Chapter 635: Devastation Rain: Shadows Over the Territory

The crimson Devastation Rain had been falling for forty minutes, plunging the land into utter chaos that only seemed to grow.

“To the north of the abandoned village on the southeast edge, there’s a two-meter-tall aggressive Devastation-evolved wild tung tree that needs clearing.” Peng Jian’s voice, a Vision Evolutionary, crackled through the Section Three walkie-talkie. He stood atop the little house beside the fields, sweeping his gaze over the territory for anything out of place and issuing warnings the moment he spotted them.

“I’m closest, I’ll handle the wild tung tree right now.” Elsewhere in the territory, Guan Tong, a Strength Evolver, kept watch over the crops in the Yellow Lantern Wheat greenhouse. Meanwhile, Xia Qing quickly tied up a bag packed full of scorpions and hurried toward the spot where the wild tung tree had appeared.

With Xia Qing’s current strength, uprooting a two-meter-tall aggressive Devastation wild tung tree only took two or three minutes. When she was done, she sent an announcement through the Lords’ channel: “Section Three has just cleared a two-meter-tall aggressive Devastation-evolved wild tung tree.”

That made it the twenty-ninth aggressive Devastation-evolved wild tung tree to crop up in Plots 1 to 10. Something about this number just wasn’t right.

Xia Qing figured there must be a massive Devastation wild tung tree lurking in the nearby Evolved Forest, scattering its seeds across the land with the wind or by birds. That’d explain why so many aggressive Devastation saplings sprung up during this Devastation Rain.

Once the rain passed, she and Xin Yu could take a bird into the Evolved Forest to hunt for that giant tree. They’d have to wipe it out for good or it’d just keep causing trouble.

Of course, first they had to survive this Devastation Rain.

Using the rain to rinse mud from her shovel, Xia Qing slung it over her shoulder, then carried on patrolling the territory with her Magnetic Sense ability, rooting out dangers as she went.

To the south in the Hui Three Safe Zone, the western barrier of the southern territory was littered with hundreds of herbivore carcasses big and small.

Within the human territory, lords and their workers stayed locked in rooms and basements, too afraid to step outside. Meanwhile, Devastation Grass and other Devastation-evolved plants ran wild. The combat teams tasked with guarding the land were now locked in an endurance battle against the attacking wolves and leopards.

“Captain Yang, the helicopter will arrive in five minutes. The pilot wants to know where to drop the supplies.”

Yang Jin, locked in a deadly dance with a wolf and a leopard, perched on the trunk of a big tree and hit his walkie-talkie. “Section Six sniper point. Have them deliver right there and then bring it over fast.”

Having the helicopter fly any closer would just rile up the wolves, who were barely holding back as it was.

“Roger that.”

“Huff—”

No sooner had Yang Jin spoken than he heard a gust of air whip in from behind. He leapt off the tree just in time as a burly leopard landed right where he’d stood, then sprang after Yang Jin as he tried to escape.

Barely had Yang Jin hit the ground when a massive silver-grey wolf burst from the shrubs. Its fangs gleamed, claws slashing for Yang Jin’s throat and chest. At the same time, the leopard above lunged after him from behind.

The leopard was every bit as fast as Yang Jin.

This time, Yang Jin couldn’t dodge. All he could do was block with both sabers, still sheathed.

“Awooo—wooo—” The wolves’ howls pierced the air even before the helicopter’s engines roared overhead, a warning to all.

Last time, it had taken bombers to wipe out half the wolves that invaded the Eastern Territory and drive the rest away. So this time, the arrival of a helicopter made the pack more alert than ever.

The wolf and leopard fighting Yang Jin instantly pulled back, growling at the humans before them. Yang Jin kicked aside a vine that tried to ensnare him, keeping his eyes fixed on the two predators in front.

“Awooo—woooo—”

The silver-grey giant wolf retreated, tipping back its head in a long, commanding howl. All the evolved wolves battling humans pulled together at once. Three wolves broke off to surround the nearest sniper from afar.

By the way they moved, it was clear these wolves would kill the sniper before retreating. Yang Jin knew better than to risk it and quickly jumped back up the tree. For the first time, he pulled the twin guns from his belt, aiming at the two leopards that meant to ambush him.

Sure, he was a top-tier human Speed Evolver, but no matter how far he’d come, he still couldn’t outspeed an evolved leopard. That was a gap no evolution could bridge.

The leopards, no strangers to human weapons, stayed put on a neighboring tree, wary. On the ground, the angry wolf pack began clawing at the trunk of Yang Jin’s tree.

One swipe and a chunk of bark went flying, shaking the branches so hard that rainwater came pouring down, drenching Yang Jin.

“Captain Yang, we’ve brought the man to the Section Five sniper point.”

Hearing the voice over the walkie-talkie, Yang Jin ordered immediately, “Everyone at Section Five sniper point, fall back at once.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a two-minute pause, Yang Jin holstered one of his guns, lured the wolf pack and the leopards toward the Section Five sniper point, grabbed the Dongyang Squad member Sun Jun—still bound on the ground—ripped the tape from his mouth, then gave his shoulder a hard squeeze.

“Aaargh—” Sun Jun screamed in agony.

His cry sent a surge of fury through the leopards in the trees and wolves on the ground, all howling at once. Sun Jun trembled so hard he could barely hold himself together.

It was clear from the beasts’ reaction that they knew Sun Jun was the one who’d slaughtered their cubs. That made things simple.

Imitating Xia Qing’s way of communicating with wolves, Yang Jin slowed his voice and movements. He tore the blindfold from Sun Jun’s eyes so the wolves could see his face, then lifted Xue Jinchang’s corpse nearby. Speaking slowly and loudly to the furious mutated beasts, he said:

“These two are the traitors who killed your cubs. Human hands caught them already, now they’re yours to deal with.” With that, Yang Jin tossed Xue Jinchang’s corpse to the wolves first.

The silver-grey giant wolf pinned the body with its paw, sniffed it, then stared murderously at the still-breathing man in Yang Jin’s grasp.

“No! Captain Yang, please, just kill me yourself! Don’t hand me over to these animals! I’m human, I’m not like them!” Sun Jun screamed in terror.

Suddenly you remember you’re human?

Yang Jin grabbed Sun Jun by the jaw to shut him up. “This one’s yours, too. But if you ever attack humans again, next time every last one of you will die.”

With that, he cut the ropes binding Sun Jun’s hands and feet and flung him at the evolved giant wolf.

The moment Sun Jun hit the ground and tried to run, an enraged she-wolf clamped down on his arm and threw him to the dirt. He knew he couldn’t possibly escape, but desperation drove him to keep begging for Yang Jin’s help. “I was just following orders! It wasn’t my idea! Ugh—animals—aaah—”

The furious wolves and leopards didn’t kill him outright. They tore off his limbs, bit by bit, only ripping open his belly at the end. The wolf pack gave Xue Jinchang’s corpse the same treatment.

Yang Jin watched it all, finally understanding how Sun Jun and Xue Jinchang had tortured the wolf and leopard cubs.

When the silver-grey evolved giant wolf bit through Sun Jun’s neck, it led the wolves and leopards away, their anguished howls rising from the depths of the Evolved Forest.

News of the wolves’ retreat spread quickly to the Northern Territory. After twenty hours fighting the Devastation Rain, people could finally breathe easy.

But just when they thought it was over, that very night the Western Wolf Pack crashed into the Western Territory, shredding rain covers from dozens of greenhouses, making it clear—they would never allow humans to settle on this land.