Chapter 611: Night of the Sprouting Toon Tree

It wasn’t just Old Goat ramming the tree. Er Gou was swiping at something with his paw too. Even though dusk had settled and darkness crept in, Xia Qing’s evolved vision let her see everything clearly. Swarms of insects were flying in from all directions toward the Toon Tree.

It turned out, while she was fixated on the helicopter, the massive Toon Tree had quietly sprouted fresh buds. The insects, drawn by a unique fragrance released by the toon sprouts, had arrived to feast.

Old Goat’s headbutting was meant to knock these bugs off the tree, while Er Gou was busy swatting down the ones Old Goat managed to dislodge.

Thanks to her magnetic sense ability, Xia Qing picked up on something different about the Toon Tree. The sensation was unsettling—totally unlike the dangerous waves put out by Devastation Evolution plants. It was a strange, indescribable feeling.

Without hesitating, Xia Qing spun around and dashed down the hillside. She grabbed water from the reservoir, dumped pesticide into the sprayer, gave it a brisk stir, then sprinted right back up the high slope. “Old Goat, Er, back up! Let me handle this!”

Er Gou immediately retreated, but Old Goat acted like he’d lost his mind, ramming the tree again and again. His crazed state was clearly brought on by something in the air given off by the Toon Tree.

Xia Qing quickly raised her arm to check the air toxin detector. Sure enough, it warned of an ‘unknown gas’ in the air, unable to rate its danger.

In other words, there was a gas here even Idol Zhang San didn’t recognize. The toxin detector from Territory Seven couldn’t confirm whether it was harmful to humans either.

Is the Toon Tree important? Absolutely.

But Old Goat matters even more.

Xia Qing set the sprayer aside, grabbed a sturdy rope, and firmly tied up the frantic, bleating Old Goat. She hoisted him over her shoulder and carried him upwind, telling Er Gou to stay clear before heading back to the Toon Tree to start spraying.

Even though Xia Qing had never seen these insects before, the pesticide from Territory Seven worked just fine.

In less than thirty seconds, insects that were munching on the toon sprouts or even mating started dropping from the tree like rain, suddenly losing the ability to move. Bugs still arriving by the swarm hesitated to land on any branches or tender shoots that had been sprayed.

But the tree was massive. One sprayer tank barely covered a fraction of it, and Xia Qing saw untouched sections plastered with bugs. It made her so anxious she wanted to start bashing the tree herself, just to knock every last pest down.

Hold on!

That feeling wasn’t right.

The gas released by the Toon Tree wasn’t just affecting Old Goat—it was getting to her too!

That meant this gas could slip right through the filter cartridge of a standard protective mask. Even her Yi Stone couldn’t ward it off.

The Toon Tree was important, but staying safe was more important.

Fighting off her growing agitation, Xia Qing slung Old Goat over her shoulder and called for Er Gou. Together, they hightailed it home, putting the Toon Tree far behind them.

Xia Qing had Er Gou and Old Goat wait in the yard while she ducked inside to change into a fully sealed protective suit. She hefted a heavy water tank in one hand and raced back up the high slope.

With the gas-tight suit she was completely cut off from the outside air, breathing exclusively through the suit’s built-in system—the only danger being gases corrosive enough to eat through the suit.

Luckily, the gas from the Toon Tree wasn’t corrosive at all.

The Toon Tree was sprouting at a rate visible to the eye, and the scent kept attracting more insects. Wearing her airtight suit, sprayer on her back, Xia Qing climbed up and down the tree branches, dousing the Toon Tree with pesticide over and over.

“Section Three, do you need help from the Inspection Team?” Tan Junjie’s voice crackled from the walkie-talkie.

Tang Huai chimed in too. “Xia Qing, what’s wrong with your evolved sheep? Why’s it bleating like that?”

Keeping her rising irritation and anxiety in check, Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie and calmly replied, “My evolved sheep in Section Three spooked because of the helicopter noise. No assistance needed.”

Tan Junjie’s voice came back, firm. “Received.”

Tang Huai wouldn’t let it go. “Huh? Why would a helicopter freak out your evolved sheep?”

Xia Qing was busy spraying and didn’t have time for him. Her so-called boyfriend, Hu Zifeng, jumped online to retort, “Why not? Last time you banged a food bowl in Section Four, didn’t that make the sheep go nuts too?”

Tang Huai ignored the maniac. He only cared about Old Goat for now. “Xia Qing, your evolved sheep wouldn’t still be suffering after that ultrasound attack last year, would it? Maybe bring it to Territory Seven and let Third Brother take a look?”

Before Hu Zifeng could chime in, Zhang San joined the call with his usual dark tone. “I’m not a vet. Say one more word, and I’ll make you the animal.”

Hidden by the Wild Grass Wall in Territory Nine, Tang Huai heard that and instantly shut up. The channel fell completely silent.

Half an hour later, Old Goat finally stopped its mournful bleating.

An hour after that, night settled in for good and the temperature tumbled below zero. No more insects came to gnaw on the toon sprouts. Xia Qing sprayed the tree down thoroughly three more times, then waited a few minutes to be sure there were no stragglers before finally heading home to check on her two companions.

Old Goat, still bound up, lay pitifully in the yard.

Xia Qing untied the rope, rubbed the sore spot on Old Goat’s leg with one hand while fiddling with her phone in the other, pulling up the surveillance feed from the sheep shed.

The Balding Weasel and the Albino Weasel stood inside the cardboard box, guarding their young beneath them. Er Gou kept a quiet vigil beside the box.

After all the chaos sparked by the Toon Tree, at least nothing major had been destroyed.

Xia Qing yanked off her protective hood, letting her head breathe. Because she’d rushed to gear up, her messy short hair was plastered to her scalp with sweat—she looked as bedraggled as a drowned wolf.

She went back to grab an absorbent towel, briskly rubbing her hair until it fluffed up, then asked, “Old Goat, feeling any better?”

“Baa~_~_~”

The weak bleat Old Goat let out made it sound even more miserable than the time it and Xia Qing had been beaten by Yan Long until Alpha intervened.

Xia Qing’s heart ached at that sound. She tossed the towel aside and kept rubbing Old Goat’s leg. “The rope was too tight, huh? Is your head hurting? Let me help.”

“Baa~_~_” Old Goat complained weakly.

After a while, Xia Qing leaned close and asked, “Want some toon sprouts for dinner?”

Old Goat’s eyes flew open. “Baa~~~”

“Alright, hang tight. I’ll grab you a handful for supper.” With her emotions still stirred up, Xia Qing suited back up, grabbed a basket, climbed the high slope and picked a load of toon sprouts—now grown as thick as thumbs.

The biopesticides from Territory Seven were only hazardous to certain creatures, not Old Goat, but Xia Qing took no chances. She soaked the toon sprouts in pure spring water mixed with salt for fifteen minutes and washed them thoroughly before serving them up.

With tasty food in front of him, Old Goat forgot about his sore leg and dug right in, all his grievances forgotten.

Xia Qing grabbed a couple pieces of jerky for Er Gou, took one for herself, and pulled out her phone to contact her Idol.