Chapter 1141: The Hunt Across the Marshlands

Wang Man, standing guard by the edge of the marsh, spotted three crocodiles gliding slowly from the center of the lake—just their eyes and nostrils above water, convinced they were perfectly hidden. She radioed in, “Sister Qing, three crocodiles are heading our way. Can we go after them?”

This stretch of water was connected to Crocodile Lake by waterways, even though two ridges separated them. So crocodiles showing up here wasn’t strange. Xia Qing glanced at the three, the longest barely five meters. “Go ahead, but stay alert.”

“Copy that!” Wang Man shrugged off her bow and arrows, sidearm, and knife, handing them to Wu Lianmin who’d already reached out to take her gear. She strode forward across the shallows, then dove into the deep water. Like an arrow loosed from the string, she shot toward the biggest croc, spun in the water, and slammed a fierce kick into its side. The five-meter-long juvenile went limp, flipping belly-up onto the surface with a loud splash.

Out cold.

That move, that power, that speed—she was every bit as cool as Yan Long!

The other two crocodiles realized things had gone south and whipped their tails, racing away. But Wang Man caught up, knocked them both out in quick succession, and dragged them all back together.

“Sister Man, you’re a beast!” Zhu Li had never seen anyone fight in the water so stylishly before.

“Woooo—”

Up on the mountain ridge, four young wolves let out low growls. Tang Huai, in the middle of pulling birds off the net, glanced up toward the peak. He asked quietly, “Sister Qing, those wolves up there are howling. They’re not going to attack us, are they?”

Xia Qing replied evenly, “As long as you don’t provoke them, they won’t. Huo, Shi Du, help Sister Man drag the crocs ashore. Everyone else, pick up the pace—release all red lantern chicks under four pounds. We need to clear out of here soon.”

Wang Man wasn’t a strength-type evolver, so she couldn’t drag three crocodiles ashore through the shallows and marsh on her own.

Once Shi Du and the others had dragged the unconscious crocs onto dry land, he checked their quality and reported, “Sister Qing, two are red lantern, one’s yellow lantern. Should we bring them all back?”

The hunting party could only take 300 birds max. Even picking the biggest ones, the total weight was well under 2,500 pounds. The largest of the three crocodiles tipped the scales at about 1,000 pounds; the other two would be around 800 apiece. They had five strength evolvers today, so there was no problem taking everything they’d caught.

Even living red lantern crocodile brought in 25 credits per pound.

Xia Qing nodded. “Do it. Hit them with sedatives, tie them up tight, and bring them all back.”

Half an hour later, the hunting team, burdened with 184 birds and three crocs, moved on to set up their net at a new spot and try for more.

Their first hunting ground was recommended by Crippled Wolf. This time, their magnetic sense evolver Xin Yu had quietly signaled Xia Qing to the next spot. While they hadn’t tested everything there yet, there were definitely more green lantern birds than elsewhere.

After filling their quota of three hundred birds, the team shouldered up their haul and started the trek home.

Huo Zhun, a seventh-rank strength evolver, carried the thousand-pound croc.

This five-meter-long crocodile had a tail nearly half its body length. Shi Du had secured it well—when Huo Zhun slung it over his shoulders, the head drooped down one side, tail sticking out high but not dragging. It didn’t slow him down a bit.

Shi Du, a peak fifth-rank strength evolver, carried an 800-pound croc.

Yuan Yan, a fifth-rank strength evolver, hauled a 700-pound black-maned goose.

Back in the Safe Zone, Yuan Yan had worn a yellow badge as a regular civilian. This March, she tested as a third-rank strength evolver. But after half a year eating top-shelf food—especially the x-2 high-evolution spinach—her strength shot up fast. She was now rank five and could shoulder seven hundred pounds for the march.

Her magnetic sense had leveled up too.

Encounters with magnetic sense hunters in the Safe Zone had rattled Yuan Yan. People had even raided their territory, targeting the Ninth Center’s magnetic sense users. The sense of danger was so real she never revealed this ability to anyone.

Yu Shou, a fourth-and-a-half-rank strength evolver, carried six hundred pounds of wild duck.

Yu Shou’s evolution hadn’t climbed, since he’d already had plenty of nutrient-rich army rations as a soldier. His current level reflected his actual ability.

The last nine hundred or so pounds of game were split between Zhu Li, Tang Huai, Xin Yu, and Wu Lianmin.

As leader and a six-and-a-half-rank strength evolver, Xia Qing only carried a seven-hundred-pound croc. That was because, aside from hauling loot, her job was to keep the whole squad safe on the march home.

Being a four-type evolver had pushed Xia Qing’s health to the limit. Last year she’d been poisoned; an Evolution Element stim shake almost wrecked her body. She’d spent the last half year healing, which meant her progress had slowed.

Wang Man and Zhang Hongda, unburdened, walked front and rear guard for the group.

About thirty minutes later, Xia Qing noticed the strained breathing from Xin Yu and Zhu Li. She ordered the group to rest in an open clearing for fifteen minutes before moving out again.

Zhu Li sat herself heavily on a rock the moment Xia Qing gave the word.

Xin Yu set her 150-pound pack down, rolled her aching shoulders and legs, and took a moment to steady her breathing. Then she suddenly sensed two large predators a hundred meters to her left.

Hunters returning with their haul were always prime targets for prowling beasts.

Feeling the magnetic signature—and catching a whiff of ill intent—Xin Yu didn’t flinch. She sipped some water, closed her eyes, stretched out her legs, and kept right on resting.

After all, this was Wolf Pack territory. And they had an alliance with Xia Qing.

Dragon-sharp noses never missed a thing. Wu Lianmin, a rank-seven scent evolver, called out a warning: “Sister Qing, two predators just showed up, ten o’clock in the shrubs, about 80 meters away. By the scent, they’re leopards.”

Knowing it wasn’t wolves but leopards, Tang Huai and Zhu Li got focused, their evolved hearing straining to pick up any sound from the left front.

“Anyone carrying a load stays put. Sister Man, Dazhi, you’re with me on security.” Xia Qing stood facing the leopards, locking onto them.

Wang Man and Zhang Hongda took her cue, spreading out at 120-degree angles, forming a protective ring around the pack mules.

Wu Lianmin spoke again, “Seventy meters. They’re still closing in, but not quickly.”

“Forty-five meters.” Tang Huai finally picked up movement. “These two are moving with serious caution.”

“Thirty meters,” Zhu Li added, her voice steady—the way Xia Qing had taught her.

“Targets locked,” Xia Qing said, already sighting in with her sniper rifle on the pair crawling forward. Her presence was unmistakable.

“They stopped,” Tang Huai reported, thrilled. “Guess they’ve got some sense after all.”

The leopards held Xia Qing’s gaze for ten long seconds, then began to back away to fifty meters. With her rifle steady, Xia Qing ordered, “Everyone carrying a load, use this time to rest. We move again at double time in ten minutes.”

If those leopards didn’t move off entirely, they’d just be waiting for another shot to ambush. Xia Qing wanted no drama—she’d rather scare them off than end up having to shoot or injure them.

As the crew got moving again, the two leopards who seemed ready to tail them suddenly switched direction, scrambled up a big tree, and hissed fiercely down at a pair of adolescent wolves below.

Tang Huai nearly tripped over his own load. “Those two were cheetahs all along?”

Wu Lianmin confirmed, “Wolf scent everywhere.”

They really were leopards—Xia Qing saw the black tear-marks under their eyes. She said coolly, “Keep moving—head straight for the wolf-leopard boundary as quick as you can.”

Two adolescent wolves, two adolescent leopards—at Hill Fifty-Two they were busy fighting for territory when the eleven-person team, after another break, finally reached the wide, flat mountain pass between Hill Forty-Nine and Mountain 51.

At last—safe!