Chapter 748: Training Day on Crocodile Pool

Once rookie Xia Qing handed the wheel over to the seasoned driver Yan Long, the Beast Fourth Generation rumbled to life and shot down the road. In less than fifteen minutes, they reached the foot of the Third Peak of Hill Fifty, pulling up at the ‘parking lot’ near the high-risk area.

Even after the Beast Fourth Generation powered down and finally stopped shaking, Xia Qing’s racing heart lagged behind. Tan Qi’s delighted squeal still echoed in her ears.

When Yan Long stepped out of the car, her eyes gleamed with approval. “Yue Haiying is the real deal. That thirty thousand credits were well spent.”

“Sis, it wasn’t thirty thousand—it was three hundred sixty thousand. But honestly, I think this trip cost me at least another twenty grand just in scratches.” Stepping out, Xia Qing ran a hand over the battered car body. Only some paint had been scraped off, so she could finally breathe easy. She asked the Azure Dragon Squad members guarding the red Scourge Grass field in this high-risk zone to help keep an eye on the car.

“Squad, line up!” In a heartbeat, Yan Long switched into her iron-blooded instructor mode. “Move out, full speed to the training ground!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Xia Qing and Tan Qi responded in unison, matching Yan Long’s pace at a sprint.

Once the trio had dashed off, two members of Azure Dragon Squad exchanged excited glances before circling the thirty-thousand-credit clunker Xia Qing had bought, checking it out with bright eyes.

This was a training march, not a team mission. The instructor made it clear—everyone was to move at their own best speed, no need to wait up. Xia Qing and Tan Qi both pushed themselves, running at top speed.

After years of crazy training, Yan Long had pushed her running speed to the absolute peak for a non-Speed Evolver—level five.

Xia Qing, now an Advanced Evolutionary, had also been working hard. Her running speed was nearly at four and a half.

Over the past six months, Tan Qi’s steady diet of natural food had boosted her Speed Evolution from level three and a half to level four.

So Yan Long led the way with the fastest pace, Xia Qing following close behind. Thirty minutes in, though, Tan Qi surged past Xia Qing, taking second place.

That was the power of Ability Evolution.

As a Speed Evolver, Tan Qi burned less stamina running fast than Xia Qing did. While Xia Qing started losing steam, Tan Qi just kept on cruising at her original pace.

The same logic applied to hauling supplies—if they all had to carry the same load, Xia Qing would tire less than a non-Strength Evolver, even if they’d trained to increase their endurance. That’s why she could keep going further.

Even after Tan Qi overtook her and she was visibly slowing down, Xia Qing kept sprinting with everything she had. Yan Long hadn’t called a stop yet, after all.

They finally made it to today’s training site in one breathless charge. Yan Long stopped, caught her breath, radioed for everyone to halt, then spun on her heel and accelerated toward Tan Qi, who wasn’t far off.

In three swift moves, Yan Long knocked the gasping Tan Qi flying. Then she rushed at Xia Qing, the one lagging behind. Her long legs snapped out like guns, aiming a kick right at Xia Qing’s chest.

Xia Qing twisted aside in a flash, dodging the blow and throwing a punch at Yan Long.

Yan Long pulled her leg back in time and dodged Xia Qing’s heavy punch. Her left fist then shot toward Xia Qing’s neck with full force. She was fast, but Xia Qing’s reflexes weren’t slow either.

Xia Qing ducked low to avoid it and lashed out with a kick to Yan Long’s chest.

After twenty-odd exchanges, Yan Long knocked Xia Qing down at last and gave her a nod of approval. “Your reflexes have gotten sharper and your moves are much more polished. Who’ve you been sparring with lately?”

Farming hard and training even harder had become her daily routine. Xia Qing grinned, “Mostly with Hu Zifeng and Peng Jian from his squad. When Tang Zhou was stationed on Hill Forty-Nine, I’d often go challenge him. Luo also coached me whenever he came back.”

Aside from Hu Zifeng and Peng Jian, the other eight in Hu Zifeng’s squad were no longer a match for Xia Qing. Hu Zifeng might be the top in his own team, but in terms of hand-to-hand combat, he wasn’t even in the top ten of the Azure Dragon Squad.

Tang Zhou ranked fourth in the Azure Dragon Squad and Xia Qing couldn’t last more than twenty moves against him. Facing Luo Pei, ranked third, she lasted even less—barely ten moves.

Still, in all those beatdowns, Xia Qing had honed fighting techniques that really suited her. She might not be quick or have the best jumping power, but she was strong, with sharp visual tracking. As long as she stayed calm and read her opponent’s moves in advance, she could seize the chance to counterattack.

Yan Long nodded. “So, between me and Tang Zhou, who’d win in a fight?”

Xia Qing answered honestly, “Tang Zhou has the edge.”

Yan Long’s specialty was aquatic combat, not fighting on land.

“Tang Zhou, huh? Good to know.”

Yan Long turned, leading Xia Qing and Tan Qi toward today’s field training spot—the lake within Hill Fifty-Two.

“Achoo!”

Deep in the Southern Evolved Forest, Tang Zhou suddenly sneezed, a chill running down his neck. Not a good sign. Tang Zhou immediately sent a warning over the radio. “Boss, we might be in danger here.”

Yang Jin ordered at once, “Everyone on alert. Release the tamed birds.”

By the lake on Hill Fifty-Two, Xia Qing changed into a wetsuit, cracked open a Premium Nutrient Shake, and only after zipping up did she leave the tent. Spotting an evolved crocodile hiding in the lakeside grass, its mouth gaping wide in a yawn, she got a bad feeling.

This lake was set in the middle of the Hill Fifty-Two range. A mountain path on the hillside led from here—wolves used it as a passage between Section Three and Hill Sixty. Xia Qing had walked this road quite a few times herself and nicknamed the place ‘Crocodile Pool.’

Once, Xia Qing had spotted a crocodile over ten meters long gliding through the lake…

On top of those giant crocs, there were plenty of other crocodiles around, making this one of the places Xia Qing was least willing to approach.

Of course, with her marksmanship, Xia Qing could easily shoot or capture a crocodile. But these crocs couldn’t be killed, because the giant crocodile, giant python, evolved wolves, and evolved bears held each other in check.

If she took out the giant croc today, tomorrow a giant python might bring Devastation Snakes to take over the lake.

Even if the giant python didn’t show, losing the area’s top predator would upset the balance, setting off a chain of nasty consequences.

Once Tan Qi came out in her wetsuit too, she stared wide-eyed at the crocodile.

“Crocodiles, pythons, giant catfish, and big lizards are the main threats here—big creatures that actively attack people in this water. You’ve already fought the catfish and lizards, so I won’t run through those again…”

Recently, Xia Qing and Tan Qi hadn’t just learned to swim, hold their breath, and dive in Section Three’s reservoir. They also sparred with the bucket-mouthed catfish and big lizards Yan Long had hauled back. In the water, those creatures were no match for the two anymore.

Yan Long broke down crocodile and python habits and their attack methods, then pointed at the croc watching them with its mud-yellow eyes. “A croc out in the open like this is the easiest to handle. You know where it is and can guard against it.”

Tan Qi raised her hand. “The real trouble is the ones that move fast in the water and can attack from any direction—you never know if they’ll come at you from above, below, or the sides.”

Yan Long nodded. “Exactly.”

Tan Qi smiled behind her wetsuit mask, her eyes crescented with delight.

Xia Qing nodded along too. She remembered these points but wasn’t about to raise her hand like a kid.

Then Yan Long started a live demonstration, teaching them how to read ripples and underwater movement to judge how many creatures lurked in the shallows and how big they were. She also showed how to estimate depth when there was no pro gear.

After the lesson, it was time to get in the water.

Gesturing to the croc with its big round eyes, Yan Long said, “Your practice today is to defeat the little crocodile in the water. Watch how I do it.”

With that, Yan Long slipped on her wetsuit’s protective mask and dived into the lake like a fish, gliding toward the center.

When the croc in the grass turned its gaze to Yan Long, both Xia Qing and Tan Qi tensed up. When it spun around and surged toward Yan Long, Tan Qi’s eyes flew wide, but Xia Qing let out a sigh of relief.

It was just over four meters long—definitely a small croc by this place’s standards.

Where was the giant croc, though? Had Yan Long dealt with it already?

Clumsy as it looked, the little crocodile moved lightning fast in the water. It closed the gap with agility, snapping its jaws wide at Yan Long.