Chapter 895: Shadows Over the Helipad

“That person’s been dead for over an hour.”

Noticing how Xia Qing was staring at the mountain top, Chang Li lowered her voice and whispered in her ear. The wolf pack was acting strange, so everyone had boarded the helicopter. Both sides of the cabin were lined with injured people on the seats, which meant everyone except the pilots either sat on the floor or stood crammed together.

Xia Qing answered softly. The man on the mountain top showed up much dimmer on the infrared scope than when she’d aimed her sniper rifle at him earlier. That meant he was already dead, his body cooling down and no longer radiating much heat.

“Serves him right! Honestly, we should’ve tossed these bastards down for the wolves!” The level-two Speed Evolver from Liangqing Squad spat out a curse then kicked hard at Chen Dongyang, who was trussed up like a crab in the corner, still hooded.

Of the missing eight from Liangqing’s team, two had turned traitor, three were killed, and the three survivors had been beaten to a pulp. Just like that, Liangqing lost eight core fighters in one go—old grudges mixed with new enemies. Everyone wanted nothing more than to reduce Chen Dongyang’s whole group to minced meat.

Sang Chenglin, known for his booming voice, chimed in. “Don’t give ‘em too much credit, Chuan. Even animals are better than this lot. Didn’t the way that sniper died—killed by the Evolved Wolves—ring any bells?”

Li Chuan from Liangqing Squad replied, “Remember how Xue Jinchang and Sun Jun got their arms and legs mauled by the Evolved Wolves last spring?”

“Exactly!” Sang Chenglin got worked up. “That sniper probably helped hunt those wolf pups in spring. Means the wolves wanted payback. Was he one of Dongyang’s people, or an outsider? I’m asking you!”

As he spoke, Sang Chenglin gave another rough kick to his captured enemy.

“Brother Sang, his mouth’s sealed, he can’t answer,” someone nearby reminded him, deadpan.

Sang Chenglin just grinned. “Oh? Right! I totally forgot.”

Everyone in the cabin just stared in silence…

Someone else, focused on a different point, spoke up. “If that sniper really did help kill the pups, then whatever. But if not, this could get complicated.”

If the sniper hadn’t been involved and was killed just for entering the western mountains, it meant the Western Wolf Pack’s hatred of humans had grown dangerously deep.

Another member of the Beast Squad spoke up, voice brimming with rage. “If that’s the case, forget talking—let’s wipe them out! We owe the wolves for what they did to Wang and the others.”

After the pups were slaughtered, the Western Wolf Pack had launched a beast horde that overwhelmed the Western Territory, then pressed an assault on the Eastern Territory. To defend it, Zheng Wang from Beast Squad lost four people and three more got hurt.

Take out the Western Wolf Pack? Easier said than done, even if they could. Who knew what kind of monsters would claim their territory next, and what chaos that could unleash.

The helicopter fell silent, the thunder of the rotors suddenly feeling oppressive.

Azure Dragon Squad always kept tight discipline—no one spoke. Another rescuer from Liangqing Squad broke the hush. “Sniper’s dead, but we have six others alive. Once we interrogate them, we’ll know whether that sniper took part or not.”

Someone from Beast Squad shot back, “What’s the point? Those guys will say whatever keeps them alive. Unless wolves start talking, there’s no way to know for sure.”

Chang Li glanced quickly at Xia Qing beside her, noting the black facemask. She figured if Xia Qing got involved, maybe the truth would come to light.

Because honestly, the wolves were a lot smarter than anyone assumed.

Sang Chenglin also looked toward Xia Qing by the hatch. “I think the sniper only got targeted because he was involved. Like, when my sister went in, she didn’t cross the wolves at all.”

Sang Chenglin’s comment put the spotlight firmly on the fierce female sniper of Azure Dragon Squad. For a moment Chang Li wanted to shield Xia Qing’s identity, but then Hu Zifeng spoke up. “Jin.”

Those two syllables pulled all eyes to Hu Zifeng—he was on the line with Azure Dragon’s captain, Yang Jin.

“Alright, got it.” Hu Zifeng hung up and told the pilot, Yin Jie, “We’ve got clearance. Go straight to the Safe Zone airspace—land at our squad’s helipad.”

Looking out the window, Xia Qing gazed down at the blocky Safe Zone she’d once called home for eight years.

It was her first time seeing the entire Safe Zone from the sky. From up here, it was impossible to ignore the gap between the inner city and the outer areas.

It was the middle of the night. Rows of streetlights shone in neat lines inside the inner city, standing out starkly against the shadowy chaos outside. In the light, people carried on with their lives. In the darkness, survival was all that mattered.

The helicopter touched down at Azure Dragon Squad’s helipad in the outer city. As the hatch swung open, Xia Qing, the last to board, jumped out first. She reached back to help Chang Li and two nurses down, making way for the injured behind.

“Thank you.” She Xing, her son severely wounded and unconscious, passed Xia Qing just then. Like everyone else, she stopped to thank her.

Xia Qing nodded in reply. The emotions in She Xing’s voice told her the woman had recognized her. But still—anyone who’d lasted eleven years into this disaster wasn’t a fool. Even if she knew, She Xing wouldn’t call her out here.

Sang Chenglin was the last off, all grins and energy. “Hey, what’s your number, sis? Let’s swap contacts—next mission, we’ll work together!”

Why bother adding Sang Chenglin as a friend? Help him climb the combat rankings?

Xia Qing shook her head and headed back toward the helicopter. She couldn’t speak right now. Unlike Chang Li, whose vocal cords had evolved, Xia Qing needed a voice changer to sound like Zhang Ling.

Hu Zifeng, whose eyes had evolved, glanced at their boss, now surrounded by everyone from Liangqing and Beast Squads, giving him a pitiful look. For the first time, Hu Zifeng found their boss downright weak and miserable.

What was the point of a clean face or clean clothes? As far as Xia Qing was concerned, their boss couldn’t hold a candle to Old Goat or even Wolfdog Number Two. Maybe he didn’t even measure up to the pumpkins back in Section Three’s fields…

An hour later, the helicopter landed smoothly in Territory One. Xia Qing hopped off and strode over to Luo Pei.

It was already past two in the morning. Luo Pei kept it short—just a word or two of praise before sending everyone off to rest.

Right then, Zhang Ling was at the training dorms in Territory One. Xia Qing entered her bunk and gave a quick rundown of the mission.

“A speed evolver at 2030 meters and you nearly hit him? Damn, that’s nuts!” Zhang Ling, her round cheeks gleaming, gave Xia Qing a thumbs-up, but also shot her a worried look. “Luo might not be happy about that.”

“He won’t just be unhappy—he’ll be furious.” Xia Qing had missed her shot and already knew her four cases of ammunition in the basement storage would soon be gone.

Luckily, she’d managed to stash away some supplies. Otherwise, there was no way she could keep up this kind of training.

After changing into a fresh protective suit, Xia Qing left Territory One.

She slipped past Flathead’s snapping jaws, making her way toward the northern gate of Section One. The minute she spotted Er waiting for her behind Section Three’s iron fence, all her stoic composure cracked—the smile just broke out on her face.