Chapter 122

Chapter 122: You're going to save the Arctic wolves, right? Linlin will definitely go, right?

【Ahhh!! Charge!!!】

【Help! Take me with you, charge with me, wuwuwu!】

【Wuwawawa... That shout from Linlin gave me chills. You're going to save the Arctic wolves, right? Linlin will definitely go, even with a red blizzard warning. She’ll definitely go.】

【I'm staying in the livestream tonight. I won't be at ease until I see Sister Lin appear in the stream.】

【Director Su next door who’s also watching the livestream just let out a piercing screech.】

……

Su Yuxing had already realized something was wrong when Lin Qianyu asked about the location status.

But with the heavy snow outside, he couldn’t just keep the door open and wait there, so he stayed by the livestream instead. Even without a visual, he could still hear Lin Qianyu speak.

He’d also noticed the situation with the Arctic wolves. His mood was already low, and by the time he came back to his senses, Lin Qianyu’s voice shouting at the polar bear to go was already gone.

Su Yuxing's body reacted faster than his brain. He rushed to the door, flung it open, and only caught sight of Lin Qianyu’s departing figure.

“Lin Qianyu?!” Su Yuxing shouted, but his voice got mixed up with the wind and snow. Lin Qianyu didn’t react at all.

He tried to chase after her—took one step, then was blown back three steps by the wind and slammed back into the room with a loud clang.

By the time he recovered and came out rubbing the back of his head, she was already gone.

With the polar bear breaking the path ahead, Lin Qianyu sat on the wooden plank. The polar bear charged through the blizzard, tearing through the fierce wind.

Within the storm, the wind seemed to come from every direction. It was impossible to find orientation—she couldn’t even tell if they were going with the wind or against it.

The polar bear had been there before to fish and knew where the freshwater was, but to locate the Arctic wolves, they still had to rely on the livestream device’s tracker.

Lin Qianyu carefully protected her phone, keeping it close to her body, afraid it might shut off from the cold at any moment.

All she could hear was wind. Lin Qianyu clung to the rope on the plank to keep herself steady. Even while racing forward, snow piled onto her.

The audio in the livestream was a chaotic mess.

The sound of the wooden plank scraping against the snow, occasional bumps against rocks, and the howling wind in the blizzard—it all sent a chill through anyone listening.

An overhanging ledge on the cliff couldn’t bear the weight anymore. The snow crushed it, and a boulder came crashing down.

That falling stone triggered a chain reaction, and countless pieces of the cliffside began to rain down.

Lin Qianyu shouted, “Xuetuan, watch out!”

“Wuu!” The polar bear reacted swiftly, decisively swerving hard to one side. The collapsing stones rumbled down behind them.

The taut rope swung sharply sideways with the bear’s movement.

Lin Qianyu’s body wobbled too. She braced against the plank, crouching to steady herself.

The polar bear charged forward while Lin Qianyu stayed focused on the tracker behind, constantly calling out directions—though her voice, even when shouted, was easily drowned in the wind.

But it still didn’t escape the polar bear’s sharp hearing.

The livestream image was frozen on the moment the lead wolf was dragging its injured companion away from the camera.In the vast expanse, only a single trail of blood stretched across the ground from left to right. The rest was an endless sea of white.

Even though they couldn't see what Lin Qianyu was going through at that moment, the sound alone was enough to guess that the path she had taken was anything but easy.

It was too far.

She had nearly crossed half of Polar Island.

Even under clear skies and warm sun, walking through this snow was exhausting. Since arriving on the island, they had explored less than one-fifth of it.

Let alone now, under such harsh conditions, with the blizzard raging and no visibility.

Thankfully, Xuetuan knew the terrain well. Otherwise, walking in this frozen, snowy wilderness was like being trapped in a square-shaped white void—getting lost would be all too common.

【Where are they now… My god, even my breathing is light—I’m afraid to miss Linlin speaking.】

【I’ve never been this nervous. My hands are shaking as I type. Please, just let them make it in time.】

【Wuwuwu… Hang on a bit longer, someone will be there to save you soon.】

【They're here? Is it the polar bear? It’s Xuetuan, right? I saw the rope in its mouth!】

With the rope clenched in its mouth, the polar bear stormed through the blizzard like an unstoppable force, crashing into the livestream frame.

At that instant, it was like slow motion—the polar bear's figure stretched endlessly across the livestream.

Behind it, Lin Qianyu jumped down from the wooden plank, raised an arm in front of her, and struggled forward through the thick snow.

The appearance of the polar bear immediately drew the attention of the lead wolf, who hadn’t gone far.

Under normal circumstances, Arctic wolves and polar bears wouldn’t fight unless necessary. But now, one Arctic wolf was injured. In extreme weather like this, even the most capable predators had to face the reality of food shortages.

The lead wolf, seeing the sudden appearance of the polar bear, would naturally assume it had been drawn by the scent of blood, intending to make them its next meal.

Lin Qianyu patted the polar bear’s neck. “Leave the rest to me, Xuetuan.”

Speaking against the raging wind made it exceptionally difficult.

“Roar!” The polar bear gave a low growl, gently nudging her waist with its snout to help shield her from the fierce gusts.

The Arctic wolf no longer dragged its companion but instead stepped forward, placing its forelegs across the injured wolf’s belly, sheltering it completely under its body. Its sharp gaze locked on her as it bared its teeth and growled, “Wuuu…”

Perhaps it understood that dragging its companion through the snow was too hard—it would never escape the polar bear’s pursuit that way.

So it chose this posture to warn the approaching human: don’t come any closer.

Lin Qianyu slowly stepped forward, slightly hunched, lowering her posture as she moved—almost crouching down.

“Wuu—!”

Seeing she didn’t back down, the Arctic wolf’s warning growl grew louder.

Frost had formed over Lin Qianyu’s goggles. Snow and wind had filled the gaps between her mask and goggles. Her figure at that moment was utterly battered.

But she had no time to care. She crouched halfway down, bracing one hand on the ground, keeping a bit of distance from the Arctic wolf.

“It’s going to die soon.” Lin Qianyu took off her mask so she could shout as loudly as possible. “Blood loss, hypothermia—if you drag it back to wherever you’re hiding, it might already be a corpse before you get there.”

“I can save it.” Lin Qianyu’s breath was unsteady, her throat burning, and every word she shouted seemed to carry a taste of blood. “It’s still breathing. I have medicine—I can stop the bleeding. Please trust me. Come with me, okay?!”【Go with her ahhh!】

【Is it still breathing? Is there really still hope?!】

The sky was dark, and the wind and snow further blocked visibility. Lin Qianyu wiped the snow from her goggles, eyes unblinking as she stared at the distant Arctic wolf.

“You have to believe me. There’s no time to waste. If we wait any longer, it really won’t survive.”

With one hand on the ground, Lin Qianyu reached her other hand out toward the Arctic wolf, eyes firm as she repeated, “I can save it.”

At some point, the Arctic wolf’s fierce expression had softened. It no longer bared its teeth at her. In its deep blue beast eyes was the reflection of the human wrapped entirely in thermal gear.

It felt like a silent standoff—or perhaps a weighing of options, a moment of tense hesitation on the scales of its heart.

It did not move, and Lin Qianyu remained in place, arm extended, quietly waiting for the wolf’s answer.

The snow gently and lifelessly covered her—from palm to arm to body. Even the snow-resistant outer shell of her down jacket couldn’t withstand the relentless snowfall, piling into a thick white layer.

After a long pause—

The Arctic wolf lowered its head and gently licked its companion’s neck. Then it retracted its paw, slowly stepping backward into the snow.

It sat a short distance away and raised its head: “Awooo—!”

The moment it gave its response, Lin Qianyu unzipped her jacket, rushed forward, scooped the injured Arctic wolf into her arms, wrapped it securely within her clothes, and turned to run toward the waiting polar bear.

At that moment, it felt as if even the road home had turned to tailwind.

Lin Qianyu ran all the way back and sat onto the sled. “Xuetuan!”

“Roar!”

The polar bear roared. Its thick limbs stomped onto the ground, and each running stride was steady and powerful.

Seeing this, the Arctic wolf behind them looked back from afar, then also began to run and followed close behind.

Perhaps it was still worried.

【Wuwuwu ahhh! They saved it ahhh!】

【Oh my god, this is so intense, I’ve got goosebumps all over.】

【If this isn’t meeting a soft-hearted god, I don’t know what is. A soft-hearted god who crossed half an island to reach you.】

【My god, Xuetuan is seriously too reliable. So smart and so obedient—if this doesn’t earn a hundred cans of food, it’s unjustified!】

As Lin Qianyu carried the Arctic wolf away, the barrage of livestream comments—which had slowed due to anxiety—instantly exploded like a geyser. The scene was too moving. Some people didn’t even know what to say and simply flooded the screen with exclamation marks.

For a moment, the livestream felt like New Year’s—it was overwhelmingly lively.

……

On the way back, the tracks from their journey out had already been buried by the snow.

The polar bear pulled the sled steadily forward, and the Arctic wolf never once stopped following behind.

Sitting at the back, Lin Qianyu was nearly buried in wind and snow. She struggled to keep her balance so she wouldn’t be thrown off at the turns. At the same time, she gripped her down coat tightly over the Arctic wolf’s wound, pressing it close to her chest, feeling its faint heartbeat.

Luckily, it was a strong, young adult Arctic wolf. If it had been a pup or an elderly one, dragged home by the wolf king, it likely would have already drawn its last breath before rescue could even arrive.When Lin Qianyu returned, she noticed someone seemed to be outside the base. Guessing it was one of the guests, she had no time for greetings and rushed inside carrying the Arctic wolf.

All the furry ones at home looked over curiously. The little snow leopard tilted its head when it noticed the Arctic wolf in her arms. Upon catching the heavy scent of blood, it couldn’t help but wrinkle its nose.

Lin Qianyu temporarily placed the Arctic wolf on the table. “Tangyuan, help me bring the box from beside the bed.”

“Aow!” The little snow leopard responded and ran into the bedroom. Before long, it returned carrying the medical kit in its mouth, jumped onto a chair, placed the kit on the table, and even used its paw to push the half-hanging box fully onto the surface.

The polar bear left the sled outside, shook its fur to toss off some of the snow, and only then entered.

After the wolf king followed them back, it paused at the entrance, hovering near the door without going in.

Lin Qianyu’s lips were pale from the cold, and she held the Arctic wolf in her open down jacket. The wolf was icy cold—like a breathing block of ice.

The Arctic wolf had already lost consciousness. The fur around its wound was soaked with blood and had clumped together due to the freezing temperature.

It couldn’t be separated easily, so Lin Qianyu simply used small scissors meant for gauze to cut away all the fur around the wound, exposing it completely.

She opened every medication she might need, cleaned the filthy wound thoroughly, and applied hemostatic powder. The only deep wound was on its front leg—clearly a bite, likely from another animal. There was a deep bloody hole, resembling a mark left by fangs.

While she cleaned the wound, the stinging pain seemed to rouse some reaction. The unconscious Arctic wolf actually opened its eyes—but it was in such poor condition that even this simple act appeared extremely taxing.

In the end, it only half-squinted. It was unclear if it could see anything around it. Its eyes were dull, unfocused.

“……” The Arctic wolf seemed to make a sound from its throat, but Lin Qianyu didn’t catch it clearly as she focused on treating the wound.

At that moment, the Arctic wolf that had been lingering outside suddenly stepped in. Despite entering a completely unfamiliar place, it didn’t bother observing its surroundings. It went straight to the table, sat beside it, and nudged its companion’s cold nose with its own.

“Hah!” The Arctic fox lowered its body and bared its teeth at it.

This move was nothing short of challenging the authority of the wolf king.

Just when Lin Qianyu thought the Arctic wolf would respond with a warning, it surprisingly showed no reaction to the fox’s provocation.

As if it hadn’t heard at all—there was not the slightest response.

Like punching into cotton—that was probably how it felt.

Without even looking up, Lin Qianyu gently coaxed, “Xueqiu, be good, no fighting. I’ll make something tasty for you later. We’ve got rabbit meat today—grilled rabbit just for you.”

With the door closed, the room gradually warmed up.

Lin Qianyu’s fingers, stiff from the cold, slowly regained mobility. Her hands became more nimble, making her treatment of the wound faster. Tossing aside the bloodstained fur, she also reassured, “Don’t worry, its condition isn’t as bad as I expected. It’ll be okay.”

Originally, Lin Qianyu had prepared for the worst and had already contacted staff at the rescue center.

If the Arctic wolf’s condition was serious after rescue, the plan was to transfer it directly to the center so the veterinarians there could take over.

But now, the Arctic wolf seemed to be in much better shape than she’d anticipated.

Having rescued so many animals, Lin Qianyu occasionally participated in emergency medical training at the center. She kept in touch with veterinarians on every island and had already chatted with many new contacts from Polar Island.

After all, in the wild, for apex predators without natural enemies, injury and illness were often the biggest threats to their survival.

Since Lin Qianyu could communicate with animals, she naturally made full use of this advantage and learned a good deal of veterinary knowledge.

Now, when handling such wounds, she was far more experienced and confident.

The wolf king understood that the words were meant for it. It raised its head and studied the human speaking to it.Someone once said that a wolf's eyes can speak—you can see emotion in them, read their feelings, even a blink carries meaning.

At this moment, being looked at like that by the Arctic wolf, Lin Qianyu showed no particular reaction.

Earlier, while urgently stopping the bleeding, she had roughly snipped the surrounding fur. Now that the wound was treated, the fur looked uneven, like it had been chewed on by a dog.

The tension that had gripped Lin Qianyu ever since she rushed out finally eased the moment the bandages were secured. Looking at the patchy fur, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "When you wake up and see how I cut your fur like this, you're not going to scold me, right?"

【Scold? No way, it was to save its life!】

【Does this mean it’s out of danger? I heard Lin-jie laugh—waaah! Lin-jie is amazing!】

【This is so good, really so good. I watched the whole rescue on edge—finally I can relax.】

【As long as it’s okay... maybe check on Director Su too? He seems like he’s just sitting quietly in the igloo, but he actually left a while ago.】

...

Everyone was overjoyed that the Arctic wolf had been successfully saved.

On the first day the livestream gear was lost, everyone had clung to the brief footage of the Arctic wolf just to get through it. After watching it for a full day and night, people had gotten emotionally attached.

Now that it was okay, many fans felt a pang of sourness in their hearts—some just wanted to cry.

Amid the flood of "wuwu" on the comment feed, a single line floated up slowly: 【So... the livestream gear was forgotten again, right.】

The comment section fell into a brief silence.

After a moment, a premium user replied: 【Forgotten is putting it mildly.】

【She grabbed the Arctic wolf and ran, didn’t even look up once!】

【LOL good news: the GPS signal is back, and she made it to the location. Bad news: she wasn’t there for the livestream equipment.】

Lin Qianyu used her down jacket to cover the Arctic wolf. Her phone fell out from inside the coat, still displaying the GPS map and occasional livestream pop-ups.

"...Crap." Seeing the comments, Lin Qianyu inhaled sharply. "I forgot."

Even though her original goal was to check on the Arctic wolf, the gear was so close—picking it up on the way wouldn’t have been hard.

That was what she'd thought on the way out. But the moment she saw the Arctic wolf, her mind went completely blank—as if rebooted—and the only thought that remained was: I have to bring the Arctic wolf back.

Nothing else mattered.

Lin Qianyu gently stroked the Arctic wolf’s head, then tucked a folded towel beneath it so its head had a soft cushion—more comfortable than letting it rest directly on the hard table.

She hadn’t paid attention to these little things earlier, focused only on saving its life.

Now that the bleeding was stopped, it was time to consider where the injured Arctic wolf would sleep tonight.

Lin Qianyu curved her fingers like a comb and gently smoothed its fur, stroke by stroke. “Next time I go out, I’ll definitely remember to bring back the livestream gear.”

Su Yuxing: 【Don’t you dare——！！！】

The moment Lin Qianyu said that in the stream, Director Su messaged her directly via chat.

Just those two words, followed by a whole line of exclamation marks, practically filled the entire screen.

That alone was enough to express Director Su’s reaction upon hearing her say that.Do you think a blizzard is just for fun?!

You just go out like that, on a path where every step is a struggle, and talk about it like it's just taking a stroll downstairs—are you trying to die?!

When Lin Qianyu went out, Su Yuxing had already thought about contacting the rescue team.

But... if even the Arctic bear, who knows the terrain well, couldn’t bring Lin Qianyu back safely, then the situation she encountered probably wouldn’t be something the rescue team could handle easily either.

Luckily, she’s fine. Luckily, everything went smoothly.

Seeing Director Su’s messages, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help but smile helplessly. She replied one-handed, promising over and over that she’d inform everyone before heading out next time, then finally put her phone down.

The wolf king was still crouched nearby, its eyes drifting between its companion and Lin Qianyu.

"Doesn't your neck hurt, holding your head up like that all this time?" Lin Qianyu adjusted the down jacket, pulling it up higher. "It should wake up tomorrow. Don’t worry."

The Arctic wolf blinked slowly, eyes filled with Lin Qianyu’s smiling face. It spoke in a low, soft, yet firm voice: “Woo...”

Thank you.

Lin Qianyu froze for a moment, then smiled. “No need to thank me.”

She laid a soft towel down under the wounded Arctic wolf on the table and gently moved it as she spoke: “Your companion is injured now, the wounds haven’t healed. Moving could cause more bleeding. For now, just stay with me a while, okay? We’ll talk about it after it’s healed.”

“Oh right, you’re probably hungry too.” While Lin Qianyu had been home working on knitting, she’d been thawing meat on both counters.

Even after stepping out, the fire in the house hadn’t gone out.

The meat was warm, fully thawed—perfect for cutting and serving.

With so many fluffy animals at home, Lin Qianyu decided to cut up all the thawed meat and even opened a can for Snowball.

“This one’s yours.” She placed a full bowl of meat in front of the Arctic wolf.

She couldn’t remember exactly what kinds of meat were in there—many were stored in large chunks. The seal meat was recognizable, but as for the others, she hadn’t bothered to analyze each type by grain. Mixed together, the flavor was still good.

There’s a rumor that wolves don’t eat food given by humans.

It’s said that wolves once captured by humans would rather starve than eat.

Though later studies showed some wolves do eat, it seems to vary from wolf to wolf.

All Lin Qianyu needed to do was prepare the meat—whether the Arctic wolf would eat it or not was up to it.

Looking at the snow-white wolf king, Lin Qianyu thought of the little wolf from Grassland Island and sighed softly. “If the little wolf were here, maybe it could even share some experience on how to be a head wolf.”

Thinking about it, it had been quite a while since she last saw the little wolf.

Lin Qianyu opened the can. The fruit inside was red—different from the usual yellow peach cans. “Hawthorn? Or maybe strawberry?”

At first glance, the red made her assume hawthorn, but once she stirred it with her chopsticks, she found it was packed full of whole strawberries.

Big, plump strawberries soaked in syrup—she had no idea how they managed it. The surface of the berries hadn’t gone soft, and even after being canned and opened again, they didn’t have that soggy, stale taste of long-soaked fruit.

Aside from the syrup, they didn’t seem any different from fresh strawberries.

“These look really tasty,” Lin Qianyu said, pouring the strawberries out of the can. The size was about the same as the premium cream strawberries sold by the piece.

No wonder the can felt heavy, and its packaging was much larger than the typical yellow peach can.At first, Lin Qianyu thought it was a large can of yellow peaches. Only after opening it did she realize—it was large because strawberries can’t be touched roughly; one poke and any soft spot would go bad immediately.

Especially since these were whole strawberries made into canned fruit—if it were in a small yellow peach can, it could probably only fit three or four strawberries.

The Arctic bear rested its chin on the edge of the table, its little nose sniffing around.

The scent was unfamiliar, but… it was sweet!

“Thanks for running back and forth with me today, Xuetuan. You were a huge help.” Lin Qianyu poured out the strawberry preserves—fruit and syrup together—into three bowls. “These are all yours.”

The Arctic bear blinked its eyes and let out a happy, “Awoo!”

Lin Qianyu smiled and bent down to kiss its forehead, then rested her own forehead against it, rubbing gently. “Xuetuan is amazing.”

The Arctic bear lifted its head joyfully. “Woo!”

Amazing!

The Arctic wolf listened to the interaction, its gaze lingering slightly on the kissing gesture. It licked its nose and looked at Lin Qianyu silently, as if lost in thought.

Noticing the Arctic wolf's gaze, Lin Qianyu looked up and smiled, raising the bowl of preserves in her hand. “Want to try some?”

Meeting her eyes, the Arctic wolf let out a soft “woo,” lowered its head, picked up a piece of cut meat from the bowl, and began eating slowly.

Author’s note: Good night, sleep early, love you all.