Chapter 1102: Narrow Escape Over the Wilds

After leaving the One-eyed Tiger’s core territory, Xia Qing was heading back to the helicopter’s landing site, planning to board again. Suddenly, the two wolves halted and flanked her protectively. Just then, Hu Zifeng’s urgent warning crackled through Xia Qing’s walkie-talkie. “Sister Qing, two evolved tigers are charging straight toward your position! Get on board using the rappelling rope! You’ve got a minute and a half—move!”

You couldn’t blame Hu Zifeng for being so tense. The way those evolved tigers moved through the forest—their sheer speed and power—was simply overwhelming.

There was no way Xia Qing could outrun the tigers. If the helicopter dropped low now to pick her and the wolves up, the tigers could leap right onto it. Their only option was to use the rappelling rope to haul all three of them clear of the ground and out of the tigers’ reach before anything could attack.

“Copy that,” Xia Qing replied, quick to pull out the custom harnesses. She strapped them onto her wolf companions with practiced speed and made sure everything was locked tight.

Moments later, the helicopter roared in, dangling the rappelling rope. With the two wolves, Xia Qing sprinted forward, leaping to grab the main line. She hooked the locking carabiners onto the wolves’ harnesses, then snapped the last one to her own. “Take off!” she shouted.

“Roger that!”

Er Yong gripped the controls and the helicopter shot upward. The rappelling rope went taut, yanking Xia Qing and the two wolves clean off the ground.

“Roar—!”

They had barely gotten six meters into the air when a massive tiger—easily twice the size of the One-eyed Tiger—let out a thunderous roar. It launched at them full force, huge paws and gleaming fangs catching the sunlight.

“Awooo!”

Dangling in midair, Number Two and Number Four let out furious howls. But no matter how hard they tried, their presence couldn’t compare to the tiger’s raw power. In the helicopter, Hu Zifeng and Huo Zhun gripped their guns, ready to cover them at a moment’s notice.

Just as the tiger struck, Xia Qing let go of the rope. She grabbed Number Four with her left arm and Number Two with her right. Twisting her body, she lashed out in midair, driving her legs down like whips. Her feet slammed into the tiger’s head, and the recoil sent the trio swinging more than four meters aside—just far enough to dodge the beast’s deadly claws and fangs.

The first evolved tiger, stunned by Xia Qing’s kick, tumbled down. Before it could even recover, an even larger and stronger tiger came soaring up, its powerful leap closing the gap fast.

But it was a fraction too late. The helicopter had already picked up speed. When Xia Qing and the wolves swung through the air again, they were already five meters above the second tiger’s reach.

Finally… they were safe.

Clinging to the helicopter’s rope as she swung high above the ground, Xia Qing’s heart pounded wild in her chest. She couldn’t help cursing those two tigers for their ambush.

“Awoo—woo, awoo-woo!” Before Xia Qing could say a word, the wolf she held—every muscle tense—threw back its head and howled furiously at the forest below.

Xia Qing had no idea what it was yelling, and frankly neither did the tigers below—there was definitely no animal diplomacy happening. Down there, the two massive tigers chased after the helicopter, leaping through the trees, shaking the forest with their thunderous roars. When the ruler of this patch—the One-eyed Tiger—caught up and joined them, only then did the chase stop.

Then, the three tigers lined up beneath the helicopter and vented their anger in unison, roaring up at the dangling trio.

Seeing this, Xia Qing realized these tigers must be either companions or relatives of the One-eyed Tiger. They probably thought the helicopter had just snatched their leader and charged in for a rescue.

Honestly, it was touching—and utterly terrifying.

Even after seeing the One-eyed Tiger safe, the big cats hadn’t calmed down and kept roaring at the helicopter. In the Western Evolved Forest, it seemed there wasn’t a single evolved predator with a good temper.

The helicopter’s winch reeled Xia Qing and the two wolves up to the hatch. With the seventh-rank strength evolver Huo Zhun’s help, they clambered back into the cabin.

First inside was the elder wolf. The moment its paws hit the armored cabin floor, it dug in its claws and dropped low, latching onto Xia Qing’s protective suit with its teeth and hauling her in.

This elder wolf was an evolver too. Xia Qing, still dizzy from swinging through the air, lost her balance as it yanked her forward. If not for Huo Zhun catching her in time, she’d have tumbled right into Number Four.

Huo Zhun shut the cabin door and let out a shaky breath. “That was insanity. I almost pulled the trigger more than once back there.”

Er Yong, piloting up front, called back, “Sister Qing, there are two more tigers moving in from the left!”

Xia Qing unlatched the carabiners from Number Two and Number Four, then peered out the window. She watched as two more tigers rushed to join the others, feeling grateful that luck was on her side today.

Hu Zifeng was clearly shaken too. “Can’t believe the little one you rescued is actually the runt of the whole pack. All these years since the disaster, I’ve never seen so many tigers act together.”

Deeper into the Western Evolved Forest, beyond the Western Wolf Pack territory, lay the true tiger lands—a complete forbidden zone for humans. Even Hu Zifeng, a member of the Azure Dragon Squad, had never seen this many tigers gathered. As for Xia Qing, who usually stayed close to the Safe Zone, it was beyond anything she’d ever imagined.

The territory closest to the Western Wolf Pack was Mount Thirty-Seven and Mount Thirty-Six—the smallest patch ruled by the youngest tiger, the One-eyed Tiger. Today, Xia Qing had picked purple-flower groundwort right in its domain and made it out unharmed. That was pure luck.

Huo Zhun reasoned, “I think our helicopter spent too long circling Mount Thirty-Six. That probably caught the attention of the other tigers in the area, so these two came to investigate. When they spotted Sister Qing and the wolves, they must have thought you attacked the tiger of Mount Thirty-Six, and that’s why they rushed you.”

Xia Qing nodded. “Yeah, I had the same thought.”

Hu Zifeng was focused on another detail. “I was watching the radar the entire time. Those two tigers just showed up out of nowhere. They were either hiding right where they appeared or came from somewhere radar couldn’t penetrate—like a cave or some other obstacle the high-frequency radar can’t see through.”

Huo Zhun chimed in, “This helicopter’s a civilian model—its radar is nothing compared to military equipment. It’s got a limited range and has trouble seeing through complicated terrain. Plus, the effects from the third Devastation Rain still linger. The moisture and fog in the Evolved Forest mess with the radar, scattering and absorbing the waves.”

Xia Qing soothed the two wolves, smoothing down their fur. “We really can’t rely on detection equipment too much.”

Huo Zhun nodded. “Exactly. The deeper you go, the trickier the terrain gets, and the magnetic fields can throw off a lot of our instruments. If your personal skills aren’t top notch, it’s a death sentence out here.”

It wasn’t just Xia Qing and Hu Zifeng who felt that way. Even Huo Zhun, back when he served with the Jiao Dragon Special Forces, said every mission deep into the Evolved Forest felt like a one-way trip.

Er Yong’s voice came from up front, “Sister Qing, Mount Twenty-Six is just ahead. Our helicopter doesn’t have clearance to enter the shared airspace between Hui Three and Hui One. Where should we touch down?”