Chapter 158: The Bird Horde Bears Down

Tan Junjie’s calm voice echoed through the Lord’s Channel. “Attention, all Lords. Hui San Base’s first defense line has shot down over three hundred evolved birds, scattering the flock. Now, a group of more than two hundred birds is heading our way. These raptors are especially dangerous. Anyone without prior experience fighting evolved birds, hide immediately. Those with battle experience—gear up, make sure your protective equipment is ready, and get set to defend your territory.”

Tang Huai chimed in on the Lord’s Channel. “The bird leading them is an evolved devourer eagle, the most ferocious raptor around. Its talons can rip open a truck, and its beak can punch through a rooftop. Take cover, everyone. Nothing is more important than staying alive.”

“Oh God, Buddha bless us, Allah protect us, Jesus save us…” Kuang Qingwei’s voice trembled with fear.

“During these tense times, no idle chatter in the Lord’s Channel. Don’t spread unverified news or rumors—anyone causing panic will be held responsible.” Tan Junjie pressed the walkie-talkie and started giving out orders. “We don’t know yet whether the flock will simply fly over or actually attack. Territories One, Two, Three, Seven, and Nine—if you have anti-air weapons, do not attack rashly or you might provoke the passing birds.”

“Plot One copies,” replied a voice on the walkie-talkie that Xia Qing didn’t recognize.

“Plot Two has no anti-air defenses,” Tang Huai corrected.

“Territory Three ready,” Xia Qing responded.

“Territory Seven, acknowledged.” Xia Qing recognized that voice—it was the person who came to the North Barrier of Territory Three for supplies, the one who’d exchanged code phrases with her.

“Territory Nine copies.” Assistant Liu’s tone, usually light, was low and serious, commanding real presence.

After that, both the Lord’s Channel and the radio fell silent. All Xia Qing could hear were the chirping birds, the wind, and the soft chewing of Boss Sheep nearby.

In these tense moments, having such a carefree companion was surprisingly comforting. Xia Qing grinned, turned, and sat down beside Boss Sheep, leaning against its warm side, rifle in her arms as she watched the blue sky dotted with drifting white clouds.

Even as Xia Qing leaned closer, Boss Sheep kept squinting at the metal cupboard in the kitchen where the food was stored, chewing at the same steady pace. On Boss Sheep’s other side, two wolves lay watching Xia Qing’s back—one seemed to be considering where to take a bite, the other lost in thought.

Right now, Xia Qing couldn’t have cared less about the two wolves, both knocked out by tranquilizers. She closed her eyes and started breathing exercises, adjusting her mood just like Luo Pei had taught her.

As a sniper, staying calm was crucial. No matter the circumstances—wounded or not—your trigger hand couldn’t shake, and your eyes on the battlefield must always stay open.

Clouds gathered in the sky, darkening and slowly blocking out the sunlight.

Twenty minutes later, Tan Junjie’s voice returned on the Lord’s Channel. “Plot One, Territory Nine, respond if you hear me.”

“Plot One copies.”

“Territory Nine copies.”

“In fifteen minutes, the evolved bird flock will pass above Plots One through Twenty-Eight. If the birds attack, you can use firearms, but not artillery. The air is damp and humid—using heavy weapons could easily trigger Xiang Rain.”

“Plot One understands.”

“Territory Nine, understood.”

Tan Junjie pressed on. “Territory Seven, respond please.”

“Territory Seven, reporting in.”

“Can Territory Seven report on the laser cannon’s capability?”

“Laser cannon here has a power output of 30 kilowatts, with a max range of 4,000 meters. It can burn through ten-millimeter-thick steel at eight hundred meters, or five-millimeter steel at a thousand meters. Each shot needs a cooldown—three seconds to recharge between shots.”

Xia Qing was speechless.

Wow.

Is it even legal to have firepower like that in a territory? Didn’t Yang Jin say the deadliest weapon the Squad could use now was the shoulder-mounted grenade launcher?

Could the laser cannon actually outgun the grenade launcher?

Even with all her doubts, Tan Junjie didn’t question Territory Seven’s possession of a laser cannon for one second. “Copy that. The lead bird is a high-level evolved devourer eagle—wingspan over seven meters, extremely fast. Territory Seven, stand by for orders and be ready to assist with the laser cannon.”

“Territory Seven, ready and prepared.”

Fifteen minutes to go…

Xia Qing took a deep breath and leaned back. Her short black hair made a sharp contrast with Boss Sheep’s snowy white fur, drawing the attention of the brain-evolved wolf.

“Attention, all territories: the bird swarm will be overhead in five minutes.”

Xia Qing opened her eyes and turned to the three on the futon. Speaking softly, she said, “Boss, and you two as well. The evolved birds are almost here. I’ll be upstairs protecting the house—just stay put. Don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen.”

With that, Xia Qing stood, put on her protective mask, switched on the living room nightlight, drew the blackout curtains, then headed up to the attic, pushed open the only window, and leveled her sniper rifle at the sky. Meanwhile, on Territory Seven’s tallest building, a steel box slid silently aside, revealing a gleaming 220-millimeter silver gun barrel.

As Tan Junjie announced there was one minute left until the flock arrived, Territory Seven’s silver barrel lifted a few degrees, angling toward the southeast.

With her level-nine vision, Xia Qing spotted the flock with her naked eye. Over two hundred birds looked like a mass of tiny black dots at high altitude, but they grew larger and larger as they closed in.

She clearly saw the lead monster—its hooked eagle beak and glossy black talons. The birds tailing it came in all shades and markings, but every one of them had sharp beaks and deadly claws.

Through ten long years of disasters, Xia Qing had seen those claws rip through vehicles, rooftops, even grab people and haul them skyward, trailing blood and screams behind.

As the evolved devourer eagle passed over the first territories, Xia Qing saw it lower its head and scan the land below. She silently prayed, Please, nothing worth seeing here. Just keep flying… Just fly away…

But fate wasn’t on her side. The devourer eagle’s three-meter wings folded in, talons tucked back, its head dipped—and it began a dive.

Here it comes!

Tan Junjie’s voice barked out, “Laser cannon, stand by. Snipers, take aim.”

Xia Qing’s nerves were frayed before, but Tan Junjie’s command brought a wave of icy focus. Rifle steady, she locked her sights not on the devourer eagle, but the evolved sea eagle just behind it—which was glaring straight at Territory Three.

The devourer eagle’s dive was targeting Territory Seven.

Tan Junjie ordered coolly, “Seven, fire at the lead bird.”

“Seven, acknowledged.”

Barely had the reply left the Lord’s Channel before Xia Qing caught, out of the corner of her eye, the devourer eagle’s right wing flare with a white hot spot—a hole scorched by the laser. But unbelievably, its wing wasn’t severed.

“Holy—!”

Tang Huai’s outburst over the channel summed up everyone’s shock. At a thousand meters, the laser should burn right through five-millimeter steel, yet the devourer eagle’s wing stayed intact.

Did they miss, or was its skeleton harder than steel?

While the laser cannon cooled for three seconds between shots, Xia Qing could only watch the devourer eagle brake midair, spin, and climb fast.

How could something that massive move so fast?

The second laser shot slammed into a sea eagle with a wingspan over three meters, burning straight through its body and sending the raptor crashing from the sky.

After another three-second interval, the devourer eagle actually escaped the laser’s range—Xia Qing couldn’t spot it, even with her level nine vision.

A chill ran down her spine. Judging from its speed and how it dodged, that thing had to be a brain-evolved creature.

Damn it!

Isn’t brain evolution supposed to be super rare? When did it get so common?