Chapter 573: Wolves, Allies and Late-Night Roasts

With the ground base station finally covering the area, those old messaging apps on the phone actually worked again. Tang Huai wasted no time and set up a group chat, pulling people in right away.

Tang Huai remembered that when he’d asked Xia Qing for her number before, she’d explicitly told him not to share her contact info. So he didn’t dare add the account linked to her current phone number into the group.

Honestly, this woman’s guard is no less than Zhang San’s. Tang Huai really didn’t want to get on her bad side and lose his chance to hang out with the sheep and the wolves.

Xia Qing ended up giving Tang Huai the number she used in the Safe Zone, then asked him, “Do you still have any Green Lantern Purple Sweet Potatoes? I want to trade for a few.”

“I’ve got some!” Tang Huai chirped, eager for a trade. “I can give you five purple sweet potatoes, but you have to let me visit your Territory for half a day. Not just sightseeing! I can help out or even cook for you. Deal?”

Now this is the kind of barter you’d expect from one of Blue Star’s top-notch traders.

But Xia Qing didn’t agree right away. “You can enter my Territory, but no weapons, stay within the areas I allow and don’t mess with any evolved animals there.”

“No worries, promise! I know the rules.” Tang Huai was over the moon. “How about I bring them over tomorrow morning?”

Xia Qing…

“The investigation team will be here to survey at 8:15 a.m. tomorrow,” she said.

“No problem! They’re quick workers—half an hour tops, then I’m in at 8:45,” Tang Huai replied, and then hung up with a satisfied chuckle.

Once Xia Qing’s old phone had enough juice to power on, she accepted Tang Huai’s friend request, then scrolled through her very short contact list and shot a message to Xu Juan.

Thanks to the weak signal and just how ancient her phone was, the little loading circle spun for five seconds before her message finally sent.

Less than thirty seconds later, Xu Juan’s call came through. The moment Xia Qing picked up, she heard, “Oh my god, you’re finally online! I heard you got hurt during the beast tide?”

Her Territory had taken a hit from invaders, so of course the news had spread through the Safe Zone. With the wounded list Tang Junjie filed, everyone must’ve heard about her injuries by now.

Xia Qing replied, “Just a minor injury, I’m fine. I was out working today and only just found out the Territory has signal now. Juan, is this a good time to talk?”

“Hang on a sec.” Xu Juan called out to her teammates, ducked into her own room and closed the door. “All right, you’re good to go.”

The Dongyang Squad was ranked eleventh at Hui Three Base and had its own lodgings in the Safe Zone. As a core member, Xu Juan had the luxury of her own room in their team house.

Xia Qing listened closely. Aside from her phone’s usual fuzz and static, there was no second breathing in the background. Only then did she ask, “The night of the beast tide, was there anything unusual in the Safe Zone?”

“Not much happened in the outer city, but there was a fierce conflict in the Inner City. I’m not clear on the details, just heard they were rooting out spies from other bases hiding in ours. If you want more details, ask Luo Pei. Xie Yu was in the Inner City at the time—I heard he went berserk. His shaved head was dyed red with blood.”

Xia Qing…

If she hadn’t seen for herself that Xie Yu’s head was a mess of curls, she’d be picturing something else entirely. “Juan, what’s the base going to do about those evolved wolves that caused the beast tide?”

She’d just turned on her phone and hadn’t even checked the Safe Zone’s public announcements yet.

“There’s a bounty posted in the mission hall. Wipe out those evolved wolves and leopards—it’s on the board, but no squad’s taken the job yet.”

Xu Juan’s voice still carried a hint of fear when she talked about those wolves. “I’ll send you a video of the Wolf Pack fighting our squads. I haven’t seen a bloodbath like that in years. Those evolved wolves are monsters. One of them got its back half chopped clean off but was still clamped on Beast Squad’s Zheng Wang and nearly killed him.”

Xia Qing asked, “Is Zheng Jiang really not taking the job to get revenge for his brother?”

Beast Squad was ranked sixth at Hui Three, and Zheng Wang—the one the wolves killed—was the captain Zheng Jiang’s own brother.

Xu Juan answered, “Today he went over to Qinglong. Guess he’s trying to take the job with them. You don’t have much farm work left, right? When are you coming to the Safe Zone to prepare for the new year?”

Even in these disaster years, resources were tight, but everyone still tried to celebrate the most important Spring Festival.

Xia Qing replied, “I’ve got too much going on to leave. If you’re free, you can come visit me in the Territory instead.”

Xu Juan hadn’t expected an invite and agreed easily. “Need anything? I’ll bring it over for you.”

Xia Qing really did need something. “If you spot any sturdy pink fabric, could you grab a couple pieces? I want to make a sheet and a seat cushion.”

Xu Juan laughed, “Wouldn’t it just be easier for me to buy you a sheet and seat cushion?”

Of course Xia Qing couldn’t say the fabric was for her wolves. “The bed and chairs in my place are all custom made, not the standard size you get in the Safe Zone.”

Space was tight in the Safe Zone. Standard single beds and stools in the outer city were much smaller than the furniture Xia Qing built herself.

After dinner, Xia Qing settled by the fireplace, listening to the radio with her phone in hand, browsing the latest missions and team notices from Hui Three Base.

Reading these postings a year later, she felt strangely detached—almost light. She no longer had to weigh her odds of survival every time she picked a mission or wondered which squad would offer a better chance of returning home alive.

She pulled up the pinned Wolf Pack bounty and zoomed in on the photo of the Alpha. Its blood-stained jaws and savage glare stood out, but what really caught her eye were those ice-blue eyes.

A huge wolf, ice-blue eyes, silver-gray fur…

Could this Alpha be related to the Handsome Huge Wolf from Hill Sixty?

Xia Qing’s heart skipped a beat. She was about to run upstairs and check the notebook left by Crippled Wolf when her phone rang.

At the same time, the Crippled Wolf lounging beside her perked its ears, lifted its head and grinned wide enough to show all its teeth.

“Beep.”

Alert: Crippled Wolf entered Section Three via the Northern Gate at 21:45 on January 26.

“Beep.”

Alert: Crippled Wolf left Section Three via the Northern Gate at 21:45 on January 26.

…

Well then, just as she was about to check the notebook, its owner showed up!

Xia Qing headed out into the yard with Er Gou to welcome the esteemed guest of Section Three.

When Crippled Wolf padded in with two wild chickens dangling from its jaws, Xia Qing laid on the praise. “Crippled, you really are the cream of the crop on Blue Star when it comes to being a great partner!”

Late at night, the Queen got a craving for roast chicken. Without a second thought, Crippled Wolf raided two birds and sprinted 60 miles just to bring them to the ‘chef.’ If a wolf this good can’t stand at the top of the pyramid, Xia Qing would gladly kick the whole thing down herself!