leon directed the people to retreat into the cave. Guarding only one entrance would significantly reduce the pressure.
After everyone retreated into the cave, strong male wolves began to emerge from the grass and woods around the open space. These clearly abnormal beasts did not rush to attack, nor did they roar; they simply observed the cave with their green-glowing eyes.
Then, a few male wolves came out, carried away the corpses of their comrades on the ground, and threw them into the wolf pack.
The wolf pack erupted in a frenzy, blood splattering everywhere. Some wild wolves were actually devouring their own kind, a gruesome sight that left the Hunters wide-eyed.
Suddenly, a strange cry echoed from behind the wolf pack: "Ho, ho ho ho—"
It wasn't like a wolf's howl, but more like a human mimicking a beast's cry. Just then, two male wolves charged towards the cave entrance. Without Leon's reminder, the Hunters had already raised their guns and fired.
The roar of the hunting rifles reverberated through the mountains, and the two male wolves were instantly riddled with holes, falling onto the open ground.
"Ho ho ho."
The strange sound from behind the wolf pack rang out again. This sound, like a command, urged another male wolf to charge fearlessly towards the cave. Of course, its fate was the same as its predecessors.
"Something's wrong!"
Leon shouted, pushing down his companion's hunting rifle: "Those beasts seem to be deliberately trying to exhaust our bullets."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured down.
Lex subconsciously fumbled in his pocket. He had only brought three speedloaders of bullets when he left home today.
He had used five to demonstrate his marksmanship at the lumber mill, and two more just now, leaving only eleven!
The others also didn't have many bullets left. Now it seemed how wasteful it was to have fired so indiscriminately at the charging wild wolves earlier.
Big Beard swallowed and said, "You're kidding, right? Wolves are smart, but they wouldn't use tactics, would they?"
Leon didn't answer, because the facts were right before his eyes. He squatted at the cave entrance, observing the wolf pack, and said worriedly, "They're not rushing to attack; they seem to want to trap us here."
"When night falls, and we're hungry and tired, that's when death will arrive."
Big Beard pulled out a liquor bottle from his backpack and took a swig to calm his nerves.
Lex walked over, took his liquor bottle, and sniffed it. The liquid in the bottle had a strong smell; it seemed to be strong alcohol. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he shouted, "We can use this to temporarily block the wolf pack and then seize the opportunity to leave."
Before Leon could respond, Lex had already torn off a corner of his shirt, making a strip of cloth. He dipped one end of the cloth strip into the liquor bottle and shouted, "Quick, someone make a fire."
Big Beard immediately took out his flint, picked up a branch, and started a fire.
Lex lit the cloth strip at the mouth of the bottle, then rushed out of the cave and forcefully threw this homemade 'Molotov cocktail' towards the wolf pack. The Hunter's strength allowed him to easily throw the liquor bottle in front of the wolf pack. The Molotov cocktail shattered on the hard rocky ground, the bottle broke, and the flames, fueled by the alcohol, created a line of fire, separating the wolf pack.
Seeing this, Leon shouted, "Run!"
The Hunters rushed out of the cave, taking advantage of the wolf pack being blocked by the flames, and ran towards the other side of the mountain forest.
Lex and Matthew followed closely behind Leon. They were not familiar with Eberly Mountain, and getting lost in the mountains would be very troublesome.
Perhaps because they ran too fast, or perhaps because the trees in the mountains were too dense, after a moment, Lex realized that besides himself and his servant, plus Leon and Big Beard, the other Hunters were nowhere to be found.
They slid down a grassy slope, and as they emerged from the grass, Lex stopped the two Hunters who were about to rush forward.
"Wait!"
He himself rushed to a nearby large tree and pulled off several thick, tough vines: "Those things have very good noses; they'll catch up sooner or later. We probably can't outrun these four-legged beasts in the mountains; we need to create some trouble for them."
Lex dove into the grass and used the vines to make several 'trip ropes' in the bushes. This knowledge of traps came from the potion, and even though it was his first time making them, he did so as skillfully as if he had made them hundreds of times.
Seeing this, Leon shouted to Big Beard, "Bear trap!"
Big Beard understood and placed the bear trap outside the grass. This way, if the wolf pack pursued and tripped, they would fall into the bear trap. Unfortunately, they only brought one; otherwise, this trap would have been even more perfect.
Lex thought for a moment and shouted, "Matthew, pick up some thick branches nearby. Mr. Leon, do you have any knives, the sharp kind?"