Chapter 784: Thunder in the Rain: Night at Territory Nine

After driving a full patrol around Territory Nine, Xia Qing headed back to Section Three.

Territory Nine didn’t have greenhouses or crops, but with three members of Hu Zifeng’s Squad and four from Territory Eight rotating in shifts, any danger was sure to be spotted right away. If it could be dealt with, they’d handle it on the spot. If not, they’d report directly to Xia Qing. That meant she didn’t have to spend the night stationed there.

Xia Qing truly appreciated Xin Yu—she wasn’t one for many words, but she was a real friend through and through.

She circled her own territory and greenhouse once more. Once she’d made sure there weren’t any hidden risks, she hurried home for three hours of sleep. At three-thirty in the morning, she’d have to be up to harvest the third round of red-leaved bamboo.

So after shutting off her walkie-talkie, Xia Qing dashed through a shower as fast as she could and dragged her exhausted legs to bed. She was out the moment she hit the mattress.

Downstairs, Old Goat pedaled the generator bike. Hearing Xia Qing was asleep, he slipped off the bike and climbed into the hammock chair to rest.

Devastation Rain drummed over the continent and the sea. In Hui Three’s vast northern Evolved Forest, plants ran wild while beasts overtaken by Devastation Evolution fought and tore each other apart. Meanwhile, normal animals hid in any shelter or den they thought safe, praying the Devastation Rain would pass.

Among the stones at the cave on Hill Sixty’s peak, shards of shattered Yi Stone lay scattered. Six wolf cubs squeezed together in a hammock chair, four more snuggled inside a pink wolf den, and three little ones sprawled belly-up on a filthy quilt, snoring away. Their parents and the elderly or weak Evolved Wolves from the Northern Wolf Pack formed a protective ring around them.

Just beyond that ring, the healthy adult wolves ran perimeter.

“Awoo… Awoo~” One cub in the pink den whimpered with its eyes shut, kicking its fuzzy little legs in its sleep.

From his perch up high, the Alpha wolf opened his golden eyes. Lame Wolf covered her ears with a big paw. Wolfdog Number Two, by the edge of the wolf den, stretched up to gently lick the nightmare-ridden cub’s forehead. The little one blinked awake, groggy and confused, let out two soft whimpers, then rolled and squirmed and burrowed into Wolfdog Number Two’s embrace, falling right back asleep.

In a stony crevice near Python Pond on Hill Fifty-Five, all sorts of animals, large and small, packed themselves in tight to escape the Devastation Rain.

Up on a ledge, a predatory kite bat stared at a group of bloodsucking bats hanging upside-down, sizing up which one looked the juiciest. Nearby, a python flicked its tongue and silently slid toward a squirrel, which was busy coughing up pine nuts.

A few big wild boars circled their piglets, tusks pointed at two lynxes eyeing them hungrily. Nearby, a honey badger was brawling nonstop with a wombat easily twice its size, irritating a dozing drill monkey into unleashing chittering howls of rage.

A young fawn trembling in the crevice burst into frantic bleats at the sound, drawing a leopard. The big cat bounded over and swept its paw at the crevice, fishing for the fawn. When it failed, it let out a deep snarl, making the fawn cry even louder—until an enormous stag with grand antlers charged to drive the leopard away.

“Splash, splash—”

Outside, a heavy beast slogged through mud, its footfalls slapping water. Every creature in the crevice twitched their ears upward, alert and listening.

An Evolved Wolf leapt nimbly through its pack, vanishing in an instant. Meanwhile, an eight-meter-long giant crocodile, having lost its prey, sniffed the air and picked up a new scent, barreling toward the mountain fissure.

“Bang!”

“Splash—”

The charging croc collided with a massive stone, knocking it loose. The boulder tumbled into Python Pond, raising a spray that splashed everywhere.

Undeterred, the croc lunged for the fissure. Its claws were sharp, but too clumsy for the slick rock, leaving it unable to climb inside. Out of control, the crocodile thought of nothing but ramming and clawing its way through. Herbivores inside the fissure shivered, frozen with fear, while the carnivores bared fangs and growled back.

“Splash—”

“Splash—”

More stones, knocked down by the croc, kept tumbling into the pond—eventually stirring something in the depths. A gigantic black python rose, its massive head emerging slowly above the water.

The crocodile caught a whiff of snake and wheeled around, launching itself at the python.

The great python flicked its tongue, seeming uninterested in a fight. It sank slowly beneath the surface as the crocodile slid into the pond and dove toward it at speed.

Moments later, the pond erupted with violent splashes as giant python and giant croc locked in combat.

Perched under a thick pine atop the mountain, an Evolved Wolf in a snake skin protective suit sheltered from the rain, watching the battle below.

Thunder rumbled across the sky. The wolf lifted its nose, sniffing the air, then turned and vanished into the mountain, avoiding the rainfall that was about to intensify.

Southeast, halfway up the third peak of Hill Fifty-Five, Yan Long, leading a search party, sniffed the air as thunder rolled. She used her earpiece walkie-talkie to issue orders: “Devastation Rain is about to get heavier—return to Territory Two’s High-Risk Area.”

“Copy that.”

Pausing beside a perfectly straight, fist-wide mountain fissure, Yan Long furrowed her brow.

Inside the fissure, there were traces of humans passing through repeatedly—not just one, but several. And one particular scent struck her as strangely familiar.

Wait a second… That was Ye Yang, squad captain of Yue Haiying’s Unit. Wasn’t he supposed to be recovering in Territory Fifteen? Why would his scent be here?

And another scent… Who could that be?

“Captain Yan?” A teammate ahead noticed her stop and did the same, asking over the walkie-talkie.

“Nothing, keep moving,” Yan Long replied evenly, striding forward with no sign of hesitation.

Judging by the direction, it was probably one of the secret planting project members from Section Three’s test zone on Hill Fifty, just as Xia Qing described. As for why Ye Yang would show up here—Yan Long neither needed nor wanted to know.

Once Yan Long’s team moved out, Hu Ningsheng let out a quiet sigh of relief. He flashed a signal to Zhang Shi across the way.

Zhang Shi came over and whispered, “Who was out there?”

“Yan Long from Territory Seven,” Hu Ningsheng replied. “She’s leading a patrol, hunting for fugitives.”

Hearing the name Yan Long, Zhang Shi’s eyes went wide.

Yan Long! Back when she escaped Hui One Research Institute, Yan Long was the level nine Scent Evolution user who’d hunted her! If Zhang San hadn’t given her that scent-masking pesticide, Zhang Shi probably wouldn’t even have bones left by now.

Her first thought was to dash back to the cabin, grab her daughter and flee into the Evolved Forest. It was just too dangerous here—the woods seemed a much safer bet.

But back inside, seeing her daughter’s plump sleeping cheeks, Zhang Shi wavered.

Zhang Shiyi could sense her mother’s anxiety. The little girl reached out, arms open wide. “Mama…”

Zhang Shi shed her protective suit, lay down beside her daughter and gently cradled her. “It’s okay. The Devastation Rain’s getting heavier now—just sleep.”

“Mama too,” Zhang Shiyi mumbled, burrowing into her mother’s embrace and falling asleep in no time.

Listening to the muffled thunder and rushing water in the drainage gutter, Zhang Shi exhaled—slow and deep—and sent Zhang San a quiet message.