CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: THE CRASHING FEMALE LEAD

The sound suddenly erupted; the new female’s pupils trembled with panic as she hurried to hide behind Wen Shu, clutching tightly to the corner of her animal skin.

The males swiftly went on high alert, forming a circle to protect the females in the center. Nan also immediately stood up, muscles taut, shielding Wen Shu.

Though cornered before and behind, Wen Shu did not move hastily; she had already seen what had made the noise.

In the pitch-black dense forest ahead, several pairs of menacing red wolf eyes glimmered, gradually moving closer—roughly ten wolves, by her estimation.

Realizing the prey had been alerted, they abandoned stealth, speeding towards the location of the females!

In a flash of shadows, Nan leaped before Wen Shu, his agile and powerful movements showing no hint of prior fatigue.

However, Wen Shu had no time to pay attention to this. The ranks of the males here were not high, each able to handle at most one beast. Even with the newly arrived males, they numbered nine, while over ten Wolf Beasts threatened them!

The Wolf Beasts had clearly noticed this, exploiting other mutant beasts to pin down the males while slowly approaching the isolated females.

"Ai Li!" Belinda and Tina pressed back-to-back, their voices trembling as they called for help, seeing the Wolf Beasts baring fangs before and behind.

Wen Shu was in no better situation, confronted by a familiar foe: the stray beast whose eye she had pierced!

No, now it should be called a mutant beast.

It resembled the Giant Corpse Beast more than ever.

Previously thick fur had mostly shed, revealing the blackened skin beneath, swollen with large toxin-infected lumps, some of which had burst, oozing foul-smelling pus.

Yet, despite only having bloodshot whites remaining in its eyes, it seemed to remember the scent of the pain inflicted, unerringly finding the direction of Wen Shu.

"Roar—"

It lunged at Wen Shu, gaping with a mouth missing half its fangs!

The overpowering stench hit her, causing Wen Shu’s pupils to shrink as she forcefully pushed the new female aside, rolling out of the way, "Hide!"

Thankfully, she had regained some strength, narrowly evading a blow; still, her back was injured, surging with intense pain.

Seeing her escape, the Wolf Beast’s eyes burned with fury, its claws impatiently scraping the earth, giving her no time to breathe as it roared and attacked again!

Wen Shu quickly assessed the Wolf Beast’s trajectory, sprinted a few steps, and used a tree trunk for a nimble spin. The wolf’s claws grazed her hair, narrowly missing her arm but leaving three deep scratches.

Landing back on the ground, she covered her injured arm, eyes warily fixed on the Wolf Beast excitedly licking its claws.

This won’t do!

She frowned deeply, her gaze quickly scanning the surroundings for a weapon when she suddenly caught sight of the cold glimmer of long claws in Belinda’s hands...

Wen Shu’s eyes flickered, retreating with peculiar steps to avoid sudden wolf attacks, while her hand hanging by her side kept swinging, activating the half-beastman state of her body.

Stalemating only for a few seconds, the clever Wolf Beast found her moving pattern and pounced once more, bloodthirsty red flashing in its eyes, attempting to bite off the head of this presumptuous female!

Wen Shu stood frozen as if frightened by it, motionless.

Witnessing the terrifying scene, the heart of the new female jumped into her throat, screaming, "Help! Help!"

Nan had just finished dealing with a Wolf Beast and turned to see Wen Shu under attack.

The hideous one-eyed Wolf Beast was terrifying, its dark fangs suspended above Wen Shu’s head, a mere exertion away from decapitating her!

His heart almost stopped, "Wen Shu!"

"Slash—"

The next second, from Wen Shu’s direction came the sound of something sharp piercing a skull.

The Wolf Beast collapsed on top of Wen Shu, body convulsing continuously, its skull impaled by sharp claws. Dark blood ran along the claws, dripping onto Wen Shu’s pale cheek, adding a dangerous allure to her cold expression.

After confirming the Wolf Beast was dead, she panted heavily a few times, kicked it off, and was just about to get up when an arm pulled her into a warm embrace.

Nan’s slightly trembling voice echoed above her head, "Female, are you okay!"

He almost enclosed her in his arms, carefully checking and finding the large scratches on Wen Shu’s back and arm, his eyes filled with heartache and self-blame.

"It’s all my fault. I’m too weak now..."

Wen Shu didn’t catch what he said, uncertain if the area was safe, her eyes vigilant over the ravaged surroundings.

The cool humid breath of the nighttime forest hung over scattered bodies. The Wolf Beasts were all dealt with, and the Beastmen now gazed at her in astonishment.

The males of the tribe hesitated, saying, "Did Wen Shu kill a mutant beast just now?"

Ai Li, just recovering from shock, stammered, "Yes... I was the first to get here. I saw it all."

No one could believe a supposedly frail female managed to kill a mutant beast!

In the Beast World, only males had full beast forms, significantly enhancing their strength and generally assigning them roles of hunting and combat.

Females, despite possessing half-beastman forms capable of transforming certain parts for use, had seen their strength dwindle to nothing over millennia. Even piercing beast hide with claws was challenging.

Yet this female before them had killed a Fourth Rank frenzied mutant beast with just her claws!

Males exchanged glances, wary eyes on her bloody claws, a sharp ache in their skulls.

But as they saw her beautiful blood-stained face under the night, a dash of thrilling danger compelled attraction to her.

Nearby, Belinda, who had used the claws, was equally shocked. She had been tussling with a Wolf Beast, completely enraging it before Ai Li saved her.

But Wen Shu... When did she become so formidable!

Feeling their stares prickling her, Wen Shu tugged Nan’s robe, lightly breathless, "Let’s sit by the tree. I want to treat my wounds."

"Alright." Nan understood, immediately lifting her up and placing her down gently, shielding her from the Beastmen’s heated gazes.

As her body relaxed, Wen Shu felt the muscle ache, mentally exhausted.

She tended to her wounds to some extent, preparing to doze off leaning against a tree.

The new female she had saved came over, eyes sparkling with gratitude, "Female, thank you for saving me!"

Wen Shu replied with a soft "Mm," drooping her eyelids with a smile, "No need to thank me."

Upon receiving the response, the female, more excited, grasped Wen Shu’s hand in admiration, "I’ve never seen such a powerful female like you! My name is Bai Qiao; I’m the daughter of the City Lord of Su’en City. Can we be friends!"

"?"

Sleepy-headed, Wen Shu snapped awake, her eyes widening slightly, "What did you call yourself?"

Bai Qiao tilted her head, her soft voice answering with a smile, "Bai Qiao."

Bai Qiao, Su’en City...

Wen Shu finally understood the source of the earlier peculiarity.

But how did the heroine manage to get here from Su’en City so far away?

Her drowsy mind fully awakened, she suppressed her inner shock, and as calmly as possible, asked, "You, the City Lord’s daughter of Su’en City, how did you come here and encounter the Giant Corpse Beast?"