Chapter 474: Night Battle in the Blizzard

Chapter 474: Night Battle

Four in the morning. The wind howled and snow lashed the dark skies. The sheep shed door wasn’t shut all the way, letting the wind roar through the crack and rattle the whole place.

Alpha, curled up under the quilt with Er Gou and Xia Qing, twitched his ears and then tucked his head in deeper, determined to keep sleeping. Old Goat didn’t bother—he just buried his head straight into the haystack.

Crippled Wolf and Handsome Huge Wolf, keeping watch by the door, perked their ears, leaning in close to share warmth. Under the eaves, the swallows’ nest, shielded by the rain cover, was crammed with birds huddling in a cozy pile, necks drawn in, fast asleep. Deep in the pine tree hole of Section Three on Hill Forty-Nine, Red Squirrel, sporting a fresh patch of shaved fur thanks to Xia Qing treating his belly wound, curled up tight, still shivering.

Up north in the abandoned village’s breeding greenhouse, the chickens roosting on the bamboo frame woke with a start at the howling wind and the creak of the door. With soft clucks, they pressed together for comfort. A sweep of a flashlight sent the White-Feathered Hen and Black-Feathered Rooster stretching their necks, clucking loudly in protest.

Hu Zifeng shut off the light at once, moving quietly to check on the fish dozing at the pond’s bottom and the Yellow Lantern Mealworms curled up in their leaves. After tossing a couple big logs into the greenhouse fire wall, he headed off to inspect the planting greenhouse.

Inside, the Green Lantern Vegetable sprouts under the protection of the Yi Stone and greenhouse—just like the Green Lantern Wheat in the big shed—showed no signs of Devastation Evolution. As usual, Hu Zifeng threw some more wood on the fire wall and checked for drafts before making his way to the Yellow Lantern Rapeseed field.

Unlike the peace elsewhere, the rapeseed greenhouse buzzed with activity. Maybe it was the seeds’ quality, but there were way more Devastation Evolution plants among the Yellow Lantern Rapeseed than the wheat. People ran back and forth clearing the overgrown mutant plants or shook the bamboo frame to dislodge built-up snow from the rain cover outside. Others tackled snow removal beyond the greenhouse.

The other territories’ greenhouses were also brightly lit, with people making rounds of the fields again and again, cleaning up Devastation Snow.

Over in Territory Seven, Zhang San ignored the furious rants pouring from his phone, tossed it aside and suited up in his airtight Protective Suit. Braving the wild winds and snow, he led his crew straight toward Territory Nine.

Outside the northern Wild Grass Wall of Territory Nine, Tan Junjie and over a hundred Inspection Team members armed with rifles blocked all routes out. On the southern wall, Yang Jin had two more inspection squads and two Qinglong elite teams holding the line tight. Inside the core laboratory, the bulletproof and shockproof security doors were locked. Li Si stood inside with Assistant Xiao Liu and a handful of researchers, silently watching as Zhang Qikun raged helplessly just outside.

Bundled up in thick winter gear, Zhou Xun and Tang Huai sprawled in the wild grass between Territory Two and Twelve. Devastation Snow buried them in drifts but they didn’t budge, afraid to miss even a moment of the show.

Halfway up the southern face of Third Peak, at Hill Fifty, Devastation Grass kept growing wild. Under the heavy snow, super-evolved fungi were multiplying and spreading fast.

Somewhere in a hidden valley, the Devastation Snake flicked its forked tongue, slowly lifted its bulging head and slithered toward the enticing scent of the fungi.

“Bang—clang!”

At last, the wind tore the sheep shed door wide open, slamming it hard against the wall. The whole shed shuddered. On the sharp roof, mounds of snow got shaken loose and crashed down into the yard with a heavy thump.

The blizzard swept inside and, in a flash, Xia Qing and four wolves jolted up. Old Goat’s eyes popped open for a second, then he closed them and promptly went back to sleep.

While Crippled Wolf struggled with the door, Xia Qing just stared blankly at the quilt perfectly camouflaged in the hay.

“Queen, Er, lift your paws,” Xia Qing called out, snapping out of her daze. She asked the two evolved wolves perched on her quilt to step aside, then hugged the quilt and headed out. “Queen, it’s freezing here—let’s go back inside.”

After a night’s rest, Xia Qing was still sore all over but had gotten some strength back—enough to move around.

Noticing Xia Qing and the wolves leaving, Old Goat instantly jumped up to follow. Xia Qing fought the wind, finally forcing the sheep shed door shut and locking it up. Half the hay inside was food for Old Goat, and letting Devastation Snow soak it would spell trouble.

dengbidmxswqqxswyifan

shuyueepzwqqwxwxsguan

xs007zhuikereadw23zw