Chapter 14: Sparring a Sheep Boss

When it came to fighting, the Evolver Sheep couldn’t outthink Xia Qing, but it sure had stamina and brute strength in spades.

By the thirty-fifth time the sheep charged at her, Xia Qing’s arms were burning. She clambered up onto a big rock, waving the white flag. “Alright, you win. You’re the boss. Let’s call it quits, I’ve got real business to handle.”

The Evolver Sheep finally stopped. It lifted its head, stared at Xia Qing for a moment, then flopped to the ground with a thud, mouth open, breathing hard.

So the sheep was worn out too. Xia Qing collapsed on top of her rock, grinning.

Once they’d both caught their breath, Xia Qing jumped down, pulled out her water bottle and took a few hearty gulps. Glancing at the sheep sprawled beside the boulder, she asked, “Boss Sheep, want some water?”

The Evolver Sheep—she supposed she should call it Boss Sheep now—kept its eyes half-closed, eyeing Xia Qing with arrogant indifference, as if a sheep could actually look down on anyone.

Xia Qing didn’t bother holding a grudge. She poured water into the sheep’s bowl and stepped back a couple of paces.

Boss Sheep got up and drank half the bowl, then turned to glare at the mashed-up Chinese Toon Tree branch under its hooves. Its look was far from friendly.

Was it… hungry?

Xia Qing slipped on her protective mask. “You take a break. I’ll go fetch you some more Chinese Toon Shoots.”

She grabbed her machete and basket, took a few steps, then heard something behind her. Turning, she spotted Boss Sheep trotting up to catch her. “You want to come too?”

“Baa.”

Considering it at least sounded like a normal sheep when it bleated, Xia Qing relented and pulled out a collar. “Sure, but how about wearing this, okay?”

Seeing Boss Sheep start pawing at the ground again, Xia Qing knew better than to insist. She tucked the collar away. “Alright, forget it. But if you get snatched up for dinner by Captain Tan’s team, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

After that scrap, Xia Qing felt a weird kind of camaraderie with Boss Sheep—like they’d become battle buddies. It seemed Boss Sheep’s grudge had mellowed a bit too. So, one human and one sheep headed off together, slipping through the Buffer Forest and the Barrier, and into the Evolver Forest.

Inside the Evolver Forest, Xia Qing slowed down as Boss Sheep surged ahead of her.

Seeing how surefooted it was, Xia Qing simply stuck close behind. Before long, Boss Sheep really did lead her onto a proper animal trail.

Xia Qing laughed. “Judging by those hoofprints and the width, is this trail your doing? How do you dodge the venomous snakes and bugs out here?”

Boss Sheep obviously didn’t answer. After walking a ways, it paused to munch on a striking purple broadleaf grass.

Was this stuff safe?

Xia Qing plucked a leaf, squeezed out the dark red juice, and checked it with her Advanced Portable Tester. Turns out, this was an edible plant—almost as high-rated as Chinese Toon Shoot, just a sliver below.

Honestly, Xia Qing never would have tested this creepy-looking grass if Boss Sheep hadn’t started grazing on it.

Well, now she had a brand new vegetable, thanks to the boss!

While Boss Sheep munched, Xia Qing got to cutting. When Boss Sheep finished, they both climbed the hillside together. Boss Sheep lifted its head, staring intently at the Chinese Toon Tree.

“Okay, I’ll pick them—just wait here.”

Yesterday, Xia Qing had already taken all the shoots she could reach by hand. Today, she had a different plan.

She chopped a bamboo over four meters long, trimmed it clean, then strapped her razor-sharp sickle to one end. Using the stick, she started slicing down Chinese Toon Shoots.

“Baa!”

Seeing the shoots tumble down in clusters, Boss Sheep called out in delight and dug in right away.

Xia Qing harvested every shoot within reach. After stuffing Boss Sheep full, she still had a large bag left.

Xia Qing didn’t want to run into the forest clean-up team. “Boss Sheep, ready to head back?”

Boss Sheep was lying on the ground and made no move to follow.

Xia Qing didn’t argue. She waved a tuft of Chinese Toon Shoots under Boss Sheep’s nose, shouldered her spoils, and marched downhill.

Before long, she heard heavy hooves pounding after her. Xia Qing’s mouth curled into a silent smile.

She took Boss Sheep’s animal trail on the way home, didn’t run into any dangerous creatures, and made it back through the Barrier and into her own territory in no time.

Boss Sheep went straight for the spring to drink. Xia Qing set out some Chinese Toon Shoots and half a basket of purple-leaf grass for it, then started cleaning up all the broken trees they’d trashed during their fight.

That patch of forest was ruined now, but after three days of rain, it would be green and lush again.

Xia Qing bundled up the sawn logs and hauled them home, stashing them in the east courtyard’s storage shed. Then she went around the village collecting more dry wood.

Rain was coming soon. She needed to stockpile as much firewood as possible.

Cooking over wood was never as easy as using electricity or gas anyway. The Safe Zone didn’t sell solar panels to individuals, so Xia Qing was already plotting what she could trade with Tan Junjie to get a couple. She needed them for more than just cooking; keeping her phone charged with scavenged power banks wasn’t a long-term solution.

The rain would start the day after tomorrow, and Xia Qing barely had a moment to rest. She wanted to gather every scrap of usable material from three abandoned villages and store it safely, before Evolver beasts driven wild by the rain ruined everything.

Scavenging for supplies was always risky.

When Zhong Tao arrived with her Land Certificate, he was startled at the sight of her. “What happened to you, girl?”

Her protective mask was cracked, half her face was swollen, and she was covered in mud. Xia Qing summed it up: “Ran into a nest of Evolver Scorpions.”

Evolver Scorpions were no joke—messing with them could get you killed. Seeing Xia Qing’s battered appearance, Zhong Tao felt a chill. “I’ve got some antidote in the car—want me to grab you some? Rain’s supposed to start tomorrow. Once it hits, we won’t be able to get out of here, even on foot.”

Xia Qing had already taken antidote. She handed over a canvas pouch. “Tao, could you tally up how many points these scorpions are worth?”

Looking at the wriggling, tightly-tied sack, Zhong Tao’s scalp went numb. “They’re all alive?”

“Alive. Seventeen of them are over ten centimeters, thirty-six between five and ten, and at least a hundred smaller ones. I didn’t count the tiny ones, but there’s plenty.”

Dang, that’s insane.

Zhong Tao swallowed hard. No wonder Xia Qing looked like that, hauling so many live scorpions. “Based on the base’s standard exchange rate for Evolver Scorpions, the lot’s worth 820 points.”

They went for more than other poisonous bugs, since you could use them for antidotes. Xia Qing knew Zhong Tao always gave her a fair deal. “I’ll trade for a bottle of antidote, a bottle of insect repellent pills, and a new protective mask. Use the rest of the points for rainproof tarps—I need something to keep the roof dry.”

Zhong Tao laughed. “Getting all that gear? No wonder you never save up your points.”

She didn’t have any family to look after, so what was the point of hoarding points? Xia Qing just smiled, saying nothing.

Zhong Tao realized that too. He scratched his head and turned to fetch the supplies.

After seeing Zhong Tao off, Xia Qing went home, took a hot shower, then stood in front of what was left of her bathroom mirror, gently medicating the cuts on her face.

Once the reddish grime was washed away, the swollen scratches on her pale skin really stood out.

It wasn’t the scorpions that did this to her face—a falling steel bar from a collapsed floorboard had caught her while she was catching the bugs. Lucky for her, she was strong and quick; otherwise, she might still be pinned under that slab.

Besides her face, Xia Qing’s body had other bumps and bruises, but nothing was broken. The protective suit saved her from any cuts that needed tending.

Bleeding, scars, even a ruined face—those were the least of her worries. The real danger was infection. In a world where bacteria and viruses kept evolving, even a tiny wound could cost you your life.