Chapter 659: Night Watch in the Evolved Forest

Yang Jin knew Xia Qing got along well with the Wolf Pack, but he never imagined their relationship had reached this level. “Don’t worry, get some rest first. I’ll call you over in three hours.”

In three hours it would be Xia Qing’s turn to take the night watch. With a wolf by her side, she’d be much safer.

“Okay.”

Xia Qing understood too and wasted no time resting. She hadn’t slept a wink since discovering the Devastation Snake that morning and exhaustion had set in long ago. The moment she closed her eyes, she was out like a light.

Standing guard outside the tent, Yang Jin scanned hundreds of meters of the Evolved Forest through his night vision goggles. He made sure no large predators lurked nearby, watched the churning stream feeding a small pond, then studied the trickle snaking through the valley below. After confirming the Devastation Snake trapped in the net was secure, his eyes drifted back to the tent beside him. He couldn’t help grinning like a dope.

He’d led the Azure Dragon Squad to Hui Three Base, always hoping for a chance like this since learning Xia Qing would join the mission as an off-list logistics member.

Every time a mission was announced, he’d even planned out how he’d greet her and what task he’d give her. He wanted to keep her safe, but also help her grow stronger.

But in the past six years, Xia Qing never once applied to join his squad. She became a regular with Luo’s team instead. The only time she didn’t apply was when he happened to team up with Luo for a mission.

Yang Jin understood her reasons and knew she made the right choice, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. At one point, he thought he’d never have a shot at teaming up with her in this life.

Now, finally, they were together.

His heartbeat sped up. He forced himself to look away from the tent and instead watched a few restless Evolved Rats darting in the distance.

At midnight, Xia Qing woke to the alarm, tidied her sleeping bag and stowed it in her backpack. After slipping on her protective mask, she stepped outside.

“Awake?”

Perched atop a boulder, Yang Jin pointed at the Devastation Snake caught in the stream. “We’ve caught four in total. I’ll go collect them.”

With that, Yang Jin jumped smoothly down the twenty-meter cliff, grabbed the snakes, stuffed them into a bag then scaled back up using a tree vine. He gave Xia Qing advice on danger zones and what to do in an emergency, then smiled. “Want to try calling a wolf over now?”

“I’ll give it a shot.” This was Xia Qing’s first night watch deep in the Evolved Forest, and having an Evolved Wolf with her put her mind at ease. “Captain Yang, just stay by the tent and keep your presence down, especially any killing intent. When the wolf comes, I’ll introduce you, then you can say hi and get some rest in the tent. Try not to make much noise.”

Otherwise, the wolf she called over might just focus all its attention on Yang Jin.

After getting the underwater footage from his detector, Xia Qing turned to face the western mountain a few hundred meters away. She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and howled. “Awoooo—ooh—”

It was the same call Alpha and Crippled Wolf used when rallying the pack. Xia Qing had heard it plenty of times. Even if it wasn’t a perfect imitation, the wolves would understand.

One howl wasn’t enough. Xia Qing gave it another try.

Yang Jin blinked in surprise. He’d thought she’d just call for Queen or Handsome Wolf, not mimic a wolf’s howl. She did a pretty good job, it sounded convincing, but would the wolves really get it?

What if they didn’t—and her howl lured in something far worse?

Yang Jin’s hand edged toward the knife in his pocket, ready. That’s when he spotted a pair of glowing green eyes atop the western mountain!

Xia Qing lowered her hands and smiled. “That’s Black Wolf, the one always hanging around Alpha. Looks like I got lucky.”

Yang Jin softened his presence and whispered, “How did you know it was there?”

“That mountain’s the highest point nearby and it’s upwind from us. Wolves feel safer there.” After spending so much time with the pack, Xia Qing was well-versed in Evolved Wolf habits.

Soon, Black Wolf—dressed in its snakeskin protective suit—came running over from the west. It stopped just over fifty meters away and fixed its piercing eyes on Yang Jin.

This wolf was even bigger than Crippled Wolf. Judging by its gaze, it was a powerful, highly cautious Evolved Wolf without brain mutation. Yang Jin wondered how Xia Qing planned to communicate with a beast like that.

First, Xia Qing patted Yang Jin’s shoulder, then called out warmly, “Big Black, this is my teammate Yang Jin—you’ve seen him before.”

The pat sent Yang Jin’s heart racing. He did his best to conceal any threat and nodded politely at the wolf, then ducked into the tent.

Xia Qing took a few steps closer and called to Black Wolf. “Big Black…”

Black Wolf stomped on the rock with a front paw and bared its teeth in a low growl—a clear warning.

This was a normal wolf—not swayed by flattery. Only food could break the ice. Xia Qing stayed put, pulled a small pack of freeze-dried meat from her pocket, tore it open and placed it on a rock. “I made this jerky myself a few days ago, tastes even better than the roasted ones. Queen brought a pack for Er already. You’ve probably smelled it. This one’s just for you, want to try it?”

If Black Wolf accepted her food, chances were it would stick around to help stand guard. If not, that was typical for Evolved Wolves—they’re nothing if not wary.

Why always carry freeze-dried meat?

It wasn’t just freeze-dried meat. Xia Qing also kept Old Goat’s favorite ration bars, meat jerky for the pack, pearls for Crippled Wolf and nuts for Red Squirrel—just in case.

She stepped back, turning her back to Black Wolf and facing the waterfall and pond, focusing on her night watch duties.

Nearly two minutes passed before she heard the wolf’s heavy footsteps, then the sound of food being gulped down. Black Wolf didn’t nibble—he swallowed everything whole.

Hearing the wolf eat, Yang Jin relaxed inside the tent and finally drifted off.

“Big Black, want to stay here and keep me company on watch?” Xia Qing pulled out a roasted jerky from her pocket and set it beside her.

Five minutes later, Black Wolf darted over, grabbed the jerky and leapt a few meters away. With a crunch or two it devoured the meat, then didn’t retreat any farther—just kept a wary eye on the tent at Xia Qing’s side.

Pointing at the tent, Xia Qing explained softly, “The human inside is Yang Jin, my teammate. He won’t hurt you.”

Yang Jin couldn’t see what Black Wolf was doing, but his heart wouldn’t stop pounding and his face had gone red again. His name was nothing special, but hearing it come out of Xia Qing’s mouth made it sound almost magical.

“Captain Yang, Big Black’s staying to help. You can rest easy now.” Xia Qing kept her voice low so as not to disturb him.

“Got it.” Yang Jin kept his emotions in check and answered calmly.

A few minutes later, with Yang Jin’s breathing steady and even, Xia Qing saw Black Wolf lie down nearby, closing his eyes to rest. With danger no longer a concern, she quietly pulled out her phone to check the underwater footage.

According to the laws of nature, wherever there are venomous snakes, there should be herbs that counter their poison. Xia Qing had searched around the pond already and found nothing, so now she pinned her hopes on the plants beneath the water’s surface.