Chapter 1027: Much Ado Before the Devastation Rain

Back at her territory, Xia Qing had to calm down Old Goat, who was itching for a fight, before discussing things with Elder Wolf, who was lounging atop the ruined house on the south side of her yard. “Number Four, mind helping me out?” she asked.

Elder Wolf slowly poked his head out. Xia Qing raised up big photos of Alpha and Crippled Wolf, putting on her friendliest face and gesturing as she talked with the brain-evolved old wolf. “Number Four, can you bring over either Queen or Broken Back? I have something really important to discuss. If you can get them here, I’ll roast a Green Lantern Chicken for you tonight. Sound good?”

Elder Wolf stared at the pictures for a while before disappearing back down.

Xia Qing gritted her teeth and upped the offer. “I’ll throw in two eggs and a handful of Green Lantern Breadworms!”

Still no deal.

“Tomorrow, you don’t have to catch any bugs to feed the fish or the chickens, I’ll do it all myself!”

Finally, Elder Wolf poked his head out again. Once Xia Qing repeated the terms, he climbed to his feet, stretched lazily, and padded off the ruins heading north.

If Er was here, would I even bother with you? Xia Qing grumbled inwardly, but kept her words pleasant. “Come back early, Number Four. Roasted chicken’s no good cold.”

Watching through the cameras as Elder Wolf left the Abandoned Village and picked up speed through the Northern Buffer Forest, easily clearing the wall she’d spent 200,000 credits on, Xia Qing glanced at the lively chickens before heading inside with her backpack.

Out by the fields, Guan Tong and Xiao Jiang spotted Elder Wolf running off. They exchanged uneasy looks—Xia Qing had been busy enough today, could something else be happening now?

Could she really handle it all?

Back inside, Xia Qing set down her backpack and her weapons, peeled off two layers of protective suits, and headed to the bathroom on the second floor. Stripping down to her base layer, she checked the bruises on her abs and thighs from the bullet hits. Nothing but large patches of subcutaneous bruising, no broken skin. Relieved, she showered and changed into a clean, comfy summer protective suit before heading downstairs.

Thank goodness for High-Evolution Spinach, and for Third Brother’s nutrient source recipe. At noon, she drank a bottle of premium nutrient shake made with spinach juice and nutrients. Her stomach kept hinting it wanted real food, but she still had plenty of energy.

Dinner could wait until evening.

Seeing Xia Qing walk over looking as normal as ever, Xiao Jiang immediately reported on today’s happenings in the territory. “Around nine this morning, Zheng Kui came by in the patrol truck. Copper and I traded all the Red Lantern Fish from the pond net for salt, vinegar, and toilet paper.”

Guan Tong added, “We cleaned out the drainage ditch by the greenhouse. Except for Greenhouse Three, we’ve already harvested all the mature mung bean pods from the remaining four greenhouses.”

That drainage ditch had to be cleared before the Devastation Rain, otherwise the rainwater would flood the fields and ruin the crops. After thanking them, Xia Qing saw them out, grabbed her bag while there was still daylight, and went to pick the mature mung bean pods from Greenhouse Three. She also checked on the Green Lantern fig cuttings that had just sent out new shoots.

These cuttings would need special protection in the coming Devastation Rain. Xia Qing measured out distances, staked up Evolution Stones, and then began her territory patrol.

After making the rounds and planning out tomorrow’s chores, she picked some veggies for dinner and headed back. The leftovers she’d packed from Territory Seven were already gone, so she’d have to cook her own meal tonight. Her dishes didn’t taste as good as those from Territory Seven, but her ingredients were top-notch and loaded with nutrition!

She picked a nice, plump rooster from the chicken house and was plucking it when Elder Wolf returned with Alpha and Broken Back in tow. Clearly, Elder Wolf hadn’t grasped the difference between ‘or’ and ‘and.’

This was still the early stage of the Devastation Rain, so the Northern Wolf Pack must be busy too. If Elder Wolf had actually understood and delivered the message right, the two wolf leaders wouldn’t have shown up together.

Elder Wolf, catching the scent of chicken blood, took a few sips from the spring water and went back to his ruins. Alpha and Broken Back, after wiping their paws, padded indoors and sat watching Xia Qing.

She praised the two wolves for their hygiene, then raised her glove-clad, feather-dusted hand. “Queen, I found a suspicious human in the Western Evolved Forest this afternoon—so I had to call you over. Broken Back, can you turn on the TV and play the video for us?”

Broken Back loved these chores. Sprawled on Xia Qing’s sofa, it pressed the remote and hit play, then reached to turn on the air conditioner.

“Broken Back, it’s cool enough today. No need for the AC.”

Broken Back retracted its big paw and stayed on the sofa to watch the video with Alpha, who was lounging in the rocking chair.

Xia Qing had already edited out the part where she begged Handsome Huge Wolf for help and her own sorry attempts to keep up with him, leaving only the latter half—the real fight.

When the two human corpses in the tree hollow suddenly opened their eyes and attacked Xia Qing with guns, both wolves got dead serious. They jumped onto the floor and focused intently on the video.

It wasn’t a long video. By the time Xia Qing finished prepping the chicken and put it in the oven, the wolves were watching it a second time. She sat down to rest, and when the third viewing began—two blue-faced humans appearing on the screen—she paused the video.

“These two blue-skinned humans smeared themselves with pesticide. That’s why they reeked of corpses. Their protective suits were cooled to thirty degrees and they had breathing gear, completely cutting off air exchange with the outside world. That tricked Handsome Huge Wolf and the Western Wolf Pack into thinking they were real corpses…”

What she told the wolves matched the initial findings from Territory Seven’s tests and autopsies.

She walked them through the video and explained why she’d brought the two Northern Wolf Pack leaders over. “Queen, Broken Back, if you ever see blue-skinned humans faking being dead up north, you must steer clear and come tell me quick. I’ll deal with them. The pesticide they use is toxic. Don’t go near, and don’t make contact with blue-skinned humans…”

Some time back, when Broken Back was healing in Section Three, Xia Qing used numbered color test cards to see how well it could distinguish colors.

Turned out that while its color sense wasn’t as refined as a human’s, Broken Back could clearly pick out black, white, gray, blue, purple, and pink. All other hues just looked like various shades of gray.

Alpha had no interest in the cards or the test, but Xia Qing guessed both wolves probably saw colors much the same.

With business done, the chicken in the kitchen finished roasting.

When Xia Qing carried out a small bowl loaded with roast chicken, boiled eggs, breadworms, and spinach leaves, both wolves looked up at her. She explained, “This is Number Four’s food. I asked him to fetch you in exchange for roast chicken, two eggs, and a handful of breadworms. Broken Back, want some too?”

Broken Back immediately grinned, showing two cute, snowy-white baby fangs. Alpha lazily averted his gaze and kept watching the video.

Xia Qing laughed too. “This one’s for Number Four—can’t give you any. If you want roast chicken, trade me an Evolution Stone, or go catch a wild boar from the valley and I’ll roast it for us.”

Broken Back lost its smile and turned back to study the video.

Xia Qing had expected exactly that. She cheerfully carried the food bowl to the gate and called Elder Wolf down to eat. She didn’t deliver it up top, because he’d claimed that patch of ruins as his own private territory. Even the royal platform Xia Qing made from wood had been dragged up there by him personally.

Alpha and Broken Back pushed open the security door and stepped out. Elder Wolf, eating at the gate, instantly guarded his bowl and let out a warning growl.

Alpha and Broken Back barely glanced his way before leaping over the east wall and leaving Xia Qing’s home and territory behind.

After crossing Hill Forty-Nine, the two wolves didn’t return to the Northern Evolved Forest. Instead, they tore along the beast trail to the spot where Xia Qing battled the blue-skinned humans. There, they carefully sniffed around, baring their fangs.

When they reached the place where Xia Qing and Handsome Huge Wolf killed the second human, they ran into the Western Wolf King. The three wolves sniffed each other, then bounded deeper into the Evolved Forest together.