Chapter 800: Howling Nights: The Call of the Wolf Pack

“Hey, Big Wolf! Long time no see!”

Standing just outside the Northern Gate of Section One, Xia Qing called out cheerfully to the Handsome Huge Wolf as it slowly emerged from the Evolved Forest.

The Handsome Huge Wolf’s icy blue eyes calmly took in Xia Qing and the little creature clinging to her leg. That was Flathead, who was currently tearing at her lower leg. When Flathead spotted the giant wolf, it twisted its body with a hint of swagger before scrambling away in a panic.

Xia Qing brushed the dirt from her leg, opened up the Northern Gate and grinned. “Thanks for saving me, Big Wolf. Got something to talk about—shall we head inside?”

The Handsome Huge Wolf sniffed in disdain at the dangerous, unpredictable door Xia Qing was standing by. Instead of bothering with it, he took a running leap, soaring clean over two tall iron mesh walls, landing steadily inside Section Three.

Inside the Sheep Shed, Old Goat paused mid-chew at the sudden commotion, then resumed ruminating as if nothing had happened.

Yang Jin sat quietly in the calm, argument-free meeting room of Section Three, resting with his eyes closed. He probably should’ve slept in Territory One first, but the urge to see Xia Qing was stronger, so here he was.

After the Handsome Huge Wolf jumped in, Xia Qing didn’t have a hint of temper left. She turned around and walked back. Flathead, who’d been lurking for a chance to sneak inside, missed his opportunity as the iron gate banged shut. Annoyed, he left his scent mark at the door, grumbling, and then wandered off to find something to eat.

Xia Qing hurried over to the Handsome Huge Wolf and chattered nonstop. “Big Wolf, when you jumped in just now, all the moonlight seemed to gather on you—you looked amazing! Why does the moon like you so much? You didn’t, by any chance, build a pyramid on the moon too, did you…?”

No matter how much Xia Qing babbled, the Handsome Huge Wolf just stared silently at her hands.

When Xia Qing finally finished, she asked, “Big Wolf, did you come for a nutrient shake? Hang on, I’ll make you some!”

Whether it was the spinach sown on March 2nd or the X-2 variety issued by the Base on March 10th, both fields had entered their seed-setting phase. At this point, even brushing against a leaf could set off a spinach seed explosion, let alone harvesting them.

But the first two patches were off-limits; fortunately, there was a third. On April 20th, Xia Qing had sown a hundred native spinach seeds. Seventy sprouted, and now the leaves could be plucked freely.

She stepped into the greenhouse, picked a few leaves, juiced them at home, added a splash of nutrient source, then brought the drink out to the yard where the Handsome Huge Wolf was staring intently at the Sheep Shed. “There’s a family of Red Squirrels living inside—not enemies. Here you go, Big Wolf. It’s fresh!”

The Handsome Huge Wolf dipped his head and sniffed, then gulped down the premium nutrient shake in one go. He looked back up at Xia Qing. Without missing a beat, she poured him half a basin of pure spring water. After drinking it all, he showed no expression, just turned and got ready to leave.

“Wait up, Big Wolf!”

Xia Qing called him back and whipped out her phone to show him a photo. “Have you seen this human? He was wearing these clothes and escaped into the Evolved Forest during the Devastation Rain.”

She stared at the Handsome Huge Wolf, full of hope, but reading his face was pointless—this wolf was all ice, his stoic expression gave nothing away. So Xia Qing resorted to gestures to get her message across.

“Big Wolf, this man is extremely dangerous. If your pack comes across him, don’t fight. Just come back and tell me—I’ll bring people to handle it.”

Did he understand? Xia Qing figured he caught at least some of it. As the number three leader of the Northern Wolf Pack—and maybe now the boss of the Western Wolf Pack too—he wasn’t as sharp as Alpha or Broken Back, but definitely smarter than most evolved wolves. So she repeated it twice more, then looked at him, hopeful, like he was a patron wolf handing out new year’s gifts.

Once Xia Qing stopped talking, the Handsome Huge Wolf lifted his big paw and continued on his way.

Xia Qing didn’t give up and called out one last thing: “Big Wolf, if your pack spots that man, you have to tell me! Promise!”

The Handsome Huge Wolf paused for a few seconds at her shout—then, surprisingly, he threw back his head.

Uh oh.

“Awoooooo—wooooo——awoo woo—”

“Awoo—awoo—wooo—”

Hearing the wolf howls, Yang Jin shot out of the meeting room in a flash, reaching Xia Qing’s side in seconds. Tang Huai’s voice crackled through the lord communicator: “Xia Qing, what’s going on?”

Yuan Rui, on duty with the Inspection Team, checked in too. “Section Three, what happened?”

What happened? Xia Qing glanced at the standoff between Yang Jin and the Handsome Huge Wolf and pressed the button. “I was just testing the bird-repelling weapon and lost track of the volume. Sorry about that.”

Everyone else: …

“You trying to play us for fools?” Tang Huai muttered, then fell silent.

In Territory Six, Zhu Li spoke up quietly. “Doesn’t sound like it came from a loudspeaker, though…”

“Copy that,” Yuan Rui replied in all seriousness. “Sister Qing, next time you test any weapons, please report first.”

“Understood.”

Xia Qing, eyeing the clearly irate Handsome Huge Wolf, whispered a quick explanation to Yang Jin. “Captain Yang, the wolf’s just helping me ask around—he means no harm. Could you dial down the killing intent a bit?”

Yang Jin did his best. Xia Qing stepped forward, speaking gently to the straightforward wolf. “Big Wolf, thank you—”

“Awoo—wooo—woo woo—”

Before Xia Qing could finish, a familiar wolf howl echoed from Mountain 51. Was that… Broken Back? Could the scoundrel from Territory Seven have run off to Mountain 51?

“Awoo—awoo—wooo——”

From the direction of Mountain 52 in the North, another howl rang out. That must be Scar Wolf!

“Awoo—wooo—”

“Awoo woo—woo—”

Now howls came from the west, over by Mountain 48. This voice was unfamiliar—it had to be from the Western Wolf Pack.

Listening to the wolves howling all around, Tang Huai couldn’t hold back a jab: “Xia Qing, I’m not sure this ‘weapon’ scares birds, but it’s great at calling wolves.”

Howls echoed from the east, west and north, leaving Xia Qing confused and the other lords on edge.

Tan Junjie called immediately. “Xia Qing, are the wolves going to attack the territory?”

Xia Qing reassured him. “No, Captain Tan. Don’t worry.”

After Tan Junjie hung up, Yuan Rui quickly issued an alert on the Lords’ channel: “Attention, all lords: Wolves are hunting in the nearby Evolved Forest. Please remain calm, keep noise to a minimum, and don’t leave your territories.”

“Awooooo—wooooo——”

After all the howling, the Handsome Huge Wolf let out a long reply of his own, turned and walked a few steps, then glanced back at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing got the message instantly. “Big Wolf, you want me to go with you?”

Of course, he didn’t answer—just kept walking away.

“Wait for me, Big Wolf!” Xia Qing dashed home, grabbed her weapon, and apologized to Yang Jin. “Captain Yang, the wolves may have found the traitor from Territory Seven. I’m heading out with Big Wolf. You—”

Yang Jin didn’t hesitate. “I’m going with you. You’re still not a match for that guy.”

Of course Xia Qing had no objection to top-tier backup, but she still needed Big Wolf’s approval.

After a few more attempts—with no reaction from the Handsome Huge Wolf—Xia Qing took his silence as agreement. She messaged Hu Zifeng to send someone to guard the territory, waved to Old Goat in the greenhouse, then left Section Three with Yang Jin, following Big Wolf’s lead.

Once they’d reached Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine, Xia Qing wasted no time and climbed onto Big Wolf’s back. “Let’s go, Big Wolf!”

The Handsome Huge Wolf: …

Yang Jin: …