Chapter 339: Race Through the Wilds

Seeing the Alpha had closed his eyes to rest, Xia Qing took out a vial of Premium Nutrient Shake and whispered to Crippled Wolf, “Hey, could you get a few wolves to help carry supplies back to the territory? I’ll trade this Premium Nutrient Shake for the favor.”

A single vial of Premium Nutrient Shake was worth three thousand credits. If she offered this as a reward in the Safe Zone, recruiting strength-based evolvers to haul supplies would be a breeze.

Crippled Wolf, who knew the real value of the item, grabbed the Premium Nutrient Shake from Xia Qing and soon brought over three large wolves.

All three wolves had soaked in the medicinal bath at Section Three yesterday—probably the Alpha’s closest pack. Among them was the Huge Wolf who had carried Xia Qing yesterday. These wolves were wild by nature, but compared to the rest of the mountain pack, their gazes toward Xia Qing seemed almost gentle.

Other wolves lay hidden behind trees or rocks, quietly watching Xia Qing. If not for the Alpha’s intimidating presence, she would have been torn to shreds long ago.

Crippled Wolf really was someone she could count on.

Having a sheep as a companion, Xia Qing knew exactly how to pack supplies so the animals could carry them safely and easily. The three big wolves hauled six huge sacks of hickory nuts, leaving Xia Qing only needing to carry her own supplies and snake skin.

Even with an entire python skin packed in, her total load was still under two hundred pounds—child’s play for her.

She slung her backpack over her shoulders and called to Er Gou and the drowsing Alpha, “Your Majesty, Er Gou, want to follow me back to the territory for treatment?”

Er Gou hobbled to her side, and the Alpha slowly rose to join them. To Xia Qing’s surprise, Lame Wolf came out of the cave, carrying the two-legged wolf and joining the hickory-nut-hauling crew.

Er Gou’s front leg was swollen—his limp was obvious but manageable. He could press on. The Alpha didn’t limp, but his condition was actually the worst.

Xia Qing tried to reason with the Alpha. “Your Majesty, with an injured leg, there’s no way you’ll make it far. Want Crippled Wolf to give you a ride, or should I carry you myself?”

The Alpha acted as if he hadn’t heard her at all. Holding his head high and chest out, he took the lead, striding forward with unshakable pride.

He clearly had his own pride and stubbornness. Xia Qing gave up on convincing him and called goodbye to Crippled Wolf at the cave, then followed the pack off Hill Sixty.

Seven wolves and one human headed south, bound for human territory.

After a while, Xia Qing came to a painful realization: the ones holding back the group weren’t the limping Alpha or Er Gou, but her—the only human among them.

Every time the wolves up front glanced back at her, Xia Qing—dripping with sweat—could practically see the contempt in their eyes.

At first, Xia Qing even complained aloud about only having two legs. But after racing with the pack for more than two hours nonstop, she didn’t have any strength left to whine.

The wolves restrained their full speed just for her, but even then, she was already pushed to her limit.

They followed a trail the wolves used all the time, so no mutant beasts could ambush her from either side. But running through a jungle of all sorts of colorful, bizarre plants, leaping over slick boulders and sticky mud, scrambling through the Evolved Forest with her pack, crossing deep bottomless ravines, and skipping from stone to stone past giant crocodile jaws—this was utterly grueling for Xia Qing.

For crying out loud, those crocodiles were four or five meters long—was this a joke?

And what the heck were those evolutionary plants with serrated petals lining the trail? Why did they stay still when wolves passed but drool when she walked by?

And wasn’t it ridiculous? Of the seven wolves, every single one was either hurt or carrying a heavy load—yet they still kept running!

If she hadn’t refueled with that Premium Nutrient Shake, Xia Qing would’ve collapsed long ago.

She’d planned to get through sixty miles of Evolved Forest in five hours. With the wolves’ pace, they forced her through in just two and a half.

Once she finally made it into her own territory, Xia Qing collapsed, sprawled out on her back in the Buffer Forest, sucking in desperate breaths while waiting for rescue.

After reaching Hill Forty-Nine, she used her phone to contact Hu Zifeng’s Squad, telling them to return to Territory One. She didn’t want them to run into the wolves and start a fight. That left only her companions nearby to help.

Soon, Old Goat—the snow-white sheep—appeared beside Xia Qing, his hooves tapping lightly as he looked down at her.

Utterly spent, Xia Qing forced herself to sit up, still panting. “Old… Goat… I brought back… a ton of supplies… Look.”

Old Goat narrowed his eyes at her tiny backpack, then turned away.

Xia Qing pressed her backpack onto her companion’s back and called to the equally exhausted Er Gou, “Er Gou, time to go… Home.”

By the time she got home, the wolf pack was already resting in the sheep shed. The six big sacks of hickory nuts still hung from the three largest wolves. Though clearly annoyed, they didn’t dare tear them open with the Alpha nearby.

Xia Qing entered the sheep shed, untied the ropes from the wolves, unloaded the bags, and told Old Goat to carry the sacks up to the warehouse loft.

The weather was clear today, but her harvested corn was still in the underground storage, and the mung bean pods she’d plucked were sunning on the second-floor balcony, so the warehouse roof was empty for now.

At the door, Xia Qing scrubbed the mud from her hands and feet, then stowed the python bag in the underground storage and put the bag containing Devastation Snakes and python entrails in the fridge. Only then did she drag her nearly wrecked body upstairs, peel off her protective suit and drenched clothes, and step into a cold shower.

The rush of cold water soothed her burning shoulders—utter bliss.

This trip was exhausting, but hauling back a hardness-evolved python skin and six sacks of hickory nuts was more than worth it.

Xia Qing grabbed a hickory nut, checked it with the Detection Element Analyzer, confirmed its Devastation Element level was safe, then immediately called Yang Jin.

At the Azure Dragon Squad base in the Safe Zone, Yang Jin glanced at the phone, quickly finished his work, shut the office door, took a deep breath, and answered. “Xia Qing?”

Xia Qing…

Well, what kind of question was that? Who else would she be calling?

“That’s right. Captain Yang, is now a good time?” Once he confirmed, Xia Qing sent pictures of the Devastation Snake and briefly explained the Alpha’s condition. Then she asked, “Can Doctor Wang treat this Devastation Snake venom? He’ll need Devastationweed, right? Would a price of one million credits work?”

Unless she had no other choice, Xia Qing didn’t want to ask Zhang San for help. She had Devastationweed and Pure Spring Water in her own territory—crucial for the antidote—but she couldn’t risk those secrets getting out.

Luo Pei had suffered from this same synthetic toxin, and the Azure Dragon Squad definitely had the exact antidote recipe. Doctor Wang had been caring for Luo Pei all along, so he should be able to treat the Alpha too. The wounds on the Alpha’s legs could be stitched up by Doctor Chang Li.

If Doctor Wang couldn’t, Xia Qing would then ask Zhang San. But to do that, she’d have to reveal the secret of her Pure Spring Water—something she felt uneasy about, since Zhang San was both incredibly powerful and a scientist.

Ten years of cataclysm had taught Xia Qing the dark side of human nature. When it came to rare resources, she couldn’t trust anyone fully unless she had absolute power.

So, the fewer people who knew about her spring water, the better.

Yang Jin didn’t mention credits. “Luo was poisoned by the same Devastation Snake. We have the antidote and herbs in Territory One. Whether Doctor Wang can cure it depends on checking the Alpha’s condition first. I’ll head out now and bring the herbs myself.”

Xia Qing honestly hadn’t realized the Alpha and Luo Pei were both victims of the same synthetic venom—a bit of luck in an unlucky situation.