Chapter 1023: Aftermath of the Ninth Center Ambush

A helicopter carried away the nine damaged vehicles from the destroyed Ninth Center, heading toward Section One in the north. On the way, Security Captain Guo Chongjun gave Xia Qing a detailed account of the incident.

“You acted quickly—the moment things broke out, you kept Geng Min and Wang Jun safe in a reinforced bunker and immediately called for backup. Your prompt response and smart decisions kept casualties to a minimum.”

As director of the Ninth Center, Xia Qing made a point to praise the security team’s efforts and then commended the two Magnetic Sense evolvers. “Geng Min and Wang Jun kept up with the security team at a critical moment. Not only that, they also took charge of moving the wounded and stood out with their performance.”

When the vehicles were blown up, one member of the Ninth Center’s security died instantly and another was injured. Two more were hurt while retreating into the bunker. If Wang Jun and Geng Min had reacted slowly and needed someone to carry them, the security team wouldn’t have been able to raise their shield wall in time. They also wouldn’t have made it to the bunker under cover from the Section Three Inspection Team’s suppressing fire.

Wang Jun replied sincerely, “If you hadn’t arranged for us four Magnetic Sense evolvers to train with the security team, there’s no way we’d have been able to run that fast.”

Geng Min, whose ears were still ringing, nodded along. She was genuinely grateful Xia Qing had put them through training—and, more than that, that she’d flown over in the helicopter to save them as soon as trouble hit.

While fleeing from the abandoned cars toward a residential house, a security team member was shot in the ankle and fell right in front of her. Geng Min wasted no time; she hoisted him over her shoulder on the spot.

At that moment, her mind wasn’t thinking about heroics. All she could focus on was the fear that if the shield wall passed the wounded and kept moving, enemy bullets would end up in her own legs.

Huddled inside the shaky house, one thought filled her head—she had to survive and get home to her family. That instinct, honed through eleven years of disaster, kept her alive.

Xia Qing was just about to check on the wounded when her phone rang.

Xin Yu was calling. “Target spotted on Hill Forty-Seven—ten of them, fleeing southwest at top speed. I’ll hit them with bombs and clear them out.”

Xia Qing asked, “Where exactly are they on Hill Forty-Seven?”

Xin Yu answered, “Second peak of Hill Forty-Seven. Looks like they want to avoid the Western Wolf Pack’s core territory, trying to cut through to Hill Forty-Five.”

Heading southwest—most likely Hui One’s people! With ten left out of the original fourteen, that means the other four are Hui Three’s moles, still hiding somewhere on the mountain.

Xia Qing calmly gave the order, “Hold off on the bombing. Send me a screenshot with coordinates and time—I’ll report it right away and call for backup from Hill Forty-Five and Hill Forty-Seven.”

When the Ninth Center’s people were attacked while on a work assignment—and with the Magnetic Sense evolvers as the target—it was a major incident.

A major incident like this has a standard response protocol.

Given the urgency, Xia Qing had led the team and wiped out the enemy attackers at the Ninth Center on the spot, just as the rules allowed. The enemies now on the run should be caught by the base’s own people. If they can’t send reinforcements fast enough, then bombs will only be used once the enemies are about to escape Hui Three’s perimeter.

“Understood.”

Once Xin Yu hung up, Xia Qing immediately contacted the Hui Three Base Director’s Office and the emergency task officer.

“Received. Deploying nearby squads and military units to intercept immediately. Director Xia, please provide enemy coordinates every two minutes.” On the other end, the rapid clatter of a keyboard sounded.

Half a minute later, the Mission Hall in the Safe Zone posted an urgent bounty, and the alert showed up on the phones of all task force members and soldiers with an internet connection.

At the same time, a covert search mission near Hill Forty-Eight—close to Section Three Territory in the north—was phoned in to the Inspection Teams of Section One and Section Three.

Inspection Team members who’d just finished a rescue and were on their way back to Section One and Section Three immediately changed course, racing toward Hill Forty-Eight to carry out the capture orders.

A minute later, five mission teams in the Western Evolved Forest and an official fifty-man Evolved Forest combat squad all dropped what they were doing and made a beeline for Hill Forty-Five and Hill Forty-Seven, closing in to surround the ten fleeing bastards.

Doesn’t matter who you are—if you dare come to Hui Three and try to snatch our Magnetic Sense evolvers, you’re not getting out alive!

Back on the helicopter heading to Section One, Hu Zifeng flashed Xia Qing an ‘ok’ hand sign.

Xia Qing quickly sent Xin Yu a code, then made the call. “Mission Center has issued an urgent mission to capture the ten-person squad. Azure Dragon Squad is taking the airborne surveillance and strike role. Join the mission group I sent you and relay real-time enemy positions, plus their combat strength and weaponry details.”

After her report, Xia Qing added with a calm smile, “The rewards from this task—we can use those credits to buy Gua Gua and Little Jade some snacks.”

“Got it.” This was Xin Yu’s first time leading her Tamed Bird on an official base-level assignment, and even her usually chilly voice sounded excited.

The helicopter touched down smoothly on the Ninth Center’s training ground. As the hatch opened, Xia Qing and Guo Chongjun carefully carried down the body of their fallen teammate.

All the veterans training on the field snapped up their right or left arms in salute.

Families of the employees, gathered at the edge, first stared at the body bag shining under the fierce midday sun, then at the helicopter hatch, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Seeing their loved ones step off the helicopter—or seeing them carried down—families let out a deep sigh of relief. Their people had come home alive.

For those who couldn’t spot their family, they staggered to the body bag, hands shaking as they unzipped it, breaking down in gut-wrenching sobs.

Xia Qing handed follow-up duties over to Deputy Director Yue Haiying and Office Director Yan Yue, who’d already stood up with her prosthetic leg. Then she turned just in time to see Wang Shunkang dash over to his father, Wang Jun.

Geng Min’s father, still in his Ninth Center work uniform, hurried to her side as well, trembling as he touched her bloodied protective suit. Maybe to protect the kids from shock, her mother-in-law hadn’t brought them out.

An hour later, Xia Qing received word: Of the ten-person squad on the run, four had been killed and six were now captured.

With the emergency over, Tan Junjie—who was still searching the mountain—contacted Xin Yu to borrow her Tamed Bird for aerial scouting of the four enemies possibly still hiding on Hill Forty-Eight.

Half an hour later, Xia Qing left the Ninth Center and hurried back toward her own territory. It was already past two—time to get home and start cooking for the others.

“Xia Qing.” Tang Huai slipped out from behind the Wild Grass Wall in Territory Two and called out. “Is everything settled at the Ninth Center?”

Xia Qing nodded and kept walking.

Tang Huai caught up, “Did you break up with Hu Fengzi?”

Xia Qing shot him a look. Tang Huai, worried she might hit him, quickly jumped out of the way. “I heard Hu Fengzi talk to Captain Tan on the lord communicator earlier—and he called you ‘Sister Qing.’ If you hadn’t broken up, would he call you that?”

Xia Qing…

“You’re a natural at intelligence work.”

“So you really broke up!” Tang Huai always joked about them splitting up. Now that it’d actually happened, his feelings were a bit more complicated than he expected.

“Bzzzz—”

“Take your call, answer it. I’ll talk to you later.” Tang Huai, out of things to say, hurriedly dashed off through the Devastation Grass wall.

“Captain Tan.”

Tan Junjie asked first, “Xia Qing, have you finished up over there?”

Xia Qing replied, “All done.”

Tan Junjie explained the situation, “We tracked the two running away all the way to the edge of the third peak on Hill Forty-Eight. But the Surveillance Bird found eight Evolved Wolves blocking our way—the leader was the massive silver-grey, blue-eyed wolf from the Northern Wolf Pack.”