Chapter 37: Purging the Corrupt Wolves

"Chip, begin scanning the surroundings. Search for solitary Carrion Wolves in groups of two or fewer!"

Silently issuing his command to the chip, Zhang Ran set out at once, moving with purpose as the chip guided his hunt.

“Ding! Attention, master. A solitary Carrion Wolf has been detected four hundred meters to your right.”

He had barely been on the move for three minutes when the chip’s voice sounded in his mind, and a red circle appeared in his field of vision to indicate the wolf’s location. At the prompt, Zhang Ran slipped away, moving silently in the direction marked by the chip.

Soon, he drew near to the spot. Directly ahead, two Carrion Wolves were tearing at the carcass of a Boar with tusks like daggers, blood smeared at the corners of their mouths as they feasted, entirely engrossed.

“A perfect opportunity!”

At a distance of thirty meters, the wolves were still lost in the rapture of their meal, oblivious to Zhang Ran’s careful approach. In a flash, he surged forward with sudden speed, closing the gap in a few long strides. The alloy dagger in his hand—a Grade 2 military blade—swung down, stabbing viciously for the throat of the nearest wolf.

It all happened in the span of a few heartbeats. The wolf had only just become aware of the ambush; before it could even move, its throat was severed with a single blow. Blood sprayed wildly from the gash, and the beast’s body collapsed in a heap, its limbs twitching feebly before life fled entirely.

Witnessing its companion’s swift demise, the other Carrion Wolf finally reacted. It spat out the bloodied chunk of boar from its jaws, muscles tensing as it crouched to spring—then launched itself ferociously at Zhang Ran.

“Too slow!”

Zhang Ran sidestepped nimbly, evading the attack with ease. Twisting his wrist, he drove the tip of his alloy dagger into the wolf’s neck. The wolf’s body stiffened at the blade’s entry, but Zhang Ran was merciless. With a savage wrench, he twisted the blade one hundred eighty degrees, shredding the beast’s throat and artery to ribbons.

He yanked the blade free, and blood, thick with bits of flesh, sprayed from the ruined neck, splattering the ground. The wolf’s body sagged forward, trembling in spasms for several seconds before finally succumbing to death.

As both Carrion Wolves perished, two streams of evolutionary energy surged from their bodies into Zhang Ran. The energy coursed through his veins, circulating once through his system before merging into the nascent core forming at his spine—a sensation both warm and deeply comforting.

"Carrion Wolf eliminated. Evolutionary energy absorbed. Evolution Point condensation increased by 0.15%. Current progress: 0.54%."

A moment later, when the supply of evolutionary energy was depleted, the proto-core cooled once more. The chip’s voice sounded at his ear, and Zhang Ran pressed onward with his hunt.

...

Half a day later.

"Carrion Wolf eliminated. Evolutionary energy absorbed. Evolution Point condensation increased by 0.17%. Current progress: 4.75%."

His dagger flashed, tracing a cold arc through the air and dispatching two more Carrion Wolves. The chip’s notification echoed again in his mind.

After a day’s hunt, Zhang Ran had slain about fifty Carrion Wolves. Each wolf contributed between 0.07% and 0.09% to his Evolution Point condensation, and before he realized it, his first Evolution Point was nearly 5% condensed.

For an ordinary proto-evolver, this was a staggering pace. Typically, it took about a year for a proto-evolver to condense their first Evolution Point; some even lingered at that threshold for two years without success.

The reason was simple: most proto-evolvers dared not hunt formidable Level 0 mutant beasts like the Carrion Wolves. They relied instead on weaker creatures—Frenzied Rats, Black-Clawed Nightcats, Long-Tongued Spotted Toads—for evolutionary energy.

But lesser mutants such as Frenzied Rats yielded energy of lower quality. While adequate for bodily strengthening, it was inefficient for condensing Evolution Points, resulting in significant waste. For Zhang Ran, if he relied on Frenzied Rats alone, he would need to slay nearly fifty thousand to condense his first Evolution Point.

Even with his chip’s assistance, Zhang Ran could exterminate two or three hundred Frenzied Rats a day. Including the more potent elite rats, it would still take over a hundred days to achieve his goal. For ordinary proto-evolvers without his chip, the hunt was even slower; thus, many remained proto-evolvers for two years or longer.

Reflecting on this, Zhang Ran could not help but feel grateful for the fortune he had found that day in the abandoned hut. Without the cache of gold jewelry, he would never have been able to purchase the AM41 automatic rifle so quickly. Without the rifle, he would not have dared to enter the Carrion Wolf Plains so boldly; surrounded by three or more Carrion Wolves, he might have been gravely injured or even killed.

“It's getting late—I should head back.”

Having cleared so many Carrion Wolves, Zhang Ran noticed the sun dipping toward the horizon. The sky was growing dim and chill, and mutant beasts were stirring to life across the plains. He turned, making his way back toward the Forward Base.

On the way, Zhang Ran stopped by the cave once more to retrieve the Fire Ant materials. An hour later, he returned to the task area of the Forward Base.

"Please, could you weigh these materials for me?"

He set the large sack on the table and addressed the attendant.

"Of course, I'll take care of that right away."

The attendant’s eyes widened in surprise at the bulging sack, but she answered respectfully and began untieing it.

“Wow, so many Carrion Wolf claws!”

“By the look of it, there must be fifty in here.”

“There must be! Incredible—he’s a proto-evolver just like us, but while we’re still hunting Frenzied Rats, he’s already out there hunting Carrion Wolves—and bringing back so many at that!”

As the attendant counted the wolf claws, murmurs spread through the task hall. Other members of the base glanced over with expressions of admiration and envy, their gazes fixed on Zhang Ran.