Chapter 162: Chapter 150: Give Her to Me
"Boss, is that him?"
"Could it just be someone with the same name?"
The Beastmen curiously sized up Gu Ning, all craning their necks to sniff at her. Amidst the various wolf scents, they caught the scent of the Dog Clan on the little Mixed Breed, making them a bit more certain of her identity.
Vine’s nostrils twitched as he caught Gu Ning’s scent. He asked, "How did you end up with Alex’s wolf pack?"
Gu Ning didn’t understand what Vine meant, but hearing his familiar tone, her mind raced. ’Could Vine and Cook know each other?’
"You..." Just as Vine started to speak, the lights along the wall suddenly went out one after another. Sparks and sizzling electricity flashed from various pieces of equipment, plunging the entire construction site into darkness.
Immediately after, a sharp, strange cry echoed from above.
Everyone looked up to see specks of blue light flashing within the dark gray clouds, blinking in and out of sight like signal lights.
A moment later, the sound of flapping wings grew closer, and the snowflakes in the air were sent scattering by the disturbed currents.
Gu Ning felt a strong gust of wind from above. Her cloak was blown upward, and the cold air hit the sweat still damp on her skin, making her shiver uncontrollably.
The wind carried her scent straight to Vine’s nose, as he was the closest to her.
In the darkness, drawn by the unusual fragrance, Vine unconsciously glanced in Gu Ning’s direction.
But he had no time to ponder the source of the scent. There was trouble on the wall.
Vine’s attention snapped back to the present. He ordered his subordinates to respond, and the wolf pack quickly fanned out across the wall.
"Come with us, Cook," Vine said, turning to Gu Ning.
Hearing Vine call out Cook’s name, Gu Ning froze for a second before realizing he was talking to her.
When she didn’t move, Vine strode forward to take her with him.
There was no way Kloer, Seth, and the others would let him take Gu Ning. They immediately blocked his path, shielding her from him.
Gu Ning couldn’t see her surroundings clearly, only the overlapping, shifting silhouettes of the Beastmen.
"Step aside. Hand him over to me," Vine said.
"Chief Vine, can’t you settle whatever score you have with us after we’ve cleared out the Mutant Species?" Kloer thought. ’Of all the times... why is Vine still thinking about punishing us?’
"Get lost," one of Vine’s subordinates said bluntly. "Cook isn’t part of your pack."
Kloer retorted, "How is he not part of our pack? He’s Ale... He’s our brother."
Hearing their argument, Gu Ning reached out and felt Seth pressed closely against her side.
Seth nudged her with his head.
Gu Ning patted his head and whispered in his ear, "Seth, let’s go. We have to find Alex..."
Before she could finish, several dark shadows swooped down toward the inner wall. The Beastman soldiers stationed there were attacked before anyone had time to react.
In an instant, a cacophony of shrieking Mutant Species, shouting Beastmen, and gunfire assaulted Gu Ning’s ears.
Kloer immediately forgot about arguing with Vine’s group and turned to find Gu Ning.
Gu Ning was in the middle of climbing onto Seth’s back when several Beastmen—including two transformed, giant wolves—came crashing down from above with a loud CLANG.
The simple staircase built against the inner wall wasn’t designed to bear much weight. Under the impact, and with the Mutant Species deliberately targeting its structure, the whole thing began to sway precariously.
The swaying stairs caused Gu Ning to lose her balance and fall. Debris rained down from above, but Seth threw himself over her, shielding her from the falling objects.
The scene was pure chaos.
"Little Gu Ning! Little Gu Ning... where are you?!"
Gu Ning heard Kloer’s frantic shouts and crawled out from under Seth. Suddenly, the staircase gave a violent shudder, and half the steel-plated platform she was on collapsed.
The lower half of Gu Ning’s body was on one of the loosened plates. As it gave way, she was left dangling in mid-air.
She reacted instantly, her upper body strength allowing her to cling to the edge of the remaining platform.
By now, the sections of the staircase above and below had collapsed, leaving only the platform she was clinging to.
Seth and the other young wolves had been behind her, and their bulk sent them tumbling down to the platform a level below in an instant.
The young wolves scrambled to their feet, looked up, and barked wildly at Gu Ning dangling above them, ready to catch her.
Gu Ning strained, heaving herself upward. She managed to hook one leg over the edge of the platform to keep from falling.
Halfway up, the platform she was on shuddered again.
"CRACK..."
A shimmering blue light flickered in front of Gu Ning. She looked up and froze, not daring to move a muscle.
A winged Mutant Species, something between a dragon and a bird, had landed in front of her. It stretched out its neck, slowly leaning closer. The blue light was emanating from its chest.
Gu Ning held her breath, her mind racing.
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!"
Below her, Seth and the others were jumping up and down in a panic.
The Mutant Species had destroyed the stairs leading to and from Gu Ning’s platform, leaving them no way to reach her.
Gu Ning recognized Seth’s barking. Glancing down, she chose a broken leg over being eaten by the Mutant Species.
Just as she was about to let go and jump, a figure leaped from the darkness onto the winged Mutant Species’ back. A blade, glowing with a faint blue light, pierced through its chest.
The Mutant Species let out one last shriek, swayed twice, and fell with a heavy THUD. The blue light in its chest slowly faded.
Gu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. As she prepared to continue climbing, the figure who had killed the Mutant Species strode over, bent down, and picked her up by the scruff of her neck like a kitten.
Now that he was closer, Gu Ning could just barely make out that it was the Wolf Clan chief, Vine.
She struggled in his grasp. "Don’t move," Vine said. "It’s not safe here."
With that, Vine vaulted along the wall, carrying her with him. He clamped one arm around her waist, using his other hand and a long blade to fight off attacking Mutant Species.
Gu Ning didn’t know where he was taking her, but she understood the situation. ’He can’t possibly be trying to mess with a mere "Mixed Breed" like me right now,’ she reasoned, and stopped struggling for the time being.
The intensity of the Mutant Species’ attacks made Vine’s brow furrow. ’What is the Bird Team doing? Why have all the Mutant Species come to attack the inner wall?’
’Did the plan fail?’
Seeing more and more Mutant Species swarming them, and realizing the wall was a poor place to fight, Vine dropped into the nearest tunnel with Gu Ning in tow, slaying two Mutant Species that followed them down.
The moment he set her down, Gu Ning immediately scrambled away from him.
"Don’t run off," Vine said, grabbing the back of her collar and hauling her back.
Gu Ning hated nothing more than being manhandled by a Beastman. She twisted her body, trying to wrench herself free from his grip.
Vine’s grip was like iron; he wouldn’t let her go. He tightened his hold, pulling her closer to his side. His voice was grim. "Do you want to go feed the Mutant Species?"
At that, Gu Ning fell still for a moment before patting the hand gripping her collar, signaling for him to let go.
"Don’t run," Vine said.
Gu Ning nodded.
Vine saw the little Mixed Breed had settled down. Just as he was about to let him go, he caught a faint... fragrance wafting from him?
Vine’s expression faltered.
He had smelled this scent before, but only now did he have a moment to consider its source.
