Chapter 987: Rain and Red Vines

The rain kept pouring, the creek rose even higher and the current turned swift and wild. That aggressive Devastation Evolution plant was thriving in the downpour, its magnetic field growing stronger by the minute.

Clearly, this was a water-loving plant. Rainy days were its true battlefield, and now it had surpassed the bird flock as Xia Qing’s biggest threat to harvesting soybeans.

Not messing with that—I’d rather hide.

Carefully, Xia Qing propped up the thin red root—just three millimeters thick and covered in tiny hairs—with three tree branches. She slowly pulled her foot free, terrified she might snap the root and trigger the plant’s attack.

Once her foot was out, Xia Qing decisively stood up, still shielded by a bushy makeshift cover. Under the wary gaze of dozens of birds, she started snipping soybean stalks one after another. She couldn’t care less about the birds now—the heavy rain and her leafy shield kept her safe from them.

What she really had to watch out for were those red roots spreading through the water at a speed you could see and the red vines ahead that kept creeping outward.

With years of experience and the sharp magnetic field poised to skewer her head, Xia Qing knew better than anyone: if that thing ever went berserk, she’d count herself lucky to escape with her life, let alone avoid serious wounds.

She’d already soaked in five medicinal baths. Another bad injury meant another round of treatment—her Idol would definitely skin her alive.

Kicking her speed up a notch, she harvested every last soybean stalk she could in under two minutes, stuffing them into a bag. She didn’t even hesitate to abandon twenty-odd stalks already tangled in red vines ahead, pulled out her grappling gun and shot a line to a big tree jutting from the cliff—one that held fewer bird nests. Gripping the rope, she quickly fled the creeping red roots and vines chasing after her.

Just her luck—the tree Xia Qing hit happened to be in the territory of that brain-evolved black bird!

Red vines writhed below, black birds stared menacingly above. Surrounded with nowhere to go, Xia Qing quickly pulled her second grappling gun, fired at a crevice thirty meters away and swung over, changing course to keep escaping.

She was a strength-based evolver; she always packed heavy. Where others brought one set of gear, she carried two—sometimes three. That’s how she managed to cheat death time and time again.

After scrambling up the rain-slick slope for a while, that violent magnetic field, which had been targeting her brow, finally faded away. She clung to the cliff and paused, fishing out five dried Green Lantern figs she’d prepped earlier from her suit pocket. She set them in the stone crevice, a little thank you to the black bird that, surprisingly smart, hadn’t swooped down to attack her.

Xia Qing gave a wave toward the big black bird, pointed at the figs, then quickly retracted her rope from the tree. Glancing down at the eerie plant spreading through the valley like veins, she scaled out fast, sprinting a few hundred meters through the rain before ducking under an outcropping to radio her friends.

“Big Wolf, where are you? I’m done gathering beans—let’s head back.”

Luckily, she’d kept Handsome Huge Wolf close using her backpack. Otherwise, in weather like this, she’d have to radio for a helicopter.

This was the Western Evolved Forest, outside Section One’s chopper patrol range, and it was Zhang Shi who’d tipped her off about these Green Lantern plants in the valley. Xia Qing suspected he’d hidden a stash nearby. That’s why she’d sweet-talked him into letting Handsome Huge Wolf join her for the soybean harvest.

It was a stroke of luck she’d come early today. If she’d waited until after the rain, she’d be stuck on the cliff just watching, unable to do a thing.

“Big Wolf…”

“Big Wolf…”

“Awooo.”

After calling out a few times, Xia Qing was surprised to hear Crippled Wolf’s howl come through the walkie-talkie.

Xia Qing blinked. “Broken Back, you’ve got my backpack?”

“Awooo.” Even through the drumming rain, Xia Qing could tell Crippled Wolf sounded pretty pleased.

Well then, time to make a request. “Broken Back, can you bring me my backpack? I’d like to go home.”

“Awooo.” Crippled Wolf answered and soon arrived under the big rock where Xia Qing was hiding, shaking the rain from his fur.

Xia Qing asked, “Broken Back, where’s my backpack?”

Crippled Wolf turned and headed forward, motioning for Xia Qing to follow.

She trailed after him for over ten minutes through pouring rain, into the depths of the Evolved Forest, and then into a dim tree hollow. Switching on her flashlight, she spotted her new backpack—she’d traded it with Ji Li just last year—lying there, muddy and alone, one of the straps chewed right through.

One look at the bite marks, and she knew—a wolf did this.

The first thing Xia Qing did was pull out a rain cover from her pack and plug the tree hollow’s entrance, keeping the water out. Then she pointed at the broken strap and asked the wet, dripping Crippled Wolf, “Broken Back, did you chew through my backpack strap?”

Crippled Wolf clamped his mouth shut immediately.

“Was it Handsome Huge Wolf, then?”

Crippled Wolf opened his jaws. His cute little fangs gleamed in the light.

Xia Qing…

Seriously? What was that about? Didn’t Handsome Huge Wolf eat that big bowl of freeze-dried Green Lantern yesterday and promise to behave? Why’d he suddenly throw a fit and walk off?

If that unreliable one was gone, she’d just have to make sure to keep this one close. Xia Qing dug out an absorbent towel, wiped down her own facemask, then started grooming the vain wolf’s drip-soaked fur. “Broken Back, once the rain stops we’ll head out. For now let me get your coat tidied up.”

After drying him off and brushing out his fur, Xia Qing dabbed a bit of antiparasitic solution on his neck. “All done. It’s dry in here, so you get some rest while I take care of these beans.”

She didn’t want to trek fifty miles through the forest carrying a giant bundle of stalks, so she used the rainy break to shell the bean pods, making her load smaller and lighter.

Xia Qing set the Devastation Element Detector nearby, grabbed a stalk, squeezed out some juice and dripped it into the analyzer. Crippled Wolf immediately poked over to watch.

When the results came up, Xia Qing asked, “Devastation Element content 3.1 per mille—these are Green Lantern, right?”

Crippled Wolf flashed his little fangs in approval.

Xia Qing gave him a quick head rub, then snipped off all the pods, shelling out one yellow Green Lantern soybean. She gave it a gentle squeeze and it split easily in half.

Perfect! This was a normal soybean, not like last year’s Iron Soybeans from her own territory—those were impossible to bite or cook soft.

Happily, Xia Qing stripped all the pods off that plant and tossed them into her Green Lantern pod bag, then grabbed another stalk to check quality and continue harvesting.

After a few more, Crippled Wolf lost interest and curled up nearby for a nap. Outside, the big black bird perched beneath a leafy umbrella was grooming its rain-damp wings.

As she shelled beans, Xia Qing chatted with her companion, “I found a high-risk plant in Bird Valley. It’s seriously tough. Do you know what kind of attacks it uses?”

Crippled Wolf didn’t react. Xia Qing knew then: he’d never seen that dangerous plant in Bird Valley. Made sense—this was Western Wolf Pack turf.

She picked up another stalk. “Its roots and vines explode in growth on contact with water. Its combat power ramps up fast. It’s tough. You all need to steer clear of it.”

Her magnetic sense wouldn’t lie. If that thing fancied meat, she was sure it could clean out all the reptiles in the valley when it raged.