Tamed pets and wild animals, though they look the same, have vastly different modes of survival.
I've learned a valuable lesson in my days on this island.
It's that when facing wild beasts, you cannot show weakness.
Weakness only makes them see you as prey.
Instead, you must appear more ferocious than they are to scare them off.
The pack of wild dogs before me was clearly intimidated by me.
The leader, nearly twice the size of the others, merely bared its teeth and barked aggressively at me.
It cautiously did not advance.
Objective achieved!
I met the wild dogs' gaze fearlessly, maintaining my dominance, and then subtly gestured behind my back.
Signaling Qu Xiangyun to quickly lead everyone away.
This was something I had planned with Qu Xiangyun before coming out.
She didn't delay. While I was holding off the wild dogs, they supported each other and quickly retreated into the distant jungle.
The pack of wild dogs noticed Qu Xiangyun and the others fleeing, and they became restless.
The smell of blood from Qu Xiangyun and the others seemed to stimulate them, making them eager to give chase.
The leading wild dog didn't stop them; instead, it seemed to want them to test me.
With me here, how dare you beasts!
I flew into a rage and kicked the charging wild dog. The kick landed heavily on its head.
The wild dog couldn't withstand my strength and was sent flying backward two or three meters.
It let out a whimper and collapsed on the ground.
Its head and neck were bent at a ninety-degree angle.
As I acted, my attention was constantly on the leading wild dog. If it made any unusual move, I would have struck first and ended its life.
But the reality was beyond my expectations.
This beast clearly had a mind of its own. Seeing me kick away one of its pack, it turned and retreated discreetly into the group.
Then, it let out a howl and led all the wild dogs away from this place.
It seems these beasts were sensible enough!
Only when no wild dogs were visible in my sight did I lower my guard.
In the past, I had only faced one or a few enemies at a time. This was the first time I had to confront dozens of wild beasts, which exposed my current shortcomings.
A lack of large-scale destructive weapons.
After all, I had few bullets for my revolver, and I couldn't possibly hack my way through them one by one with my alloy knife.
It was time to upgrade my equipment!
...
After driving off the pack of wild dogs, I went to find Qu Xiangyun and the others.
They were hiding in a dense patch of vegetation not far away. Seeing me approach, Qu Xiangyun immediately rushed forward and hugged me, her hands running all over my body.
"Darling, are you hurt? That pack of wild dogs was so dangerous."
Feeling Qu Xiangyun's soft hands exploring me, I couldn't help but feel a thrill.
"How could those beasts possibly harm me? Before I could even finish off a few, they scurried away."
After checking me thoroughly and finding no wounds, Qu Xiangyun was relieved.
Seeing that the environment was now safe, I asked the question that had been on my mind.
"How did you fall into that crevice, and why were you going there?"
Upon hearing my question, Qu Xiangyun bit her lip and didn't answer, appearing hesitant. The two European women and the bald old man behind her remained silent, and the atmosphere became momentarily quiet.
Seeing the strangely tense atmosphere, I narrowed my eyes and began to scrutinize them.
Did they have a secret?
Did they enter intentionally?
What was hidden inside?
After a long pause, Qu Xiangyun finally spoke.
"At the end of that cave, there is something we want to find. According to the guidance we received, after crossing that crevice, there is a path leading deeper inside."
"It's just that we were attacked by a beast inside the cave, and in our panic, we fell into that fissure."
As Qu Xiangyun explained, I carefully observed everyone's expressions. The bald old man seemed displeased upon hearing her words, and the dark-skinned girl repeatedly tried to interrupt Qu Xiangyun but held back for reasons unknown.
After hearing Qu Xiangyun's explanation, I simply nodded, saying nothing more.
But I couldn't help but ponder.
Their origin story didn't seem as simple as them being mere scientific researchers.
Moreover, I had been on this island for a long time and had experienced its strange nature firsthand.
Who were they?
What did they want to obtain here?
After we had all rested for a while, I led them towards our camp.
On the way, Qu Xiangyun naturally held my hand. I thought it was her way of showing affection, but then I suddenly felt her gently tickling my palm with her fingers.
I casually glanced at Qu Xiangyun. She seemed to want to warn me about something, but because others were present, she couldn't tell me directly, so she resorted to this method.
Could it be that this group of people was problematic?!