Chapter 413: The Helicopter Incident

Bang!

With another deafening blast, thick smoke and flames shot up from Territory Two. Standing on her own loft, Xia Qing had a clear view of the helicopter’s rotor blades flying apart into pieces.

The helicopter in Territory Two was completely obliterated.

Who pulled off such a glorious feat? Yang Jin? Zhang San? Tang Zhengbo? Or maybe… Xin Yu?

Any of them could’ve done it.

After the explosion in Territory Two, the bear’s roars from Hill Fifty suddenly stopped. The Lords’ channel fell silent—everyone wanted to know what happened, but no one dared speak.

Because people from Territory Two were listening in on the channel too.

It was Tiger from the Inspection Team who broke the silence, asking again, “Territory Two, report your situation. Do you need assistance?”

Tang Zhengsu came online, absolutely furious, hurling curses. “Report what? You want me to report our helicopter got blown up by some intruder? Are you deaf or blind? Does that even need a report?! Rescue what? The damn thing’s blown to scrap—are you coming to pick up body parts or leftover bolts? Cut the fake concern and just pay up for my helicopter…”

……

Tang Zhengsu cursed for a solid five minutes, throwing in all sorts of crashing and banging along the way. Xia Qing wasn’t interested in what he said—she was focused on the background noises while he spoke.

Tang Zhengsu was standing out in the yard. The background was full of howling wind, wailing from the injured, and Xu Pin barking out orders for people to look for evidence, put out fires, and rescue survivors. Xia Qing could only catch snippets here and there.

If she went to the south wall right now, she’d probably pick up even more details. But for her, eavesdropping on those sounds wasn’t just unhelpful—it could be risky.

After all, only a narrow corridor separated her from Territory Two. If Xia Qing poked her nose in at the southern edge to gawk, she might get caught up in the blast drama herself.

Once Tang Zhengsu ran out of steam, Tiger started questioning again, mimicking Captain Tan Junjie’s stern tone: “Territory Two, are you saying your helicopter was blown up by intruders? Do you have proof?”

Tang Zhengsu roared back, “Are you the one responsible for security here or am I?”

Unfazed by Tang Zhengsu’s shouting, Tiger stuck to the official script and pressed on: “Territory Two, do you have any evidence proving intruders destroyed the helicopter? If you don’t, and you suspect someone outside the Territory did it, then don’t tamper with the scene. The Inspection Team requests entry into Territory Two for on-site investigation. Please have your interim representative grant permission.”

Permission from the interim representative? Interim representative?

Hiding in a dark corner, Zhou Xun wished he could dig a hole, bury himself, and make everyone think he was dead.

Interim representative, my ass! If he stepped out now to grab the walkie-talkie in front of the team leader, it’d be suicide.

After Tiger asked three times, he posted an official notice: “Confirmed, Territory Two refuses entry to the Inspection Team for site investigation. The evolved bears on Hill Fifty and deep in the northern Evolved Forest have stopped roaring. The Inspection Team will monitor the bears’ movements around the clock and update as needed. Lords, please keep your walkie-talkies on and the Lords’ channel open.”

“Roger. Thank you for your hard work.” Hu Zifeng was the first to reply, sounding as pleased as if he’d just netted a few-hundred-pound Green Lantern catch.

Territory Two, of course, stayed quiet.

Xia Qing pressed her button and replied too, “Received, thanks for your hard work.”

Next came responses from four, five, six, and seven. Zhang San even yawned, sounding ready for bed. Territory Eight got a reply from Zhou Zhaoping as usual, then Territory Nine’s Li Si and Territory Ten’s Shi Du followed.

Just from their voices, Xia Qing couldn’t tell who blew up the helicopter. Humming a little tune with Old Goat at her side, she headed downstairs to make dinner.

Even though she’d downed a bottle of premium nutrient shake this afternoon and was full of energy, Xia Qing felt this big day still called for a celebration.

During a year of calamities, there’s no better way to celebrate than with good food!

Xia Qing grabbed some green onions, washed and chopped them up, mixed them with two Green Lantern eggs, a spoonful of flour, and a pinch of salt. She stirred it all into a batter with pure spring water, heated up a skillet, brushed it with her own homemade sunflower oil, poured in the mixture, and soon had a delicious scallion and egg pancake sizzling on the stove.

She set some water to boil for chrysanthemum tea, sliced sweet potato roots and vines for Old Goat, tossed them with the leftover bits from pressing sunflower oil, and grabbed a handful of crushed corn. “You did a good job looking after the place today, Old Goat. Here’s some corn and treats for you as a reward.”

Standing beside Xia Qing, Old Goat gave a sniff of approval.

Old Goat loved those crispy oil bits. Xia Qing had checked with her Idol to make sure the sheep could eat the fried leftovers safely. After that, she started storing oil residue with compressed rations and wheat bran in the basement as backup food for Old Goat.

Xia Qing was about to serve dinner when her phone chimed: Er Gou had entered Section Three from the northern gate.

Looks like after not hearing any more bear roars, Er Gou had checked that his wounded friend was safe and then headed home.

Xia Qing grabbed a small pot from the cabinet, set it on the stove, and filled it with pure spring water.

When Er Gou came in, he cleaned his paws in the water basin by the door. Xia Qing called from the kitchen, “Hey, Er, bring over the jerky stashed in your protective suit. I’ll boil it for you—if you eat it as is, there’s too much salt and it’s not good for you.”

Er Gou trotted to the kitchen doorway, watching Xia Qing expectantly.

Hmm? Xia Qing glanced at the sagging pockets of his protective suit and asked, “Where’s the jerky? Did you share it with your buddies back in the Wolf Den?”

Neither Er Gou nor Old Goat could get the food Xia Qing stuffed in their protective suits or pouches out on their own. They’d always need help from each other, or ask Xia Qing to get it for them.

She’d only given Er Gou that beef jerky when they were searching for Red Squirrel’s trail earlier today. Now it was gone. That meant Lame Wolf’s little sister must’ve fished it out.

Er Gou cocked his head and broke into a big grin.

Xia Qing laughed too. “Alright, I’ll cook you another piece of our homemade roasted jerky and add an egg this time. That’s your reward for helping me look for Green Lantern peanuts today.”

While Er Gou’s meal simmered, Xia Qing checked her phone and saw Red Squirrel’s marker was still inside the Sheep Shed. Apparently, the little guy had decided the haystack was safer than his old tree hollow and wasn’t going back tonight.

As soon as Er Gou’s meat congee was ready, Xia Qing grabbed her pancake and was about to eat when her Idol called. “Xia Qing, did you blow up the helicopter in Territory Two?”

Huh? Idol, you really give me too much credit.

Xia Qing’s answer was sincere: “Third Brother, I only thought about it, never dared actually try. Just now I was even wondering if you were the one brave enough to do it.”

“My evolved rats didn’t even make it to Territory Two before their chopper blew up,” Zhang San yawned. “I’m off to bed.”