Chapter 3: Fight hunger, be yourself again!

From the pitch-black forest behind them, another pair of glowing green eyes appeared.

One pair, two pairs, three pairs.

Pairs of wolf eyes lit up continuously in the darkness.

A quick glance revealed eight ferocious wolves following them, radiating an intense sense of oppression!

Jiang Lili was so scared she almost fainted. She hurriedly turned her gaze to Xin Che and asked, “Can you handle this?”

Xin Che bit his lip. “If I were at full strength, I could still manage.”

Jiang Lili understood. The god of war was starving and out of energy.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaopang in the class group chat had gone completely silent, as if he had lost connection.

The pairs of green eyes crept closer, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans began to form on Jiang Lili’s forehead.

Both of them were starving, practically walking corpses; there was no way they could outrun the wolves!

Moreover, running back to the camp now would only lead the eight wolves straight to the elderly, weak, and sick among the exiles. That was no different from leading enemies into a village!

[Jiang Lili: Zhang Xiaopang, I’m going to die. I’m really going to die!!!!!! Get ready to burn some offerings for me on Qingming Festival! @Zhang Xiaopang]

The lead wolf began to step forward, approaching with the deliberate pace of a predator.

“These wolves are strong, their fur glossy. They don’t look like ordinary wild wolves at all. They seem more like killing machines raised meticulously by someone,” Xin Che remarked.

He lowered his eyes, concealing the exhaustion within them.

He was truly out of strength.

Jiang Lili was shielded behind Xin Che. Staring at his tall, slender figure, she could sense a sorrowful aura emanating from him.

Once, this man had been a god of war at the borderlands, capable of taking on a hundred foes single-handedly. In his youth, clad in fine armor, he had dedicated the prime of his life to the frontier. For the emperor, he served as the stabilizing force securing the empire’s borders, ensuring the people’s safety and prosperity, and filling the national treasury with silver.

Yet in the end, he was now so weakened by hunger that he faced death at the jaws of mere beasts.

There was no greater sorrow than a heart that had completely despaired.

Jiang Lili’s eyes reddened. Why was she the only one sent through time to witness this tragic and heroic scene?

“Thud—”

Finally, there was a noise from the basket on Jiang Lili’s back!

Her heart leaped with joy as she quickly took it off. To her amazement, the once-empty basket was now spewing snacks nonstop!

Snickers bars, chocolate, compressed biscuits, and beef jerky—all foods capable of quickly replenishing energy!

“Clang—”

A butcher’s knife fell out of the basket, still smeared with bits of pork. Was this something Zhang Xiaopang had snatched from the cafeteria lady?

“Bang—”

With another loud crash, a bundle of Gatling-style fireworks appeared next to the basket.

More fireworks and firecrackers of various shapes and sizes began tumbling out!

Messages started rolling in the group chat:

[Zhang Xiaopang: I’m here!!! Check out these fireworks and crackers—will they work?]

It was lucky that the Spring Festival was approaching. When Zhang Xiaopang heard Jiang Lili mention wolves, he remembered the old folklore about people setting off firecrackers to scare off the mythical Nian beast. Without hesitation, he had bought out an entire fireworks stall.

[Zhang Xiaopang: I’m throwing a lighter! Catch it!]

Jiang Lili grabbed the lighter. The dull look in her eyes was now completely replaced by a blazing determination!

She reached out and pulled Xin Che behind her, shoving the butcher’s knife into his hand. “No time to explain. If you want to survive, follow my instructions and stop asking questions!”

Before Xin Che could process what was happening, Jiang Lili tore open a Snickers bar and shoved it into his mouth.

“Here, eat a Snickers, you starving guy!” she exclaimed.

“Fight hunger, be yourself again!”

With no time for further explanations, Jiang Lili grabbed a skyrocketing firework, lit the fuse, and aimed it directly at the lead wolf!

Red sparks burst from the firework tube, startling the lead wolf into a sudden halt. Its advance was cut short by the unexpected flames.

Seeing the fireworks intimidate the wolf pack, Jiang Lili breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reminded Xin Che, “Anything on the ground near the Snickers is edible!”

The fireworks continued to shoot, forcing the wolves to retreat slightly. They began pacing back and forth, circling the two of them.

Gritting her teeth, Jiang Lili unrolled a string of “Red Earth” firecrackers and laid it out in front of her. With trembling hands, she picked up the lighter.

She loved the beauty of sparklers and fireworks, but these loud, heavy firecrackers were her worst nightmare. The thought of a rogue casing hitting her made her shudder!

“Here goes nothing!”

After lighting the fuse, Jiang Lili squeezed her eyes shut, flung the firecrackers forward, and instinctively scurried toward Xin Che, clutching her ears.

With Xin Che’s sturdy 1.9-meter frame, it wasn’t too much to ask him to shield her, right?

The firecrackers went off with a cacophony of pops and crackles, creating a scene as loud as a festival! The eight wolves were so startled they seemed paralyzed, unable to even move properly.

Xin Che, already baffled by Jiang Lili’s magical basket and the bizarre fireworks, was now doubting reality itself. When Jiang Lili suddenly crashed into him, he caught sight of her frightened expression. Without hesitation, he pulled her in front of him and covered her ears protectively.

He couldn’t help but chuckle when he recalled her earlier, scrunched-up face as she nervously lit the fireworks.

Meanwhile, the “snack” Jiang Lili had shoved into his mouth was melting, its strange sweetness spreading across his taste buds. The flavor jolted his muddled, hunger-clouded mind back into focus.

After finishing the Snickers bar, Xin Che felt his strength slowly returning, and much of the frustration in his heart began to dissipate.

Once Jiang Lili got used to the noise of the firecrackers, her fear melted away. When she realized she was still in Xin Che’s arms, she quickly wriggled free and darted forward. Picking up another batch of firecrackers, she resumed her fiery assault on the wolves.

Xin Che watched her determined figure as she charged ahead once more. His gaze shifted to the magical basket, finally understanding that these colorful, unfamiliar items were food supplies.

Xin Che first searched for food that had the same packaging as the Snickers, then followed Jiang Lili’s example, tearing it open—

Jiang Lili, who had been worried that Xin Che might struggle with modern snacks, instantly felt reassured upon seeing him handle the task with ease. As she set off more fireworks, she couldn’t help but admire him, saying, “As expected of the god of war! You can even find your own food. So smart!”

Xin Che didn’t register the compliment; instead, he felt a bit offended.

While eating the snacks, he picked up a long firework from the ground, mimicking Jiang Lili’s actions by lighting it with a lighter and aiming it at the wolf pack.

Though he had no idea how the fireworks and food appeared in the wilderness, the most important thing right now was that they might save their lives.

Once Jiang Lili finished setting off her fireworks, Xin Che quickly picked up where she left off.

The fireworks in their hands exploded in sync, and their coordination began to improve.

During one of Xin Che’s breaks, Jiang Lili took advantage of the moment to lay out a series of more powerful 588-shot Gatling fireworks, pointing them towards the wolves.

The wolf pack, now realizing that the fireworks they were facing didn’t have much real destructive power, grew less intimidated. They started closing in on the two, tightening their encirclement.

Jiang Lili had been setting off the fireworks to buy time, waiting for Xin Che to finish his snacks and regain his strength so he could help them escape.

Her eyes darkened as she observed the wolves becoming more aggressive, then she opened a bottle of mineral water and handed it to Xin Che. “Hey, here’s a luxurious surprise gift for you!”

Surprised, Xin Che looked up at her.

Jiang Lili flashed a mischievous smile. “Watch closely!”

Before he could react, she swiftly lit six 588-shot Gatling fireworks in succession!

“Boom—”

The colorful firework shells shot forward in a dazzling array, and the wolves, thinking this was just another display of sparks, didn’t stop advancing. Instead, they pressed in even closer.

<< TOC >>

Related Posts

Leave a Reply