"Another wolf… found."
Little Red Riding Hooded Mercenary lowered her body, whispering these words to Texas while swinging her scythe. In that instant, Texas felt her hairs stand on end; without hesitation, she jumped back, narrowly evading the fatal blow at the cost of a bleeding gash across her neck.
How did she… suddenly appear here?
Could it be… Hugh already foresaw this scene?!
Recalling Hugh's earlier warning that she, too, was one of the Wolf Hunter's targets, Texas couldn't help but shiver slightly at this horrifying thought.
But… even so, an unexpected possibility emerged.
The other party… could actually communicate?
Having dodged the lethal strike, Texas momentarily pondered this in surprise—but it lasted for only a heartbeat.
She then raised her head, facing the Wolf Hunter before her, breathing deeply, desperately formulating a plan in her mind.
What should I do…? How can I survive?
Before the Wolf Hunter could raise her musket again, Texas's mind spun rapidly, landing on perhaps the only way she might escape this crisis—
Fighting head-on was hopeless, and Hugh had already left. Therefore, the only possible way out was…
"Wait!"
Covering the blood streaming from her neck, Texas lowered herself slightly, panting as she raised a hand, shouting urgently:
"…I know—I know where that wolf is! I know the wolf you're looking for, that Big and Will be Bad Wolf! I know its location!"
After shouting those words, Texas saw the Wolf Hunter's movements clearly pause. From that, she confirmed her guess:
Her hunch… had been right.
The Wolf Hunter had reacted to her words, meaning she wasn't the primary target here—she was someone the Hunter could cooperate with…!
Realizing this, Texas gradually steadied her voice, calmed her breath slightly, and spoke slowly:
"Listen to me—I know exactly where that wolf is… I can lead you there. Moreover, I can even help you kill it. Will you trust me? Will you… give a wolf like me that chance?"
Clenching her teeth, Texas raised her hand slightly, eyes fixed on the Wolf Hunter. She saw clearly that the scarlet aura surrounding the mercenary gradually faded, eventually dissipating completely. At last, the Wolf Hunter straightened, leaning against the doorway, slowly closing those glowing eyes beneath her hood.
"…Lead the way."
The Wolf Hunter ultimately replied, her voice short and cold. Texas exhaled heavily in relief, walking uncertainly ahead of her new companion.
"I know that guy's in the Saluzzo Family… over that way."
As she walked, she carefully pointed out the direction to the Wolf Hunter. But the mercenary only silently followed, eyes locked sharply onto Texas's every move. Texas knew clearly that if she made even one wrong step, she'd be dead.
Thus, taking a deep breath, she wracked her brain, desperately thinking about how exactly to locate that wolf for the Hunter… or rather, how to draw that wolf out.
Just then, Texas received a call from Hugh.
Hurriedly, she answered, and Hugh's voice came clearly through:
"…The Wolf Hunter is with you, right?"
"Yeah, she's right here. How did you know?"
Texas glanced discreetly at the Wolf Hunter, then responded quietly.
"No worries… You probably promised to lead her to the wolf, and now you're worrying about how exactly to find it, aren't you?"
Hugh spoke calmly, and Texas felt that on the other end of the line, Hugh was probably smiling faintly. Then, his voice continued smoothly:
"Now you don't have to worry anymore. Find a way to delay the Wolf Hunter—walk around slowly for half an hour or an hour or so. Very soon… you'll see the wolf appear."
"Are you sure?"
In this life-or-death moment, Texas couldn't help but ask urgently.
"I'm sure. Besides… this drama in Siracusa is nearly at its end anyway."
With those calm, certain words, Hugh disconnected. Texas quietly stored the communicator away, sighed deeply, and continued forward, deliberately slowing her steps.
There's no other choice… Right now, all I can do is trust Hugh's words.
Meanwhile, during the period when Texas encountered the Wolf Hunter, the Thumb and the Bellone Family's battle had already intensified dramatically.
But in truth, both sides were somewhat putting on a show.
After all, their true goal wasn't a bloody massacre—it was simply to lure out the Bellone Family's Wolf Lord, Zaaro.
Roughly twenty minutes into the fight, Bernardo finally sent a request for aid to Zaaro. He deliberately made the Bellone Family appear gradually defeated, specifically to inform Zaaro clearly: Your fangs are failing. If you don't intervene soon, we might face disaster.
Thus, under Bernardo's persistent urging, Zaaro finally relented—after all, this wasn't exactly a game among Wolf Lords. Furthermore, knowing exactly who the Thumb's leader was, Zaaro believed ending this "trouble" would require no more than a couple of words.
Thus, Zaaro turned into a mist-like form, rushing towards the battlefield between the Thumb and the Bellone Family… But precisely during his charge, the entire situation drastically changed.
Not directly because of Zaaro's entry—it wasn't that simple.
Instead, a new force suddenly intervened.
The Saluzzo Family.
Only about twenty minutes had passed since Zaaro revealed his presence. Yet in those twenty minutes, the Saluzzo Family rapidly dispatched a large number of personnel to join the conflict between the Thumb and Bellone Family…
And at the head, matching Zaaro's appearance—was a wolf. A wolf bearing dark, bruise-colored scars across its body.
A Big and Will be Bad Wolf. An Abnormality—WAW-class, uncontained.
Thus, on the battlefield, Zaaro was immediately locked onto by the Big and Will be Bad Wolf, instantly becoming entangled in fierce combat. Observing from afar, Hugh's face curled into a faint smile.
"Keep going… make it even more spectacular."
Within T Corp.'s temporary base, Hugh gazed at these scenes through a screen, the corners of his mouth twisted into a satisfied smile. And when he caught sight of something in the corner of the monitor, his smile deepened further.
In that corner of the screen, the image clearly displayed the Red Mist swiftly racing toward the battlefield.