Chapter 25: Let Me Give You a Piece of Advice—Grovel

"You guys take Xie Ru and go first. If I don't make it back…" Zhang Heng gritted his teeth. "Then she'll be your leader from now on."

"Brother Zhang, no! I'm not leaving!" Xie Ru shook her head frantically, her eyes red and brimming with tears. If something really were to happen, she would rather die together with everyone else.

Breathing heavily, Zhang Heng quickly reorganized the scattered team. Just as he was about to help fend off the demon wolves, a furious roar erupted. In the next instant, a massive claw came crashing down. The team member guarding the perimeter was torn into pieces on the spot.

"It's—it's an A-rank Wolf King!"

"We're done for!"

Boom—!

A shadow flashed by—the mech arrived just in time, intercepting the strike.

Sparks flew as sharp claws scraped across the mech's armor, gouging out three deep trenches. A normal beast would've been torn to shreds.

Staring at the damage, Lin Binbin felt a chill in his heart. It was his first time witnessing such overwhelming power.

"White Ape—shift form. Summon the warhammer."

Bam! The hammer came crashing down, but the Wolf King's snow-white fur only bled slightly.

With an irritated snarl, the Wolf King released a surge of blinding white light. In the next moment, bladelike beams of pure energy burst forth like swords, and the surrounding temperature plummeted instantly.

Plants froze solid, and even a few bystanders who failed to dodge were turned into ice sculptures—then shattered into dust with the Wolf King's next thunderous roar.

"Holy shit—it even has skills?!"

Lin Binbin glanced at the system's notes on the Wolf King, and his heart skipped a beat.

[Danger Level: ★★★★★][Normal Trait: Razor Claws—Can effortlessly tear through anything.][Aberrant Trait: Divine Domain—Within its territory, it reigns supreme.][Perfect Trait: Icebound Domain—Instantly freezes everything within a thousand miles. Near-absolute death.]

Congratulations, you've discovered a Perfect Aberrant-class beast. Luck –500.I'm not even going to explain how bad this is. And since your mech is already trapped in its territory, I'll give you just three suggestions: GROVEL. GROVEL. GROVEL.

"Is there really… no way to defeat it?"

His mech was still stuck inside. To leave now would be too bitter a pill to swallow.

[Your fluffy little cutie is a severely unbalanced specialist—don't even dream of defeating it. If you must find a weakness… it just gave birth.]

The system window faded away. Lin Binbin's brow furrowed even deeper.

"White Ape, run in the opposite direction."

Though confused, White Ape obeyed the command.

Bang—! Just as it was about to leave the battle zone, a massive unseen force knocked it back again.

Its glowing eyes showed confusion. It tried a few more times—each attempt futile.

Even though nothing was visible, it couldn't leave.

"This must be the Wolf King's domain," Lin Binbin muttered. "No wonder the rest of the wolves retreated without looking back—they were never really outside its control."

"This is bad..."

Screams echoed faintly through the icy haze. If this dragged on, not only would he fail to save the others—he might lose White Ape too.

Then he remembered the system's cryptic tip: just gave birth…

If it was already this powerful after giving birth, how terrifying would it be at full strength? That meant—the weakness wasn't the Wolf King itself.

"Of course—the cubs!"

The cubs must be nearby.

"Bumblebee—scan the area. If you find any unusual cave or shelter, mark it."

Time crawled by painfully. Each second felt like an eternity.

White Ape was starting to falter, being pushed back.

Suddenly—buzz buzz buzz!—the notification chimed. On screen, a few furry little heads popped up, jostling to nibble at Bumblebee.

"So they were behind the boulder. No wonder they were so hard to find."

The good news: he found the Wolf King's weakness. The bad news: he didn't know how to use it yet.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Lin Binbin spotted something behind another boulder—not far from the cubs.

Another wolf—greyish-black, with sparse fur and muscular build. Its glowing green eyes shimmered with cunning.

Lin Binbin's eyes lit up. "White Ape, stop fighting—follow Bumblebee."

Two wolf factions at odds? Let them clash. He'd sweep in when the dust settled.

Unfortunately, the Ice Wolf King wasn't going to let White Ape go.

It clearly feared the warhammer, but its speed and agility gave it the edge. Its relentless claw strikes kept the mech fully occupied.

"No choice… hope this works."

Lin Binbin steadied himself and gave the final command.

"Prepare the high-energy shell."

There was only one. It had to hit.

White Ape continued dodging attacks. The battlefield—now frozen—glinted with cruel, refracted sunlight.

Just as the Wolf King's claw came crashing down again, White Ape suddenly lunged. Its mechanical fist charged with raw force smashed toward the beast's head.

The Wolf King thought it had dodged—until its pupils shrank in horror.

A wave of heat erupted.

"Now—fire!"

BOOM—! A deafening explosion. The ice cracked, and the Wolf King's illusion shattered like glass.

Too close to escape, the blast slammed directly into its abdomen. It tumbled more than ten meters before it could absorb the impact.

A gaping wound opened in its gut—blood staining its snow-white fur crimson.

Yet to Lin Binbin's shock, the Wolf King wobbled… and then stood up again.

Such a grievous injury—and it could still rise?

"White Ape—retreat!"

Seeing its prey wounded and trying to escape, the Wolf King went berserk. Its blood-red eyes burned with fury.

Then began a wild chase through the frozen forest—the beast and the mech locked in a deadly pursuit.

The Wolf King's roars echoed through the entire Deathshade Mountains.