Chapter 50: Fever

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Fever

"Run!"

Roger gave the order, turned around, and quickly led his team away.

Roger needed to conserve his energy now; he couldn’t spare much more Talent Power to keep Bai Wanwan warm.

"Bai Wanwan, you have to hold on."

As Roger’s power waned, Bai Wanwan felt the snowy wind suddenly intensify, cutting at her exposed skin like a knife.

She cursed inwardly and quickly buried her head in the black wolf’s fur.

Even so, her body gradually grew cold, and her hands and feet even began to stiffen.

She was just about to tell Roger she couldn’t hold on much longer when the sounds of a fight broke out behind them.

The Wandering Beasts had caught up to them!

The howls of beasts slowly turned into wretched screams, which then came to an abrupt stop.

Roger, who had been running wildly, finally couldn’t bear it and stopped.

His eyes turned bloodshot as he watched the males who had fought alongside him through life and death get overtaken and torn apart by the Wandering Beasts.

"Stop! Counter-attack!"

The Wandering Beasts were upon them, and a battle was about to erupt.

"Stay here by yourself!"

Before Bai Wanwan could even react to Roger’s words, he tossed her directly into the snow, landing her painfully on her rear.

She paid it no mind, quickly grabbing the basket to check on her cubs.

The cubs, wrapped in beast hides, were already shivering from the cold.

Sensing their Mother’s presence, they all squirmed out from the beast hides with aggrieved whimpers to touch her fingers.

WHINE...

Bai Wanwan reached out to stroke them, her heart a mess of anxiety as she watched the chaotic melee ahead.

Falling into Roger’s hands wasn’t a good thing, but compared to the Wandering Beasts, she’d still rather he won.

All the males were using their Talent Powers. The snow-covered ground flashed with fire, and the sounds of wind and crackling lightning filled the air.

Bai Wanwan couldn’t see the scene within the chaotic battle clearly at all.

Suddenly, something splashed onto her face.

It was wet...

She subconsciously raised a hand to wipe it. It was sticky.

She immediately realized her hand was covered in blood.

Ignoring the cold, she knew she was too close to the battle. One wrong move and she’d become collateral damage.

She immediately snatched up the basket and ran away from the melee.

AWOOO...

ROAR...

The battle grew more and more intense. The roars of the beasts shook the entire mountain forest.

"Captain, you go first!"

"No! If I leave, you won’t be able to hold on."

Roger’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. His caravan had started with nearly thirty males, and now fewer than twenty remained...

"Go!"

Yin Li grabbed Roger and dragged him out of the heart of the battle. At the same time, two more of their companions fell.

"Captain, you have to go! Staying here means certain death. If we scatter and flee, some of us might have a chance."

Yin Li’s words snapped Roger back to his senses.

"Right! We’ll all die if we stay. Yin Li, tell them to scatter and run."

Yin Li nodded. "Captain, you take the little female and go first. We’ll split up and escape after."

Knowing there was no time to delay, Roger immediately turned and chased after the little female who had run off into the distance.

He caught up to her, lowered his head, and snatched her up in his jaws.

Bai Wanwan was scared to death. She turned her head just in time to see a massive, blood-stained maw lunging at her.

"It’s me... Where do you think you’re running?"

Roger was furious. He was leading his caravan to fight off the Wandering Beasts, yet all she could think about was escaping.

’Where could she possibly run to? She’d either freeze to death or be eaten by other beasts.’

Bai Wanwan, jostled until she was dizzy and disoriented, couldn’t be bothered to respond to him.

She just hugged the basket containing her cubs tightly.

’She had already lost one tiger cub; she had to protect the ones that remained!’

Preoccupied, Roger forgot to use his Talent Power to protect the little female, and by the time he realized it...

...the little female in his jaws had already grown somewhat stiff from the cold.

Bai Wanwan was too frozen to even curse, so she could only glare daggers at him.

Roger found a beast’s den, killed the occupant and cleared it out, then slipped inside with Bai Wanwan still in his mouth.

After dropping the nearly frozen-solid Bai Wanwan, he began pacing in circles inside the cave.

Bai Wanwan struggled to sit up.

"Can you stop pacing? You’re giving me a headache."

She felt top-heavy and chills ran through her body.

’Without a doubt, I’ve caught a cold from being in the frigid wind for too long.’

Hearing her words, Roger spun around, rushed over in a fury, and seized her fragile neck.

"Let... let me go!"

Bai Wanwan pried at his hand, trying to ease the pressure.

But Roger only tightened his grip. "It’s you! If it weren’t for you, not a single one of the males I brought with me would have died."

Bai Wanwan tilted her head back, struggling to breathe. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain as she thrashed desperately.

’What a fucking idiot,’ she thought. ’Did I beg him to come find me?’

Furious, Bai Wanwan kicked out at him and beat wildly at his arm.

Then she lowered her head and bit down hard on his wrist.

HISS...

The sharp, minor pain brought Roger back to his senses. Realizing what he was doing, he abruptly let go.

Cold air rushed into her windpipe, and Bai Wanwan let out a series of earth-shattering, choking coughs.

Roger was startled and was about to ask if she was okay, but Bai Wanwan recovered and immediately began to blast him. "Roger, you stupid piece of shit! Did I ask you to come find me? Did I beg you to take me away? Or was it me who killed the Beastmen in your caravan?"

"You’re the one who heard I was a Holy Female and got greedy. You weren’t capable enough, yet you still waded into these troubled waters and got the Beastmen of your caravan killed. So you listen to me: the one who caused all this wasn’t me, it was you!"

Roger’s face was ashen. He turned and slammed a fist into the cave wall.

Bai Wanwan’s head throbbed even more painfully, but she couldn’t resist mocking him. "Go on, smash it! Smash this whole place flat and see how many Beastmen in your caravan that brings back to life."

Roger whirled around and glared at her fiercely.

"Bai Wanwan, if you provoke me again, I’ll kill you, even if you are a Holy Female!"

"Idiot!"

After her curse, Bai Wanwan’s head hurt even more. She no longer had the energy to argue with him. She reached out, pulled the nearby basket into her arms, and passed out.

The sudden silence in the cave took Roger a moment to get used to, and he gradually calmed down.

"Bai Wanwan... this whole thing started because of you. If it wasn’t for your status..."

As he spoke, he vaguely noticed that Bai Wanwan’s head seemed to be hanging low.

He walked over to her again. "Are you listening?"

The little female didn’t react at all. Annoyed, Roger reached out and pulled her arm.

The tug caused Bai Wanwan to fall over, and he subconsciously raised his arms to keep her from hitting the ground.

And so, Bai Wanwan fell into his arms, practically draping herself over him, their bodies pressed together.

Roger stiffened. "Bai Wanwan..."

He had just called her name when he realized her body temperature didn’t seem normal.

He immediately raised a hand to touch her face. The burning heat made his hand tremble.

The anger on his face froze. Only then did he remember that she was just a fragile little female, and that the snowy season was inherently dangerous for females.

He had also just forgotten to protect her with his Talent Power.

His anger dissipated, replaced entirely by self-blame.

He nervously pulled the little female into his embrace. "Bai Wanwan, can you hear me?"