Chapter 926: Hunting the Sky Kings: A Sniper’s Mission in the Evolved Forest

Fifteen minutes ago, Xia Qing was at home in her yard, husking corn. Now she was outfitted in a Grade-Four Field Protective Suit, riding a helicopter bound for the Southern Evolved Forest of Hui Three.

Sea beasts and raptors had been locked in fierce combat around Gui San for three days. This morning, the battle ended—thousands of raptors gave up their territory and fled, searching for new lands.

Of the three bases bordering Gui San—Gui Five in the southwest, Gui Two in the east, and Hui Five in the north—Hui Five had the weakest anti-air defenses, making it the primary escape route for the fleeing raptors.

That’s why Hui One, just south of Hui Five to the northwest, and Hui Three, north of Hui Five, were also scrambling to gather their forces and squads to hunt down any raptors that might slip in from Hui Five.

Luo Pei’s call came while leading his team from Gui Five, already en route to Hui Five.

At first, Xia Qing thought Luo Pei was going to ask her to help protect Territory One. She didn’t expect him to assign her a mission.

Her first instinct was to refuse. After all, she wasn’t a soldier or part of any combat team—her primary role was as Lord of her Territory, her secondary position was Director of the Ninth Planting Center. Her responsibilities were agriculture and guarding Section Three and the Ninth Center.

“To prepare for a possible bird tide, we’ve already deployed ground-based radar and anti-air missiles between Section One and Section Three in the northern evolved forest. They can take out raptors at any altitude entering our territory. Zhang Ling and Hu Zifeng’s squad are stationed inside your lands—it’s enough to ensure your territory’s safety.”

Luo Pei knew his disciple well. Only after resolving her worries did he explain why he called and mention the mission rewards.

“There are two Giant Hawks with Brain Evolution and Speed-type abilities heading toward our base. Both are on Gui Five’s bounty board—sixty thousand credits each. Even if the mission fails, the Azure Dragon Squad will still reward you with sixty-six sniper rounds.”

Sixty-six bullets didn’t sound like a lot, but when converted to credits, even with a ten percent markdown, it wasn’t a small sum. No need to ask—that precise, non-negotiable ammo count had to be Yang Jin’s doing.

The credits were tempting. Still, with the bird tide coming, even if Zhang Ling and the others could protect her territory, they couldn’t guarantee her teammates’ safety. Unless absolutely necessary, Xia Qing didn’t want to leave.

But Luo wasn’t someone who forced people into tough spots. If he called, it meant he believed only Xia Qing could do this job. She asked, “Luo, if both hawks are Brain Evolution creatures, how did they end up on the bounty board?”

During non-Devastation Rain periods, no matter how powerful, Evolved Animals couldn’t match humans with firearms. So any animal in the evolved forest with brains enough to know better rarely picked fights with people. These two Brain Evolution hawks showing up with a joint price tag of a hundred and twenty thousand credits had to be more complicated than it seemed.

“Because those two Giant Hawks like to feed on large animals—especially monkeys and human brains. They’ve got eight deaths on their wings, including a baby under a year old, brutally killed.”

Luo Pei wanted Xia Qing to understand the danger. “If these hawks nest in our base’s evolved forest and raise more young, the consequences will be disastrous. I can’t make it back. You’re the only sniper at base who stands a real chance of taking them down.”

There were no monkeys in Hui Three’s evolved forest—only humans out on missions.

Beyond her earlier roles, Xia Qing was also a top-tier Evolved fighter and one of only two elite snipers at Hui Three Base. She received all the perks given to high-level evolved—she was still a paid base officer. With raptors invading, and Luo Pei away, she couldn’t just sit by. She was duty-bound to step up and defend the base.

So Xia Qing spent ten minutes arranging things with Old Goat and Er. After swapping places with Zhang Ling, she boarded the helicopter for the Southern Evolved Forest of Hui Three.

Once airborne, Xia Qing peered out the window from her makeshift cover—built from dry branches and straw ropes—surveying the territory she’d called home for the last year and a half.

Last August, when raptors first attacked, defense relied mostly on Inspection Teams and the Lords. By July this year, the base had blanketed the arable land with radar and anti-air missiles.

It proved that, even in the second year since territory policy began, base leadership was working hard to protect these lands.

Arable land was the foundation for humanity’s survival and future growth on this wild Blue Star.

An hour and a half later, the helicopter arrived. Xia Qing pulled her black facemask up over all but her eyes and put on her protective mask. She exchanged a quick greeting with Er Yong, the pilot, then slung her heavy backpack on, grabbed the rappelling rope and dropped deep into the Southern Evolved Forest, landing atop the highest limestone pillar.

Here, deep in the Southern Evolved Forest, was raptor heaven—and possibly a new home picked out by the two Giant Hawks from Gui San.

Even if the hawks didn’t settle here, as long as they dropped speed or altitude for a closer look, a human sniper could get a chance to take them out.

Standing atop the pillar, Xia Qing realized the ‘seedlings’ she saw from the air—just three little weeds—were actually over ten meters tall, and two of them were aggressive Devastation Evolution plants.

But she didn’t have time to complain. She rushed to the only normal-looking pine tree, scrambled up beside the huge nest, pulled out bundles of dried branches and weeds from her backpack, and blended her makeshift shelter into part of the nest.

These branches weren’t for firewood. She’d gathered them from the nest of a ground-dwelling hawk in Territory Eight. They were top-tier, aesthetically pleasing building materials—at least by hawk standards.

Even a hawk that lost its ability to fly still yearned for the sky—that’s what drove the female hawk.

Inside Territory Eight, she’d carefully picked and built a three-meter-tall luxury nest. Every day, after eating her fill, she’d just perch in her nest, calling out to others searching for food high above, hoping they’d stop by and rest.

Too bad, after a whole year of waiting, not a single hawk landed.

With the sniper perch ready, Xia Qing pressed the button on her walkie-talkie. “Qinglong, Night Heron. I’ve arrived at Pillar One, Mountain Seven.”

Other than Xia Qing, there were six other elite snipers from the Falcon Squad, hidden throughout these stone forests where magnetic interference limited radar.

“Pillar One, Night Heron. This is Zhang Jingwu, commander of the anti-bird frontline for the southern district. The Golden Eagle lured away from Pillar One is about to return. Stay concealed.”

“Night Heron here—entering silent mode now.”

While golden eagles weren’t known for the sharpest hearing or sense of smell, they weren’t deaf, either. Lying beneath the nest, Xia Qing wasn’t just testing the bird’s ears—she was testing its brains.

Doing her best to ignore the aggressive magnetic fields from the two giant pine trees, Xia Qing kept her breathing steady, eyes locked on the southeastern sky.

This sniper spot was perfect: the view was wide open, making her feel like she was lying atop a pyramid peak.

Soon enough, a golden eagle with feathers on its head and neck shining like metal in the sun unfurled its two-meter-long wings and swept toward Xia Qing.

As its powerful golden talons stretched out, Xia Qing, hidden in the twigs, felt her heart clench tight.

No wonder it’s the king of the skies. It was all power and pure majesty.

The golden eagle circled its tree again and again, hesitant to land. Clearly, it sensed something was off.

Just as Xia Qing was tense with anticipation, the calm voice of Zhang Jingwu came through her earpiece: “First flock of raptors sighted, thirty kilometers southwest. The Giant Hawk isn’t among them. Falcon Squad, do not engage—keep hidden.”

Xia Qing relaxed just a little—even though she couldn’t see the birds, it didn’t mean the golden eagle couldn’t. Its eyesight was legendary—able to spot prey thirty-six kilometers away.

A flock of birds was approaching—how would the aerial overlord respond?