Chapter 654: The Venomous Snakes Emerge

As a massive python burst from the lake in the northern part of Hill Sixty, Xia Qing, with one arm around Old Goat, pressed the walkie-talkie button in Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine to report to Hu Zifeng’s Squad. “Captain Hu! Devastation Snakes are pouring out of a crevice in Valley Two. I’ve seen six so far. We need backup.”

The magnetic sense here feels stronger than it does at home, and it’s clear just by how much stronger it is. Besides the six arm-length little snakes that crawled out, I can still sense magnetic activity inside the crevice!

Damn it, this mountain isn’t just turning out contaminated spring water—now it’s spawning Devastation Snakes, too!

“Copy that. We’re on our way.”

Meanwhile, over on Hill Fifty, Li Kai was stationed in the Hidden Valley and called Yue Haiying. “Brother Yue, we’ve spotted three bright red Devastation Snakes in the Hidden Valley. They’re about thirty centimeters long.”

While searching for the snakes in Territory Fifteen, Yue Haiying immediately gave an order. “Catch them alive and keep them safe. I’ll report this right away. Stay alert, and make sure to wear your protective suits.”

“Bzz—bzz—”

As Xia Qing was stuffing a Devastation Snake into the bag, she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. She could only use voice control. “Hey Dummy, answer the call.”

The call connected, but Xia Qing wasn’t sure who was calling. She made sure to state her identity first. “This is Xia Qing. Who’s this?”

“Xia Qing, it’s me. Is this a good time to talk?” Yue Haiying could tell Xia Qing was swamped and didn’t have a hand free for her phone.

Xia Qing glanced at Guan Tong, who was running over carrying Zhang Song. “It’s fine, go ahead. What’s up, Brother Yue?”

Yue Haiying kept it short. “Li Kai just reported finding three bright red Devastation Snakes in the valley, all about thirty centimeters long. I’ve told him to catch them alive. What do we do next?”

“I’ll get in touch with Third Brother right away.” With that, Xia Qing hung up, backed away with Old Goat to clear the area for Zhang Song and Hu Zifeng’s squad to keep catching Devastation Snakes, then began contacting her Idol while still holding onto Old Goat’s neck.

Why hold on? Because she hadn’t run off with Old Goat, and he was mad—ready to scold her.

As soon as Zhang San heard Devastation Snakes were found on both Hill Fifty and Hill Forty-Nine at the same time, he issued his orders. “Keep the snakes on Hill Fifty safe for now. We’ll wait for Yang Jin and Luo Pei to arrive before doing anything else. Catch all the Devastation Snakes you find on Hill Forty-Nine alive, and have Zhang Song take samples from where they’re found. Mark those spots off, and we’ll disinfect them afterwards.”

After hanging up, Zhang San immediately alerted Zhang He, who was clearing the High-Risk Area on Hill Fifty, to be on guard for Devastation Snake attacks.

Once the call ended, Zhang San pressed his aching temples with a finger. Two neighboring hills were suddenly crawling with Devastation Snakes. There’s no way that’s a coincidence.

What could cause the Devastation Snakes to appear at the same time? And could there be more showing up elsewhere in the Evolved Forest?

“Territory Eight, Xin Yu, are you there?” Zhang San called out for Xin Yu through the walkie-talkie.

Xin Yu, who was obediently sitting at a table listening to Yu Dongming, glanced at her uncle. Only after he nodded did she press the button. “I’m here.”

“For disaster suppression, we need to requisition your tamed beast. Do you agree?”

“Yes, I agree.”

“Good. Bring your tamed beast and head to Territory Seven right away.” After a short pause, Zhang San asked, “Is Chairman Yu Dongming with you?”

This time, Yu Dongming himself pressed the button and answered politely. “Third Brother, I’m here. If there’s anything you need from me, just say the word.”

Yu Dongming was really just being polite here.

Because according to the rules, as the Disaster Elimination Site Commander, Zhang San should use Hui Three Base’s own people and resources first. Only if Hui Three lacks the people or ability to handle it should he ask another base for help.

To save face, most commanders wouldn’t cross that line.

But Zhang San wasn’t like most. He didn’t care one bit for Hui Three Base’s pride. “Thank you, Chairman Yu, for supporting Hui Three’s disaster relief efforts in Section One of the North. Please bring your security team along and head over with Xin Yu. You’ve got fifteen minutes.”

Yu Dongming was speechless…

Xin Yu pressed the button calmly. “Understood. We’ll reach Territory Seven in ten minutes.”

A trace of a smile tugged at Xia Qing’s lips.

Having Yu Dongming’s team tag along wasn’t about needing Chonglian’s help. Zhang San just didn’t want Yu Dongming sneaking around Xin Yu’s home while she was away.

No wonder he’s my Idol. He really thinks of everything.

“Xia Qing.”

Yang Jin arrived at Hill Forty-Nine in a flash, showing up three meters to Xia Qing’s left. Old Goat, who had just been wrestling with Xia Qing, immediately spun around, horns lowered, ready to charge at Yang Jin.

Xia Qing pointed toward Hu Zifeng and Zhang He’s group. “Captain Yang, we found Devastation Snakes over there.”

“Got it.” Yang Jin moved over to help catch the snakes.

Now that Yang Jin was here, Xia Qing didn’t need to watch over things anymore. She radioed Hu Zifeng. “Captain Hu, you guys take over here. I’m continuing the search for more Devastation Snakes.”

Leaving the area with Old Goat, Xia Qing pulled out her phone and held up a photo of a Devastation Snake, asking in a gentle voice, “Boss, do you know where else these dangerous snakes might be hiding?”

These little snakes may be carnivores, but they usually prey on frogs, rats, or small birds. So even though Old Goat is a large herbivore and instinctively wary of snakes, he’ll just steer clear of their hideouts without really fearing them. After fish were introduced to Section Three, Old Goat would sometimes even kick a little snake to death to feed the fish.

But today, for the first time, Xia Qing watched Old Goat completely panic at the sight of these little snakes—panicked enough to want to drag her away with him.

The last time Old Goat acted like this was during the second round of Devastation Rain in year ten of the calamity, when the potato plants became dangerously aggressive through Devastation Evolution.

That’s why Xia Qing was sure—Old Goat had seen how deadly these snakes can be.

Seeing Old Goat squinting his eyes, Xia Qing stuffed another ration bar in his coat pocket and soothed him gently. “Boss, I know you’re just looking out for me. You’re amazing, truly. I’m so touched! You really are the pride of all Evolved Sheep on Blue Star.”

After a string of praises, Old Goat finally lifted his head high in satisfaction. Xia Qing waved her phone at him and asked again, “Where else are these snakes hiding? Help me out, Boss. I really can’t find them without you.”

Old Goat, head held high, took the lead, with Xia Qing—magnetic sense fully engaged—right on his heels.

Following Old Goat around and around, Xia Qing only found a dozen or so snakes, but none were Devastation Snakes. Just as she was about to ask Old Goat to help again, Yang Jin walked over.

Old Goat instantly stopped searching and stood by Xia Qing’s side, setting himself in a defensive stance against Yang Jin.

Yang Jin pointed to the nearby stream, explaining, “We just captured eleven Devastation Snakes from the crevice. Third Brother wants us to release two with tracking rings to observe their movements.”

Only now did Xia Qing notice two bright green Devastation Snakes, each fitted with a small tracking ring, floating downstream.

Ahead, the stream led straight to the mountain pond where the wild boars liked to gather. Once it overflowed, the pond’s water would pour down the valley, eventually joining the river that split Section Three from Section Four.

The more Xia Qing thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Could these venomous things really be poisoning the water?