Chapter 1167: Echoes in the Wild: Gathering of the Wolf Pack

The helicopter touched down in Sector Nineteen. As the cabin door opened, wolf after wolf leapt out, eager to be the first on the ground. Xia Qing stood up and gave instructions. “Captain Hu, Er Yong, you two head back to Section One in the north for now. Come back in the morning.”

Hu Zifeng nodded. “Got it. Stay safe.”

Once Xia Qing led the six wolves, big and small, into the Evolved Forest and disappeared from view, Er Yong fired up the helicopter again. He couldn’t help but remark, “Sister Qing’s wolf squad just keeps getting bigger, and their gear gets fancier every time. Boss, that black adolescent wolf next to Wolfdog Number Two—isn’t that the pup that usually tags along with the Alpha?”

After Xia Qing had hunted down the Giant Raptor on Hill Fifty-Nine with the pack, she called Er Yong and Huo Zhun to pick her up by helicopter, bringing the injured Broken Back and a little black wolf back to the territory.

But that was two months ago, and now Er Yong wasn’t sure if the fierce, formidable black adolescent wolf they’d just seen was the same half-dead little black wolf from before.

“Probably,” Hu Zifeng reminded him. “Let’s just keep that between us. Not a word to anyone else.”

“Understood,” Er Yong replied, but couldn’t help sighing again after the captain’s instructions. “Sister Qing might just be the craziest evolved human on Blue Star. Maybe Blue Star can never go back to the way it was before the Catastrophe.”

Hu Zifeng stared down into the darkness below, uncertain what might be happening—or what strange, evolved creatures lurked in the Evolved Forest. He muttered, “It’s never going back. But honestly, if the animals hadn’t all evolved, Blue Star might’ve been even worse off.”

“True, no matter how dangerous the animals get, they’re nothing compared to the way those everywhere-evolving microbes drove us mad.”

“Sister Qing?”

Wasn’t she only supposed to bring three wolves? How come there are six now?

Yang Jin’s question crackled through Xia Qing’s walkie-talkie so loudly even the wolves overheard it.

Instantly, five wolves—including Little Wolf’s little sister and Four-Eyes—snapped into formation. The Handsome Huge Wolf at the front bared icy-white fangs, sending a warning toward the group of humans up ahead. Broken Back stayed by Xia Qing’s side, making no move to lead or direct the wolves.

Xia Qing didn’t answer Yang Jin’s question in front of Broken Back. Instead, she just cautioned, “The pack is really sensitive to firearms. Captain Yang, please keep an eye on our position and move your squad members away in advance. Try not to stand upwind—you don’t want any unnecessary clashes. Right now, you guys are upwind.”

“Understood.” Yang Jin’s mission tonight was to hold the perimeter and keep other humans and beasts from entering the area, so Xia Qing and the wolves could scavenge for supplies without interference. He thought his team staying 500 meters from the pack would be enough—but apparently not, the wolves wouldn’t even accept that much distance.

Looks like, for the Northern Wolf Pack, Xia Qing is still the only human they really trust.

That was a good thing, both for the wolves and for Xia Qing.

Once Yang Jin and the squad pulled back, the Handsome Huge Wolf retracted its fangs and shook itself, clearly annoyed. It hated having that extra layer of snake skin over its fur—running with it on felt so awkward!

The Big Guy, also dressed in a protective suit, stood guard behind Broken Back. This wasn’t their territory—strange scents were everywhere and the giant wolf stayed tense, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Little Wolf’s little sister and Four-Eyes were just as on edge.

Xia Qing reached up to scratch Er’s neck and quietly asked, “Er, could you go call over Number Four for me?”

The reason Xia Qing had Er come along was because out of all the wolves, Er was closest to Number Four. Bringing Er would make things go twice as smoothly.

Before Er could reply, Broken Back tipped its head back and let out a long wolf howl. Er quickly joined in.

After spending so much time with them, Xia Qing could tell by each howl whether the wolves were warning, gathering the group, marking their location, or sending messages. Still, even though she could understand, she couldn’t actually make those howls herself—wolves and humans just have totally different vocal cords.

Same goes for Broken Back. It could roughly grasp human voices—basically, the meaning of what was said—but couldn’t speak like a person.

Sector Nineteen lay right at the edge of the big beasts’ territories. As soon as an unfamiliar wolf howled here, it caught their attention. Soon Xia Qing heard the howls of leopards, hyenas, wolves, even tigers echoing around them.

She wasn’t the only one who heard it—Yang Jin did too. He immediately ordered his squad to watch the movements of nearby beasts, and if any drew close, to report at once.

Other humans had picked up on the wild howls as well.

Inside a cave on Mount Twenty-Nine in Hui One’s sector, one of four Scavengers hiding out and planning to sneak into Hui Three-Nine for supplies cursed under his breath. “Damn it! Wasn’t the Northern Wolf Pack supposed to be over on Mount Twenty-Eight?”

Next to him, a Scavenger with evolved hearing whispered, “It’s just two wolves. They probably ran into humans or some other big animal and called for backup.”

The third Scavenger grumbled, “What a load of crap luck.”

The fourth one piped up, “Qi, should we use some beast-attracting powder?”

The second Scavenger shook his head. “No way. Azure Dragon Squad’s helicopter just passed by. After wiping out Phantom Squad’s top sniper, they could be nearby. Stirring up more trouble with beast powder would be useless. Qi, maybe we should retreat?”

Their leader—called Qi—gritted his teeth. “Wait a bit longer. Let’s see how things play out.”

“Awoo… Owwwooooo—”

After another long howl from Er, Xia Qing finally heard a response from the southwest—that was Number Four!

That up-close wolf howl sent chills through the four Scavengers hiding in the cave. No one dared make a sound.

A pair of green wolf eyes glimmered in the southwest part of the Evolved Forest. Er let out a few joyful whines and ran off. It took a good while for Er to return, finally leading Number Four to Xia Qing.

Noticing that Number Four hadn’t brought Scarface Wolf, Broken Back nudged Xia Qing with its paw.

“I know, I’ll talk to Number Four about Scarface,” Xia Qing said, warmly greeting Number Four. “I’m so happy to see you again!”

Number Four looked calmly at Xia Qing, showing almost no reaction.

Xia Qing dug an egg out of her backpack and offered it. “Hungry? Here, have an egg to tide you over.”

Number Four sniffed at it, then grabbed the egg, tilting its head back. Crunch—eggshell and all, swallowed it whole, still staring at Xia Qing.

Only after giving it a nutrient shake did Xia Qing pull out her phone, pointing at a photo of Scarface Wolf as she explained, “Number Four, this wolf here, Scarface—the one who came with you last time—needs treatment for its wound. Otherwise, it’ll get sick and things will just get worse…”

Number Four’s gaze shifted between the photo and Xia Qing, expression turning serious.

“…It needs medical care. Number Four, if you like, you can bring it with me by helicopter today…”

When the old wolf’s face showed clear resistance, Xia Qing slowed down, talking gently to the experienced, brain-evolved wolf. “Or did you want to take it to my territory on your own?”

Number Four curled its lips to show yellowed fangs.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you and Scarface back in Section Three.” Once she confirmed Number Four understood, Xia Qing pulled up photos of the Scavengers for her next question. “Number Four, is there a cave with blue-skinned humans nearby?”

Number Four opened its mouth, baring its fangs again. Broken Back watched with a thoughtful look.

Xia Qing beamed. “Then, can you take me to their cave?”