Chapter 91: The Direwolf

Chapter 91: Dire Wolves

While Li Hongshen was still chatting with the other local braves on the railcart, a multitude of wolf howls echoed from the south. These cries were far sharper than those of the fighting wolves, clearly belonging to another breed of wolf beast. Upon hearing the sound, Li Hongshen’s expression changed. After a brief word with his companions, he leapt from the cart and raced swiftly toward the southern main city.

Encountering wolf beast packs on the Hundred-Mile Plain was the most common—and most dangerous—occurrence. On this seemingly endless expanse, one could never know how many types of wolf packs lurked within. Wolves, by nature, loved to band together in tribes, and under the relentless pressure of the vast wilderness, their packs would at minimum number in the tens of thousands. Deep within the plain, there were even colossal packs boasting more than a million members, sweeping across the land in ceaseless raids.

This was precisely why Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen, upon entering the Hundred-Mile Plain, did not rush forward, nor did they immediately proceed to the camps prepared by their predecessors. Instead, they began constructing the main city at a relatively peripheral location. If they had built the main city upon reaching the camp, they would have faced even greater numbers of beast packs, inevitably needing to borrow strength from their elders—a debt not easily repaid in the future.

Besides, with the combined prowess of Li Hongshen and Li Fuzhen, it was possible to shoulder some risk in the outskirts and establish the main city there.

Li Hongshen followed the track and quickly arrived at the southern gate. He saw Zhao Yun directing the warriors in defense and said nothing more. Gazing at the endless beast horde outside the city walls, Li Hongshen knew the true test had arrived.

This pack was composed of dire wolves. Smaller than the fighting wolves, dire wolves were considered a relatively diminutive breed on the Hundred-Mile Plain. An adult dire wolf stood about two and a half meters at the shoulder, with a body length of three and a half meters. Their frames were slender, lacking the muscular bulk of the fighting wolves.

Individually, dire wolves appeared rather frail, but their strength lay in their rapid reproduction—two litters a year, each bearing four to six pups. Typically, a dire wolf pack started at thirty thousand members, and over the ages, they had evolved to become omnivorous, indifferent to the state of their food. When necessary, they would even prey upon their own elderly, weak, or sick, using their kin to fill their bellies.

Li Hongshen estimated that the dire wolf pack assaulting the main city numbered at least fifty thousand, likely the largest beast horde along this route, now drawn to them.

“Send word for the Mammoth Shaman to come to the southern gate, and have logistics keep pace with the material consumption here—don’t let it run dry,” Li Hongshen commanded the messenger waiting below as he stood before the southern city tower, watching Zhao Yun organize defenses.

The Mammoth Shaman, currently the only second-tier spellcaster—a walking, humanoid weapon of mass destruction—was not so easily stationed at a single location. Under Li Hongshen’s direction, the Mammoth Shaman acted as a firefighter, rushing wherever the blaze burned hottest.

After making arrangements, Li Hongshen took out his notebook to record details. As commander, Zhao Yun was competent enough; the real issue lay with the city wall itself.

According to Li Hongshen’s plans, this future inner city would not have a barbican, nor had a moat been dug. He intended to construct a second wall soon, at which point he would build the barbican and open the moat, significantly conserving land. But for now, the absence of a barbican meant they could not lure a batch of wild beasts inside for an ambush, and had to rely on passive defense atop the wall.

Moreover, the lack of a moat allowed the wild beasts to charge right up to the city. In just a few minutes, the ground beneath the southern gate was piled five or six meters high with corpses. Only a small portion had been slain by the warriors atop the wall; most had been trampled to death by their own kin. It was a worrying sight—if not dealt with soon, it would come to close-quarters combat.

Fortunately, Li Hongshen and his people were prepared for this outcome. Since there was no barbican or moat, they had anticipated such results and devised countermeasures.

At Zhao Yun’s command, warriors poured barrels of prepared oil from the wall. Flaming arrows ignited the mass below, sending flames leaping several meters high. The fire crackled fiercely, thick black smoke rising over ten meters, its heat palpable even to those atop the wall.

Yet a thin golden sheen shielded the wall from the fire’s searing heat, keeping it intact. The warriors stationed there, however, were less comfortable. Wearing dampened masks, they pressed against the inner wall, carefully watching the parapet for any beast mad enough to brave the flames and assault the city.

Soon, the situation improved. Spellcasters in the corner towers activated barrier formations to isolate the smoke and heat, preventing unnecessary harm to the warriors. From time to time, they would cast fire-boosting spells into the blaze below, making the flames burn even hotter.

Seeing the southern city under control, Li Hongshen patted Zhao Yun’s shoulder. He said nothing, but his expression showed his satisfaction.

Then, Li Hongshen followed the track, trailing a group of dire wolves as they turned westward. It appeared that, thwarted at the southern gate, the pack was seeking opportunities elsewhere.

The western gate was guarded by Li Tianhua, now a second-tier warrior, though not by natural advancement. During his awakening, he used a blood crystal from a juvenile beast, resulting in an incomplete awakening and inability to ascend naturally. In the end, Li Hongshen gave him a second-tier blood crystal, enabling his promotion.

Part of this was due to Li Hongshen’s respect for the elder, but mainly it was Li Tianhua’s merit; his ability was evident to all. As one of the first batch of awakened warriors, he had rendered outstanding service to the tribe. The patrol rules for the warriors were gradually perfected thanks to his efforts.

Thus, when Li Hongshen promoted him to second-tier, everyone agreed wholeheartedly, with no complaints.

Li Tianhua’s area was in turmoil—not atop the wall, but within the beast horde below. Previously, the western gate merely faced pressure from the eastern prairie jackals, but the arrival of the dire wolves plunged the scene into chaos.

Some prairie jackals and dire wolves fought each other, while others still launched assaults against the wall. Clearly, some beasts had not lost themselves to frenzy, but continued to obey their innate hunting instincts.

(End of chapter)