Chapter 653: Searching the Forest’s Edge

Time was tight, but Xia Qing still took Old Goat back under the Toon Tree, bent down and patiently explained why she had to leave the territory, then tried to persuade it to stay. “Old Goat, the supplies in our territory, including this Toon Tree, need your protection. Stay here till I get back, alright?”

Through her protective mask, Xia Qing watched as Old Goat narrowed its eyes, clearly disgruntled. So she tried again, “You want to come with me to Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine? There are Devastation Snakes there, it’s dangerous.”

Even after she slipped a ration bar into its mouth, Old Goat still wanted to tag along. Xia Qing finally agreed, took out a strap to sling it onto her back, then covered it with a large black opaque bag. She gave Chen Zheng and Chen Cheng a quick rundown and only then left Section Three to join the search team headed for Hill Forty-Nine, Section Three.

Why bring Old Goat? The beast is way too stubborn. If she didn’t let it tag along, it’d just sneak out on its own.

Workers now dressed in Level 3 Wilderness Protective Suits saw the north gate of Section Three open, and a tall figure carrying a hefty bag strode out, heading straight for Hill Forty-Nine, Section Three.

Everyone already knew Xia Qing was a Strength-Based Evolution user, and their main ability was carrying heavy loads. Seeing her with a massive bundle wasn’t strange at all.

But as Xia Qing came into view, Hu Zifeng’s Squad was startled. “Xia Qing, why’d you bring Old Goat along?”

With two goat legs draped over her shoulders and a goat’s head resting on top of her own, Xia Qing kept a calm face. “It wanted to come, so I brought it along.”

Hu Zifeng just stared, speechless…

Nearby, Zhang Song, kitted out in an Airtight Protective Suit, stared at Old Goat with wide, shining eyes.

“Captain Hu, I spotted that snake at the entrance to Valley Two. Go ahead without me, I’ll catch up.” With Old Goat still strapped on, Xia Qing went near the Wolf Den, unfastened the strap, let it down, and quietly explained with her walkie-talkie, “Old Goat, I’ll look for the snake around here. You can follow or just hang out close by, but don’t wander too far. When I’m done, we’ll head back to the territory together.”

Hill Forty-Nine was an Evolved Forest, but with Azure Dragon Squad stationed here, the only large beasts besides wild boars in the valley were the ones wearing protective suits—like Old Goat. Only Hu Zifeng’s Squad and two from Territory Seven were present, none of whom would hurt Old Goat. It was totally safe.

Xia Qing walked a few steps, noticed Old Goat looking around but not following, and broke into a run toward Valley Two. Sure enough, as soon as she sprinted off, Old Goat chased after her.

By the time Xia Qing got there, Zhang Song and his assistant, with detector equipment in hand and the protection of Hu Zifeng’s Squad, were already searching the spot where she’d found the Devastation Snake.

Seeing Xia Qing approach, Zhang Song eyed Old Goat for a couple more seconds. Noting its pawing hooves and gleaming horns—looking a little fired up—he finally turned to Xia Qing and asked via walkie-talkie, “Miss Xia, how did you first find the Devastation Snake?”

“Last autumn, I was here gathering leaves for compost, and came across it in the fallen foliage,” Xia Qing explained.

The Bamboo Pit Viper is an arboreal snake, so the spot Xia Qing found it was likely its winter den. Zhang He nodded. “Bamboo Pit Vipers like cool, damp woods or thick grass near mountain streams. Xiao Sun, watch the areas with dense weeds and check the branches.”

“Got it.” Zhang Sun forged ahead, continuing the search.

Xia Qing realized there wasn’t much more she could do here and quietly asked Hu Zifeng, “Captain Hu, mind if I scout ahead?”

Hu Zifeng nodded. “Stay safe.”

Xia Qing nodded back, separated from the group with Old Goat in tow. She looked like she was simply poking through the undergrowth with a stick, but really, she was using her Magnetic Sense to hunt for the Devastation Snake.

The snake in her Snake Box probably mutated suddenly. Xia Qing combed through nearly a kilometer and found more than twenty snakes, but none was a Devastation Snake.

Her Magnetic Sense Evolution Ability was still too weak; it could only scan a few meters at a time, which made progress slow.

Looking around to make sure no one else was near, she fished a new ration bar from her pocket and slipped it into Old Goat’s protective suit. She showed it a snake picture on her phone and whispered, “Old Goat, look, I’m searching for snakes with a little bump on their heads. Do you know where they hide?”

“Can you help me find one? Once we get the snake, we can go home and eat.” Without finding the snake, the danger couldn’t be ruled out, and as per her Idol’s rules, she couldn’t take off her protective mask to eat or drink.

Of course, if you’re not afraid of death, you could rip off your mask and eat or drink whatever you want. Nobody’s stopping you.

She fed Old Goat another ration bar and coaxed it with more sweet words. Only then did Old Goat stare at the snake on her phone for a few seconds and start searching.

Before Xia Qing ever showed up here, this forest was Wolf Pack territory and Old Goat’s playground. It knew the area even better than Xia Qing did.

The mask might have dulled Old Goat’s sense of smell, but it still led Xia Qing to a spot crawling with snakes.

Five-Step Vipers, green snakes, bamboo pit vipers, striped snakes, banded kraits, even cobras—Xia Qing’s pouch was soon bulging, but she hadn’t found a single Devastation Snake. She was almost convinced the one in her Snake Box was some freak mutation when Old Goat suddenly turned and dashed toward her.

“Old Goat, what’s wrong?” Xia Qing hurriedly stuffed the cobra into her pouch and hurried over.

“Baa!” Old Goat’s anxious call came through Xia Qing’s walkie-talkie. It rushed past her, still running.

Xia Qing realized something up ahead scared Old Goat, and it wanted to escape with its ‘little buddy.’ “Old Goat, you go on ahead. I’ll check it out.”

Just up ahead was where Xia Qing had found Tribute Chrysanthemum, Radix Peucedani, and White Atractylodes. She’d already cleared the weeds and added some fertilizer here a couple days ago, hoping for a better medicinal herb crop this year. At that time, she’d noticed nothing dangerous.

But Xia Qing trusted Old Goat’s instincts. She drew her Long Blade and moved forward.

“Baa!!” Old Goat charged back, nudging Xia Qing to retreat.

Xia Qing patted Old Goat’s snake skin protective suit gently to calm it. “Don’t worry, Old Goat, your suit is tough. I’ll go check. This is our territory too. We have to deal with any threats.”

As Xia Qing advanced into the area making Old Goat uneasy, a massive shadow slid along the bottom of the calm water where Hill Sixty’s northern lake met the swamp. Ripples spread across the water. High on a rocky outcrop, Alpha and Crippled Wolf glared at that spot, brimming with hostility.

“Roar!”

A giant bear fishing by the lake stood up with a growl. Its two cubs, which had been playing by the shore, caught the warning and scrambled back onto land.

“Splash—”

The ripples grew, then two massive black pythons burst from the water, dozens of vivid red snakes coiling around them, standing proudly out of the lake.