Chapter 1040: Spoils of the Valley

Year Eleven of the Cataclysm, the third Devastation Rain break. Western Evolved Forest of Hui Three, Area 37.

Thick black smoke billowed up from the ruined valley, pushing back the lingering mist and revealing four busy figures.

The bodies of seven Scavengers, along with animal remains from the valley’s recent battles and a giant lizard carcass, were tossed onto a pile of pine branches, doused with oil, and set ablaze by the group.

The reagents these seven Scavengers used were poisonous, and even the bugs they laid out to attract beasts were a problem. Xia Qing couldn’t do much about the live animals that fled after eating the bugs, but the dead ones had to be thoroughly destroyed to prevent this valley’s ecosystem from being contaminated.

Burning was the cheapest and simplest way to kill germs and toxins. With Devastation Rain falling regularly, there was no need for a firebreak and no fear of runaway wildfires.

Once the pyre caught, Xia Qing told Er Yong to keep an eye on the fire, then led Hu Zifeng and Jing Kuan to the other side of the cave. She lifted the woven vine cover off a pit trap to check what was inside.

The Scavengers dug this pit to catch tigers and wolves, so there were no poisoned spikes at the bottom. Some animals inside were bruised, but all were alive, crowding together and filling the pit with noise.

These animals hadn’t come in contact with the Scavengers’ bait bugs. They were still usable.

“Sixteen wild boars, four antelopes, and two red deer! Sister Qing, we hit the jackpot!” Jing Kuan, the Vision Evolutionary, counted the catch and broke into a grin.

Every animal was alive—even if they were all Red Lanterns, hauling them back could fetch twenty credits a pound. This haul would make them rich.

A smile spread across Xia Qing’s face too. “Captain Hu, tranquilize all of them. Once they’re down, we’ll remove the lid and load them onto the helicopter for quality inspection.”

“You got it!” Hu Zifeng eagerly drew his tranquilizer gun and shot each animal once.

Minutes later, every animal was out cold. Xia Qing wedged her crowbar under the heavy boulder pinning the center pole of the vine net, rolled aside the trap lid, and hopped into the three-meter-deep pit.

This Scavenger squad had picked an excellent spot for their trap. The pit was dry, and the slanted vine net cover had a tightly woven straw mat below it. Devastation Rain slid off the lid and drained into the lower valley, keeping the animals safe from exposure to the red rain.

Hopefully, a few of these animals would be edible—especially the red deer and antelope. Human activity made these big game rare in the evolved forest. If any were edible, Xia Qing wanted her Idol to have a taste.

“Captain Hu, catch!”

“On it!”

Xia Qing hefted a wild boar—over three hundred pounds—in both hands and hurled it upward. Hu Zifeng caught the boar and handed it to Jing Kuan, who tied it with rope.

Evolved animals came with all sorts of abilities. There was no telling if one had developed a tranquilizer immunity—imagine it waking up and thrashing around the helicopter before they made it back.

After tossing up twenty-two animals, Xia Qing noticed a few trampled critters at the bottom of the pit. No need to keep those.

Climbing out of the trap, Xia Qing gave the vine cover a careful look, studying its design. Once she got the technique, she pulled out the straw mat, rolled it up, then called to the Alpha waiting at the cave entrance halfway up the hill. “Queen, the catch is out. Take your pick first—whatever’s left is mine.”

The Alpha stood up and leaped to the pile, his golden eyes glaring at Hu Zifeng and Jing Kuan.

Both men, regulars in Section Three, understood instantly. They stepped back a dozen meters, giving the Alpha space to choose before hauling the rest to the helicopter.

The Alpha sniffed every animal Jing Kuan had tied up, finally stopping at one antelope. He looked at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing quickly set the antelope aside. “All right, this one’s yours. Want any others?”

The Alpha eyed Xia Qing, both of them locked in a stare—woman versus wolf.

Jing Kuan whispered, “What’s Queen trying to say? It only wants one antelope?”

Hu Zifeng shook his head. He was stumped.

But Xia Qing caught on. This catch was the Western Wolf Pack’s ‘payment’ to the Northern Wolf King. She pointed to the antelope the Alpha chose and asked, “So, Queen, you mean this antelope is mine, and all the other game is yours?”

Solemn as ever, the Alpha gave a slow, toothy grin, revealing just a pair of pointed fangs.

Jing Kuan: !!!

Hu Zifeng…

Xia Qing was fine with that split. “Works for me. I get the Scavenger supplies and this antelope, the rest is for Queen. Thanks for letting me have one, Queen.”

Jing Kuan’s jaw fell open in surprise. Hu Zifeng shut his, staying as calm as he could. “Sister Qing, do we move all the game to the chopper then?”

“Hold on.” Xia Qing pointed at the Alpha’s mountain of game, then gestured at the nearby cave. “Queen, could you spare one more animal for the tiger inside? It’s hurt and can’t hunt for a while.”

A t-tiger? Evolved Tiger?!

Jing Kuan gaped at the cave up on the slope.

“Awoo——”

The Alpha stood in front of his haul, bared his fangs at Xia Qing, and growled low.

Xia Qing got the message. “All right, it’s all yours, Queen. How about this—let me trade my antelope for the tiger in the cave?”

The Alpha tucked his fangs away. No objections.

Xia Qing had Hu Zifeng and Jing Kuan load the Alpha’s animals into the chopper. She grabbed the 130-pound antelope and headed back into the cave, pulling out the Lethal Element Detector to check its quality.

When the yellow light on the detector blinked, showing the antelope’s Devastation Element content at just 6.2‰, Xia Qing was stunned. She couldn’t believe an antelope that’d stood half an hour in Devastation Rain still had such high quality.

Could all of Queen’s game really be this good?!

Who’d be fit to eat such premium antelope meat?

Xia Qing fired off a message to her Idol right away and soon got a reply:

Bring it back.

Xia Qing pocketed her phone, quickly swept out the driest corner of the cave, disinfected it, and pulled a waterproof pad from her backpack. She rolled out the mat, unzipped the tent, and gently lifted the Evolved Tiger onto the pad.

After packing away the tent, Xia Qing hauled two hefty bags of loot outside and stowed them in the chopper. She chopped two large branches knocked down in the wolf-tiger fight and dragged them halfway up the hillside. She sprayed the cave inside and out with disinfectant and scent-blocker, then took out her freeze-dried meat, jerky, and pure spring water, placing them by the tiger’s head. She made broad gestures, explaining everything to the fierce beast.

“There’s anti-inflammatory medicine dissolved in that water. Drink as much as you can when you’re able to move. Here’s over five pounds of Red Lantern and Yellow Lantern meat—just tear through the packages and eat. During Devastation Rain, you won’t need to hunt. These jerky packs are at a discount, only two thousand credits. Right now you owe me.”

When she finished, Xia Qing lifted the tiger’s thick leg and pointed to the stitches and protective patch. She was serious. “This protects the wound. Don’t rip it off or lick it. Blind one—hang in there. Guard your territory. Don’t let anyone else take it. And remember to pay me back.”

She gently placed the tiger’s leg down, gave its huge head a scratch and a few good chin rubs, then hoisted her backpack and prize bag, left the cave, and used tree branches to seal the entrance tight.

The scavengers’ purple bug bait had wiped out the valley’s small animals. Now the Evolved Tiger could rest and recover without worry.

As Xia Qing left, the Evolved Tiger cracked open its pale yellow, bloodshot eyes, gazed at the blocked cave entrance, then looked at its bandaged foreleg and slowly closed its eyes.

Its thick tail tip twitched slightly, then sank back down.