Chapter 123: Night Visitors in the Courtyard

Anyone daring enough to invade her territory—even Boss Sheep’s friends—would face Xia Qing’s wrath.

She slowed her breathing, steadied her pulse, and carefully observed the pack of wolves stalking just outside the courtyard.

The lead wolf’s fur was matted and wet. Through her night vision goggles and behind her protective mask, Xia Qing couldn’t tell if it was blood or water clinging to its coat. Behind it, two other wolves carried wounded packmates whose drooping heads and legs made their injuries obvious.

Once she got a good look at the makeup of the group, Xia Qing ruled out a territorial raid. No smart wolf pack would bring along injured members when trying to seize ground—they were far too tight-knit for that.

They had the numbers, she was only one. Xia Qing called out softly for her companion to regroup. “Boss.”

“Baa~~”

Boss Sheep, whose eyesight was terrible at night, was only now realizing Xia Qing had come outside. He bleated loud and clear in response.

That sound couldn’t have been more excited or more delighted if it tried.

The wolf outside the courtyard gate stared at Xia Qing, utterly unfazed as Boss Sheep happily rubbed against its side. The snow-white wool was soon mud-stained.

Xia Qing’s lips twitched slightly. No need to guess—the five battered evolved wolves were obviously Boss Sheep’s friends.

“Baa——”

Boss Sheep ran over and nudged Xia Qing, making it clear with his actions that she should follow him outside.

But Xia Qing kept her eyes fixed on the lead wolf and stood her ground.

Boss Sheep hurried back to the lead wolf and brushed up against it again, signaling for it to come into the yard.

The lead wolf stared right back at Xia Qing without moving. The two wolves behind it, in turn, remained frozen.

All that effort for nothing—Boss Sheep was getting cranky. He spun back around and gave Xia Qing a firm shove, forcing her to abandon her valiant defensive posture.

Whose side was this silly, timid guy on, anyway? Xia Qing grabbed Boss Sheep by the horns to stop his stubbornness and spoke up first. “You’ve broken into my and Boss Sheep’s territory. What do you want?”

It seemed the lead wolf understood her question. It strode in first, leading the way into the courtyard.

Xia Qing tightened her grip on her handgun and tensed every muscle, ready to leap onto the rooftop at a moment’s notice. She’d already chopped down the tall trees around the house for security, so the only high ground left was her small building.

The lead wolf fixed her with a steady gaze, walked to the middle of the yard, then bowed its head and tugged something off its own body to place on the ground.

As soon as Xia Qing saw what it was, her eyes went wide.

It was filthy, but unmistakable—this was the pouch Xia Qing had made for Boss Sheep to carry compressed rations. So the pouch hadn’t been lost after all; Boss Sheep had given it to the wolves!

When Xia Qing didn’t react, the lead wolf picked up the pouch and gave it a shake, dumping its contents out on the ground. Then it turned, sniffed at its two wounded companions, and looked back at Xia Qing expectantly.

That’s when Xia Qing noticed something odd: in the darkness, the lead wolf’s eyes glowed a yellow-green, not the usual wolfish green.

They locked eyes for a few seconds and, strangely enough, Xia Qing understood exactly what it meant. “You’re trying to trade these supplies for my help treating your wounds?”

The lead wolf hadn’t moved, but Xia Qing was sure that was what its eyes were saying.

Xia Qing felt like she was dreaming.

She knew this evolved wolf was smart, but this level of intelligence bordered on terrifying.

She was tempted by the offer, but making a deal was one thing—helping the wolves heal and grow stronger was another. She couldn’t take that lightly.

While Xia Qing hesitated, the lead wolf growled twice. The two wolves behind it lay down and gently slid their injured companions off their backs, then followed the lead wolf away. Boss Sheep, bleating loudly, trotted after the wolves.

The lead wolf looked back and growled low. Boss Sheep immediately stopped in his tracks. Getting someone as stubborn as Boss Sheep to obey that quickly wasn’t something you could pull off overnight.

Through her night vision goggles, Xia Qing spotted three wolves hadn’t left. They’d only retreated to the ruined buildings on the south side of her home.

Had they pulled back to put her at ease while she tended to the wounded wolves?

The intelligence of this lead wolf probably rivaled a ten-year-old child. Terrifying—these creatures of Blue Star’s great evolution had become truly frightening. If someone this sharp could lose to snakes and bears, how dangerous were those other creatures?

If the wolf pack fell, who would keep the bears and snakes in check? The Azure Dragon Unit? Or her?

Xia Qing made up her mind quickly and switched on her flashlight, illuminating the supplies the lead wolf had brought.

There was a clump of grass with roots and dirt attached—a species Xia Qing didn’t recognize. In the soil, a few small stones were stuck to the roots as well.

She turned her flashlight toward the two evolved wolves lying on the ground. The beam didn’t just highlight the blood and grime on their fur—one wolf’s hind legs were twisted awkwardly, while the other lay motionless with its eyes closed. Xia Qing could only tell it was alive because its belly still rose and fell faintly.

She took a cautious step forward. The wolf with broken hind legs snapped its eyes open and bared its fangs in a fierce, low growl.

Xia Qing immediately took a step back. Boss Sheep rushed over, planted himself between her and the wolves, and showed off his spiral horns.

Watching Boss Sheep stand protectively in front of her filled Xia Qing with gratitude.

“Woo——”

From the ruins outside the yard, the lead wolf let out a commanding growl. The wounded wolf instantly retracted its fangs and lay flat, though its glowing green eyes stayed locked on Xia Qing with unmistakable threat.

The other wolf never moved, its eyes still closed. But for some reason, Xia Qing got the feeling this unmoving one was even more dangerous than the one baring its fangs.

Even with the lead wolf enforcing discipline, Xia Qing wasn’t about to approach two dangerous beasts unguarded.

She went inside, fetched three calming capsules, and put them in a clean basin. She added half a basin of pure, uncontaminated spring water, then braved those green, menacing eyes to place the basin nearby. Retreating to the doorway, she called out, “Let the injured wolves drink the medicine water. I need to check their wounds to know if I can help.”

Boss Sheep thought she was calling him and trotted over to the wounded wolves. “Baa.”

The injured wolves ignored him, not budging an inch.

“Baa——” Boss Sheep bleated again, but the wolves still didn’t move.

Just when Xia Qing thought Boss Sheep would lose his temper, he surprised her by backing away and nudging her forward, as if urging her to go herself.

Xia Qing was speechless.

The lead wolf finally got the message. In one powerful leap, it cleared the ruined wall and landed next to the basin. The speed and agility left Xia Qing stunned.

Yang Jin had said this wolf moved about as fast as he did—so this was what it meant to be a level ten speed evolver.

It was much too fast.

If Xia Qing ever had to face off with this wolf, she’d never get to the high ground first to cut off its attack with gunfire. Retreating indoors and calling for backup was her safest bet.

The lead wolf nudged the basin over to the two wounded wolves. No order needed—the wolves moved on their own. The one with broken legs propped itself up and started lapping at the water, while the weaker one opened its eyes and drank too. Xia Qing could see clearly—the weaker wolf’s entire lower half wouldn’t move, and its front legs trembled from the effort. Its spine was almost certainly broken.

She could try splinting a broken leg, but a shattered spine was beyond her ability.

Both wolves were desperately thirsty—they only stopped after draining most of the basin. That’s when the nearly paralyzed wolf lifted its head and met Xia Qing’s gaze.

She recognized it right away. The second time she’d entered the Breeding Center to hunt wild boar, she’d run into this very wolf while retreating through Area Three of Mountain 49.

It was a brain-evolved creature.

The look in its eyes and the way it moved set brain-evolved animals apart from the rest. Xia Qing couldn’t quite put it into words, but if she had to describe it, it was a light of intelligence shining from every glance and gesture.

The calming capsules worked quickly—the two wolves collapsed, unable to move. Once the lead wolf had backed out of the courtyard, Xia Qing moved in to examine the injuries. Broken bones and external wounds—she had medicine for cuts but nothing to fix bones.

She called out to the lead wolf outside the yard, “I can’t heal these wounds. I’ll need to find someone—a doctor. Do you understand?”

The lead wolf stared at her, unmoving. It clearly wasn’t quite clever enough to fully grasp human language yet.