Chapter 802: A Crisis in the Forest: Rescue and Reunion

Though sparrowhawks are small raptors, their flying skills are impressive. They can shift positions midair in the blink of an eye, hunting and chasing down prey with breathtaking speed. Most birds in the sky are no match for them, let alone a clueless baby red squirrel just emerging from its nest, perched helplessly on a branch.

The cries of prey are sure to alert other predators, so the sparrowhawk tightened its grip and picked up speed, desperate to find a safe spot to enjoy its meal.

But this time, it wouldn’t get to feast.

“Bang!”

A single shot shattered the sparrowhawk’s wing, pain ripping through it as it lost balance and was forced to drop its prey and escape. In a streak of red, the mother red squirrel darted over, seized her baby in her mouth, and dashed toward Xia Qing’s house. An eagle with only one wing was no longer king of the skies. After a brief, desperate struggle, it crashed into the buffer forest of Section Three.

Seeing the red squirrel dash home with her baby, Xia Qing grabbed the walkie-talkie and reported on the Lords’ channel, “Captain Tan, a sparrowhawk flew into Section Three to hunt. I shot it down. No backup needed.”

Tan Junjie replied, “Copy that.”

Tang Huai popped online. “A sparrowhawk tried to snatch your chickens?”

Madam Shi chimed in, “Xia Qing, your chickens didn’t get mauled by that eagle, did they?”

Xia Qing answered, “No. The sparrowhawk grabbed one of my red squirrels, but I managed to rescue it.”

Xin Yu joined, “Did the sparrowhawk die?”

“Not dead. Its left wing’s broken. It fell into the buffer forest on my land. I’ll catch it later and bring it over.” Since Xia Qing had a bird-keeping friend, his attitude toward birds was simple—unless they went out of control, he preferred catching them alive if possible.

Xin Yu replied, “Sounds good. Let’s have grilled lamb chops for lunch.”

Tang Huai jumped in, “I’ll bring my secret barbecue seasoning and grill for everyone, how about that? My skills are top-notch—you’ll be begging for seconds.”

Hu Zifeng fired back, “Stick to digging for bugs. Your ‘secret seasoning’ is so common, everyone already has a stash. Nobody’s excited about it anymore.”

Tang Huai shot right back, “Sure, everyone’s got some. But I never traded mine with you, so you don’t have any—guess that makes you nobody!”

Everyone else…

Zhang San logged in. “Xin Yu, what’s the quality of that lamb?”

Xin Yu responded, “Yellow Lantern, but without the usual gaminess. Want to give it a try?”

Zhang San declined, “I’ll pass. Let me know when you’ve got some Green Lantern that isn’t gamey.”

Liu Jing, having overheard, muttered to Tang Huai, “Boss, did you hear that? Zhang San won’t even eat Yellow Lantern if there’s the slightest gamey taste. Think about how bad he must’ve craved it last year to trade with you for that meat, and it still turned out spoiled—no wonder he was so mad…”

“Shut your mouth and go shovel bug manure!” Tang Huai snapped. As he tried again in the group chat to see if Xia Qing and Xin Yu needed a chef for lunch, a long-missed voice echoed through the Lords’ channel:

“Huai, come home for a bit.”

Tang Huai’s mood instantly shifted when he heard his dad was on site. “On it, Dad! I’ll be right there.”

After calling his son home, Tang Zhengbo reached out to Zhang San, “Third Brother, I brought salmon from Lan City—the Green Lantern kind. Want me to send a few your way?”

Zhang San’s voice was suddenly friendly. “I’ll send someone to pick it up. Do you still have barbecue seasoning? I’d like a bottle—just tell my guy what you want in exchange.”

Tang Zhengbo replied warmly, “Thanks, Third Brother. Besides the ones Tang Huai swapped with you, there’s a new version. The new blend uses Green Lantern chili and cumin—the flavor’s richer but easier on the stomach. Want me to send that as well?”

“Sure.”

After trading with Zhang San, Tang Zhengbo called out to the rest, “Everyone here? I’ve brought the Green Lantern crab seedlings you ordered last winter. They weigh between ten and fifteen grams each. Tang Huai will drive them over to you all shortly.”

Last fall, when Tang Zhengbo traded crabs with Zhang San, Xia Qing, Zhao Ze, Qi Fu, Kuang Qingwei, Shizhong, and Yue Haiying had swapped for dozens of crab seedlings at 47.5 credits each, with delivery set for this spring.

Kuang Qingwei was the first to log in. “Ten grams is already a baby crab, not just a seedling. And you didn’t send them until after the second round of Devastation Rain. Director Tang, you’ve always been reliable—before and after the disasters! Trading with you is just worry-free.”

After Xia Qing finished thanking everyone along with the group, Huo Lei joined, sounding genuinely polite. “Director Tang, hello. I’m Huo Lei from Territory Eleven. Do you have any crab seedlings left? I’d like to raise a few myself.”

“Yes, I brought fifty extra, still at last winter’s price—47.5 credits each. How many do you want?”

“I’ll take twenty, thank you, Director Tang.”

“No need to thank me, Boss Huo. Tang Heng says the farm tools you made don’t just save effort—they’re faster, too. I should be thanking you.”

Over on the First Peak of Hill Fifty, a group resting heard there were crabs up for grabs. All of them turned expectantly to their lord, eyes shining green.

Wen Nengjie let out a cold snort. “Craving crab, are you?”

Everyone shouted back in unison, “We are!”

“Dream on! If you’re rested up, get back to cutting seeds!”

Hu Zifeng appeared online. “Director Tang, can Territory One trade for those extra thirty crab seedlings?”

Tang Zhengbo replied kindly, “Of course. I’ll have Tang Huai bring them over to Captain Hu shortly.”

On his way to Territory Twelve, Tang Huai puffed up his cheeks. Liu Jing immediately chimed in, “Boss, send all the smallest, half-dead crab seedlings to Territory One!”

Tang Huai immediately bit back, “Why are you tagging along? Go back and shovel manure!”

Liu Jing grinned. “Boss, when you’re delivering crabs, you need someone to drive or it just doesn’t look impressive.”

Meanwhile, Xia Qing dug the injured sparrowhawk out of the western buffer forest’s bushes, stuffed it into a chicken cage, and carried it home to place beneath the eaves. Then he checked the camera in the sheep shed.

The baby squirrel that got snatched was the one with tufts of fur on its ears—the closest to its mother. It was probably hurt and needed some medicine.

Sure enough, Xia Qing saw two squirrel pups lying in their mother’s arms, nursing on the pile of straw, while one more lay weakly on the grass, sticky and filthy. The mother red squirrel was licking its fur clean.

But some wounds need more than a mother’s care.

Xia Qing smeared a bit of colorless, odorless sedative onto a Green Lantern cucumber and left it in the sheep shed.

The red squirrel family—all crazy for cucumbers—passed out after eating the dosed treat. Xia Qing slipped into the shed and checked the wounded pup. Its fur was scratched and torn in places—nothing a dab of medicine couldn’t fix.

The real problem was two bloody puncture wounds in its belly, courtesy of the sparrowhawk’s sharp talons. Blood kept seeping out, and that was what might prove fatal.

How much blood could such a tiny creature have? Any more loss, and it wouldn’t make it.

Without knowing if its organs were hurt, Xia Qing didn’t dare apply medicine just yet. He immediately called his Idol for help. “Third Brother, a baby red squirrel on my land got clawed by a sparrowhawk…”