Chapter 469: Toxic Fallout and Exhaustion

With the Alpha poisoned and calling the pack to stop howling, the crazed stampede from the northern side of Hill Fifty’s Third Peak finally settled. The animals stopped fleeing in terror.

An hour later, the number of animals escaping Hill Fifty dwindled, easing Xia Qing’s pressure on defense.

After ninety minutes, reinforcements arrived. The Inspection Team rotated out, finally able to rest within the fire wall.

Xia Qing, having held the second exit alone as the first line for nearly two hours, was finally relieved. As she came down to rest, Hu Zifeng leaned over and whispered, “How are you holding up? How much longer can you go?”

“Half an hour.” Even after taking the Evolution Element stim shake, Xia Qing was exhausted. Hands shaking, she pulled out her phone and messaged Hu Zifeng: Does Captain Hu know where Captain Yang is right now?

Hu Zifeng contacted the Combat Team’s surveillance room and replied: Hill Fifty.

Hill Fifty?

Xia Qing quickly messaged Yang Jin, sharing the secret way into the hidden valley. Then she asked: When you’re done, could you go to that valley and bring back the three bags hanging on the wall, plus the big bag on the stone?

Xia Qing’s original plan was to take care of the Trapping Team, then return to the Bear Cave to grab the peanuts and head back to base. But plans changed fast—when the Trapping Team used poison gas bombs, she had to take the three poisoned evolved wolves back first.

The freshly gathered peanuts were still damp. If she didn’t get them back soon to dry, they’d grow moldy and rot. Back at base, they could serve as food, seeds, or even barter chips with her Idol.

At that moment, Yang Jin was hauling Fire Phoenix Trapping Team corpses down from Hill Fifty’s Third Peak, but his reply was short and direct:

“Sure.”

Getting Yang Jin’s reply, Xia Qing could finally relax. She messaged back to beware the Devastation Snake, then rushed to reinforce the first line against the beast tide.

She wanted a break, but Third Brother’s words still echoed: Fight until you drop.

Exhaustion didn’t frighten her half as much as the idea of upsetting the petty Third Brother. She’d never leave the line until she collapsed from fighting.

Once there were only a few stragglers bursting out from Hill Fifty, Xia Qing felt her strength draining fast. She checked in with Tan Junjie, withdrew from the line, and headed for Territory Seven.

But before she made it to Territory Seven, her legs gave out. Hu Zifeng hurried over to prop her up and rushed her toward Territory Seven.

Yan Long came out to meet them, but kept her distance, wrinkling her nose. “Ran into a yellow weasel, didn’t you?”

While carrying the wolves through the valley, the Balding Weasel had gassed the beast tide wide open, letting Xia Qing make it to Territory Forty-Nine in record time. She figured she’d smell, but not this badly. Self-conscious, she asked, “Is it really that bad?”

“Wait here.” Yan Long spun on her heel, ran back to Territory Seven for a protective mask, then returned with a plastic curtain. She wrapped Xia Qing up, tossed her over her shoulder like a sack, and carried her inside.

Not having an entry pass, Hu Zifeng could only watch helplessly as Yan Long hauled Xia Qing in like a bag of potatoes.

Yan Long took Xia Qing straight to a clean bathroom and handed her over to Zhang He. Fully suited up, Zhang He cut open the plastic and explained, “Your protective suit picked up evolved yellow weasel toxin. You need to undress and disinfect before you can be checked out in the surgery room. Need help?”

“No thanks, Sister He. I’ve got it.” Even weak and aching all over, Xia Qing could at least manage to get the suit off herself.

Seeing Xia Qing start to lift her hands and reach for her mask, Zhang He stopped her. “Suit off first, mask off last. Otherwise, you’ll knock yourself out with your own stink.”

Xia Qing…

“Is it really that bad?”

Zhang He nodded hard. “Last time I got a whiff from Yan Long, I lost my appetite for days. Couldn’t eat a single bite, just survived on nutrient shakes for three days straight.”

Xia Qing…

Done for.

Three stinking evolved wolves were splayed out in her living room right now. Would her place ever smell normal again?

Once Xia Qing got the suit off, Zhang He sealed it in a bag, aired out and sanitized the room, then let Xia Qing finally take off her mask.

Maybe it was the mental prep, or maybe the disinfectant in Territory Seven was just top-notch, but when Xia Qing took the mask off the smell seemed way better than after the base got hit by an evolved insect wave.

After sealing up the mask, Zhang He asked, “Got any energy left? If you can move, go take a shower and change. I’ll come get you for your checkup after.”

Xia Qing nodded. “Still got some left.”

Zhang He knew all too well how rough those Evolution Element stim shakes could be. She was honestly shocked Xia Qing could still move, and reported to Zhang San, “Third Brother, Xia Qing might have evolved a pain-tolerance ability.”

Zhang San just grunted. “And how is pain actually transmitted?”

Pain is a defense instinct, run along nerves right to the brain. If a person can’t feel pain, they can’t sense or avoid danger. Out here where disaster lurks everywhere, you’d never survive ten years.

Zhang He realized her mistake and gave a sheepish laugh.

Still sore and bruised from the fight, Xia Qing dressed in a fresh hospital gown from the bathroom shelf. Zhang He, suited head-to-toe, wheeled her into the operating room. She lay down on the same table where Er Gou, Crippled Wolf and Lame Wolf once rested.

If she was being honest, lying helpless and at someone else’s mercy felt pretty scary.

Would this checkup reveal her secret as an Advanced Three-Path Evolutionary? She wasn’t afraid of Zhang San finding out, but she didn’t want anyone else in his territory to know.

Zhang He noticed Xia Qing was tense and reassured her. “Don’t worry. I’ll use the scanner to check your bones for damage, then take some blood to see if the toxin’s cleared and whether you need more treatment. Third Brother gets the final call.”

Half an hour later, Zhang He escorted Xia Qing to Zhang San’s lab, then quietly left and shut the door.

Zhang San went through the results one by one, the look on his face growing darker with each page.

Before her Idol could scold her, Xia Qing blurted out, “Third Brother, I’m sorry. I never saw that poison gas bomb coming from the Trapping Team. All three evolved wolves got hit and the Wolf Pack doesn’t trust outsiders. I was worried things would get worse, so I took painkillers and the Evolution Element stim shake to bring them back.”

Zhang San stayed silent, so Xia Qing played her ace: “I got a whole bunch of Green Lantern black peanuts this trip. As soon as they’re in, I’ll bring you some.”

Mention food and Zhang San immediately brightened. “How many did you pick up?”

“One hundred and thirty-eight Green Lanterns, two hundred forty-six Yellow Lanterns. I think these evolved peanuts are pretty stable.” If they weren’t, they would’ve already turned into Green Lantern Plants like the other crops in the valley.

That means she might have another high-stability Green Lantern Plant! Xia Qing’s grin nearly split her face.

Zhang San lifted his thin eyelids for a glance, and Xia Qing straightened with a wince, sitting up as tall as she could.

Zhang San took off his glasses, kneaded his brow, and said, “The toxin’s cleared and your bones and skin aren’t too badly damaged. But your body’s Devastation Element level is up to 28 per mille.”

If Devastation Element in the body goes over 20 per mille, it’s already dangerous. Over 30 per mille and the immune system can’t keep up; once it hits the brain, irreversible Devastation Evolution sets in.

With only 2 per mille to go, Xia Qing was in real trouble. She asked carefully, “Third Brother, is this because of the poison gas bomb, or a side effect of the Evolution Element stim shake?”