CHAPTER 173: CHAPTER 173

Brett’s Perspective I followed Father into his private wine cellar. "Father, what’ll it be? Tequila? Or whiskey?" As usual, I fetched his favorite drink and poured him a full glass. I hoped he’d get drunk quickly, but he took only a sip from the glass. "Any news on that pack of wolves from the bounty mission, Brett? If we capture them, we’ll get a huge reward. You know, it’s a pretty substantial sum." I pretended helplessly as I set down the bottle. "Sorry, Dad. Those monsters are hiding well." "No, I don’t like hearing ‘sorry.’ I want a definite answer. After Completing this mission, I’ll hand over deputy command of the base to you. Of course, your bank account will see a hefty deposit,enough for you to buy a luxury apartment in the big city. I know you’ve always wanted your own place, far from the base." He reallyknew me well, but I originally prepared this apartment for Celena. Now she no longer needed it. I poured myself a beer. "I need more time." He paused, then nodded. "I want to hear your good news soon." "Alright. I promise." He laughed heartily and put his arm around my shoulder, saying, "This is exactly what my excellent son should do. Brett, you’re a born hunter, but you’re just too soft-hearted. Come on, let me show you our new weapons." Father pulled out a set of keys and unlocked a white cabinet door. "These are the test samples that I spent a lot of money to apply for. With them, we’ll make back even more." "These blue bullets? What are they?" "The latest Lycotine rounds. Damn it, if Wolf 376 hadn’t escaped, I’d have tested them firsthand. These bullets act faster, they instantly strip werewolves of their transformation and healing abilities, and shut down their senses in seconds." He laughed wildly, then took a deep, satisfying swig. "I can’t wait to see these babies in action. Grab a magazine and test the effect on a werewolf that is about to be scrapped." My heart clenched. This was bad news. I wanted to take more, but he stopped me: "This is enough. We only have two boxes of the new bullets, and they’re not easy to carry." "Go. I’ll be waiting for your test results. And don’t forget to assign more people to find that Alpha named Kyle and his pack quickly. Those bounties are too tempting." He narrowed his eyes at me, and I could only nod. "Yes, Father. I’ll get on it immediately." Leaving the wine cellar, I headed straight for the dungeon.I had made an appointment with Uncle Dan to meet here. Only here, under the guise of conducting werewolf experiments, could I avoid arousing Father’s suspicion. Uncle Dan was already waiting. He handed me a memory card and whispered in my ear, "This is the latest security layout. Hide it well and be careful. What’s that in your hand?" "The newest lycotine bullets. My father has two crates, probably over 2,000 rounds. He said it could wipe out several packs." I quickly shared the secret I’d just learned. "Dan, there’s an emergency. Some werewolves are attacking the guards outside the base!" Uncle Dan’s subordinate, a dungeon guard, rushed in to report. Uncle Dan immediately countered, "I know. Has Mr. Carl received the message?" "He knows. Mr. Carl sent me to notify you." "Take a squad, arm yourselves, and go help them. These are just locked-up test subjects, there’s nothing to worry about." Uncle Dan deliberately diverted part of the guard force. Then he gripped my arm tightly. "This is our chance. We should get out of here fast." "What about those damn lycotine bullets?" "We’ll find a way to destroy them." Uncle Dan and I slipped out of the dungeon, dodging several noisy waves of hunters before groping our way into the wine cellar in the dark. Thankfully, I wasn’t a drinker, so Carl didn’t mind letting me have the cellar’s code. I planned to smash all the bullets on the floor. Once the lycotine leaked out, they’d be no different from ordinary bullets. But I forgot they were locked inside a massive, heavy cabinet. We only had time to push it down when we heard some noises outside. "We don’t have time. Run!" Uncle Dan urged. There was no chance to properly dispose of the remaining bullets. We slipped back out of the cellar, dodging the guards’ patrol routes, moving like shadows. We hadn’t gone far when I spotted my father returning with a squad of hunters. They were right at the door leading out of the base, so we had to temporarily hide in a corner without cameras. Father marched his men swiftly, cursing and barking orders as he went: "Damn monsters! Have those wolves gone mad, attacking my base? Open my wine cellar! I’ll use my secret weapon to let them taste the power of the new bullets!" "Carl." The man who’d taken the wine cabinet key and entered the cellar first emerged carrying a box of bullets. "Someone betrayed us. We’re running low on lycotine rounds." "What?" "Someone tried to sabotage the cabinet. They knocked it over, but didn’t manage to open the lock." "Damn Brett! It must be him." I heard my father’s furious roar. He was sharp and he knew instantly I was the one. "Stephen, take two squads of your best men and all the remaining lycotine bullets you can use to stop those werewolves and take them down with bullets. William, radio all guards. Catch Brett, that damn little traitor. I don’t believe he could’ve escaped the base this quickly!" Now there was no hope of going out through the gate, but I still had a not-so-good option, which was the way Celena escaped. Thank God, this place has not been discovered yet. Half-person-tall weeds have hidden this hole. As long as we squeeze out of the hole full of excrement, we can safely escape into the unguarded jungle. Our bulk made the crawl difficult. Just as we thought we’d truly escaped, ambush hunters emerged from the jungle ahead.There were about a dozen of them, holding lamps and roaring at us. "It’s Brett! Get them!" Uncle Dan and I immediately opened fire, taking down three opponents. But then their bullets pelted us, forcing us to duck. Splinters flew everywhere, grazing my face and arms. We returned fire while sprinting deeper into the woods. Another hunter fell, but Uncle Dan seemed hit too. Our counterattack grew harder as their rifles sealed off nearly every escape route. "Brett." Uncle Dan shoved me hard in the back. "Run. You must deliver this to the wolves. Do it for your dead aunt." I stared at him in anguish. He cracked a smile, then suddenly spun around, leaning out to unleash rapid fire from both pistols, taking down a rifleman. "Run!" Uncle Dan was struck almost instantly, then collapsing in a pool of blood. "Uncle Dan!" Tears were welling up in my eyes, but my reason told me that I had to run. I sprinted with everything I had, not daring to stop even when I felt a bullet hit me. Memories of Uncle Dan flooded my mind, my heart filled with grief. Running, running, my body felt like it would split apart. I collapsed into a mud puddle, tasting dirt on my lips. I couldn’t find the spot where I’d agreed to meet the Moonlight Wolves, but I heard movement ahead. Could it be Max? Behind me, the hunters’ furious voices echoed in the distance: "Be careful! Catch him alive! Damn Brett!" No! You won’t catch me, Celena... my little lamb. God will protect you. I tried to raise the gun to my head, but a strong hand clamped down on it. "Brett. Drop the gun. I’m coming." Max knocked the weapon from my grasp and scooped me up. I felt like I was flying, these werewolves were damn strong. He placed me in the passenger seat of a car. My whole body ached, and there was blood on me from who knows where. I felt weak, but Max drove like the wind. so I reached into my tactical chest rig and pulled out a sealed box, placing it in the glove compartment. "Latest security schematics and the new lycotine rounds. Hurry, the pack is in danger." My voice trailed off as exhaustion overwhelmed me, my head slumping heavily. Through a haze, I felt Max slam on the brakes. Voices swirled around me. Was that Celena I thought I saw? Was I hallucinating? Was I dying?