Chapter 416: Pre-Dawn Intrigue: Wolves, Snakes, and Watchful Eyes

Xia Qing had barely slept four hours when Hu Zifeng called. “Four wolves just brought a massive python, over ten meters long, into Section Three’s Valley One.”

These days, things were tense. If the wolf pack brought that python through the barrier into Section Three, it’d draw way too much attention. Xia Qing also worried the python might get stuck at the north gate, jam the door, or scare the wolves, which would be a pain.

So last night, she’d asked Hu Zifeng—if the wolves turned up at Hill Forty-Nine with the python, let her know immediately.

After filling her in on the wolf pack’s movements, Hu Zifeng added, “Last night, Territory Two sent three people to the northern barrier one after another. All of them were taken away by the Inspection Team. I have people guarding both ends of Section Three’s north barrier, so you can relax.”

Ever since she’d traded pure spring water for a Security Squad, they’ve protected Section Three diligently. Xia Qing felt reassured. “Captain Hu, does Sufeng Squad think I blew up their helicopter?”

Hu Zifeng replied, “Not sure why they’re watching you, but it definitely has to do with the helicopter being blown up. Besides you, they’re also keeping an eye on Territory One and Territory Twelve. Just to be safe, don’t go to Hill Fifty to gather Green Lantern peanuts for the next few days.”

“Don’t worry, Captain Hu. Until Sufeng Squad leaves, I’ll stick to the territory and Hill Forty-Nine. Nowhere else.” Xia Qing answered without hesitation.

Those Green Lantern peanuts from Hill Fifty were important, but staying safe mattered more. Even though her strength had improved, she still couldn’t take on the Sufeng Squad’s elite from Base—currently ranked number one. Laying low was her best option.

This winter, she had only one main mission: join Azure Dragon Squad’s training on Hill Forty-Nine and ramp up her combat power.

Xia Qing suited up in her protective gear, then headed downstairs. She said to her two companions, who were curled up on thick mats of straw, “I’m off to Section Three on Hill Forty-Nine. Are you coming with me, or staying to watch the territory?”

Er Gou stood up right away to follow. Old Goat didn’t even lift its head, just kept sleeping—loud and clear it’d stay behind to keep watch.

After the sound of footsteps faded, a little red head peeked out from the hay pile in the sheep shed. It looked around for a bit, then snuggled right back into the warm grass nest.

In Territory Two, a lookout hiding within the Wild Grass Wall picked up a sound amplifier and caught the footsteps from Section Three. He immediately reported to the surveillance team leader.

The surveillance team leader, sprawled on the lounge sofa in the monitoring room, rubbed his face and sat up. “Send out the surveillance bird. Keep an eye on Xia Qing from above Territory Two.”

It was only five in the morning. If Xia Qing was heading out this early, there had to be something going on!

“Got it.”

The surveillance bird took off with its camera. It had barely reached thirty meters when its infrared camera still hadn’t spotted Xia Qing, then suddenly it dropped from the sky.

“The bird’s been shot!” a surveillance team member shouted, shocked.

The team leader’s eyes bugged out. He cursed, “Who the hell told you to let the bird out of our territory?!”

The team member, with dark circles under his eyes, felt wronged. “Boss, I swear it was flying above Territory Two the whole time.”

On the rooftop of Territory One’s main building, Jing Kuan never took his eyes off the scope. He reported through his earpiece, “Boss, the surveillance bird from Territory Two has been taken out.”

“Copy that.”

In the monitoring room, Hu Zifeng issued fresh orders. “Jing Kuan, Er Yong, Da Jiang, Chen Zheng—hold your positions. If anyone other than the Inspection Team tries to enter the Section Three north barrier, stop them no matter what. Use lethal force if they resist. That’s a direct order from the boss himself. It must be enforced.”

“Roger that.”

“Roger.”

Xia Qing heard gunfire ring out from Territory One and glanced back. She muttered to Er Gou, “How far can Old Er see in this fog?”

The night vision goggles Xia Qing wore were still the ones she’d traded for with Yang Jin back in March. They worked by amplifying ambient light, letting her see in the dark—but in foggy weather, their performance suffered. She’d gotten used to relying on her vision evolution abilities, so all this made her uneasy.

Taking off her goggles, she fished a pair of thermal imaging glasses from her backpack—the pair Yang Jin had traded spinach seeds for with the Base Commander. They came as part of a special protective suit.

Thermal imaging glasses picked up infrared from objects, so they didn’t need any light source. Smoke or fog couldn’t fool them. The catch? Imaging lag and high power use. Xia Qing rarely wore them for that reason.

But today, it was finally their moment to shine.

Once she swapped glasses, everything turned from greenish hues to black and red. Er Gou was a blazing red figure, even the air it breathed out formed a visible red mist. Xia Qing scanned the area for a while before moving out again.

With Er Gou walking over frosty ground by her side, Xia Qing exited Section Three through the north gate. On the barrier, she noticed clear tire tracks left by the Inspection Team’s patrol car.

In just the last four hours, the Inspection Team’s car had passed through six times, showing how seriously they took their hazardous materials scan.

There were two guards posted on each side of Section Three’s northern barrier. The distance made it tough to see who they were through thermal glasses, since the border was fuzzy, but Xia Qing could tell they were standing guard with guns at the ready.

Her Security Squad again. That filled her with confidence.

Crossing over the tire tracks, Xia Qing and Er Gou headed through the mist toward the wolf valley in Section Three on Hill Forty-Nine.

The high mountains shielded the valley from the wind. Compared to within the territory, the frost here was lighter. The pond water hadn’t frozen, and Xia Qing heard water trickling and birds rustling at the shoreline.

Following Er Gou down into the valley, Xia Qing pushed open the wolf den’s door. Inside, she found the last bit of spring water in the basin had frozen into a thin sheet of ice, thanks to a crack in the stone wall by the door. Cold air had slipped in, chilling the metal bowl.

Glancing at Lame Wolf’s little sister—nestled snugly with Er Gou—Xia Qing carried the basin outside and flipped it over to knock out the ice.

“Dong!”

The crisp sound of the bowl echoed, sending the pond’s little birds fluttering into the air.

After dumping out the ice and filling the basin with fresh spring water, Xia Qing brought it back into the den. While waiting for the wolf pack, she used some mud from the pond to seal up the crack by the door.

“Schhhk—”

The sound of something heavy being dragged came from the direction of Valley One. It was about a minute before Xia Qing saw the Alpha, looking proud, leading three subordinates out of the mist with their prize. The long python corpse, much lighter in color than the wolves through the thermal glasses, still made for a startling sight.

Switching back to her night vision goggles, Xia Qing finally felt a bit more comfortable.

The Alpha didn’t look the least bit surprised to see Xia Qing. Clearly, it had already sniffed her out.

“Queen, Broken Back, Lame Wolf, Big Black—long time no see.” Xia Qing greeted the wolves in a hushed, cheery voice, then stepped closer to examine the giant python they’d brought.