Chapter 511: Warmth and Play: Gearing Up for Winter

After finishing her meal, Xia Qing got ready to leave when Xin Yu handed her two sets of newly developed thermal clothing.

Before Xia Qing could refuse, Xin Yu explained, “These are trial samples from Chonglian Group’s latest research. The cost is about the same as the food you brought. If you don’t mind, I’d love to visit your territory sometime to see the swallows.”

Hearing this, Xia Qing accepted with a smile. “So long as I’m in the territory, you’re welcome anytime.”

As Xia Qing drove away from Territory Eight, Zhou Zhaoping, dressed in a protective suit, stepped out from the gatehouse. He nodded with a pleasant smile, watching her go.

Honestly, if Xia Qing didn’t know Zhou Zhaoping used to be the board secretary of Chonglian Group, she would’ve thought he was just some gatekeeper Xin Yu hired.

Xia Qing hopped onto the rotary tiller and headed back to her own territory. She tore open the package and immediately changed into the thermal clothing Xin Yu just gave her.

The fabric was incredibly stretchy and fit her perfectly. With her bulletproof jacket pulled on over it, she did a lap around the yard and realized she could easily handle temperatures below minus twenty degrees.

No wonder Xin Yu had been testing bulletproof jackets outside wearing nothing but this. Xia Qing swung her arms and tried some bigger movements, only to discover the jacket actually felt even better than her Level 3 wilderness suits. Of course, it wasn’t up there with special protective suits, but Uncle Huo’s craftsmanship still amazed her.

“Boss, check this out!” Xia Qing strutted up to Old Goat, showing off her new full-body leather suit.

Old Goat just munched on corn leaves under the eaves, chewing impassively as if he hadn’t heard a word Xia Qing said.

So, Xia Qing sauntered over to Er Gou and did another spin. “Er Gou, how do I look?”

Er Gou immediately opened his mouth and let out a hearty, “Hahaha!”

“Right? I think it’s amazing too!” Xia Qing beamed. “You two have outfits too, so let’s all suit up and take a group photo!”

Before her companions could react, Xia Qing dashed inside and fished out the high-neck, full-coverage protective suits specially made for Old Goat and Er Gou.

To guarantee bulletproof protection, each suit only had as few cuts and joints as absolutely necessary. Xia Qing’s was a full piece with gloves sewn in, while the animals’ suits were even simpler—just a single coverall.

There were some differences, though. Old Goat’s head was huge, so his suit could unzip all the way down the back and neck. Er Gou’s was a bit smaller, so his suit featured a full collar of snake skin and only unzipped down the back. To get him into it, Xia Qing had to guide his head through the neck opening first.

Looking more closely, Xia Qing realized the fabric connecting the limbs to the bodies of their suits felt just like hers—this was the same super-stretchy material used in Level 4 protective suits!

Uncle Huo always made the best stuff. Seriously, he was the real deal!

Full of excitement, Xia Qing zipped Er Gou into his suit, fastened the straps from his front legs and chest up to his back. Now, except for his head and tail, Er Gou was cocooned in protective snake skin.

The most genius part? Even Er Gou’s paws were wrapped up, leaving only his sharp claws exposed.

The suit had been dyed to match Er Gou’s own fur, so, aside from being hairless, he looked totally natural in it. Xia Qing couldn’t help but admire the look.

“Er Gou, how does it feel?”

Er Gou still wasn’t quite used to it, moving awkwardly like he couldn’t figure out how to step. But as soon as Xia Qing called his name, he grinned at her and let out another big, happy laugh.

Xia Qing rubbed his head and explained softly, “This suit is super stretchy, and breathable too. Most importantly, it’s bulletproof and gives you extra agility. You can sprint in it and barely notice a thing. You’ll get used to it after a few more tries.”

And then she heaped on the praise. “Er Gou, you look absolutely handsome in this—seriously! If they held a Most Gorgeous Wolf contest on Blue Star, you’d be king of the mountain!”

With Xia Qing’s over-the-top admiration, Er Gou was soon drooling from laughter. Since it was freezing, the drool quickly turned into a row of tiny icicles hanging from his muzzle.

Xia Qing wiped his mouth, then noticed Old Goat squinting suspiciously with an increasingly dangerous look as he munched his corn leaves. She immediately pulled out his suit and waved it in front of him, “Whoa, Boss, look at this! It’s yours—and it’s the coolest sheep suit I’ve ever seen! Wear this and every ewe on Blue Star will go wild for you! Want to try it on?”

Old Goat chewed away silently, clearly wanting to hear more.

After a few more minutes of flattery, Old Goat was satisfied. With his big head held high, he trotted over to Xia Qing, signaling her to hurry up and dress him.

“Here we go!” Xia Qing quickly suited him up, launching into another round of wild compliments.

Old Goat didn’t like how the suit felt and pawed at the ground, looking irritated.

Wanting them to really appreciate the snake skin suits, Xia Qing suggested, “Boss, Er Gou, how about we all have a friendly tussle?”

With that, she ran inside to grab her strength-based evolution gear, snapped on her mask, and dashed out, ready for action.

The moment he heard ‘tussle,’ Old Goat chased after Xia Qing.

Er Gou was the last to set off, but he was fastest by far. He beat them outside the village and waited for Xia Qing, who charged out in her black suit shouting, “Er Gou, come on!”

As Xia Qing barreled toward him, Er Gou wagged his tail, grinning and ready. Xia Qing scooped him up, spun him in the air, and tossed him onto a pile of dry grass.

Er Gou loved this game—grinning so wide it seemed his tail might wag off.

“Baa!”

Old Goat, bringing up the rear, charged in horns first.

“Come on!” Xia Qing shouted, lunging at him.

“Bang!”

Human and goat slammed together. Even though her strength hadn’t fully recovered, Xia Qing was sent flying. Honestly, even fully healthy, she was no match for Old Goat in a straight-up clash.

This time Xia Qing didn’t dodge. She slammed back-first into the crumbling stone wall of an abandoned house at the edge of the village, bringing it crashing down. She felt a jolt of pain, but she was definitely unhurt.

Perfect!

Climbing from the rubble, Xia Qing brushed dust from her mask and charged at Old Goat again. Er Gou didn’t join the brawl, just dashed in circles around them, going faster every lap.

Spying her chance, Xia Qing grabbed both of Old Goat’s horns and flung him hard.

“Bang!”

“Crash!”

Old Goat smashed through the rubble, shook off the dust, realized he wasn’t even sore, and excitedly let out a triumphant bleat before charging Xia Qing again.

“Xia Qing, what are you doing now? Why are you fighting again?” The ruckus was so loud even Tang Huai in Section Three—one territory away—could hear them.

Caught up in the action, Xia Qing hadn’t brought her walkie-talkie or phone, so Tang Huai’s shouts went unheard. But Zhou Xun, over in Territory Two’s Wild Grass Wall, heard the noise. He climbed out of his snow nest, ran to the southern wall, and called out through the passage, “Boss, you there?”