Chapter 335: Racing the Storm: The Queen’s Dire Call

If Crippled Wolf is looking this anxious, one of the wolf pack’s key members must be badly injured—so bad they can’t even be moved to the human Territory for treatment.

If not for months spent caring for injured wolves and learning first aid from Chang Li, Xia Qing never would’ve dared follow Crippled Wolf. “Alright, let me grab the medical kit. Let’s get moving.”

As she dashed home, Xia Qing called Hu Zifeng. “Captain Hu, I’ve got to step out of the Territory for a bit. Old Goat’s holding down the fort, but could you send someone to help until I get back? I’ll be home by tomorrow afternoon—fastest case.”

Hill Sixty, where the wolves and bears clashed, is sixty miles away as the crow flies. In top shape, an evolved wolf could cover that in half an hour. But Xia Qing doesn’t have Speed Evolution power. It’s night, it just rained three days straight and the destination’s buried deep in the Evolved Forest. She’ll have to cross mountains, rivers and swamps—brutal terrain. With all these obstacles, a round trip will take her at least a full day.

She didn’t mind the hardship—her only fear was being too late. What if the Queen or Er Gou can’t hold out?

Hu Zifeng was alarmed to hear she was leaving now. “It’s really dangerous out there tonight. Let me come with a few people and back you up?”

“No need to worry, Captain Hu. This trip is safe,” Xia Qing replied. The only reason the wolf pack was letting her go to Hill Sixty was their trust in Alpha and Crippled Wolf—and their trust in her. Anyone else would probably never make it out alive.

Back at home, Xia Qing filled two basins of water for the wolves to rest their paws, then flew upstairs to pack. She even grabbed a whole jug of spring water, loaded up on guns and ammo—anything she might need.

Fully geared and ready, Xia Qing turned to her companion. “Old Goat, I’m heading out with Crippled. Captain Hu’s team will guard the house. It’s all yours till I’m back. Don’t forget to feed the chickens, fish and rabbits after sunrise. You can skip the snakes—I’ll handle those when I return.”

Old Goat picked up on Crippled Wolf’s tension and nudged Xia Qing, urging her to hurry. Xia Qing patted Old Goat’s neck. “Don’t panic. In big moments like this, you keep calm—panic during disaster years could get anyone killed.”

“Crippled, Big Guy—let’s go.”

But Crippled Wolf didn’t budge. Instead, he nudged Xia Qing right up to the Huge Wolf and let out a low growl.

What? Xia Qing was confused.

Crippled Wolf nudged her again, more urgently, pushing her straight to Huge Wolf. “Woof.”

Huge Wolf glanced at Xia Qing, lowering his body slightly.

She thought Crippled wanted her to let Huge Wolf carry her backpack. Xia Qing shook her head. “No need. I’ve got Strength-Based Evolution. This pack isn’t heavy for me. Let’s just go!”

“Woof.” Crippled Wolf gave a sharp nudge, clearly wanting Xia Qing to climb up.

Xia Qing was stunned.

Wait, was he telling her… to ride the wolf? Can you even ride a wolf? Could it support her? Wasn’t Crippled Wolf still recovering—wouldn’t those wounds split open?

“Moo!”

Old Goat saw Xia Qing spacing out, got annoyed, and butted her right onto Huge Wolf’s back.

Huge Wolf had clearly been waiting for this moment. He let out a thunderous growl, jumped to his feet and bolted—Xia Qing nearly went flying off his back.

On instinct, Xia Qing wrapped her arms around Huge Wolf’s neck. She squeezed too tightly from nerves and nearly choked the poor wolf, who shook his head hard in protest.

“Sorry about that!” Xia Qing quickly loosened her grip, clutching Er Gou’s neck as she lay flat on Huge Wolf’s back.

“Whew—”

With the wind whipping in her ears, Huge Wolf carried Xia Qing across rivers and straight into the Buffer Forest, howling after Crippled Wolf as they charged forward.

Clinging tightly atop Huge Wolf, Xia Qing felt honestly stunned.

She’d made it to twenty-five without ever riding a horse—and now, in the tenth year after the disaster, she was riding a wolf. Not even in her wildest dreams had she imagined this.

On the border between Hill Forty-Nine Section Three and the Northern Barrier, Peng Jian—a Vision Evolution user about to enter Section Three—caught a glimpse of two wolves streaking past. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “Boss! Just now, I—I—”

“What ran past us was definitely wolves,” Chen Zheng, with Scent Evolution, calmly confirmed. “I smell wolf, and blood. That wolf’s wounded.”

“No, it’s not…” Peng Jian glanced helplessly at Hu Zifeng, who also had Vision Evolution. “Boss, the wolf—there was—on its back…”

Even Hu Zifeng could barely believe what he’d seen. But as Captain, he couldn’t lose his cool, not with the team under a gag order about Xia Qing. “That was just two wolves. Nothing else. Peng Jian, patrol with me. Chen Zheng, go grab pesticides and tools from the cabin. Spray deodorizer to cover the evolved wolf scent.”

For the first time, Xia Qing—a Strength-Based Evolution user—understood both the thrill and the pain of moving at speed.

The speed was exhilarating, the dizziness real.

She wasn’t getting wolvesick—just dizzy from the scenery whipping by and her senses struggling to keep up.

Right then, Xia Qing had no doubts: Advanced speed evolutionaries must have sharper vision than regular people. If not, they’d smack into obstacles at those speeds.

Or put another way: Without enhanced vision, speed evolutionaries would either crash while moving fast or never manage top speed. The survivors must all have exceptional eyesight.

If speed-users can see that well while racing, then as a level-nine Vision Evolution user, Xia Qing was more than up for it!

She forced herself to lift her head, treating this as a precious chance to train her ability to spot things on the move.

Once she’d adapted enough to see clearly, cold sweat started soaking her back.

Crap! The ravine Huge Wolf leapt over earlier was more than three meters wide—bottomless!

What the heck was that swarm trying to attack her? Snakes or some kind of killer vines?

And those glowing eyes in the trees—what kind of animal has eyes that creepy?

But all the scares along the way were nothing compared to what Xia Qing saw when Huge Wolf finally stopped running.

Before her stretched a scarred mountain forest—fallen stones and shattered trees everywhere. Over twenty battered giant pythons lay tangled in the mud. Four mountain-sized evolved brown bears and at least eight evolved wolves sprawled motionless, their bodies torn or twisted. All unmistakably dead.

From the slopes and the summit, dozens of pairs of green-glinting wolf eyes were fixed on the human riding Huge Wolf.

Just how big was the Queen’s pack, anyway?

If Er Gou, still in his Protective Suit, hadn’t come limping out of a nearby cave, Xia Qing would’ve raised her assault rifle and opened fire on instinct.

“Awooooo—”

A Huge Wolf standing atop the mountain threw back its head and howled with overwhelming authority. As those green wolf eyes glanced away from Xia Qing, the air eased a little.

Seeing this unfamiliar Huge Wolf who could command most of the pack, Xia Qing grew even more tense.

Where’s the Queen? And who’s that hulking brute on the mountaintop? Has the pack already crowned a new leader while she was gone just a few hours?

“Awooooo—”

Crippled Wolf’s commanding howl rang out, and the remaining wolves bowing their heads made the green glow vanish.

Huge Wolf let his body dip for Xia Qing to dismount. Standing in the mud, she immediately searched for the Queen and Lame Wolf, her heart racing.