Chapter 1397: Trap at the Park The fleet of vehicles was hot on Austin’s trail, exactly as he wanted. With a sharp skid, Austin twisted the handlebars and took a quick right turn, his tires squealing against the pavement. Ahead, he spotted the wide entrance to the park. The green fields stretched out for at least five kilometers along the side, a beautiful, well-maintained landscape usually gated and protected to control the flow of visitors. It was one of Slough’s fancier parks, the kind that required upkeep and came with a cost. But not tonight. Tonight, all the barriers were gone. All that remained was this single entrance, left open on purpose, just for this moment. Austin burst through the open gateway and tore across the grass. Behind him, the Ironfang convoy followed without hesitation. It wasn’t until about half the cars had entered the park that it began. From the tree lines and hidden paths along either side of the park, a barrage of arrows rained down. Dozens of vehicles were immediately struck. Arrows pierced tires, causing some to burst on impact. Others slammed into the sides of the cars, releasing electric shocks, freezing mist, or erupting into flames. It wasn’t just basic arrows, these were enhanced with Anti-Altered weapon tech. Since the disbandment of the Altered Hunters, it had become significantly easier to acquire old Altered-hunting gear. And now, the Howlers were making full use of it. Vehicles spun out of control. Some skidded violently across the grass while others flipped, rolling several times before crashing onto their sides. Still, a few pressed on, trying desperately to drive deeper into the park. But arrows were just the beginning. Soon, the real wave hit, Altered powers. As one of the Kings, the Howlers had access to vast resources. Kai had long made it a priority to acquire Altered solutions wherever he could. The top-performing members of the Howlers had been gifted these serums and trained under Crawley personally. In total, excluding external allies, around fifty Altereds fought under the Howler banner. Tonight, they were ready. Hidden across both sides of the park, they waited for this exact moment. Any vehicles that managed to survive the first assault were now bombarded with ranged Altered attacks, strange acidic liquids, sharp projectiles, binding goo, and more. The barrage forced vehicles into more chaos. Wheels shredded, windows cracked, hoods crumpled. Eventually, every single car came to a screeching halt somewhere within the park. The Werewolves had no choice. They weren’t built to fight from within cramped, enclosed spaces. They needed air, space, freedom. Bursting through broken windows, tearing open doors, they emerged in full force. Some ripped off the roofs of their vehicles as they climbed onto them, scanning the area for those who had dared to attack. Transformation had already begun, fur spread across skin, claws extended, eyes glowing with primal fury. Even as the Howlers’ ranged attacks continued, the Werewolves pressed forward. Wounded or not, none of them had fallen. Even those whose cars had exploded or flipped crawled out, fully transformed, as if nothing had happened. Their bodies healed quickly, and fresh wounds meant little to a Werewolf. Then, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Crawley stood at the edge of the park, arm raised, signaling with clarity and purpose. “All of you, fall back!” he called out. “Get into your positions!” His voice likely couldn’t be heard over the chaos, but it didn’t matter. Everything had been pre-planned, rehearsed, and laid out. The Howlers weren’t just winging this, they were executing a strategy. Because even with their fifty Altereds, and a few external allies… it was still nothing compared to the army they now faced. The Lupus pack had brought five hundred Werewolves to Slough. To face that, they had to fight smart. That meant tactics. That meant strategy. And that meant something Gary didn’t like at all, bringing in the regular members of the Howlers. Those who didn’t know Qi, didn’t have any abilities, and weren’t Altered in any way. These members would serve as support only, equipped with Altered-hunting tools and simple weapons, doing what they could from a distance. This was why Crawley had split the forces. Their goal was to break the Lupus pack into smaller units, to scatter them across the vast stretches of green and give the Howlers a fighting chance. From one of the flipped vehicles, Ylva emerged. Dusting herself off, she raised her arm high. “All of you, find them, and eliminate every last one of them!” she ordered. The Werewolves responded immediately. A chorus of howls erupted into the night, their growls rippling through the air like thunder. Without hesitation, they rushed off in every direction, disappearing into the hills and fields, searching for Howlers hidden across the park. Then, Ylva’s eyes narrowed. She sniffed the air a few times trying to find something, but she shook her head shortley after. ‘Of course, none of them would be here, they know how foolish it would be to come out. It also confirms that the information we found out is true. My dear Midwak, I’ll need to give him a gift, but to do that, I’ll need to find him.’ Ylva thought. “Ghost!” she barked. In a flash, a lithe man in a tight black suit appeared beside her. His sudden presence nearly made her flinch, he had moved so quickly, even she hadn’t sensed him coming. His face was hidden behind a sleek black mask. Silent. Focused. “You have a different task,” Ylva said firmly, locking eyes with him. “It seems the other Werewolves in the city aren’t joining us tonight. I want you to find them, hunt them down, and eliminate every single one. No matter where they’re hiding.” Ghost gave a small nod, and without a word, vanished into the night. The trap had been sprung. Now the real hunt was about to begin. *** Author Notes: For updates on My Werewolf System and all future projects, follow me on social media: *Instagram: @jksmanga *Patreon: jksmanga News on MVS, MWS, or upcoming stories will appear there first. Feel free to message me, if I’m not swamped, I’ll try to reply!