Chapter 1133: Early Morning Hunt

At dawn, Xia Qing got up just as the sky began to lighten.

She made a round through her own territory, then swung by the Ninth Center. After breakfast, when she realized the fog was thick and the temperature hadn’t risen much, she grabbed her hoe, took her calf by the lead, called for Old Goat, and headed out for a walk toward the Northern Buffer Forest.

She tied the calf to the hillside so it could graze and let Old Goat wander nearby. Xia Qing got to work weeding the cabbage terraces.

It was mid-August and Xia Qing had already pulled the string bean and eggplant stalks, planting 300 heads of Green Lantern cabbage in their place. The Green Lantern cabbage had a high yield, was easy to store, and both Old Goat and the chicken flock loved it. Xia Qing figured the Yellow Calf would like it too, so she planted even more this time.

Since the terraces were for growing top-quality crops, Xia Qing didn’t let Hu Zifeng’s Squad manage them. After she watered a few days ago, all sorts of tiny weeds had sprouted densely among the cabbage. She’d have to clear them out herself.

Compared to fighting and hunting in the Evolved Forest, Xia Qing much preferred working within her own territory. She stood carefully among the vibrant, hand-high cabbages, expertly swinging her hoe to dig out clumps of weeds and loosen the soil.

Loosening the soil improved its structure and helped the plants grow, but it had to be done just right. If the hoe went too deep or too close to the stems, it could damage the roots and stunt the crops.

Xia Qing had loads of farming experience, so of course she wouldn’t make that mistake. But over in Territory Eleven, Huo Zhun wasn’t so lucky.

Huo Zhun was weeding the greenhouse alongside three squadmates, chatting excitedly about going hunting after the disaster response was over. He got so distracted he yanked up a cabbage seedling. Before he could sneak it back into the dirt, his dad caught him red-handed.

With everyone watching, Huo Lei didn’t scold his son—just declared that Huo Zhun was too clumsy for delicate work. So, for the next half month, it was his job to cook, wash dishes, clean the house, and do the laundry.

Huo Zhun felt his world collapse and pleaded, “Dad, I’m supposed to go on a mission with Sister Qing today. There’s no way I’ll make it back for lunch!”

Xia Qing couldn’t stay away from her territory for more than two days or people would get suspicious. So, Disaster Relief Commander Zhang San requisitioned the Azure Dragon Squad’s helicopter and sent Xia Qing, Huo Zhun, and Zhang Hongda to fly over the Evolved Forest’s water system, tracking the Devastation Snake from the air and joining up with the ground team to boost hunting efficiency.

Tang Huai tried hard to get paired with Xia Qing but got shot down by Zhang San. Since Tang Huai was an Auditory Evolutionary and couldn’t fly a helicopter, teaming with Xia Qing was pointless—it’d just waste fuel.

While Wu Lianmin was busy making faces at Huo Zhun, Xia Qing’s voice came crackling over the walkie-talkie: “Huo, Dazhi, you there?”

Huo Zhun grabbed the walkie-talkie right away. “I’m here! Sister Qing, I’m here!”

Zhang Hongda chimed in, “Sister Qing, I’m all set.”

“Alright, we’ll meet at Hill Forty-Nine’s helipad in fifteen minutes.”

“Copy that!” Huo Zhun called out, then shot a hopeful look at his dad.

Huo Lei just sighed, “You’re with Xia Qing. Do whatever she says—no backtalk. Keep your mouth shut and focus on the job.”

Both Xia Qing and Xin Yu valued peace and quiet. Tang Huai kept getting sidelined for not being able to hold his tongue.

“Got it!” Huo Zhun answered eagerly. He dropped his hoe and raced off.

Huo Lei barked, “You’ve got fifteen minutes! Why are you running like that? Fill a thermos with warm water before you go!”

“Okay—”

Even so, watching his son dash off like his pants were on fire, Huo Lei grumbled to Wang Dashan, “He’s twenty-three and still hasn’t shaped up at all.”

Wang Dashan chuckled at the patch of torn-up ground in front of Huo Lei. “These kids’ lifespans have jumped over a hundred years since they evolved. At twenty-three, they really are still kids.”

“Flying the helicopter is way too noisy and burns too much fuel,” Tang Huai called out to Xin Yu on the Lords’ channel. “Xin Yu, want to team up with Gua Gua, Owl, and Little Jade? I’ll handle security for you.”

Xin Yu didn’t want to answer, but she had to explain herself: “My tamed birds got spooked during yesterday’s mission, so they won’t be able to fly for a while.”

Before Tang Huai could say more, Zhang San came online: “Everyone from yesterday’s snake hunt, if you can’t go out today, say why in the group, otherwise be ready to set out in twenty minutes.”

“Got it!” Tan Qi replied crisply. With disaster relief ongoing and school out, she’d joined the task squad to earn credits and contribution points.

Qi Fu chimed in on the Lords’ channel: “Third Brother, today we’re switching up the team for Section Five. I’ll head out for this mission.”

“Copy that. Stay safe.”

Over in Territory Eleven, Wu Lianmin, still sore he’d missed out on yesterday’s outing, huddled with two teammates. “Sister Man, Mingzi, which one of you wants to stay here? I’d like to get out for a while.”

Before Di Ming could answer, Wang Man pointed at the neatly weeded planting bed in front of him. “Mingzi’s the best at farm work. You stay to weed, Di Ming, Da Min and I’ll go out.”

Di Ming just…!!!

The helicopter landed on Hill Fifty-Nine. Xia Qing hurried toward Hill Sixty while Huo Zhun and Zhang Hongda continued their aerial search.

Suddenly, a strong wind cleared the clouds and the temperature shot up. The snake pack looked ready to launch their fourth attack. If she didn’t hurry, she’d miss out on the meat strips.

Sure enough, just as Xia Qing predicted, before she could reach the battlefield she heard the howls and roars of wolves and bears!

By the time Xia Qing arrived at the scene, the hunt was already in full swing in the valley. She spotted six giant pythons standing upright on the lake two kilometers away, then grabbed her bag and dashed into the valley to snatch up some snakes.

Her main goal today was to grab a few live Devastation Snakes before the Wolf Pack finished them off.

Xia Qing was a crack shot and strong too—but when it came to speed, she was nowhere near the Evolved Wolves. After scrapping for ages, she barely managed to snag one. Of course… it was another male.

Some people just had all the luck… and she sure wasn’t one of them.

Looking around with her bag, Xia Qing noticed another Devastation Snake escaping south across the middle of the lake. She took off after it right away.

But the Mother Bear on the other side was much faster. She charged into the water, slammed the snake with a paw, and sent it flying onto Bear Pack Territory. Then she turned and roared at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing’s temper flared too, but before she could retaliate, the Handsome Huge Wolf leapt into the lake, grabbed her protective suit by the teeth, and tossed her back onto the shore. Then it led three Huge Wolves to face off against the Mother Bear.

All the Devastation Snakes that climbed out of the water were dead now. The valley’s hunt had turned into an all-out brawl. The cub with medical tape on its leg fought fiercely with Lame Wolf and the others, turning into a wild tangle.

Xia Qing scrambled up the hillside, leveling her gun at the five giant pythons standing out on the lake, ready in case they tried anything sneaky.

One of the giant pythons with golden vertical pupils spotted this dangerous human again, hissed angrily, and smacked the water with its tail.

Once the splashes faded, the lake fell silent—no sign of a single giant python. The snake pack commander called off the invasion. The mid-sized pythons withdrew, and only a few dozen small snakes managed to escape into the river, scattering as the bears and wolves clashed.

The Alpha and Bear King soon put a stop to the chaos in the valley. Once things calmed down, the Bear Pack and Wolf Pack started snatching up Devastation Snakes from the ground. Xia Qing used the opportunity to grab three male snakes and one female, but the female was already dead—just good for a meat strip.

Once she’d sealed up the Devastation Snakes, Xia Qing caught as many regular snakes as she could and parked herself by the river, gazing longingly across at the Bear King.

The Bear King, stuffed and satisfied, met Xia Qing’s gaze for a moment. With a wave of his big paw, he tossed her a strip of white meat.

“Thanks, Bear King. You’re the best!” Xia Qing quickly stashed the meat strip in a bag, sealed it tight, and stuffed it into her largest thermal container.

Her thermal bag was made of extra-thick aluminum, high-polymer pearl cotton, and a waterproof outer layer. She packed it with over a dozen ice packs. Once the Devastation Snake meat strips were sealed and placed inside, they’d stay fresh for five or six hours, easy.

Because the pythons hadn’t made it into the fight, neither the wolves nor the bears took any serious wounds. Xia Qing only had to patch up two wolves before she flopped down in the shade, chatting with Broken Back about getting him to grab a couple live Devastation Snakes for Third Brother during the next showdown.

Broken Back agreed right away.

But after waiting more than four hours with nothing happening, Xia Qing got suspicious. She called for the helicopter to check things out from above and learned that the snake pack had given up heading south. Instead, they’d turned northwest toward Hill Sixty-Eight near Python Lake, looking for a place to hibernate.

But Hill Sixty-Eight didn’t belong to the wolves or bears—it was the border territory of the evolved raptors!