Chapter 718: Wolf Howls and the Siege of the Wild Tung Tree

From human territory to the wolves’ core domain—Hill Sixty—it was more than sixty li through dangerous, ever-shifting forests. Xia Qing didn’t trust her chances of surviving the trek alone, so she decided to try the wolves’ way of communication first.

After several minutes of howling, she finally drew over two evolved wolves. Though she didn’t know these two personally and they bared their teeth at her, Xia Qing could tell from their markings they belonged to the Northern Wolf Pack.

Why?

Because Xia Qing had seen them on Hill Sixty before, and she had even saved the scarred wolf’s life. That wolf was wounded in last year’s battle for revenge, and Xia Qing was the one who stitched up the gash on its belly.

With a friendly tone, Xia Qing greeted the wolves: “Hey Scar, you and your buddy hunting this far from home?”

“Woo—” The scarred wolf and its companion let out furious growls.

Even though they kept their distance, at least ten meters away, the wolves didn’t act hostile. Xia Qing knew they recognized her since they didn’t attack. Instead, their body language screamed pure annoyance.

Why so grumpy? Xia Qing had no idea. She pulled out her phone, enlarged the pictures of the Alpha and Crippled Wolf, and bargained, “Scar, could you go get the Queen and Broken Back for me? I need to talk to them.”

The wolves, after checking that her phone wasn’t a weapon, just kept cursing her out.

Xia Qing tossed them a pack of freeze-dried meat after ripping it open. The wolves didn’t eat it, just kept fussing.

Since these two weren’t going to be helpful, Xia Qing cupped her hands to her mouth and called for other wolves. “Awoo—oo!”

“Awoo—oooo!” As Xia Qing howled, the scarred wolf threw back its head and let out a long, echoing cry. If you listened closely, you could hear the simmering fury in its howl.

“Awoo—oo!” The second wolf joined in.

Not long after, howls rang back from another ridge—wolves calling in reply from across the north.

Wait, was the message actually getting through?

Delighted, Xia Qing let out another spirited howl.

“What’s going on? Why am I hearing wolves howl?” In Territory Two, Tang Huai’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. Xia Qing’s howls didn’t carry as well as a wolf’s, so Tang Huai only caught the real wolves’ calls over the mountain.

Wen Nengjie joked, “That’s why you’re the man, Brother Huai. I can’t hear a thing.”

In Territory Six, Zhu Li pressed her ear to the air for a good ten seconds, halfway between laughter and tears. “I can hear it! Husband, I really heard wolves howling!”

“Hu Fengzi, what’s your side look like? Did you folks provoke the wolves?” Using the direction of the sound, Tang Huai checked in with Hu Zifeng.

Hu Zifeng, busy disinfecting Little Five’s wounds, didn’t have the time or interest to answer.

“Broken Back, you finally made it!” Xia Qing coughed—her voice raw from an hour of howling and being berated by wolf after wolf.

After getting barked at by six different wolves and nearly losing her voice, Xia Qing at last caught sight of Crippled Wolf.

Crippled Wolf studied Xia Qing thoughtfully for a few moments, then lowered its head to eat the freeze-dried meat she’d placed on a rock. It looked back up at her, alert and attentive.

Xia Qing adored the intelligence shining in its sharp little eyes. She took a few gulps of water to soothe her throat, then motioned for Crippled Wolf to follow her.

After barely winning a tussle with a kitten, the exhausted Honey Badger spotted the wolf Xia Qing had called over and bolted straight back down the path.

Girl and wolf watched the honey badger scamper away, then pressed on.

It took them nearly two hours to reach Mountain 51. Xia Qing first showed her companion a few aggressive Evolved Wild Tung Trees that had been blown apart, then led it to the giant one dominating the mountain valley.

A needle-sharp sensation stabbed Xia Qing’s forehead as she approached, but she ignored it and pushed on. She’d barely taken a few steps before Crippled Wolf stopped her. Xia Qing grinned. “See? You really can sense danger. No wonder the Queen picked you—you’re a true leader among wolves!”

That’s how, even last winter when she and Huo Zhun teamed up with the wolf pack to chase a fugitive from Territory Nine, Crippled Wolf never blundered into deadly plants, even without her warnings.

Crippled Wolf studied Xia Qing, still not sure what she wanted.

Xia Qing backed off, gesturing vividly as she explained why she’d brought the wolf here. “That tree is called Wild Tung. It’s threatening my land and Old Goat’s territory…”

After explaining it over and over, Xia Qing felt confident Crippled Wolf got the idea, so she confirmed again, “Handsome Wolf, once the humans come and clear out these trees, they’re leaving—don’t let the pack pick a fight with them, alright?”

The normally stern Crippled Wolf bared its dazzling white teeth—adorably sharp tips flashing—a clear sign it understood.

Xia Qing’s heart practically melted. “Broken Back, how are you so clever and cute? You have the best smile I’ve ever seen on a wolf.”

Too cute to resist—so of course, more snacks.

Once she’d fed Crippled Wolf, Xia Qing asked about the Alpha and Er. Instantly, Crippled Wolf’s smile vanished and it looked all business again.

Apparently, the Alpha was nursing pups and news about her was off-limits. Xia Qing skipped the topic of medicinal baths, bid Crippled Wolf farewell, and started back for her own territory.

Unexpectedly, when Xia Qing did her rounds that night, Crippled Wolf showed up again. Saying a quick hello, it headed straight to the second floor of the house, fetched its laptop from the basket, then nabbed the lined basket itself.

What on earth does a wolf want with a basket? Care for pups?

Xia Qing was baffled.

To protect the vast croplands of Section One in Northern Hui Three, three days after Tan Junjie reported the threat, the Base dispatched troops and combat teams to clear the wild tung from Mountain 51.

Along with ground forces, the Base sent out two helicopters and four large trucks.

The lightweight choppers flew low, helping search the mountain for any Devastation-Evolved Wild Tung Trees Xia Qing and Xin Yu might have missed. The larger helicopters hauled bundles of cut wild tung to the eastern quarantine strip in Section One, stacking them on the big trucks.

The trucks would take all the wild tung to the Safe Zone’s paper mill for processing.

The team assigned to uproot the giant, high-risk Devastation-Evolved Tung Tree was split into two groups—sixteen from Azure Dragon Squad led by Hu Zifeng, and eighteen from the Section One Inspection Team led by Tan Junjie.

Both team leaders joined the job so their members could sharpen their skills and prep for two incoming Devastation Rains.

To avoid sparking a devastation burst, heavy weapons weren’t authorized during the Devastation Rain events. Instead, the squad trained under simulated conditions, using only knives, saws, and guns to bring down the colossal tree.

The ten-man vanguard hit from all sides, hacking at its sprawling vines all at once.

“Bang!” Just like the other aggressive tung trees, this one had undergone Hardness Evolution, only the wood was even tougher.

Sure enough, as Xia Qing predicted, once attacked, the tree’s thick roots exploded up from the dirt along with its vines, smashing rocks like toy blocks. When the vines hit unbreakable boulders, they lashed out and wrapped them up instead.

The formerly quiet wild tung became a rampaging monster, flailing everywhere and stirring up a storm of dust.

Right as the team prepared to launch a second wave and keep hacking down vines, Hu Zifeng—gifted with Vision Evolution—snapped out an order: “Everyone fall back! Now! The vines are growing fast!”

Not even in a Devastation Rain was this mutated tree supposed to grow so fast during an attack! Just how much Devastation Element had it stockpiled inside?