Chapter 336: Wolves, Venom, and the Unfolding Battle

Xia Qing trudged through the muck behind the anxious Crippled Wolf, just as a heavy ‘thud’ sounded from behind.

The Huge Wolf, who had carried Xia Qing for sixty miles at full speed, finally collapsed in the mud, tongue lolling as it gasped for breath. It had run itself ragged to bring her here as fast as possible.

Blood still oozed from the Huge Wolf’s wounds. Lying in the mud risked infection from the evolved bacteria, but with the Alpha waiting inside the cave, Xia Qing couldn’t waste time. As she walked, she whispered to Crippled Wolf, “Crippled, please get this big one who brought me here into the cave. As soon as I check on the Queen, I’ll come clean its wounds.”

Crippled Wolf let out a howl, and the Huge Wolf struggled to its feet. After staggering into the cave, it collapsed again with a loud crash.

But Xia Qing couldn’t stop to treat its wounds. The scene inside the cave had left her stunned.

It wasn’t just the Alpha who was injured—there were six wounded wolves sprawled out.

Some had twisted limbs, others had gaping wounds with organs exposed, and a few lay motionless, completely unconscious. Xia Qing couldn’t guarantee she’d be able to save them all.

Lame Wolf, who stood guard by the Alpha, spotted Xia Qing and immediately started howling, the sound thick with anxiety and grievance.

The wolves who were still conscious but unable to move stared warily at the human, baring their fangs. The few who could still get up raised their heads, their growls echoing through the valley.

Outside, the rest of the pack grew restless and started to howl, but were quickly silenced by a massive wolf on the mountaintop.

The Queen, guarded by Lame Wolf and Er Gou, lay completely still on the ground. Her four legs were a bloody mess.

Xia Qing quickly dropped her backpack, stripped off her protective gloves, grabbed her headlamp and medical kit, scrubbed up, and slipped on surgical gloves as she rushed to the Alpha’s side. “Your Majesty!”

The Alpha opened her eyes to look at Xia Qing. Even her once radiant golden eyes had faded to a dull luster.

“Ooo…” Crippled Wolf anxiously nudged the Alpha’s neck and pawed at the ground.

That’s when Xia Qing noticed a fiery red snake about the length of a human arm lying on a rock, with a swollen lump on its head barely the size of a peanut.

A Fang Snake!

The Queen had been poisoned by a Fang Snake!

No wonder Crippled Wolf had dragged her here in such a hurry instead of bringing the Alpha to Xia Qing. After a severe snake bite, immediate bloodletting was the only way to slow the spread of venom and protect vital organs.

Lame Wolf, Er Gou, and Black Wolf all had blood on their paws, which explained the Queen’s mangled legs. They must have ripped open the wounds themselves in an attempt to help. Fresh leaves on her limbs and herbal poultices in her mouth were their makeshift remedy.

But that sort of herb was no match for Fang Snake venom. Xia Qing flung open her medical kit, pulled out the anti-venom she’d packed in ice, and injected it straight into the Queen.

Venomous snakes often prowled the Territory. After getting a fridge, Xia Qing made sure to keep a stash of Section Seven’s anti-serum inside. This medicine worked wonders against four of the most common snake venoms and most evolved snakes and insect bites.

But even the specialty anti-venom from the Section Seven boss was useless against the Fang Snake.

After giving the anti-venom, Xia Qing gently lifted the Alpha onto a clean stone, washed her wounds with pure spring water, and then disinfected, medicated, and dressed them.

Wounds that deep on all four legs? That could only mean one thing—every part of her not protected by the suit had been bitten again and again.

Fang Snakes are mid-tier, speed-evolved vipers. A Brain-Evolved Wolf with top-tier reflexes should have been able to dodge them easily. For the Alpha to take these bites, what did that mean?

It meant that in last night’s vengeance battle, the Alpha had taken on a crucial mission: taking out the speed-evolved snakes.

That must have been why she went with Crippled Wolf into Section Three the previous day—to trade for the protective suit. Without it, her injuries wouldn’t just be limited to her legs.

Without the Fang Snakes and other venomous reptiles, those evolved giant pythons would have stood no chance against the evolved wolf pack.

Xia Qing had no idea whose side the bear was on during the fight, or if it was utter chaos between bear, snake, and wolf. But the carnage was painfully clear.

Battles between wild animals in the Evolved Forest were far more ruthless than Xia Qing ever imagined. Every species fought tooth and nail just to survive on post-evolution Blue Star. Clearly, this mountain meant everything to the wolves.

The Alpha had completed her mission—the wolf pack had won.

But she was now left here, unable to move. Xia Qing doubted the Alpha ever expected to suffer such savage wounds; after all, Fang Snakes were almost never seen.

Outside, the other wolves stood silently around the area, not tearing at prey, as if waiting for something. Xia Qing didn’t fully understand what, but it was definitely connected to the Alpha.

If only I hadn’t taken back the protective suit… would the Alpha have avoided such dangers and lived through this unscathed?

Taking a deep breath, Xia Qing spoke to the anxious Crippled Wolf beside her. “I’ve slowed the Queen’s snake venom. She’s not in immediate danger, but it’ll take much longer before it’s out of her system. She needs to return to the Territory with me for full treatment.”

Xia Qing didn’t have the exact cure for Fang Snake venom yet, but she knew who to trade with to get it.

After calming Crippled Wolf enough to keep the wounded wolves in check, Xia Qing quickly gave them each a dose of oral sedative. While the drugs kicked in, she swiftly treated the Huge Wolf’s wounds.

Next up was the wolf with the most severe injuries—a gash in its abdomen with part of its intestines exposed.

Xia Qing had never performed this type of surgery on a wolf, but she’d seen it done on humans before, both in person at the Safe Zone and in detailed instructional videos from Chang Li.

With this kind of wound, you had to clean it, disinfect, shove the intestines back inside, suture the cut, and apply medication. Lastly, a dose of anti-inflammatory meds and the premium nutrient shake from her supplies.

After stitching up this wolf, Xia Qing moved on to the remaining four. The ones with shallow wounds just needed cleaning, sterilizing, a generous layer of hemostatic powder, and bandages. Deeper cuts had to be stitched up, too.

Evolved Wolves healed incredibly fast. Even the one whose guts had been stuffed back in would be leaping around in no time—so long as it avoided a superinfection.

The tricky one was the wolf with both hind legs broken. Xia Qing splinted them securely, then told Crippled Wolf, “This one will need to come back for treatment too. Even if it survives, it won’t be able to hunt or run otherwise.”

“Rooaaar—”

The roar of an evolved bear thundered nearby, deafening in its intensity.

“Awooo—wooo—” This time, the howl of the Huge Wolf on the mountaintop made Xia Qing’s blood run cold.

Crippled Wolf rubbed its body against Xia Qing’s arm, then charged out with Lame Wolf at its heels. Even the limping Er Gou and the resting Huge Wolf struggled to their paws and followed.

Was a new round of battle about to break out?

With every wolf who could stand now gone, the six wounded wolves left in the cave were hers to guard alone.

Five of the six were sedated and couldn’t move. The lone exception, the Alpha, had lost her combat strength to snake venom and wounded limbs.

If a bear and the wolves clashed, would the venomous snakes, giant pythons, or even an evolved bear charge through the pack’s defenses and storm the cave?

Xia Qing hurriedly dug into her backpack for the anti-serpent and insect repellent, spraying it around the wounded wolves.

Just then, the Alpha staggered to her feet on bandaged legs and headed for the cave entrance.

She was still determined to fight.