Chapter 178: The Wolves’ Gamble and a New Dawn

Xia Qing grabbed the sick wolf by the mouth with one hand and lifted it by the back with the other, carrying it into the cave.

The two people from Territory Seven followed her in. One injected the sick wolf with anesthetic while the other immediately disinfected and decontaminated the cave, then set up a tent and prepared surgical tools. “Miss Xia, please keep the other wolves outside. We’re starting now. The surgery will take about an hour.”

“Alright, thank you both,” Xia Qing replied. Once she handed over the sick wolf, they zipped the tent closed, flipped on the light and began treatment.

Even though the light was on, not a ray escaped from the tent. Xia Qing recognized this as a military field medical tent. Territory Seven really had a lot of good stuff—it made her a little envious.

“Both eyes have evolution grass seeds stuck inside—they’ve started to sprout. Disinfect the eyes, shine a light on the pupils. Forceps.”

“Shave the fur off the left foreleg and inject the repellent.”

“There’s a reaction. Increase the anesthetic dose.”

“…”

Listening to the calm conversations inside the tent and the drip, drip of the repellent through the IV line, Xia Qing couldn’t help but think there might actually be a chance to save this wolf.

An hour later, when the tent opened again, the light inside was off and the strong smell of disinfectant hit her as soon as the flap was lifted.

The people from Territory Seven handed Xia Qing a big bundle of medicine. “Over the next few days, the wolf will expel the parasites. These are eye drops—apply every eight hours. Here’s the oral medicine; also every eight hours. And these are for the wolf with the back injury…”

Xia Qing memorized it all carefully, then asked, “Will the wolf’s eyesight recover?”

The other answered with confidence. “The evolution grass seeds got in the day before yesterday and had only just started to sprout. We’ve removed them. The eyeball and cornea are intact. As long as there’s no infection or worsening during treatment, it should recover its sight.”

Xia Qing thanked them again and, after seeing them off, negotiated with the Alpha Wolf. “This sick wolf needs to take meds three times a day and we have to prevent any kind of infection. I’ll need to bring it back to my territory for treatment.”

“There are enemies stationed outside the territory right now. It’s way too dangerous. Your Majesty doesn’t need to bring it food—I’ll handle that.”

With less than an hour left before sunrise, Xia Qing had to hurry back before daylight. She gently lifted the frail sick wolf, put it in a vacuum bag, and slid it into her pack.

Of course, she made sure to leave holes in both the vacuum bag and backpack so the wolf could breathe. Otherwise, it would have suffocated.

Passing the small shed by the farmland on her way back to the territory, the three people inside caught a whiff of something awful, even though none of them were scent evolvers.

Hu Zifeng stepped outside and whispered, “What took you so long?”

“The wolf pack brought another really sick wolf. The surgery took ages,” Xia Qing whispered back. “I’ve brought the sick wolf here. It’s so weak now that even if someone spots it, it won’t be a problem.”

Since Blue Star’s great evolution, humans had been trying to tame powerful evolved beasts. Rescuing injured or sick evolved animals and then raising them was a common tactic.

But the two wounded wolves couldn’t be found out since—even injured—they were still strong. One was even a rare brain-evolved creature. As for this half-dead old wolf, if anyone saw Xia Qing with it, they’d just laugh at her for wasting time and points on a useless animal.

Even if she saves this wolf, what real help can it be?

Hu Zifeng held his breath, watching Xia Qing. He had no idea what to say.

The wolves might not be a problem, but it was already strange enough having one crazy sheep running around Territory Three—now adding a sick wolf was even weirder.

Er Yong, one of the squad’s speed evolvers, couldn’t help but complain. “The leader’s missing part of an ear, the members are either limping or dying—are these really the wolves that took down the Fengyun Unit last year?”

Xia Qing just sighed…

But Jing Kuan, the other speed evolver, thought the wolf pack was amazing. “Things haven’t gone their way lately, but the Alpha Wolf hasn’t abandoned a single wounded comrade and even risked sneaking them into human territory for treatment. That kind of guts and loyalty is exactly what a leader should have. These wolves will be strong again—it’s only a matter of time.”

“Jing Kuan’s right,” Xia Qing agreed. She’d had her run-ins with the Alpha Wolf, but couldn’t deny its leadership.

Hu Zifeng lowered his voice and told Xia Qing to go get some rest. “You’ve been busy all night, and the sun’s almost up. Go catch some sleep.”

With only an hour to sunrise, Xia Qing didn’t plan on crawling back into bed. She’d slept four hours before and had more than enough energy to get through the day.

Once she got home, Xia Qing figured she might as well give the sick wolf a bath while the anesthesia was still doing its job. She wasn’t a scent evolver, but the smell was so bad she didn’t even want to take off her protective mask.

She pulled the vacuum bag with the wolf out of her pack and carried it into the shower. She used the big vacuum bag as a temporary tub, filling it up with warm water.

Boss Sheep came into the shower, pawed at its own washbasin and gestured at Xia Qing to use it on the wolf. After all, it was comfortable.

Xia Qing quietly explained, “Everyone uses their own tub. Go wait outside, Boss—your fur’ll just get wet.”

Boss Sheep didn’t budge and just stood by, watching.

While washing the wolf, Xia Qing chatted idly. “Were you always with the pack before you met me? Why weren’t you with them this spring?”

Naturally, Boss Sheep didn’t answer.

Soaked, the sick wolf’s thin, lifeless fur made it look even more pitiful. Xia Qing was worried it might get cold, so she washed and dried it in a hurry and set it on the straw mat in the sheep shed.

The August sun rose over the eastern hills, its rays shining into the sheep shed. Boss Sheep lay down next to the sick wolf, its white, glossy fleece forming a stark contrast with the wolf’s dull, patchy fur.

Yawning, Xia Qing started her busy day for real.

First she went back into the house and carefully scrubbed her protective suit, disinfecting it. She did the same with her newly acquired Yi Stone before taking off the suit, opening all the windows to air out the rooms, and finally heading to the kitchen to cook a pot of corn porridge and knead some dough to let it rise.

After chatting with the three female lords of Territories Five, Six, and Ten in the Lord’s Channel, Xia Qing learned how to use baking soda with dough. Now she could make steamed buns and flatbreads.

She’d used up a lot of energy last night, so a hearty breakfast was in order. After kneading the flour into dough, Xia Qing took off the small Yi Stone she wore around her neck and set it beside the mixing bowl.

That way, the dough would be protected from the corrosive Xiang element and the flatbreads would turn out tastier. Xia Qing hadn’t learned this trick from anyone—it was all trial and error on her part.

Once she got more Yi Stones, she planned to put one in every room to keep the ferocious Xiang element out.

What can she say? She’s just that extravagant.

But if she wanted that kind of comfortable life, she needed the sick wolf to survive.

Xia Qing checked the temperature and humidity in the cellar but got the same disappointing result. No matter how many Yi Stones she hung there, food and seeds wouldn’t last until next planting season under those conditions.

A new plan was hatching in her mind. She moved the chicks and goslings out of the cellar and put them in the chicken enclosure. Only one red light gosling was left, and the black-feathered rooster had it thoroughly intimidated. Xia Qing couldn’t be bothered to separate cages anymore and just let the black-feathered rooster take charge.