Chapter 218: Wolves, Rain, and a Feast in the Safe Zone

Seeing all these wolves packed in with the sheep really brings back memories.

Xia Qing chuckled, just about to speak, when she noticed all three wolves’ ears twitch at once. A flash of lightning cut through the sky, and a low rumble of thunder followed close behind.

Up above, two storm clouds collided over the territory—Xiang Rain was about to fall. Maybe it was because the wolves weren’t wearing their Yi Stones, but among the three wolves and one sheep, the Wolf with the Spinal Injury was the most startled by the thunder.

Xia Qing headed back inside and grabbed a set of protective gear for dogs and three face masks. She waved at Boss Sheep. “Come here, Boss. The Xiang Rain’s about to start—time to suit up.”

Even though Boss Sheep, Sick Wolf, and the Wolf with the Spinal Injury all had Yi Stones tucked away in their pouches to block the Xiang element, that wouldn’t keep out the poisonous gas from dangerous, evolved Xiang Plants. Xia Qing had already cleared the big trees near the house, so it was unlikely any new Xiang Grass could evolve into something toxic nearby. Still, since she had protective gear at home, there was no reason not to use it, just in case.

Animals have incredibly sharp senses—every creature on Blue Star, even the tiniest ant, knows how dangerous Xiang Rain can be. Boss Sheep obediently let Xia Qing help it into the protective suit and mask, then strutted around, head held high, showing off in front of the three wolves.

Xia Qing shot it a look and then waved for Sick Wolf. “Number Two, over here.”

Sick Wolf padded over to Xia Qing and sat down patiently.

She strapped an old protective mask onto him. “This is the one Boss Sheep broke during the last ultrasound attack. I already fixed it up and changed the filter, so it’ll block out poison gas. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it in no time.”

Sick Wolf had never worn a face mask before, but after Xia Qing put it on him, he wagged his tail happily.

Xia Qing raised an eyebrow. “Have you seen this kind of mask before? When?”

“Woof.” With the full-face mask on, Sick Wolf’s voice came out soft—Xia Qing couldn’t make out what he was saying. The Brain-Evolved Wolf watched Sick Wolf’s wagging tail, eyes full of thought.

Xia Qing grabbed the last two masks. “Spinal and Broken Leg, your turn. The ones you wore during the last ultrasound attack are all cleaned and refitted with new filters. Come get them.”

Both injured wolves had worn the masks last time, so they weren’t strangers to them—though honestly, they didn’t have fond memories. The Wolf with the Spinal Injury came over and sat, letting out a low howl that summoned the Wolf with the Broken Leg (who’d been standing in the back, glaring and baring his teeth) to join him.

Xia Qing masked them up, then put on her own gear. She switched on her earpiece walkie-talkie, her tone turning all business. “Xiang Rain’s on the way. My human friends and I will guard the territory. Boss, Number Two, Spinal, Broken Leg—watch the house. If anything happens, call me right away.”

“Baa!” Boss Sheep answered at once.

Out of all of them, Xia Qing only turned on Boss Sheep’s walkie-talkie. After all, the sheep knew to keep its voice down with the mask on.

As for the wolves—since they’d just howl if there was any trouble, she wasn’t about to risk her sensitive ears getting blasted if she turned theirs on.

Back inside, Xia Qing loaded up with weapons, the portable toxin detector, and a gas absorbent. Finally ready, she slung the big basket she’d prepped and hurried toward the little farm shed by the fields.

Hu Zifeng’s squad was already gathered, the shed bright and packed with lively energy.

Guan Tong took the heavy basket from Xia Qing’s back. “Qing-jie, didn’t we agree not to bring food this time?”

Xia Qing explained, “The wolf pack just dropped off two animals—together, almost a hundred pounds of meat. They ate some, but I didn’t have time to process the rest, so if we don’t eat it now, it’ll just go bad.”

She wasn’t sure if the Black Wolf would bring more game during the Xiang Rain, so she set aside enough meat for them and stashed it in the cellar below the house.

As for Guan Tong, left holding the basket…

Let’s be real—he was jealous!

Chen Cheng couldn’t help asking, “Qing-jie, what’d the wolves catch this time?”

Xia Qing answered, “One Yellowlight wild boar and either a Yellowlight sheep or deer.”

Everyone…

Wanted to have wolves, wanted to join Territory Three!

When Xia Qing pulled out two vacuum-packed boar legs, Er Yong from the Speed Evolver team spoke up. “Qing-jie, did you keep the animals’ heads?”

“Yeah, I saved them.” Truth be told, Xia Qing never knew what to do with the heads. She used to trade the Greenlight ones to Territory Seven, but the past few days she just skinned the Yellowlight ones and boiled them.

Hu Zifeng proposed, “The legs can wait, but the brains spoil fast. Why not let Er Yong make us some head stew tonight? His dad’s the head chef at the Safe Zone cafeteria, and Er Yong learned the ropes. He’s got some skills.”

Chubby-faced Er Yong grinned, looking every bit the chef. “I’ve got nothing on my dad, but I’m still better than most. Qing-jie, you grab the heads and I’ll fetch some spices.”

Catching an actual chef was a nice bonus—Xia Qing was delighted. “No need to fetch spices, I brought them all!”

She stopped by the sheep shed to let the wolves and Boss Sheep know, switched out the animals’ heads for the vacuum-sealed ones in the cellar, and was just heading out when another low thunderclap rolled in. This time, the lightning and thunder were so close together, she knew the Xiang Rain was almost here.

The squad channel crackled with Kuang Qingwei’s voice. “Alright, everybody—time to get to work!”

“We’re up. Everyone, be careful—let’s all get through this safe and sound,” Qi Fu replied.

Xia Qing pressed the button to answer her allies. “Got it.”

“Right. We’ll get through the Xiang Rain just fine this time,” Zhao Ze chimed in, confident after bringing three evolvers from Plot One on board.

Shi Chong reminded everyone, “It’s gonna rain heavy soon. Double-check those drainage ditches—make sure nothing’s been dug up by animals.”

Usually, in past years, the first hours of Xiang Rain were light and fell under the safer blue or yellow warning. As Xia Qing looked up into the pitch-black sky, she heard Tang Huai ask, “Shi Chong, how do you know there’s going to be a downpour?”

Shi Chong answered, “I’ve got rheumatoid arthritis—my whole body aches before rain. I’m never wrong.”

Rain always brought aching joints. When it came to predicting weather, nothing beat that.

Now Xia Qing was on edge too. She stashed the animal head in the shed and joined Hu Zifeng’s squad to check all the greenhouse drainage ditches, one by one.

On the squad channel, Zhang San’s tired voice came through. “Shi Chong, what meds are you on now?”

“Evolution-grade sanqi powder and ground beetle. Third Brother, do you have anything for rheumatoid arthritis?” Shi Chong’s tone was pleading. This illness tortured him—his son risked his life on jobs just to scrape together enough money for treatment and medicine.

Xia Qing had gone on plenty of missions with Shi Du, always noticing how he’d gather herbs on every trip but rarely sell them all—which made her guess someone at home needed regular medication.

From the way Shi Chong’s swollen hands looked in that rainproof tarp training video, Xia Qing realized Shi Du foraged medicine for his dad. She’d assumed Shi Chong was poisoned, but it turned out to be this chronic, grinding illness.

Zhang San replied, “Immune disorders like yours, there’s just no cure right now. I’ve got something to ease the symptoms, but it’s pricey. Xia Qing, didn’t you say you have chicken-vine on your land?”