Chapter 996: Beneath the Evolutionary Skies

After Blue Star began its evolution, not only did the plants turn dazzling, life itself grew richer and more vibrant.

At the helicopter controls, Huo Zhun sneaked a glance at the ugly monkey munching on jerky and at Xia Qing, gulping down water.

Unreal. Seriously, this is just too unreal!

Xia Qing was parched because Little Monkey gave her stash of food to the cub pinned on the other side of the stream. But before the cub could even touch it, a giant bear swatted over and smashed the bag to pieces.

That slap from the giant bear completely set Xia Qing off. She ripped off her protective mask and let loose a furious roar—her voice actually drowned out the bear’s.

Huo Zhun joined in with a few shouts of his own. It felt insanely satisfying!

Once Xia Qing had her fill of water, Huo Zhun rasped out, “Sister Qing, do you think we’ve made enemies with the Bear Pack now?”

“Not really,” Xia Qing answered, her voice hoarse. “The Wolf Pack didn’t get involved, and the Bear Pack leader never showed up. That giant bear who smashed the food? Same one I had a shouting match with last time on Hill Fifty-Three.”

If Xia Qing weren’t worried about sparking a species conflict, she’d honestly be tempted to put a bullet in that petty, food-wasting bear.

At least the food didn’t totally go to waste—it ended up with the unlucky ones sprawled on the ground.

After flying a little farther, Huo Zhun couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Qing, how can you tell which wolf is which, or which bear is which?”

“By size, fur color, eye color and facial features.” Not to mention vibe—every evolved animal has its own. Xia Qing wasn’t sure if anyone else picked up on that, so she left it unsaid.

“That’s impressive. Half the time I can’t tell people apart, let alone animals with similar fur and builds,” Huo Zhun laughed. “The only reason I know the Queen is because her ear’s got a chunk missing. And Broken Back? Bald patch on his leg.”

Xia Qing…

Seriously, you’d better not say that in front of Alpha or Crippled Wolf, or they’ll bite your head off.

“We came too early this trip. The hickory nuts won’t be ready to harvest until November. We’ll come back then. I’ll split eight pounds with you.”

Xia Qing invited Huo Zhun to team up—his job was to fly and keep watch over the helicopter. The pay was three pounds of Green Lantern pecans. Even though they didn’t get to pick any today, a promise is a promise. She’d still pay him.

Huo Zhun wasn’t part of any combat team or the military. He was the top fighter in the Alliance, the best match for Xia Qing’s plans. She hoped to keep him as a long-term, reliable partner.

“No need, Sister Qing—six pounds is more than enough,” Huo Zhun grinned. Green Lantern pecans were high-quality goods—not something you could snag with credits. Getting three pounds just for one helicopter run? He was counting himself lucky.

Once he had the pecans, Huo Zhun planned to snack on them and boost his brainpower. He truly couldn’t memorize all those textbook rules. If he still failed next year’s junior high graduation exam, his dad wasn’t just going to beat him—he’d nag him to death too.

The helicopter touched down on the helipad atop Hill Forty-Nine. Xia Qing parted ways with Huo Zhun, stuffed Goofball Monkey into her backpack and made her way across Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine. As she reached Section One of the North, she just happened to see a patrol truck passing by from the Northern Barrier.

When Su Ming spotted Xia Qing, he rolled down the window and called out brightly, “Sister Qing!”

The iron mesh wall in Section One of the North ran right through the center of the barrier zone. The patrol truck made its rounds around the fence at random times—sometimes inside the wall, sometimes outside.

This time, they were inside.

Besides Su Ming behind the wheel, Xia Qing also saw Cao Xianyun in the passenger seat. He Wu and Peng Lin were in the back. Peng Lin was the one who’d taken the blood sample from Li Cun in Territory Nine and sent it out as a Fire Phoenix scout.

With her usual calm, Xia Qing scanned her access card and stepped through the northern gate of the iron mesh wall, greeting the four as she went.

Seeing Xia Qing coming down from the mountain, Su Ming guessed she hadn’t heard the latest Territory update. “The Southern Territory just got hit by evolved locusts. The Territory Management Department sent out an emergency notice—we’re supposed to ramp up patrols. Sister Qing, did you see more locusts than usual up there?”

Xia Qing hadn’t checked her phone—she really didn’t know. “Not really. Things seemed normal on the mountain.”

Peng Lin poked his head forward from the backseat. “Didn’t catch the broadcast, Sister Qing?”

Xia Qing shook her head. “Nope.”

“Where are you—”

Before Peng Lin could finish, He Wu jumped in. “You’d better hurry back. About an hour ago I handed over the anti-locust spray the department delivered to Er Yong. The medicine needs to be applied around the greenhouses ASAP.”

“Thanks.” After giving her thanks, Xia Qing opened the northern gate into Section Three and walked into her own territory.

The patrol truck rolled eastward. Peng Lin muttered under his breath, “Xia Qing leaves with a sniper rifle and a backpack almost as big as she is, but who knows what she’s actually up to.”

He Wu answered, “Sister Qing is a top-notch sniper. Of course she’s been heading to the shooting range on Hill Forty-Nine to practice.”

Peng Lin shook his head. “The Azure Dragon Squad’s helicopter only landed a short while ago, and she came down right after. It’s very possible she flew somewhere on the chopper…”

Cao Xianyun, who had level-four hearing evolution, chimed in to remind his new teammate, “Xia Qing’s an advanced evolutionary—she can handle herself and is free to come and go from the territory.”

Peng Lin explained, “I’m not trying to limit her freedom. It’s just, we don’t control the north gate and that opens up risks. What if someone skirts our checks and brings something dangerous in through the north gate?”

As he steered from the Northern Barrier into the Eastern Barrier, Su Ming explained, “North gate’s under Territory Eight’s control—the department agreed to that.”

He Wu added, “The iron mesh wall here was built with manpower and resources from Chonglian. It’s mainly to keep Lord of Eight safe. The north gate belongs to Territory Eight. That guarantees them free access in and out.”

Peng Lin still didn’t get it. “But if it’s just for their convenience, why not give them the west gate, since it’s closer to Territory Eight?”

Good question…

He Wu scratched his head and glanced at his teammates up front.

Su Ming answered, “Territory Eight wanted the west gate, but after negotiations with the department, they settled on the north gate. The north’s on a hillside, and outside is the Azure Dragon Squad’s main training camp. It’s a lot safer that way.”

Peng Lin pretended to suddenly understand. “Ah, so that’s it. So, if someone smuggles contraband through the north gate and causes a disaster, is Territory Eight responsible?”

He Wu shrugged. “No idea, honestly. If you’re that curious, Lin, you could ask the captain.”

Peng Lin chuckled. “I’m just making conversation. Xia Qing didn’t just secure management rights to the Test Zone and Ninth Center from Section Seven—she even befriended Lord of Eight and locked down special access at the north gate. That’s some serious networking skills.”

Even the usually straightforward Su Ming caught the note of something off in Peng Lin’s tone and fired back, “If you were a dual-attribute advanced evolutionary, a top sniper, and willing to charge ahead without thought for your own reward—facing disaster after disaster, holding the line for everyone—you’d get the same privileges.”

He Wu laid out Xia Qing’s accomplishments for Peng Lin. “Sister Qing can pull the root system out of a level-four wild tung tree with her bare hands, knock down a level-three wild tung a meter thick in just two hits, and snipe down a speed-evolved raptor in a single shot. She’s not just the territory lord—she’s northern Section One’s top fighter.”

Peng Lin was amazed. “So she’s even more impressive than Luo Pei, third in command of the Azure Dragon Squad back in Territory One? I heard she learned her shooting from Chief Luo and hand-to-hand from Azure Dragon captain Yang Jin.”

He Wu was surprised. “She learned to fight from Jin? Where’d you hear that?”

Peng Lin dodged the question. “Just overheard it while hanging around in the Safe Zone.”

The patrol truck stopped. Su Ming turned in his seat to look at Peng Lin. “Lin, why are you so interested in Sister Qing anyway?”

Peng Lin’s eyes flashed for a moment, but he grinned. “She’s crazy strong, young and beautiful. Trust me, I’m not the only one interested in her.”