Chapter 985: A Bell at Dawn and the Wolf’s Promise

Riiing—

At five thirty in the morning, just after her fifth medicinal bath, Xia Qing jolted awake at the crisp sound of a bell. She sprang from the couch, not even bothering with her shoes, and darted to the door. “Queen, are you leaving already?”

That bell—Xia Qing had hung it on the Handsome Huge Wolf just last night, after setting her alarm and waiting for him to finish his bath. She was worried he’d slip away before she woke up.

Thank goodness she’d tied it on!

Alpha turned and studied Xia Qing in silence, wondering if she needed something.

Slipping into her slippers, Xia Qing hurried outside and stood beside the bell-adorned Handsome Huge Wolf. “Queen, I’m going to pick some soybeans in the Western Evolved Forest. Big Wolf agreed to go with me last night.”

Alpha glanced at the Handsome Huge Wolf and then led the team away. The Crippled Wolf eyed Xia Qing, then the Handsome Huge Wolf, lost in thought.

Xia Qing asked, “Broken Back, do you want to come soybean picking with me too?”

The Crippled Wolf spun on his heel and raced off.

The Handsome Huge Wolf shook his neck, and the bell’s annoying chime rang out again. He opened his mouth, revealing fangs longer than Xia Qing’s fingers.

Xia Qing quickly unfastened the bell and, with a gentle hand, stuffed a chunk of freeze-dried Green Lantern Wild Boar into his mouth. She said softly, “Big Wolf, last night you ate a whole nutrient shake, three eggs, and a basin of freeze-dried meat. You promised to help me pick soybeans today. Did your bath make you forget?”

Expressionless, the Handsome Huge Wolf swallowed the jerky and shook off Xia Qing’s hand.

“Alright, got it. Big Wolf, just wait while I put on my protective suit. Then we’ll head out! Thank you!” Knowing when not to push her luck, Xia Qing dashed back inside, threw on her protective suit, grabbed her already-packed backpack and was back out in under two minutes. “Big Wolf, let’s go!”

The Handsome Huge Wolf didn’t spare her a glance. With a powerful leap, he vanished. Lacking his jumping skills, Xia Qing sprinted toward the main gate, shouting, “Number Four, you’re in charge at home!”

“Old Goat, the territory’s yours now! I’m off to find something tasty for everyone.”

Elder Wolf, having just finished his medicinal bath, rose from the ruins of the house and stretched. Energy filled his body. He lifted his head and opened his mouth, wanting to howl—then remembered he couldn’t do that here. Disappointed, he flopped back onto the grass.

“Baa.” Old Goat, busy eating in the pasture shed, called out happily at his little brother’s voice.

Xia Qing burst out the Northern Gate and charged into Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine. There was no sign of the Handsome Huge Wolf, but she didn’t hesitate and ran west.

By the time she crossed from Hill Forty-Nine into Hill Forty-Eight, Xia Qing was out of breath, her pace cut in half. Dodging all sorts of attacking plants and animals along the way, she finally reached a ridge. As she stepped onto what looked like a sturdy log, ready to vault over the next ravine, her right foot plunged through rotten wood.

That step sent her crashing into an evolved scorpion’s nest.

“Ka-ka!”

A black, evolved scorpion nearly thirty centimeters long charged at Xia Qing, poison stinger raised. Its thick plates scraped and rattled, making a sharp ka-ka sound. Dozens of baby scorpions clung to its back—it was a new mother.

Xia Qing yanked her foot free to dodge. Even if her protective suit was top-tier, she had no intention of testing it against that glowing, hooked stinger.

She didn’t let the thirty-something scorpions crawling onto her go though. Each one, about the size of her hand, could fetch forty credits apiece. If they were on her, they were hers.

The old Xia Qing would have grabbed that thirty-centimeter-long, two-hundred-credit evolved scorpion—babies and all—for herself. But not anymore.

That scorpion might be the king here. As Idol once said, it’s a link in the Evolved Forest’s food chain. Take her away, and who knows what chaos would follow.

Leave her, and you’ve got an endless supply of scorpions. That’s what you call sustainable development.

With a sackful of scorpions in tow, Xia Qing crossed another ridge, panting in the dense, damp woods.

She was done running. Time to wait for the Handsome Huge Wolf to come ferry her along.

Half a minute later, a giant wolf with silver-gray fur and icy blue eyes stepped out of the evolved forest, giving the exhausted Xia Qing a frosty stare.

“Big Wolf… I really can’t run anymore…” Gasping, Xia Qing took out a thick cotton seat cushion, scrambled onto his back, hugged his neck, and pointed ahead.

“Thank you, Big Wolf. You’re the best-looking, kindest wolf in our pack. Let’s go this way!”

The Handsome Huge Wolf tossed his head and shot off at full speed.

Forty minutes later, when they finally reached the valley Zhang Shi had described, the sight before her made Xia Qing abandon her previous assumptions.

She’d thought Zhang Shi had planted these soybeans, but there were thousands of chattering birds roosting in the ancient trees. Bird droppings carpeted the branches and ground—these birds had lived here a long time. There was no way Zhang Shi had planted beans in a place like this.

If she was right, this was Bird Valley, in the territory of Hill Forty-Five in the Western Evolved Forest. Brain-Evolved Birds nested here—a place even wolves and leopards avoided. Xin Yu never let her tamed birds come near.

Back in Year Nine after the disaster, three mission teams had been sent to collect from this mountain. They’d entered the birds’ core territory, were swarmed, and over half never returned.

But Xia Qing was here now, and she wasn’t leaving empty-handed. Whispering, she asked, “Big Wolf, do you have any connections with the birds in this valley?”

The Handsome Huge Wolf, tongue lolling as he rested, acted like he didn’t hear a thing.

That said it all. Xia Qing scanned the valley, going by Zhang Shi’s description. Soon enough, she spotted a patch of yellowed-leafed soybeans.

Judging by the leaves and growth, nine out of ten it was Green Lantern—though Xia Qing didn’t know whether the soybeans had grown from helicopter-dropped seeds or had been here for years. Nor did she know what kind of defensive tricks they might have up their sleeve.

Only one way to find out. She’d have to go see for herself.

Crouched in a tangle of thorny bushes, Xia Qing first checked her air toxin detector—no poisonous gas. She quickly hacked two camouflaged thorn bushes and used iron wire to weave a sturdy shell, something like a turtle’s back, for cover.

Then she handed her backpack to the Handsome Huge Wolf, tossed him a pack of Green Lantern jerky, and said, “Big Wolf, keep an eye on my stuff. I’m going down to pick those beans. Once I’m done, we’ll head home.”

The Handsome Huge Wolf showed his fangs and made a silent snarl.

“I know I’m slow and weak, Big Wolf. There’s no way I could cross fifty miles of evolved forest by myself. I’ll make you a nice roast rabbit when we get back, alright?”

Once Xia Qing got the Handsome Huge Wolf pacified, she started scoping out a way into the valley.