Chapter 916: Shadows and Rivalries on Hill Forty-Nine

Ever since Flathead moved into Hill Forty-Nine four months ago, he and Old Goat have brawled every evening, rain or shine. Er always comes to cheer them on, just as unfailingly.

Xia Qing had been too busy lately to watch their matches from start to finish, but today she took a closer look and realized both animals’ fighting styles had changed noticeably.

Somehow, Honey Badger had learned some downright dirty tricks, always aiming for Old Goat’s, well, most vulnerable spot. If Flathead ever managed to get a good swipe or a bite in down there, Old Goat might never have kids again.

But even with all those nasty moves, Flathead didn’t stand a chance when faced with Old Goat’s raw strength and speed. He always ended up getting pummeled.

After praising Old Goat, Xia Qing went over and nudged Flathead, who was sprawled on the ground refusing to move. “Where’d you learn all these dirty tricks? Was it your own kind, or maybe the hyenas?”

A pack of hyenas lived in the Southern Evolved Forest of Hui Three—they’re plenty terrifying foes.

To think a tiny human dared to kick him! Honey Badger flew into a rage, twisting his chubby little body to get up and fight back. But before he could, Old Goat sprinted over and sent him flying with a well-placed kick. Old Goat had somehow figured out how to brake his front legs mid-sprint and spin around, using his hind legs for a flying kick all in one smooth motion.

It was hard not to see Xia Qing’s influence in that move. She rubbed Old Goat’s curly little head with a smile. “No wonder you stand at the top of Blue Star’s pyramid of Evolved Sheep, boss—your ability to learn is off the charts. Once I finish giving Monkey his medicine, let’s duel. We’ll see who’s stronger now.”

Monkey was hiding in the bushes near the pond in Wolf Valley in Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine, digging bugs out of the dirt when he spotted Xia Qing approaching. He lit up, stretching out a filthy black paw toward her.

He moved noticeably faster than two days ago—maybe the second round of meds was kicking in, or maybe being in such a dangerous place made his will to survive even stronger.

Two white-cheeked hawk-eagles perched in a tree not far off. They’re powerful birds of prey, and if not for the cover of those bushes, that slow little Monkey would’ve been snatched up and torn to pieces already.

Being targeted by two predators, Monkey had to be terrified. Still, Xia Qing wasn’t about to take him home. Even after she dosed him with medicine and the little monkey in his dirty shorts clung to her hand, she didn’t let herself go soft.

She pulled out her phone and played Monkey’s crime video again, stating the facts with slow, stern precision. “You stole food from my greenhouse. You have to be punished for that. You owe me over eighty thousand credits—payable in Red Vein Stones.”

Xia Qing made her point three times. Whether Monkey really got it or not, one thing was clear—she wasn’t taking him home. So, the goofy monkey let go of her hand and gazed at her with pleading, wide eyes.

That dopey face of his—just looking at it got under Xia Qing’s skin. She left Wolf Valley without turning back, ignoring Monkey’s desperate cries for help.

Monkey might move slow, but he’s a clever little thing. Those hawk-eagles would never be able to grab him. If he didn’t fully grasp what it meant to be punished for stealing, once he got better he might round up a whole troop of monkeys and raid the crops humans worked so hard to grow.

When that day comes, nobody’s going to reimburse Xia Qing for the bullets she spends on monkey control.

After returning to her territory and giving her pet fox some attention, Xia Qing welcomed Xin Yu, who came over as promised. The two chatted while making dinner.

Over dinner, Xia Qing turned on the radio to catch the national news.

Sure enough, Hui Three Base made it onto Huaguo’s national evening broadcast again. Half an hour later, Hui Three’s own news show turned the thirty-second national report into a five-minute in-depth segment.

Xin Yu gnawed on a cob of boiled corn and remarked, “So much detail in this coverage. The base must want all the hidden Evolutionaries to stay alert and not fall for the hunters’ traps. There’s gotta be more than just a few Type A and B Magnetic Sense Evolutionaries hiding out in the Safe Zone.”

Xia Qing nodded. “Except for the shadowy forces behind the criminals, they’ve said everything they can.”

This latest fishing operation in Hui Three’s Safe Zone was orchestrated from Hui One, with the help of Tang Zhengrong’s remaining followers. First Hui Three wiped out the Sufeng Squad that Hui One was supporting. Then they promoted the new batch of High-Evolution Spinach Seeds X-2. On top of that, the newly launched pharmaceutical factory grabbed a lot of market share from Hui One and the Blazing Fire Squad. It’s no wonder Hui One felt Hui Three slipping from their control.

To weaken Hui Three, they secretly plotted for over a month, trying to round up every Type A and B Magnetic Sense Evolver in Hui Three and drag them all back to Hui One.

Xin Yu had seen too many power struggles when she worked at the Chonglian Group, so she already guessed Hui Three wouldn’t expose the mastermind behind the fishing op. “Officially, it’s all wrapped up, but the real battle’s just getting started. Now it comes down to Qi Zhongye and Yang Jin versus Chen Dianming and Deng Yufeng. We’ll see who comes out on top.”

Qi Zhongye is the director of Hui Three Base, and Yang Jin is the captain of the Azure Dragon Squad.

Chen Dianming leads Hui One Base, while Deng Yufeng heads the Blazing Fire Squad.

“Don’t forget Hui City Base’s top dog—the chief director, Zhang Guannan. Since Tang Zhengrong was ousted this spring, our base put forward three different vice director candidates, and every time, Zhang Guannan shot them down. That says a lot about his relationship with Qi Zhongye.”

“That’s why our base needs to grow stronger, and why the Squad Alliance led by Azure Dragon needs to get stronger too. Otherwise, all the bases around us will keep chipping away at us and swallowing everything up.”

Xin Yu began comparing the top squads at both bases. “When it comes to firepower, Azure Dragon can’t match Blazing Fire. But when it comes to brains and the leader’s combat skills, Blazing Fire can’t hold a candle to Azure Dragon. So, my money’s on Azure Dragon.”

Xia Qing shook her head. “Yang Jin, Luo, and Xie Yu all have principles. Up against Deng Yufeng and Dan Ying, who have none, I don’t think they’ll win. They’re just not ruthless enough.”

Xin Yu finished cleaning the last bowl and washed out the rag before hanging it up to dry. “Azure Dragon might have more scruples, but they’re ruthless when it matters. You don’t know how they really left Hui One, do you?”

Xia Qing answered, “I heard it had something to do with how Hui One handled the underground experiments, and the rewards they were assigned.”

“That’s part of it. But the real reason was that Luo Pei’s girlfriend died on a mission because of some unreasonable regulation Hui One had about using weapons on civilians. Her whole squad was massacred by a mob.”

This was the first Xia Qing had heard of it. “Massacred?”

Xin Yu nodded. “It was brutal, no question. Otherwise, the three heads of Azure Dragon wouldn’t have gone all out. No one knows exactly how that squad died, because all 343 people involved in the riot were killed by Luo Pei, Yang Jin, and Xie Yu, and the fallen squadmates’ bodies were cremated. Luo Pei officially resigned after that. Before then, he was sent from Hui One to Azure Dragon as a tactical instructor.”

“It happened the day after the underground experiment scandal broke. Hui One lumped the two incidents together to conceal the truth. Later, they gave the Azure Dragon trio official commendations. Word was, Luo Pei held major sway in the Hui One barracks, and that tragedy nearly sparked mutiny.”

Xia Qing let the silence hang for a few seconds before finally asking, “Just the three of them did that?”

“Yeah, just the three of them. Their opponents were 307 regular people led by 36 Evolvers. There wasn’t a single intact corpse left at the scene.”

Pulling that off could only mean one thing: top sniper Luo Pei covered the field with his sniper rifle from above, while Yang Jin and Xie Yu stormed into enemy lines and tore through them.

Now she understood the heavy feeling behind Luo Pei’s words a few days ago, when he mentioned the person he once promised a future to had passed away.

Xia Qing sat quietly for a long moment before finally saying, “I always assumed Xie Yu was more brains than brawn—a Brain Evolutionary who couldn’t really fight alone.”

“Xie Yu rarely steps in personally, so I don’t have any hard numbers on his combat abilities either. But for him to hold the number two spot in Azure Dragon, it’s got to be more than just Brain Evolution. Give them two more years to build their power, and Blazing Fire won’t stand a chance.”