People often think humans are weak—no claws, no fangs, no fur, no bestial strength or speed...

  But in truth, humans have hidden strengths that are often overlooked.

  Like now—I'm surrounded by a pack of wolves, in an utterly disadvantageous situation.

  And yet, I can still fight back!

  Because humans can defend against threats from almost all directions—something almost no other animal can do.

  If there is one, maybe it's the octopus—but that's a creature of the sea.

  Of course, my current edge also depends on having a weapon—well, something that barely qualifies as one.

  But say it were a 250-kilogram brown bear in my place—even if it outweighs me by four times,

  it might be facing death right now... or at the very least, be badly injured.

  And wounds bring infection. Even if it escapes, it may not survive many more days.

  To exaggerate a bit—even just two wolves could send a bear running!

  Because once surrounded front and back, the one behind would seize the moment to bite deep—

  ripping off fur, tearing vessels, shredding muscle...

  piling on wounds, draining its blood.

  The bear’s massive frame would have to keep turning back and forth to fight off attackers front and rear—and that kind of endless motion would wear it down, sooner or later.

  It’s just like those pterosaurs—two of them flanking a third...

  Wait, what am I even thinking about?

  Charging through, slashing and striking—I press on toward my destination.

  But soon enough, they started getting used to my umbrella-flailing technique.

  The slight breathing space I’d gained began shrinking again—the wolves closing in, one even trying to bite the umbrella fabric!

  After all, a human has only two hands and two eyes—covering every direction at once is nearly impossible.

  Suddenly, one lunged at my leg from behind and to the side! I kicked up with my back leg and knocked its jaw away!

  I didn’t even have time to control the force—just noticing and reacting in time was already a stroke of luck.

  Thank goodness my peripheral vision caught it—and my reflexes, honed and battle-sharp, did the rest.

  Seeing one of their own smacked away, the chihuahuas grew more cautious—their attacks and pressure softened, just a bit.

  I made a snap decision to stow the now-useless umbrella, sliding it into the back of my collar in under two seconds.

  Then, I let out a roar like none I'd ever made before—an earthshaking bellow, charging forward like a force of nature!

  "Outta my way, you damn chihuahuas!"

  I went beast mode—savage, feral, explosive!

  The lead wolf dead ahead flinched at my sudden transformation, fear flashing in its eyes, backing off step by step under the weight of my overwhelming momentum.

  That brief, subtle shift in morale—rare and fleeting—supercharged my assault.

  I surged forth with brutal fury, staff and blade both unleashed in full.

  Before this, I’d been holding back a little—having to mind every angle...

  Things like: don’t show your top speed or maximum reach too soon; conserve strength for bursts; no need to go all out right from the start.

  Now that I was going all out, my pace really picked up—the rate of advance surged!

  "That's more like it!"

  But eventually, the chihuahuas sensed something was wrong. They snapped out of it.

  A sharp howl—probably an order from their leader—

  and all sides lunged in tighter, their attacks far fiercer, like someone cranked the dial up past max!

  They came at me relentlessly, without a single gap, wave after wave!

  I had no choice but to unleash my final, deepest trump card—

  a thunderous war cry, drawing every last breath of fury, and arms and legs spinning like a howling storm!

  They closed in, biting—

  and I struck back, kicking them flying—

  again and again—!

  Their sharp, canine whimpers rang out all around.

  A few moments were way, way too close!

  I nearly got bitten—more than once!

  Then suddenly, those chihuahuas I’d smacked around started growing hesitant—their assault turned slightly cautious.

  That’s when it hit me:

  Our resolve levels were leagues apart!

  Because I was fighting on the edge of death.

  Like somewhere on a boundless northern plain, a wolf pack faces this:

  If they don’t bring down this deer, the summer’s over. The pups won’t eat.

  So if a herd passes nearby—no matter how big or strong the prey is—they’ll risk everything to take it down!

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Come to think of it, didn’t a certain great detective witness this kind of wolf once... and get inspired to start a major case?

  More strange data started flooding my brain!

  But one thing was clear: I was sure of it now—I could win! I would win!

  Even so, I didn’t relax for a second. True victory only counts once it’s real.

  And the reason I’d win… was because I was fighting from the brink of death, with everything on the line!

  But you chihuahuas—

  you don’t have anything close to this razor-edge awareness born from dancing between life and death!

  That is... until I said that.

  Because suddenly—they went berserk!

  These oversized chihuahuas—actually launched a full-on assault!

  "You’ve gotta be kidding me!"

  This onslaught—This wasn’t just an escalation—it was a whole new nightmare!

  "Why are you going this hard?!"

  I fought like mad, bashing them back!

  But they just kept coming—

  Swarming like Han Xin’s troops closing in on the King of Chu—China’s legendary general outflanking a doomed warlord at the end of his final stand.

  Darting in close, biting in bursts, attack after attack!

  No pause, no gap—

  a seamless barrage like mercury spilling across the ground, slipping into every crack!

  "You lot—!" I shouted, stunned!

  It was like getting stabbed by countless needles of ice,

  piercing straight into the bone!

  And those frozen needles came from every direction!

  This was insane!

  I swore, if any of you lunged at me—I’d cut you down, hard.

  And if one of you actually managed to bite me—then die!

  At that moment, my brain couldn’t muster a single technique or tactic—nothing.

  In the face of this ultimate crisis, I just snapped—rampaging, thrashing wildly.

  My movements became so dense, so relentless, nothing could get through.

  I kicked, I struck—I don’t even know how many incoming attacks I deflected or smashed away!

  My whole being locked into this space, this very dimension—

  fully immersed in the now, smashing jaws and cracking skulls without pause.

  My senses were so sharp, I didn’t miss a single twitch or motion.

  Right then, the only thing left in me was the survival instinct before death!

  And then—finally—!

  As if lifetimes had passed in a blink—

  the end of this death march revealed itself at last!

  No—more like: I had finally reached it!

  A tree! My closest chance at survival!

  I had knocked enough of them back—their bodies were bruised, their fear growing, and the pressure was easing.

  I let out a monstrous roar!

  Swinging wide with one final wave to drive them back and carve out space—

  I hurriedly stowed my knife and broke into a short sprint—

  only keeping my staff out to hack a path forward.

  One wolf lunged and got a kick to the jaw from my trailing foot mid-run.

  This was the final leg of the plan!

  But just then—off to my right, as I was putting the knife away—one of the wolves also seemed to sense it was now or never?!

  I turned my head—and there it was, no doubt about it—it was already mid-leap!

  If it landed on me, it would all be over!

  And just my luck—both my hands had just swung the staff out to the left, full force. My body was committed—there was no way to dodge.

  My feet were in full sprint, no room to adjust.

  Even if I somehow forced a dodge, I’d have to break stride.

  And twisting away like that would open a gap—

  the others would pounce instantly, tearing into me from all sides!

  That wolf on my left—its torso and front paws had already lifted off the ground. It was mid-launch!

  Our eyes met—less than a meter apart!

  I couldn’t block. Couldn’t dodge. Couldn’t strike.

  ☆☆☆

  "Ah! Nooo—!" the girl shrieked.

  "You’re kidding me!" the guy’s eyes went wide.

  "Beep-beep…!" The robot’s signal lights flickered and pulsed erratically.

  On the wall, the screen froze—tester and wolf locked in eye contact.

  The wolf’s front legs were raised, mid-pounce.

  "Is that it?!" the girl shouted, hands clutching her wide-brimmed hat in despair.

  "Did I misjudge? Did I get it wrong...?" the guy muttered to himself.

  Robot: "Uh, even if this test run ends in failure, it won’t impact the official mission. His evaluation score won’t drop—in fact, he’s done remarkably well to make it this far without injury!"

  But that did nothing to lift the spirits of the two viewers.

  So it added: "You both look so crushed—what is this, post-Skyrealm syndrome? Just came from the theater, huh? Hahaha."

  A chill swept through the room like a failed punchline. Silence fell hard.

  "........." "........." "........."