It felt as if Li Yingxue had sensed the unrelenting, openly fixated gaze locked onto him.
He gently lifted his head from Lu Yun’s arms. His hair brushed against the man’s jaw, forcing Lu Yun to tilt his chin up slightly.
Softly, Li Yingxue explained, “Darling… he helped me just now. He even made a fire to keep me warm.”
Then he turned his head slightly, orienting himself by instinct toward where the Werewolf was standing, and sincerely said, “Thank you.”
But Lu Yun’s gaze toward the Werewolf carried no warmth at all—it was cold, as if he were looking at something lifeless.
Li Yingxue was innocent, but he could see clearly: the Werewolf’s so-called “help” was anything but pure in intent.
The Werewolf, however, had not taken the earlier sneak attack seriously at all. It was just a low-level Mutant Species—besides its enlarged body and increased aggression, its mind was still primitive.
Only such foolish creatures would be consumed by greed and dare to trespass into his territory, coveting his prey.
Anything that dared touch what belonged to him would only end up with its heart pierced by his claws.
But now, there was clearly a far stronger existence also eyeing his treasure.
The Werewolf did not rush to attack again. His ice-blue pupils narrowed into slits as he locked onto Lu Yun.
Then, suddenly, his raspy, grating voice broke the silence like a beast declaring ownership.
“He is mine.”
It might have been the most unpleasant sound Lu Yun had ever heard.
Li Yingxue heard it too and paused in confusion. The one who saved him… was that even a person? The voice sounded harsh and strange, but it was still human language.
Right—what if that wasn’t a beast, but just someone wearing animal fur? In the apocalypse, that wouldn’t be unusual at all.
Lu Yun let out a derisive snort through his nose, full of mockery.
Li Yingxue tilted his head in confusion, sensing the silent standoff between the two.
Then, as if realizing something, he stood on his tiptoes and wrapped his arms around Lu Yun’s neck to steady himself, leaning close to his ear and whispering, “Darling… is he even human?”
Simple questions were easier than guessing.
Lu Yun’s body instantly stiffened.
The warm breath brushing against his ear felt like feathers. That soft, deliberately lowered voice, carrying dependence and trust, slipped directly into his senses.
They were too close. The faint, sweet fragrance on Li Yingxue’s body became overwhelming, invading his nose without restraint.
A strange numbness spread from his ear and nose, crawling upward, lightly scratching at something deep inside him.
Li Yingxue, lacking strength, quickly lost balance after standing on tiptoe.
He had only just finished whispering when he let go of Lu Yun’s neck and stood properly again, blinking as if waiting for him to lean down and whisper back.
But Lu Yun didn’t move closer. Instead, the arm around his waist tightened further, as if trying to press him completely into his body.
After a long pause, Lu Yun finally spoke, his tone stiff and cold.
“Not human. A Mutant Species—half wolf, half human.”
“Ah…” Li Yingxue murmured in realization. “So my instinct was right…”
Then worry crept into his voice. “Then… what do we do now?”
Lu Yun didn’t answer immediately. He turned his gaze back to the Werewolf, fully aware that even though Li Yingxue had spoken softly, the creature would have heard everything.
And indeed—it had.
Flames of eerie blue fire suddenly ignited along the Werewolf’s arm. The intimacy and quiet exchange between the two humans struck him like an insult.
At that moment, Li Yingxue shifted slightly in Lu Yun’s arms and gathered courage to speak again toward the Werewolf.
“You… you don’t have any ill intent, right?”
Lu Yun’s lips curled faintly in cold ridicule. In his mind, this naive NPC was being absurdly optimistic. In the apocalypse—especially facing a creature that clearly viewed you as prey—talking about “good intentions” was a joke.
As expected, the Werewolf’s hoarse voice immediately replied:
“No. You are mine.”
His logic was simple and direct.
The corner of Lu Yun’s mouth, which had just lifted slightly, flattened again.
“I caught my prey,” the Werewolf added.
Now everything became clear to Li Yingxue.
So that Waswolf had never been kind at all—he simply saw him as prey.
A struggle between beasts over possession.
Lu Yun had seen enough of this farce and lost the last trace of patience.
At the moment the Werewolf’s attention was fully focused on Li Yingxue—
He struck.
Without warning, a massive surge of water poured down from above, accurately drenching the Werewolf’s head. At the same time, the surrounding ground water seemed to come alive, dragging stones, branches, and rotten leaves from all directions and hurling them toward him.
It wasn’t enough to seriously injure the Werewolf, but it was enough to disrupt him for a few seconds.
In that instant, Lu Yun scooped Li Yingxue into his arms and shot into the depths of the forest like a shadow.
In the silent woods, the Werewolf stood amid the scattered debris, slowly turning his hollow, inhuman gaze toward the direction they had fled.
He lifted his head and inhaled deeply.
It didn’t matter. They couldn’t escape him. He would find them.
And in the next moment, the Werewolf vanished as well.
Li Yingxue could feel himself being carried at extreme speed. He clutched Lu Yun’s collar tightly, eyes shut as he buried himself into the man’s chest.
Lu Yun eventually slowed when he saw buildings in the distance.
The Werewolf had not followed—whether he had given up or simply could not keep up was unknown.
But it didn’t matter. Lu Yun thought indifferently. If it dared to follow, he would quietly kill it without letting this troublesome NPC know.
Now he wanted to set the person in his arms down.
But Li Yingxue still refused to let go.
Lu Yun’s face remained cold and expressionless as he said flatly, “Let go.”
“Darling… give me a moment,” Li Yingxue replied weakly, his voice pale and pitiful. “I need to recover.”
Lu Yun had carried him at full speed through biting wind, leaping repeatedly like a rollercoaster of terror.
At this point, he had effectively experienced a human “extreme ride.”