Chapter 1033: Rainfall Hunt in the Evolved Forest

Hunting down the rogues who ambushed the military squad during the Devastation Rain in the Evolved Forest—this mission’s difficulty has already hit S-rank.

Hu Zifeng’s job is to protect Xia Qing. He really wants to go with her, but he’s just a senior sniper with fifth-level vision evolution, while Xia Qing is already a top sniper at ninth-level vision evolution. When it comes to recon and sniping, he’s just not on her level.

He came this time hoping to put his close-combat skills to use, but in that department, the Alpha of the Northern Wolf Pack has him beat. Since the Alpha objected, forcing his way in would only drag Xia Qing down. With a complicated mood but a calm face, Hu Zifeng said, “Alright. If you need air support, contact me instantly.”

“Got it.” Xia Qing turned toward the silver-gray huge wolf racing over just as her phone rang. It was Yang Jin. From the sound of wind and rain roaring through the call—louder than this whole Evolved Forest—Xia Qing guessed Yang Jin was leading his squad on a forced march inside the forest.

If they’re sending Yang Jin out during the Devastation Rain, it has to be something big.

“I’m splitting up with Luo to circle back to our base. We’re trying to corner and take out the intruders aiming to blow up the Pure Spring,” Yang Jin jumped right into updates for Xia Qing, quickly sharing intel.

“Thanks to Xie Yu’s intel from Fire Phoenix’s network, we’ve confirmed that the stray squad who robbed weapons from Hui One Sixth Squad has twelve members. They’re looting resources all over and trading with Fire Phoenix for the supplies they need to survive in this forest. Of the ten-man team sent to the northern Section Three to hunt down Magnetic Sense evolved fighters, at least three are rogues. Two more were taken out by you. So there’s probably still seven hiding somewhere in the Evolved Forest.”

“Whoa.”

Yang Jin shot forward, dropping onto a massive pine. The trunk quivered, shaking down torrents of rain-soaked needles like a sudden downpour.

“Scout ahead with the Wolf Pack. If you find just a few, wipe them all out. If they’re in force, contact Xie Yu so she can send Tang Zhou’s squad over for their share.” Yang Jin knew Xia Qing was stronger now and wouldn’t act recklessly, but looking at the endless, clawing forest, he couldn’t help but worry. Still, there was a smile in his voice. “My side’s about to hit a fight. Xia Qing, we’ll see each other in Section Three after the rain.”

Tang Zhou’s squad is ranked fourth in overall strength in the Azure Dragon Squad—way tougher than Hu Zifeng’s team, who barely cracks tenth.

Xia Qing met the Western Wolf King’s gaze, her own eyes steady. She answered coolly, “Deal. After the rain.”

No matter how dangerous this Devastation Rain gets, no matter how many intruders plunder resources from the Evolved Forest, Xia Qing is determined to take back everything they’ve stolen and bring it home.

Sharing the Spoils

If she could, Xia Qing wouldn’t share a single scrap. The rogues plundering supplies likely carry plenty of loot already. According to the Calamity Years mission code, if she takes this squad down, the loot’s hers—end of story.

Xia Qing stared at the massive wolf in front of her, then calmly turned to the Northern Wolf King. “Your Majesty, is this the Western Alpha?”

She’d spotted this huge wolf three times before, but up close, it was even more intimidating than she’d expected. Its size beat even the Handsome Huge Wolf, and its icy blue eyes—just a touch lighter in shade—locked on her with a pressure that made her heart clench harder than any time before.

Seriously, how much Devastation Element has this beast soaked up? How long has it been under the rain? If she rides it, will it lose control and go berserk?

The Alpha nudged Xia Qing, urging her to hurry up and not dawdle.

“Alright, let’s move!” Xia Qing gritted her teeth, strode up, grabbed a fistful of fur on the Western Wolf King’s back, and vaulted onto its rain-soaked neck. Quickly, she clasped a Yi Stone necklace around it.

The Western Wolf King gave an irritated shake, then leaped off the mountainside in one fluid motion, spooking all three members of Hu Zifeng’s squad.

Xia Qing did her best to steady her nerves, ready to bail any second. When the wolf king landed atop slick stone, its body sank for a moment before it sprang forward six meters, bounding over a bed of crimson plants. With that, Xia Qing and Hu Zifeng’s team both realized its gift:

Evolved Elasticity.

Within seconds both alphas vanished into the shadows, carrying Xia Qing deep into the thick Evolved Forest.

In the vehicle, driver Er Yong glanced from his Devastation Element Analyzer to his phone. “Captain, Kuan, there’s good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

“I’d rather hear neither.” Jing Kuan, eyes glued to his sniper rifle, was still lost in thought. All he cared about now was how far the beasts of Blue Star had really evolved.

Hu Zifeng cut in, “Can the chatter.”

“The good news is that the first round of Devastation Rain is almost done. We get a twenty-minute break. The bad news: after that, there’ll be a red-level Devastation Rain lasting at least twenty-five minutes.”

“Damn!” Jing Kuan cursed. “Boss, should we let Sister Qing know?”

Red-level Devastation Rain will cause all sorts of animals to lose control and charge out, making Xia Qing’s mission way riskier.

Hu Zifeng eyed a stretching stalk of violet-red Devastation Grass and answered calmly, “That huge wolf’s pretty hostile to us, and with Xia Qing riding its back, better not call her first.”

Fifteen minutes later, both wolf kings stopped before a mountain’s rocky crevice. The Western Wolf King gave its body a good shake, tossing the human clinging to its back straight to the ground.

“Awoo—”

The Northern Wolf King bared its fangs and snarled at the Western Wolf King, clearly upset about how it treated Xia Qing. As soon as Xia Qing hit the ground, she got up and took her place at the Northern Alpha’s side, making her allegiance crystal clear.

The two alphas locked eyes for a few seconds before the Western Wolf King gave a deliberately annoying shake, scattering water everywhere, then turned and dove into the undergrowth.

The Alpha retracted its fangs, then led Xia Qing into the rock crevice. They picked their way quickly across the slick, mossy stones.

Rain made the light poor to begin with. Five meters in, Xia Qing couldn’t even see her own hand. She reached up and pressed a button behind the left temple of her protective mask. In response, a pair of micro-glow lenses slid down in front of her eyes.

After following the Alpha to Hill Fifty-Nine to take down the Giant Raptor, Xia Qing had sent all three of her protective masks to Territory Seven to have her Idol mod them.

It cost her four thousand credits for the upgrades, but they worked like a charm. Sight restored, Xia Qing picked up her pace, climbing after the Alpha up the slippery, moss-covered rocks.

As the light brightened a bit, the Alpha halted and went prone. Xia Qing lifted her micro-glow lenses, slid down beside the Alpha, and peered out through the gaps in the weeds and vines to assess the area beyond.

This was likely the sniper perch the Alpha picked for her—a spot with a clear shot at any stragglers hiding in the western woods.

So when Xia Qing spotted a human inside a mountainside cave fifteen hundred meters ahead, she wasn’t surprised or excited.

What did surprise her were two things: First, the blue-skinned human wasn’t wearing a protective mask. Second, he was flanked by two giant lizards!