A pack of wolves was still slowly approaching, seemingly waiting to form a complete encirclement before launching a general assault!
Having said their piece, the two men hesitated no longer, bringing their guns to their faces.
They first pulled the triggers at the wolves on either side.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
*Bang! Bang!*
Due to the angle, if a wolf tilted its head, its glowing green eyes would be invisible.
Although the moonlight was helpful, the wolves blended into the surrounding thickets and bushes, appearing as nothing more than blurry black shadows.
So, they shifted their muzzles forward, aiming at the wolves that had already begun their charge upon hearing the gunshots.
They pulled the triggers again!
*Bang! Bang!*
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The gunshots merged into a continuous stream.
Before they could even finish their ten rounds each or find the time to reload, five wolves had already reached them!
Damn it, how could these mountain beasts run so fast!
But the wolves had already lunged.
Feng Chengmin immediately began stabbing at a wolf with his bayonet, while Wang An, without hesitation, tossed his Type 56 semi-automatic aside and pulled out his large Type 54 pistol!
At that moment, three more arrived!
The twenty rounds the two had fired combined seemed to have caused almost no casualties to the pack!
The two men didn't care how many more were coming, nor did they have the luxury to look, as they were too busy struggling for their lives right in front of them!
Because the wolf pack had arrived so suddenly, the two had neither had time to unload the horse from the sled nor untie the dogs from it!
The large horse, having never been whipped, was incredibly formidable. It refused to submit to the wolves, kicking, stamping, and neighing incessantly. Occasionally, it tried to bite a wolf, though it never succeeded; however, in its effort to avoid being bitten, it dragged the sled along as it fled.
The four dogs tied to the sled were quite unfortunate. They hadn't been able to fight the wolves immediately; instead, they were being dragged along, occasionally being jerked into tumbles by the sled!
However, because the hunting dogs were tied with a single rope loop around their necks, when the dogs ran forward, the rope pulled backward, making it impossible to break free.
But when the dogs were dragged backward and the rope pulled forward, the loop would pass over their heads, allowing them to slip out!
Thus, one by one, the four dogs were freed.
Seeing their masters fighting wolves, how could they just stand by?
And so, the four dogs, who had been dragged a considerable distance by the sled, came charging back with frantic barking.
The four dogs possessed great self-awareness; they worked together to swarm a single wolf that was biting Feng Chengmin's arm, biting it and collectively pulling it aside.
This created an opportunity for Feng Chengmin, who drove his bayonet straight into the neck of another wolf. Without time to see if it died, he immediately went to tear into another lunging wolf!
At that moment, a wolf lunged straight for Wang An's head.
Wang An's adrenaline was surging; the ache in his shoulder vanished, his hands regained their dexterity, and his full strength returned to his body!
He let out a sudden, fierce roar: "Fuck you!"
He pressed the large Type 54 against the wolf's chin and pulled the trigger. With a loud *bang*, the wolf collapsed at Wang An's feet!
Hearing the shot, two other wolves hesitated briefly before lunging from the left and right!
Blood rushing through his veins, Wang An used his left hand to block. A wolf weighing over a hundred pounds slammed into him, forcing him back two steps.
His left forearm was bitten!
Fortunately, the wolf on his right was only a meter away, so he didn't need to aim with the Type 54. With a *bang*, the wolf on the right went down.
The wolf biting Wang An's left arm on the left was truly sinking its teeth in for the kill. It bit straight through his thick cotton undershirt and his heavy cotton coat—two layers of thick padding completely pierced!
However, Wang An was in a state of adrenaline-fueled euphoria, and combined with his thick clothing, he felt almost no pain.
He tried to shake the wolf off his left arm, but he couldn't; the wolf's grip was incredibly heavy!
With his right hand, he pressed the Type 54 directly against the side of the wolf's head and fired instantly.
Another *bang*, and the wolf died, but its four large fangs remained embedded in the padding of Wang An's left sleeve.
Wang An pushed the wolf's head away forcefully, and with a tearing sound, the cotton stuffing began to leak from his left sleeve!
His left arm became a mangled mess of exposed cotton!
Generally, when a wolf pack suffers heavy losses during an attack, they tend to fearfully retreat.
But a pack led by an alpha wolf was entirely different; they didn't care about losses, charging one after another in a relentless wave!
They gave their prey no moment to catch their breath!
Wang An gripped the Type 54 in his right hand and looked around, finding that there were finally no more wolves attacking him.
Instead, he saw that Feng Chengmin's arms and chest were covered in exposed cotton stuffing, as he used his bayonet to slash left and right while confronting a wolf!
A wolf also lay dead beside him. Wang An raised his gun and fired a shot at the wolf that was snarling and confronting Feng Chengmin!
By now, Wang An's adrenaline was beginning to ebb. He walked over to the lying wolf and fired another shot into its head.
He saw two wolves chasing the large horse that was pulling the sled, circling it frantically!
After the sound of the gunshot, those two wolves seemed to realize something was wrong; they ducked into the woods and fled.
He didn't need to worry about them!
He also saw that the four dogs had nearly torn a wolf apart, and that wolf seemed to be running out of breath!
He didn't need to worry about that either!
After picking up the gun he had tossed aside, neither man said a word; they both simply slumped down onto the snow!
With trembling hands, they reloaded their guns. Then, with shaking hands, Feng Chengmin rolled a cigarette, but it took several strikes of the match before it finally caught!
Having not yet recovered from their tree-cutting labors, the two men were once again exhausted to the point of collapse!
A long time later, Feng Chengmin asked, "Where did you get that pistol? That thing is damn useful in close combat!"
In truth, when Feng Chengmin heard the first gunshot, even though he was struggling with a wolf, he had been deeply confused because neither of them had any bullets left in their guns!
Yet Wang An had produced a gunshot. He hadn't had time to think much of it, as the situation demanded his absolute focus; a single moment of distraction would have meant death!
Wang An thought for a long time. Although his great-uncle wasn't exactly a stranger, he decided he couldn't tell the truth.
Even though there were many scavengers around and the situation wasn't his fault, none of that was a justification for killing people!
No matter the circumstances, when lives are lost, it is a grave matter if it comes to light.
Moreover, he held seven lives in his hands. No matter how much of a beast they were or how much they deserved to die, it wasn't his place to kill them!
But then again, if people weren't driven to desperation, who would kill people for fun?
Thinking this, Wang An said without a hint of hesitation or a racing heart, "I was drifting around the county town and helped a friend out; he gave it to me!"
Feng Chengmin didn't suspect a thing. In this era, guns were far too common; no one took them particularly seriously!
"Yeah, this thing is really good. We owe it to that pistol today. Otherwise, the two of us might not have made it out of here!" Feng Chengmin remarked with emotion.
In truth, Wang An felt the same. This Type 54 was practically invincible in close combat—powerful, accurate, and capable of blowing a wolf's head off with a single shot!