Chapter 425 - 224: Demon Cultivator Invasion, Wolf Pack Howling at the Sun
Chapter 425: Chapter 224: Demon Cultivator Invasion, Wolf Pack Howling at the Sun
The iron gate slowly swung shut, finally closing with a soft CLICK as the gap disappeared.
Happy gave his tail a satisfied wag, trotted back to the spot he had been lying in, and flopped down again as if nothing had happened.
But his eyes remained warily fixed on the iron gate.
Not far away, a man in a duck-billed cap hiding behind a thicket of bushes watched this unfold through a gap in the leaves. He was completely dumbfounded.
"Is... Is this wolf an idiot? The gate was wide open and it didn’t come out? It even fucking closed it?"
The man cursed under his breath, completely baffled.
Normally, a captive wolf seeing its gate open would, at the very least, approach out of curiosity and maybe even try to slip out, even if it didn’t charge out immediately.
’But this wolf? It just went and closed the gate?’
He refused to believe it. Gritting his teeth, he quickly snuck back to the iron gate.
This time, his actions were cruder. He used a tool to completely destroy the lock, then violently shoved the gate wide open.
Having done all that, he immediately retreated to a more distant corner and waited nervously.
The gate stood wide open, and light and fresh air from the outside flooded in.
The Gray Wolves inside the enclosure were all startled. One by one, they got to their feet and stared at the wide-open gate.
Even the Wolf King, Ao Tian, who had been feigning sleep on a high rock, lifted his head, his eerie green eyes staring coldly at the entrance.
WHINE...
Two more young wolves couldn’t hold back. They padded a few steps toward the entrance, their eyes full of curiosity about the world outside.
AWOO!
Happy let out another low growl, warning his packmates. At the same time, he shot to his feet and ran to the iron gate once more.
He glanced at the open gate, then turned his head to look at the furtive shadow behind the distant bushes. He seemed to understand something.
He didn’t immediately close the gate. Instead, he faced that direction, curled his lips to bare his sharp white teeth, and let out a low, threatening growl.
The man behind the bushes felt his heart clench, but when he saw that Happy wasn’t charging out, he grew bolder and silently steeled his resolve.
’Damn it, you want to do this the hard way! I refuse to believe I can’t handle you!’
He pulled a small, tightly wrapped firecracker from inside his jacket. It was custom-made to be extremely loud, perfect for scaring and scattering animals.
Firecracker in hand, the man burst out from behind the bushes again, sprinting toward the iron gate.
He planned to hurl the firecracker into the pack, create a panic, and drive the wolves out of the enclosure to cause chaos!
However, just as he burst from the bushes—
AWOOOO!!
Happy saw the object in his hand. Although he didn’t know what it was, he instinctively sensed danger.
He hesitated no longer. Throwing his head back toward the sky, he let out a long, loud, and incredibly piercing howl.
The howl was like the sounding of a battle horn.
AWOO!
AWOOO—
As if they had received a supreme command, every Gray Wolf in the enclosure—including the Wolf King, Ao Tian—threw back their heads and howled at the sky in near-perfect unison.
The collective howl of all the adult Gray Wolves, filled with a primal, powerful energy, echoed across the grounds and instantly shattered the Zoo’s tranquility.
"Ah! The wolves are howling!"
"So many wolves are howling! Look over there!"
"This is so epic! Quick, get a video."
...
The tourists nearby were startled at first, but they were quickly captivated by the rare spectacle of a "wolf pack howling at the sun." They surged excitedly toward the wolf enclosure, raising their phones and cameras to take pictures and videos.
The man, just about to throw the firecracker, jumped in fright at the sudden, deafening chorus of howls.
Seeing tourists swarming in from all directions, he didn’t dare make another move. He hastily stuffed the firecracker back into his jacket, pulled his cap down low, and blended into the gathering crowd to make a panicked escape.
He cursed inwardly as he ran.
’Damn it, have these wolves gained sentience or something?’
’It’s one thing for them to close a gate, but they can even fucking sound an alarm?!’
...
At almost the same moment the wolf pack began to howl in unison.
Yang Qi, who was cleaning at the Raccoon Hall not far away, received a notification...
[Warning! Warning!]
[Demon Cultivator intrusion detected. Subject is destroying sect facilities and attacking a Spirit Beast. Host, please immediately assist the Precepts Hall Disciples in capturing the Demon Cultivator and defending the sect!]
’Demon Cultivator?’
’Attacking a Spirit Beast?’
’Destroying facilities?’
Yang Qi stopped what he was doing and straightened up.
’People from a poaching organization are targeting the zoo’s animals?’
The thought had just formed when the loud, unified howls of distant wolves pierced the air, as if to confirm his suspicions.
’The wolf enclosure!’
’Something’s happened over at the Gray Wolf enclosure!’
Yang Qi’s expression darkened. He dropped his cleaning tools, immediately pressed the button on his walkie-talkie, and switched to the encrypted emergency channel he shared with Deng Lei, Jiang Kai, and the others.
"Captain Deng, Captain Deng! This is Yang Qi! Lock down the Gray Wolf enclosure area immediately! The ’fish’ is causing trouble over there."
"I repeat, the Gray Wolf enclosure!"
"The suspect may be disguised as a keeper or staff! Requesting immediate backup to seal the area!"
The walkie-talkie was silent for a second, then Deng Lei’s sharp, decisive voice cut through.
"Copy that!"
"All units, attention! Target is the Gray Wolf enclosure. Block all entrances and exits!"
"Control room, pull up all camera feeds for the wolf enclosure and surrounding areas."
"Plainclothes team, converge on the wolf enclosure. Be on the lookout for a suspect disguised as a staff member!"
"Move!"
Amid the cacophony of commands being issued, Yang Qi had already shot out of the Raccoon Hall like an arrow loosed from a bow, sprinting full-pelt toward the wolf enclosure.
His Spirit Crane Body Technique activated, and his speed far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
By the time he reached the periphery of the wolf enclosure, it was already surrounded, three-deep, by excited tourists. They were pointing, taking pictures, and chattering about the wolves inside, which had stopped howling but remained in a state of high alert.
A few security guards who had rushed to the scene were struggling to maintain order and direct the crowd.
Yang Qi paid them no mind, quickly pushing through the crowd to reach the staff-only entrance.