Chapter 723: Peril Overhead and Shadows Beneath

Jiang Ting answered calmly, “We’re at the edge of Hill Fifty-Eight, still outside the territory of Hill Sixty.”

Xia Qing spoke up, “This is the heart of the Northern Wolf Pack’s territory. If we open fire from the helicopter, we could hit evolved wolves by mistake, and trigger the pack’s revenge. I really think we should be cautious.”

Still, Lu Zhengke thought the giant eagle needed to be killed. “If we let that giant raptor go, it’ll be trouble for us later. The wolf pack probably heard us coming and already steered clear of this area.”

Jiang Ting suggested, “Let’s report to Tan Junjie and let him make the call.”

Tan Junjie was the team leader for the Hill Fifty wild tung tree clearing, and now the pursuit squad’s opinions were divided. They needed to report in. He was also chief of the Section One Inspection Team in the north, and he knew the Evolved Forest here better than anyone. It made sense to let him decide.

“Okay.” Lu Zhengke wasted no time calling Tan Junjie, then after a brief update, handed the phone to Xia Qing. “Miss Xia, Captain Tan wants to speak with you.”

Xia Qing took the phone, hearing Tan Junjie ask, “Xia Qing, what’s your opinion?”

Xia Qing answered, “If we strafe the forest below with the helicopter, the Northern Wolf Pack could see it as humans attacking their core territory, even thinking we’re after their pups. I suggest we search by air for twenty minutes, but if the raptor doesn’t show, we pull out.”

In this area, nobody understood wolves better than Xia Qing. Tan Junjie accepted her advice. “Alright. With both giant raptors gone, the bird swarm is under control. Your territory wasn’t harmed, so don’t worry.”

Her territory was fine—which meant damage had fallen elsewhere. Xia Qing’s first thought was the raptor she’d shot down. Hopefully it hadn’t crashed through someone’s greenhouse or house. But there was nothing she could do about that now. She handed the phone back to Lu Zhengke.

It was loud inside the helicopter and Lu Zhengke didn’t have enhanced hearing, so he hadn’t caught what Tan Junjie said. But as soon as he got the order to withdraw, he responded, “Understood. I’ll alert Helicopter Three—search the area for twenty minutes, and if the raptor doesn’t show, head back immediately.”

After notifying Helicopter Three, Lu Zhengke kept searching for the giant raptor while shouting, “Miss Xia, I heard you raised an evolved wolf in your territory?”

Xia Qing corrected him, “Last summer I found an old wolf, nearly dead from parasite infection, in the Evolved Forest. I spent months nursing it back, and once it recovered, it returned to the forest.”

Lu Zhengke sounded disappointed. “It left? That’s a real shame.”

“Not a shame at all,” Jiang Ting supported Xia Qing’s decision. “That wolf was probably a member of the Northern Wolf Pack. So when the Western Pack launched a beast tide against Section One in spring, the Northern Wolves came out to defend the human territory.”

Lu Zhengke nodded. “That makes sense. The old wolf was likely a companion of the Alpha. Miss Xia, have you met the Alpha?”

Local folk called the head of the Northern Wolf Pack ‘the Divine Wolf’. Xia Qing had definitely seen it—just earlier, the Alpha was howling from the top of a ridge on Hill Fifty.

Still, Xia Qing couldn’t say so, nor claim credit for what Jiang Ting suggested. “There isn’t necessarily a connection between those two things.”

As they spoke, a massive crowned eagle strode out of the Danger Zone, long legs carrying its heavy body in a clumsy waddle. Just as it prepared to break from the forest and fly back to its nest, a speed-evolved wolf leapt from a tree, pinning it down and biting its throat.

Once a sky ruler like that hits the ground, it doesn’t stand a chance against an evolved wolf. Especially not when facing the King of the Northern Pack.

With the giant raptor pinned by the Alpha, Broken Back Wolf emerged from the brush, setting down a basket.

The basket tipped, and out tumbled two pups. They scampered to the eagle’s side, their squeaky howls ringing out. The eagle rolled its eyes, glaring hungrily at the sweet little morsels, but pinned by an adult wolf, it couldn’t do a thing.

Broken Back Wolf smacked the raptor on the head, then called the pups over. He showed them the bird’s sharp hooked beak and claws, making sure they understood what sort of weapon the giant eagle carried.

After two helicopters scoured the skies above Hill Fifty-Eight for twenty minutes without finding any trace of the raptor, they wheeled around and returned to Mountain 51, resuming the wild tung clearing work.

The hunt for the giant raptor hadn’t even taken an hour and a half. In the valley of Mountain 51, the team was still clearing wild tung roots. Xia Qing rappelled from the helicopter and kept working with He Wu to dig up the aerial roots.

Everyone in the valley now knew Xia Qing had shot down a giant raptor. The way they looked at her had definitely changed.

After witnessing Xia Qing’s strength, people were surprised and a little envious, but it didn’t spark worship or deep respect. Even an advanced strength-evolved fighter wasn’t massively more powerful overall.

But now, things were different.

Everyone in the Section One inspection teams knew Xia Qing had a sniper rifle and had trained with Luo Pei, but they had no idea how good she was. Her ability to take down a giant raptor made it clear—the territory now had a top-tier sniper.

And what is a top-tier sniper? The backbone of air defense, the guardian of the combat teams. With Xia Qing around, their odds of survival just jumped.

Xia Qing could feel dozens of eyes sneaking glances her way, but she kept calm, pulling wild tung roots one after another.

They worked from ten till three, clearing every aerial root in the valley and digging up the main roots too. Only eighteen people were left—thirteen shot or scared off the last stubborn birds circling overhead, five kept burning wild tung wood. The rest split into teams to clear other zones.

After flexing her stiff fingers, Xia Qing walked over to Tan Junjie. “Captain Tan, would it be alright to cut a few vines to take home? They’re really strong and tough, perfect for working with wood.”

Tan Junjie nodded. “Go ahead, just make sure to get all the seeds off. Dry them completely before you use them back home.”

If you didn’t fully dry out the vines and kill them off, they could take root again during Devastation Rain and turn into dangerous wild tung trees. But Xia Qing always played it safe—Tan Junjie knew she could handle it.

“Got it. Thanks, Captain Tan.”

Watching Xia Qing size up the vines, Guan Tong—a level five strength evolutionary—resting on a rock, was certain her evolution level must have improved.

Once she’d bundled up a huge stack of vines, Xia Qing dragged them over to the fire. Roasting them not only burned away the wild tung seeds stuck to their surface, but also helped strip out some of the sap. Two birds, one stone.

“Sister Qing, let me help you.” Cao Xianyun, who was in charge of burning the wild tung, came over to help roast the vines. Before long, his eyes landed on Xia Qing’s black animal-skin gloves.

“Sister Qing, are those gloves made from snake skin?”

Xia Qing nodded. “They’re made of hardness-evolved snakeskin. Way better than standard gloves.”

Cao Xianyun looked impressed and asked, “If you ever get another hardness-evolved python, could you spare me a small piece of the hide?”

Cao Xianyun’s job was defending the territory. Though he had the occasional chance to roam the forest, he and his squad just weren’t equipped or strong enough—even if he ran into giant evolved snakes, all he could do was run. Unlike other inspection teams, everyone personally led by Tan Junjie in Section One knew just how formidable Xia Qing really was.