Chapter 658: Secrets Beneath the Pure Waters

“A source of pure, unpolluted water.”

Catching the knowing look in Xia Qing’s eyes, Yang Jin couldn’t help but laugh.

Even though half his face was hidden by a protective mask, when he smiled, his eyes sparkled with amusement.

“The Alpha knew there was a pure spring on Hill Forty-Nine but only kept a herd of wild boars and one sheep here. That made me think—there must be some decent drinking water in the Wolf Pack’s core territory. My best guess back then was Hill Fifty-Five.”

Yang Jin watched the movement at the bottom of the pool while explaining to Xia Qing what happened last year. “The Wolf Pack caught on to my plan and killed two wild boars to show where they stood: if any humans entered Hill Fifty-Five, they’d invade human territory and even kill humans if they had to. So I didn’t have a choice—I had to let it go.”

So, that’s why Crippled Wolf broke into the Wild Boar Breeding Center and hunted down two of those massive boars! Now it all makes sense.

Xia Qing asked, “After the Wolf Pack lost that fight, did you ever bring people back to investigate?”

Yang Jin shook his head. “After the Northern Wolf Pack lost, they headed to your territory and made nice with you. Since you and I are allied, I called off any further missions here. Then Luo’s poisoning acted up again, so all my focus went into finding a cure. As luck would have it, I stumbled on pure spring water in Lan City. Meanwhile, your ties with the wolves kept growing stronger, so there was no reason to restart the mission.”

“Turns out I made the right call. During the last beast tide, the Northern Wolf Pack actually stepped up and defended our territory, all thanks to you.”

Holding the fishing net and watching the stream, Xia Qing threw out another idea. “I found a cracked Yi Stone in the pool near the hidden valley on Hill Fifty. That means the Evolved Bear has figured out how to use Yi Stone to purify water. Since there are brain-evolved wolves too, I bet the Evolved Wolf knows the same trick. So, there may not be pure spring water here after all.”

Yang Jin stared at Xia Qing, eyes full of meaning. “What if this place produces Yi Stone? That would explain why the wolves, bears, and snakes all fight over this spot.”

Looks like Iron Rooster wants to team up and dig up my Handsome Wolf’s Yi Stone mine?

No way. No chance.

If there really is Yi Stone here, I’d get a better deal trading with the Wolf Pack than splitting it with Iron Rooster.

Xia Qing fished a green Devastation Snake out of the current and finally gave a proper answer. “Maybe. But mining here is risky. Before that big fight last July, this was one of the Wolf Pack’s regular haunts. If they’d all already moved to Hill Sixty, the Alpha and Crippled Wolf wouldn’t have wasted time raising wild boars on Hill Forty-Nine.”

It’s about sixty miles in a straight shot from Forty-Nine to Sixty. With those mountain trails twisting everywhere, it’d be even farther. The fact that two brain-evolved wolves went out of their way to raise boars on Forty-Nine means their home couldn’t be too far from here.

Hill Fifty-Five makes the most sense. The wolves could sprint here from Hill Fifty-Nine in just a few minutes.

Yang Jin nodded, confirming Xia Qing’s deduction. “Teacher Tan said this mountain used to be the Wolf Pack’s turf.”

Tan Junjie had been stationed just west of Hill Forty-Nine in the old base, so he knew all about the local Evolved Forest’s creatures.

Staring at the brook, Xia Qing kept speculating. “After the wolves lost, they still haven’t come back. That means there’s something here they fear. Clearly, even with their current strength, they can’t win against whatever it is.”

Xia Qing took a deep breath. “From what I know of the Wolf Pack, there’s no way they gave up on this mountain. There’s probably a wolf watching us right now. If you want to mine here, first you’ll have to deal with whatever scares the wolves. Even then, you’d still have to beat the wolves. If you don’t believe me…”

It’s here!

Sensing a Devastation Snake nearby with her Magnetic Sense, Xia Qing stopped and glanced toward the waterfall. Her eyes widened in surprise.

You’ve got to be kidding—there’s a Devastation Snake actually jumping down the waterfall from above!

Before Xia Qing could even call out, Yang Jin bolted over and grabbed the fiery red Devastation Snake in one smooth motion, pushing off a rock and easily leaping back to land by her side.

That speed…

“Jealous” didn’t even begin to cover it. As a non-speed evolver, Xia Qing had nothing left to say. Instead, she simply asked, “Captain Yang, did you evolve Magnetic Sense?”

Yang Jin slipped the snake into his bag, neither confirming nor denying. “If you’ve spent enough time leading expeditions in the Evolved Forest and lived through it, you pick up a feel for danger. It’s the kind of instinct to avoid trouble before it shows. I’m not sure that counts as Magnetic Sense, since I’ve never tested it.”

“Either way, I’d say my sense is just average. Nowhere near the level of a Magnetic Sense Evolver. Honestly, I can’t even pick up on something like a Devastation Snake—that’s a high-threat creature but not all that strong.”

After explaining, Yang Jin turned the question back to Xia Qing. “You just suddenly looked up—that’s how I spotted the snake. How far out can you sense its presence?”

Rather than asking if Xia Qing had Magnetic Sense, he went straight to the heart of it—he wanted to know how strong her ability was.

With things this direct, Xia Qing figured there was no point denying. “I’d never encountered a live Devastation Snake until now. Only realized I had the ability this morning on Hill Forty-Nine. My range is just five meters.”

“Five meters is pretty amazing. No wonder Third Brother insisted you take this mission.”

The stream fed by the overflowing pool and the waterfall’s drop point were three meters apart. With a five-meter detection radius, that was plenty. Yang Jin suggested, “From now on, you track Devastation Snakes with Magnetic Sense and I’ll handle the catching. Perfect chance to train your new skill.”

“Thanks, Captain Yang.” Xia Qing stopped pretending she was spotting the snakes by eye and focused on using her Magnetic Sense to track them.

They caught three Devastation Snakes as a team before dusk settled in. Hunting became much harder after that.

Xia Qing quickly pulled a fishing net from her backpack and crafted two big net traps. Together, she and Yang Jin blocked both the creek and the waterfall. Any more snakes coming through would end up caught and couldn’t slip into the pool.

When Yang Jin gave her a thumbs-up, Xia Qing kept a straight face. “Back when I was part of a squad, my job was always odd jobs like this—unofficial logistics support.”

Yang Jin seemed about to say something, but swallowed it back. With the nets up, it was finally time to find a place to rest.

The two of them climbed above the waterfall and picked out a big, clean rock. They pitched the tent right there. From this vantage, they could watch the falls, keep an eye on the pool and its outflow, plus stay safe from any sneaky pythons. It really was the best spot to take a break.

“Keep your personal flight equipment ready. If anything goes wrong, you take off toward our territory immediately. I’ll meet you wherever you land.”

Once the escape plan was set, Yang Jin had Xia Qing head into the tent to rest while he circled the area on patrol.

Xia Qing hadn’t eaten or used the bathroom all day. She needed to get some food and take a break in the tent. Plus, she had to contact Old Goat and tell him she wouldn’t be back tonight—time to sweet-talk him into keeping an eye on their home.

Twenty minutes later they switched. Yang Jin came back to the tent for his own rest.

Dinner was quick and simple, then they worked out the night’s watch schedule.

On first watch, Yang Jin stood outside the tent, eyes on the pool below, keeping alert. He called out, “Earlier, you said if I didn’t believe you, what would happen if I tried mining here?”

Lying on the inflatable mat inside the tent, Xia Qing answered, “I meant, there’s no way the Wolf Pack has truly abandoned Hill Fifty-Five. I’m sure there’s a wolf nearby watching us. If you don’t believe me, I can call the wolves over to prove it.”