A lead giant wolf was the leader of one small group of giant wolves, fourteen or fifteen meters long, barely reaching high-grade.

For an evolved individual who could use equipment, a high-grade jin beast was not especially hard to kill. But a wolf pack with organization and discipline was very strong indeed.

The guard platform was built up out of timber mixed with stone, in the shape of an inverted cone, twenty-five meters high.

A common giant wolf could only jump a dozen meters or so high and had no way up onto the guard platform. But to a lead giant wolf it was nothing much.

A lead giant wolf would step off other giant wolves to make its jump.

That was exactly what this one did. It gave one howl, and the giant wolves in front of it sprang up. It stepped off the wolves beside it and sprang too, then off the wolves already in the air, borrowing their strength — and with one leap it was up on the guard platform.

"Blow it up!"

"Zhou Hai, Tao Wen, Ma Chuwei — close quarters!"

"Little Luo, get out of there, fast!"

"It's no good, Team Leader Qian, we have to give up this platform!"

In Luo Guanjun's ears were the shouts of Team Leader Qian and the rest. In his eyes was a huge gray wolf, an imposing thing, its coat glittering all over with a metallic sheen and its fangs a dull silver.

The bloody-basin maw opened. With no fear at all of the jin-core blades and spears the men were holding, it drove straight at Zhou Hai and bit down.

Zhou Hai tried to get clear, and was a step too slow.

An arm and the shoulder with it were torn off his body in an instant.

"Aah!"

Zhou Hai's scream seemed to beat on Luo Guanjun's heart. His own legs had already gone soft, and now they shook without stopping. He wanted to take a step and run, and could not lift his legs at all.

It was not that he had never seen blood.…