Chapter 814: A Test of Courage in the Bamboo Grove

“I want to give it a try.”

Even though the angry magnetic field coming off the crocodile made Xin Yu uncomfortable she wasn’t about to miss out on such a rare training opportunity. She volunteered to dig up bamboo shoots.

Compared to some of the bigger beasts crocodiles aren’t exactly geniuses so they aren’t on the list of creatures you can never provoke. If they were, Yan Long would never have let Xia Qing and Tan Qi tag along while she beat up the crocodile in its own den.

Xia Qing immediately agreed with Xin Yu’s idea and warned her, “Don’t let the giant crocodile get within ten meters of you. It’s fast and its bite is terrifying. If it gets a hold of you, you’re definitely looking at broken bones.”

“Got it.”

Xin Yu stowed her long blade and pulled out her mini-mattock, getting herself ready.

Xin Yu had hired a coach with a high salary and trained hard every day to build up her combat skills. Otherwise, she’d never have dared to join up with Xia Qing and head into the Evolved Forest after the Devastation Rain, without any bodyguards or tamed beasts for protection.

The moment the crocodile left the area around that Green Lantern Bamboo, Xin Yu hopped down from the boulder and started digging. She tried six different spots she’d scouted out in advance before finally finding a Green Lantern shoot, but just as she started to cut, six bamboo leaf darts hit the shield strapped to her back with soft thumps.

Why only six?

Because this bamboo barely had any mature leaves left that could be fired off.

“Guu—lu, guu—lu!”

The giant crocodile heard the commotion, whipped around, and charged. Even though it was way slower on land than in water, its massive body and powerful limbs still made it faster than most level-two Speed Evolvers!

From his perch on the rocks Xia Qing didn’t call out, just raised the sniper rifle and aimed at the crocodile.

Xia Qing was here for the bamboo shoots, Xin Yu was here to push her limits. As teammates, while making sure Xin Yu stayed safe, Xia Qing also wanted her to have some up-close encounters with these big beasts. That’s the only way to get real field experience.

When you’re face-to-face with a monster the body’s reactions and your state of mind are nothing like what you can practice in a training room. Only those who can stay calm and make quick, accurate calls at the edge of life and death survive disaster after disaster.

For Xin Yu, who had Magnetic Sense, the whole process was even harder. She had to overcome the discomfort caused by the beast’s hostile magnetic aura.

Sensing the giant crocodile charging over, pain spiked between her brows. As she tried to drop the bamboo shoot into her bag, her hand slipped and the shoot tumbled to the ground.

Out of the corner of her eye Xia Qing caught all this but said nothing, just shifted the muzzle to line up a shot at the crocodile’s eye.

In a heartbeat the twelve-meter-long beast was within ten meters of her. Xin Yu grabbed the fallen shoot and stuffed it in her bag, didn’t even spare a thought for her mini-mattock, and bolted.

Behind her there was a thunderous crack that made her heart leap. Xin Yu’s sprint turned her into a level-three Speed Evolver, and she made it back to Xia Qing’s side.

Xia Qing slung the rifle and caught Xin Yu by her belt, yanking her up just in time to jump. The charging crocodile slammed right into the boulder they’d been hiding behind. The whole little hill trembled, and leaves and gravel rained down.

After a few quick jumps Xia Qing set Xin Yu down on a small hilltop. “Hold on tight to the tree. I’ll handle it!”

She put away her sniper rifle, then, in just two strides, reached the crocodile. As its mouth—full of jagged teeth—snapped at her, she twisted aside and landed a punch below its jaw, right near the neck.

“Bang!”

“Smack!”

“Gua gua—”

The blow flipped the huge crocodile onto its back, sending it crashing into a nearby puddle. A few frogs inside went leaping away in terror. Xin Yu, watching from the hilltop, stared wide-eyed.

She’d known Xia Qing for a while but this was the first time she’d seen her throw a punch. Strength was one thing—but Xia Qing’s speed and timing were on a whole different level. If Xin Yu wanted to catch up, she’d have to keep working hard.

The huge crocodile got knocked out, but the few-meters-long baby crocodile that had been following behind showed no fear. It rushed in, trying to bite Xia Qing—who waited until its jaw was exposed then knocked it flat with one punch.

Yan Long’s special training meant Xia Qing could handle these guys in the water. On land, they were no trouble at all.

With the Devastation Element Analyzer, she checked both crocodiles—red lanterns. Xia Qing waved Xin Yu over; with both down, they could dig bamboo shoots all they wanted.

There was only one Green Lantern Bamboo in the entire grove, and the giant crocodile had just snapped it in half. After one sweep around they found no more Green Lantern shoots, so they dug up two Green Lantern Bamboo roots, packed them in a big bag, and planned to plant them back at Hill Fifty.

Today hadn’t gone smoothly, but Xia Qing still managed to collect three Green Lantern shoots—over twenty pounds in total. If she peeled them first she’d get a pound or two of pure bamboo shoots to report to her Idol. Noticing Xin Yu gazing at the giant crocodile, Xia Qing offered, “Go on, get up close. I’ll take a picture of you two and then we’ll get out of here.”

“Okay, use my phone.” Xin Yu quickly handed hers over, since Xia Qing’s was so old the pictures came out blurry, and there were two big colored stripes running down the screen.

Xin Yu ran up to the croc, grabbed its big paw and lifted it, striking the most over-the-top pose she could manage. She hurried over to see the photo, beaming. “Red Two Base has new phones out. Want me to get you one?”

She’d had her phone for eleven years—about time for a new one. “If you have a way, grab one for me.”

“Will do.” Seeing Xia Qing was ready to head out, Xin Yu didn’t ask about price or model, just stayed alert for danger as they set off.

A few minutes later, with Magnetic Sense picking up an Evolved Wolf, Xin Yu called out, “Er’s coming back.”

Er appeared ahead in the dense woods, staring murderously at Xin Yu for a moment before turning around, walking a few paces, then glancing back at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing knew this move like the back of her hand. “Er wants me to follow. Shall we go see?”

“Okay.” Xin Yu kept her voice steady, trying not to agitate the ferocious Evolved Wolf.

“Wooo—”

When Er saw Xin Yu following it turned, stood beside Xia Qing, and bared its gleaming teeth at Xin Yu, letting out a low snarl.

It was obvious—Er didn’t trust Xin Yu and wasn’t about to let her come along.

Er didn’t seem all that anxious, so Xia Qing patiently tried to explain things, tracing shapes on the ground. In the end, she had Xin Yu help her take the shoots and bamboo roots back to the off-roader waiting downhill on Hill Fifty, then instructed Xin Yu to wait there while she called for Er and followed it alone.

What she didn’t expect—Er led her right to the edge of a bamboo grove controlled by red foxes. Xia Qing stopped. “Er, up ahead’s where the Advanced Evolution Red Foxes live. We can’t go any further.”

Er walked forward a few more paces, then looked calmly back at Xia Qing.

“Alright, but if anything seems off, we’re pulling out right away.” Xia Qing decided to trust Er and followed it deep into the grove.

At about ten meters’ distance, she spotted a red fox noticeably bigger than the norm. In an instant Xia Qing realized it was a Brain Evolution type.

It was the first Brain Evolution Fox Xia Qing had seen in the eleven years since the disaster, but there was no mistaking it. Despite the bared fangs and fierce look, intelligence sparkled in the animal’s eyes.

Before Xia Qing could say a word, Er and the Brain Evolution Fox sniffed each other, then Er looked back at Xia Qing as if inviting her to keep going.

She put away her knife and rifle, trying to look as calm as possible as she walked over. Stowing her weapons meant two things: she trusted Er, and she wasn’t worried about a fox—no matter how advanced—since it was much smaller than a wolf and couldn’t hurt her anyway.

And, of course, putting the weapons away signaled to the fox she wasn’t here to start a fight.

As Xia Qing drew closer, the red fox growled softly. At Er’s calming presence, though, it lowered its fangs and followed along beside him.

Now Xia Qing finally understood: Er and the red fox clearly knew each other. The real reason she’d been called over was because the fox’s cub had gotten into a mess that only Xia Qing could sort out—or so Er seemed to think.

Was Er really planning to get her chewed out in Territory Seven?