Around four o'clock in the morning, three days later.
The night sky over the desolate snow mountain plateau was as dark as ink, and even the stars seed to hide behind the clouds, too afraid to co out. Only the sound of howling cold wind could be heard, and nothing else could be seen or heard in this deathly silent plateau. However, suddenly so barely noticeable "snowflakes" appeared in the sky. These "snowflakes" were larger and drifted down slowly.
Soon, the "snowflakes" approached the ground—it was parachutes, and the parachutists controlled their cords, trying their best to maintain balance. They had tactical flashlights installed on their heads, casting intense beams of light that pierced through the dark night, reaching over thirty ters.
Quickly, a person landed on a slope, rolling with the montum until stabilizing after four or five turns. He found himself tangled with the parachute, unable to separate, and had to draw a military knife to cut the cords. A face sared with thick grease paint was revealed, faintly discernible in the reflected light of snowy ground—it was Luo Zheng.
Luo Zheng cleared the parachute from his body, took a deep breath to calm himself down—parachuting in such harsh weather was extrely dangerous. Fortunately, the thick layer of snow absorbed most of the impact, but it was pitch black all around, and nothing could be seen. Luo Zheng took down the tactical flashlight and started drawing circles.
A few minutes later, more people gathered around. Luo Zheng shone the flashlight towards them: Lan Xue, Ghost Hand, Snow Leopard, and Mountain Eagle—all present, fixing their gear while walking. Luo Zheng asked concernedly, "Is anyone injured?"
"No," everyone answered in unison. Lan Xue looked into the distance but could see nothing; feeling the biting cold wind, she said, "This place is harsher than we anticipated. Luckily, the wind isn't too strong. However, we can't find the two boxes of equipnt; it's too dark to know where they've been blown."
The two boxes of equipnt were also air-dropped without control, making the landing locations hard to estimate. Luo Zheng's expression turned grim as he looked around the pitch-black snowfield, checked his watch, and said, "We must find the equipnt no matter what. There are only two hours until dawn. We must find the equipnt and bury it before sunrise. Let's spread out; regroup here in ten minutes."
"Yes," everyone replied, dispersing and starting to search with flashlights.
Luo Zheng also chose a direction to search, continuously scanning around with his tactical flashlight. All around was snow; the wind was howling and producing sharp, haunting cries like the wailing of devils, terrifyingly lifting the snowflakes into a frenzy of beautiful arcs.
Under the flashlight's beam, the swirling snowflakes resembled elves dancing and singing, exceptionally eerie. But Luo Zheng wasn't in the mood to appreciate this strange sight. He was searching everywhere for the equipnt; it was essential for survival—losing it was not an option. Minutes later, he sensed movent ahead, startling him to quickly direct the flashlight there.
The strong light penetrated the darkness for a great distance, and in the dimness, Luo Zheng seed to see a creature standing on a small hill—a wolf-like figure entirely white—alarming him. Upon closer inspection, it looked less like a wolf, more like a dog or a lion—a peculiar animal. His heart tensed as he swiftly pulled out his handgun, cautiously approaching.
As a Hunter, Luo Zheng knows well that in the wilderness, retreating in the face of a Fierce Beast invites disdain and pursuit—moving forward exhibits intimidation, potentially scaring off the beast. If the beast attacks, one must decisively hunt it; survival of the fittest reigns in the animal kingdom, displaying dominance is necessary for survival.
The wolf-like, lion-like, dog-like beast did not move, standing proudly as if it was the ruler of the heavens and earth, exuding an aura of commanding presence, coldly watching ahead. Luo Zheng, puzzled, spoke quietly through the earpiece, "Can anyone hear the communication?"
The earpiece offered no response, just the sound of the wind, surprising Luo Zheng, who realized there was no satellite signal here, startling him to slow his pace further. He mounted the tactical flashlight to his helt, drawing out the Dragon Tooth Long Sword, holding a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, his gaze sharpening as he advanced.
Gradually, the distance between them closed, and Luo Zheng noticed the beast unexpectedly turned away, walking calmly without regard, as if completely indifferent to Luo Zheng's presence. Infuriated by being underestimated by an animal, Luo Zheng charged forward, reaching the hilltop only to find the beast had ventured far, leaving behind a yak carcass.
The yak's insides had been entirely devoured, its body cold, wholly white, its fur swaying in the wind. Its horns were about a foot long, and the snow on the ground stained red by the yak's blood appeared strikingly eerie. Seeing this, Luo Zheng understood—the beast didn't attack because it was satiated.
What a terrifying beast! The yak had tough skin, thick flesh, and sharp horns, yet it was still hunted by this monster. Luo Zheng felt intrigued by it, wanting to pursue it, but worried the others might be anxious not finding him due to the earpiece malfunction. Alas, he'll have to wait for another chance. Fierce Beasts have territorial awareness—the appearance here suggests its domain; encountering it again might be possible.
Luo Zheng searched the surroundings but still couldn't find the equipnt, checking his watch—the designated ti had three minutes left, prompting him to retrace his steps. Shortly, he saw tactical flashlights shining ahead and shouted a few tis—it was the others, already regrouped—and Luo Zheng hurried over.
"We've found the equipnt; did anything happen for you to co back late?" Lan Xue asked with concern.
Luo Zheng glanced at the two large boxes not far away, relieved, then detailed his earlier discoveries, adding, "That beast is very strange; it clearly isn't afraid of people and isn't unfamiliar either—this is rare in the animal kingdom." His face grew solemn at this.
"From your description, it should be a Mastiff. Wild Mastiffs are extrely rare; it's said that adult ones appear lion-like, majestic and fearso. Even wolf packs avoid them—it's a sacred beast in Lamaism. You said it's not afraid of people? Could it be dosticated?" Snow Leopard remarked surprisedly from the side.
Everyone knew Snow Leopard kept a fondness for Tibetan Mastiffs, always yearning for one, having so authority over Mastiffs. Luo Zheng's face darkened, pondering. Snow Leopard's speculation heightened everyone's alert—not fearing the Mastiff, but the implications behind it; if truly dosticated, it implies exposure.
"We must evacuate swiftly," Lan Xue earnestly suggested.
"In such harsh weather, enemies won't catch up before dawn; we have more than an hour—actions must be swiftly decided," Ghost Hand reminded, prompting everyone to look at Luo Zheng.
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