n

n

nThroughout Viktor’s twenty years and so existence, the best way to solve a problem in his eyes was to solve it as cleanly as possible without expending a lot of effort.

nHell, if the world decided to be kind to him and grant him anything he wanted, Viktor wished he could solve all his problems by only lifting the tip of his small finger.

nHence, this was the best case scenario for him, to scare this people away without a fight.

n“Woof woof!”

nAs soon as the Djinn barked, Viktor could see all the people in brown jackets taking a step back. A wary and cautious expression appeared on their faces without exception.

nWhen Viktor saw this, he could not help but smirk inwardly.

nToday, right at this very moment, Viktor learned that these people, despite their overbearing appearance and immense strength, were stupid. They were so stupid that they could not tell the difference between a wolf and a Siberian Husky dog.

nWell, the bluish fur did make the Djinn in his husky form look like a ferocious mutated animal. Just like what a wise man said, the unknown brings fear to the hearts of men.

nSeeing that his plan was already halfway through, Viktor swiftly marched on so as not to lose momentum. He knelt on the ground covered with thick snow, affectionately patted the Djinn for show, and whispered to its furry ears.

n“Good job, Djinn… Now, you need to show off your power and dominance by showing them your teeth.”

n“Grrr… woof!”-.

n

n“Perfect!” whispered Viktor again while inwardly holding both of his thumbs up.

nViktor stood back up, and the bark of the dog was accompanied with the wolves howling from the direction of the vast forest behind, adding not-so-small impact to his earlier words.

n“What is it going to be, Olga?! Do you really want to fight? Because I’m sure my boy here doesn’t mind. After all, he and his buddies still haven’t had breakfast.”

nIt did not take long for Olga, the bearded man, to be seen arguing with Andrei. Panic was apparent on Andrei’s face as the bearded man disagreed with his words.

nWith his enhanced hearing, Viktor could clearly hear their discussion word for word. They were debating on how strong Viktor really was. And to his surprise, Andrei tried to convince Olga not to worry about Viktor, but about the bodyguards instead.

n“He had been staying in the bunker for the past two years, believe me! They would have died by the undead waves if I hadn’t come and helped them back then,” Andrei protested.

nWhen he heard it, Viktor added.

n“Captain Andrei, I am disappointed in you. I thought we agreed to help each other in the future?”

nAt this, Captain Andrei turned to glare at Viktor and narrowed his eyes. “Huh! I got kicked from the army all because of you. Now, I’m here to claim the reward you have promised!”

nThe captain’s answer made Viktor even more interested about what happened since he separated himself from the group. To be honest, he could not care less. However, he still would like to know the fate of the people he stayed with for the last two years.

nAs he was thinking, Viktor took another glance at Olga, who was obviously the real decision-maker of the group.

nIt would be problematic if they decided to go all-in and attack regardless of the threat, hence Viktor decided to gamble.

n“I have decided that I will let you all leave, except that backstabbing bastard! What do you say?” Viktor offered with a confident yet merciful smile on his face, pointing his finger at the ashen-faced Andrei.

nThis was one of the more advanced bluffing strategies. To hide the truth, it’s important to maintain the appearance of strength. To preserve the illusion, it would be better not to bargain down, but ask for more.

nAlthough his face seemed confident, Viktor was secretly anxious inside.

n“Just go… go… go away…” He kept repeating these words in his thoughts like a mantra.

nThe bearded man looked towards him then he glanced to the right where the sound of howling wolves came before. His gaze turned intense as he said, “All right! I believe that in some magical way, you are able to control the wolves. After all, it’s not out of the realm of possibility, and I know someone who can do something similar…”

nThis stupid man actually bought it! Viktor happily thought. Still, Viktor did his best to hold his laugh as not only would it arouse suspicion, but also because the man was not done yet.

n“Unfortunately, the wealth from your name alone would be worth the risk…” With a gesture that basically said ‘bring it on’, Olga loudly shouted, “Let the wolves come!”

nThe man wiggled his finger as a signal, and suddenly, a loud gunshot could be heard from behind him.

nBang!

nSomething moved with tremendous speed towards them, but before Viktor could react, it hit the dog next to him. The husky was flung back a foot before its body hit the snow-covered ground, painting the white snow red with its blood.

nViktor quickly jumped and looked at the blue dog with a panicked expression.

nThe sound of the dog whimpering in pain lured Eva out from the hut, followed by Barry who panickedly tried to stop her. Eva decided to comply, but her eyes were still fixated on the dog. As she ran closer to check the husky’s condition, her eyes were glistening.

nThe girl was about to cry.

n“Stay back!!”

nViktor shouted as he checked the Djinn’s wounds. On the husky’s body and head, there was a big hole, each enough for him to put two fingers in.

n“Seriously, Djinn? You can bleed? I thought you were an all powerful being!”

n

nThose words were enough to make him feel relieved. Viktor was glad that the Djinn was fine.

n“Hah, you almost made me die out of panic. How long do you need to recover?”

nThe dog did not answer. The last thing Viktor could hear from the Djinn was the noises of the dog whimpering and shaking before it laid still on the snow.

nNow, it was time to get serious. Considering the wounds, Viktor knew it was from a bullet shot from a high caliber rifle, and if he factored in the distance, it appears that the man camouflaged inside the sea of trees and bushes was a sniper.

nOlga glanced at the trees where the howling of the wolves came before and said.

n“Where are the wolves!? What did you say before? Hahaha… and here I thought I could have some exercise… such a disappointment.”

nThe man let out a small yet annoying laugh before glancing appreciatively at Eva.

n“You better listen to me now or I’ll put holes in your girlfriend’s head. Do you hear me?!”

nThe man raised his hand yet again and formed a sign. Like trained attack drones, two of his men came and simultaneously pointed their weapons at Viktor and Eva.

nBoris and Torri knew of the danger and their hands were on the guns hidden behind their back, however, they also knew that Viktor was in the most danger right now. With a sniper ready with a high-caliber gun on their back, their boss was vulnerable, and they knew that they currently could not afford to be rash.

nThe two men in brown jackets came approaching, one toward him and the other passed by him to check the others.

n“Hand over your weapon!” the man ordered.

nAt first, Viktor was ready to play along and look for another opportunity later to act, but as the man kept searching his body for a weapon, anxiety flared in his mind, especially when the man touched his bronze lamp.

n“What is this?”

nIt would be no exaggeration to say that this lamp was the most important object he had on him. It was most important to Viktor’s survival more than anything. He probably would even be willing to endanger his friends for it.

nViktor did not answer. Instead, he readied himself to attack and kill the man if he had to. However, before he could do anything, he heard Eva’s scream.

n“Kyaaa!!”

n“What are you hiding in there!” the man who was currently grabbing her arm shouted, questioning her.

nBefore Viktor was able to react, he saw something drop from under Eva’s jacket.

nIt was the golden-furred lemming, Gucci!

nEven from where he was, Viktor could see how enraged the creature was. It locked eyes with Viktor, and right at that moment, it was as if their minds were connected.

nAs the two’s eyes met, Viktor whispered.

n“Do it, Gucci… We are depending on you now.”

nWith a committed expression on its cute face, the lemming raised its head before it let out a loud, piercing shriek that shook the entire forest.

n