19: Chapter 19 Xiao Gu, help me block this.

Wang Dongxin and the other two were squatting on the ground, quickly cutting the valuable manes and incisors from the Steel-Maned Rabbits.

Gu Changming, however, made no move and remained standing upright.

"Xiao Gu, don't just stand there," Wang Dongxin whispered. "Hurry up and grab some, or this trip will be for nothing!"

Although the scene was eerie, the ground was covered with the corpses of these Steel-Maned Rabbits; it would be a waste not to take them.

However, Gu Changming seemed not to hear, still standing in place, motionless.

He turned slightly, his gaze fixed on the deeper jungle at the edge of the clearing, focused as if trying to distinguish something.

Seeing Gu Changming's abnormal behavior, Wang Dongxin's movements paused, and his heart skipped a beat.

Realizing something, he slowly stood up, one hand silently reaching for the heavy machete at his waist, leaning forward slightly in a combat-ready stance.

Ye Qing and Li Haoxing also noticed Wang Dongxin's change and immediately stopped what they were doing, standing up nervously and gripping their weapons.

For a moment, the clearing was so quiet that only the rustling of wind through the leaves could be heard.

A few seconds passed.

"Rustle... rustle..."

The clear sound of stepping on fallen leaves came from the direction Gu Changming was staring, getting closer; something was clearly approaching.

Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats. Wang Dongxin gripped his hilt and made a gesture, ready to strike at any moment.

However, in the next moment.

The dim bushes shook, and several figures pushed aside the branches and leaves, revealing themselves clearly before the four.

It wasn't the expected magical beast, but a human squad just like them.

The other party clearly hadn't expected to face four pairs of hostile eyes and gleaming weapons as soon as they emerged; their faces froze in surprise and confusion.

Seeing they were humans, Wang Dongxin's tense nerves relaxed by half.

He immediately waved at the team and urged in a low voice: "Quick! Don't just stand there. These Steel-Maned Rabbits were killed by something unknown. The materials are still here. Take as much as you can and get out of here fast!"

With so many dead Steel-Maned Rabbits, the four of them couldn't carry them all, so it was better to let the others take some.

The captain of that squad was a man with a scar on his face. While signaling his teammates to move forward, he looked at Wang Dongxin and asked curiously, "Buddy, what's the situation here?"

"We just got here too," Wang Dongxin said quickly, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "It was like this when we arrived. Probably some powerful creature is nearby."

Hearing this, the Scarface Captain's expression changed, and he immediately exchanged a look with his teammates.

Several people also hurriedly squatted down, but they didn't carefully harvest materials like Wang Dongxin's squad. Instead, they directly grabbed relatively intact Steel-Maned Rabbit corpses and stuffed them into the large backpacks behind them.

They had arrived late and time was tight; efficiency was more important than precision.

Seeing this, Wang Dongxin stopped wasting words and turned back to tell Gu Changming to get to work.

But when he turned his head, he saw Gu Changming still in the same posture, his gaze fixed on that same spot.

Wang Dongxin frowned, but before he could ask...

"It's coming."

Gu Changming's voice rang out.

The moment his voice fell, another distinctly different "rustling" sound suddenly erupted from the forest.

This sound was deeper and denser, rapidly approaching.

In the center of the clearing, the two squads busy harvesting froze instantly.

Everyone turned their stiff necks toward the sound.

In the depths of the dim forest, two eerie green lights lit up without warning, accompanied by low, heavy breathing as a massive silhouette gradually became clear.

In the next second, a giant wolf stepped out. It was over 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder, with grayish-black fur, bulging muscles, and thick saliva dripping from its mouth.

"Shadow Wolf!" Ye Qing was the first to call out its name.

Everyone's pupils constricted. They had entered and exited this mystic realm many times and had a basic understanding of the magical beasts within.

Shadow Wolves were skilled in stealth and extremely fast. An ordinary squad was usually no match for one. However... this kind of beast usually only roamed the deep Inner Regions; why would it come out to the periphery?

But Wang Dongxin didn't have time to overthink. He slammed his heavy machete out from his waist, holding it across his body, while shouting at Ye Qing and the others behind him: "Watch out! Prepare for battle!"

The other squad reacted just as quickly. The Scarface Captain and his members immediately abandoned their harvest on the ground, raising their weapons and forming a simple back-to-back defensive formation to confront the Shadow Wolf.

However, the Shadow Wolf was in no hurry.

Its eerie green eyes slowly swept over the group standing ready. Its mouth actually curled into an arc, revealing a nearly human-like, cruel expression.

Staring intently at the Shadow Wolf, Wang Dongxin took a deep breath and shouted to everyone, "Don't panic! There are eight of us and only one of it. The advantage is ours!"

He said this to stabilize the situation; if they panicked first, they would truly have no chance of survival.

The Scarface Captain of the other team immediately echoed, shouting, "That's right! We have more people. Other six-man squads with good coordination can kill a Shadow Wolf. What do we eight have to fear!"

To further boost morale, he continued shouting, "And think about it, this Shadow Wolf is full of treasures. Kill it, and each of us will get a lot of points!"

After he finished shouting, everyone gripped their weapons tighter. Although fear remained in their eyes as they looked at the Shadow Wolf, there was now a hint of eager ferocity.

However, the Shadow Wolf didn't care about any of this. Its back legs suddenly kicked off the ground, and its grayish-black figure turned into a blurred shadow, moving so fast it was hard for the eyes to track.

It didn't choose Wang Dongxin's spread-out squad but pounced straight toward the other four-man squad like a ghost!

The Scarface Captain's pupils shrank as he bellowed, "Block it!"

All four exerted their strength simultaneously, trying to withstand the strike with their weapons and bodies.

But the Shadow Wolf's strength far exceeded their imagination. It simply and directly swiped a claw, accompanied by a vicious wind that tore through the air.

A dull thud was heard, along with several cries of pain.

The defensive formation they had carefully maintained was like paper, instantly shattered.

Two of them had their weapons knocked away, while the other two stumbled back several steps and fell onto their buttocks.

After the Shadow Wolf succeeded in its strike and routed the four-man squad, it didn't pause for a second.

Its eerie green eyes instantly locked onto Ye Qing, who was closest to it. Its powerful hind legs kicked off, and it pounced straight at her with a gust of bloody wind!

"Ye Qing! Watch out!" Wang Dongxin warned hoarsely.

Ye Qing only had time to hold her dagger across her chest before the Shadow Wolf's massive body crashed into her with immense force.

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, Ye Qing was sent flying, rolling awkwardly on the ground several times before stopping.

Her dagger had already slipped from her hand. Her face was pale, and she struggled to get up but couldn't find the strength.

The Shadow Wolf growled, clearly not intending to let go of this seemingly defenseless prey, and made a move to pounce again.

Wang Dongxin was frantic. He was too far away to rescue her in time. In his desperation, he shouted at Gu Changming, who had been standing still: "Xiao Gu! Help Ye Qing block it!"