Chapter 158: Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle

Tan Junjie’s calm voice sounded over the Lord channel, "Attention, Lords. Hui San Base’s first line of defense shot down over three hundred Evolutionary Birds. The flock has been scattered. A group of over two hundred birds is now heading our way. These Evolved Fierce Birds are extremely dangerous. All personnel with no experience fighting evolved avians are to take cover immediately. Experienced personnel, after ensuring your personal protection is in place, prepare to join the battle to protect the territories."

Tang Huai added a warning on the Lord channel, "The lead Evolutionary Bird this time is an Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle, known as the number one raptor. It can tear through a truck with one claw and peck through a roof with its beak. Everyone, hide! Nothing is more important than your life."

"Oh god, Bodhisattva save me, Buddha save me, Allah save me, Jesus save me..." Kuang Qingwei’s voice trembled with fear.

"In this critical time, the Lord channel is closed to idle chatter and the posting of unconfirmed news. Spreading panic will be met with consequences." Tan Junjie keyed his radio and began announcing the battle plan. "At present, it’s unclear if the flock will simply pass over our territories or if they will attack. The five territories with ground-to-air defense weapons—No.1 Territory, Second Territory, Third Territory, Territory Land No. 7, and No. 9 Territory—are not to attack indiscriminately. We don’t want to provoke a flock that is just passing through."

"No.1 Territory, roger." The reply from No.1 Territory came in a voice Xiaqing didn’t recognize.

"Second Territory has no ground-to-air defense weapons," Tang Huai corrected.

"Third Territory, roger," Xiaqing replied.

"Territory Land No. 7, roger." Xiaqing recognized this voice. It belonged to the person who had come to the North Isolation Zone of No.3 Territory to pick up supplies and exchange passphrases with her.

"No. 9 Territory, roger." Assistant Little Liu’s voice was unusually deep and serious, carrying a certain gravitas.

After that, the Lord channel and the broadcast fell silent. All Xiaqing could hear were chirping sounds, the wind, and... the sound of the Sheep Leader chewing its cud.

At a moment so tense she could barely breathe, having such a carefree companion beside her was actually quite stress-relieving. Xiaqing smiled, turned, and sat down next to the Sheep Leader, leaning against it. She cradled her gun and stared out the window at the blue sky, dotted with large, white clouds.

Even as Xiaqing leaned against it, the Sheep Leader just kept its eyes narrowed, staring at the metal food cabinet in the kitchen, the rhythm of its cud-chewing unchanged. On the Sheep Leader’s other side, the two prone wolves stared at Xiaqing’s back. One seemed to be contemplating where to take the first bite, while the other looked thoughtful.

Right now, Xiaqing paid no mind to the two wolves, who were still immobilized by the anesthetic. She closed her eyes and began to regulate her breathing and mindset using the method Luo Pei had taught her.

As a Sniper, her mind had to be steady. No matter the time, no matter the circumstances, even if gravely injured, the hand holding the gun must never tremble, and the eyes aiming at the battlefield must never close.

Dark clouds gradually gathered in the sky, blocking the sun.

「Twenty minutes later.」

Tan Junjie’s voice crackled over the Lord channel. "No.1 Territory, No. 9 Territory, respond if you copy."

"No.1 Territory, roger."

"No. 9 Territory, roger."

"In fifteen minutes, the Evolution Bird Group will arrive above territories one through twenty-six. If the Evolution Bird Group attacks the territories, you may fire on them with guns, but no cannons. The air humidity is extremely high right now, which could easily trigger Harmful Rain."

"No.1 Territory, understood."

"No. 9 Territory, understood."

Tan Junjie continued his inquiries. "Territory Land No. 7, respond."

"Territory Land No. 7, roger."

"Territory Land No. 7, can you report your Laser Cannon’s capabilities?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"The Laser Cannon in Territory Land No. 7 has an output of 30 kilowatts and a maximum range of 4,000 meters. It can burn through a 10-millimeter steel plate at 800 meters, and a 5-millimeter steel plate at 1,000 meters. However, it requires a three-second cooldown and recharge period after each shot."

Xiaqing...

’Damn!’

’Is it even legal to have something that destructive in a territory? Didn’t Yang Jin say the most powerful weapon the teams are currently allowed to possess is a shoulder-fired Grenade Launcher?’

’Could a Laser Cannon possibly be less powerful than a shoulder-fired Grenade Launcher?’

Although Xiaqing was full of questions, Tan Junjie showed no surprise that Territory Land No. 7 possessed a Laser Cannon. "Roger. The Evolution Bird Group is led by a High Level Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle with a wingspan of over seven meters. Its Speed is extremely high. Territory Land No. 7, stand by for orders. Be ready to provide support with the Laser Cannon at any moment."

"Territory Land No. 7, roger. We are ready."

Fifteen minutes...

Xiaqing took a deep breath and leaned back, her short black hair a stark contrast against the Sheep Leader’s white wool, attracting the gaze of the Brain Domain Evolution Wolf.

"All territories, be advised. The flock will be overhead in five minutes."

Xiaqing opened her eyes and looked back at the three creatures on the tatami mat, speaking softly. "Leader, and you two. The Evolution Bird Group is coming. I’m going to the attic to guard the house, so you all behave. Don’t worry, everything will be fine."

After speaking, Xiaqing stood up, put on her Protective Mask, turned on the small night light in the living room, and drew the blackout curtains. She went upstairs, pushed open the only window in the attic, and aimed her sniper rifle at the sky. At the same time, on the tallest building in Territory Land No. 7, a metal container silently retracted, revealing a 220-millimeter-thick, silvery-white cannon barrel.

When Tan Junjie announced the flock was one minute from arriving overhead, the silvery-white cannon barrel in Territory Land No. 7 tilted slightly, pointing southeast.

Soon, without the aid of any equipment, the Level 9 Visual Evolver Xiaqing spotted the flock. Over two hundred birds were just a small black speck high in the sky, but that speck quickly grew larger, and larger, and larger still.

Xiaqing could clearly see the lead behemoth’s hooked beak and its gleaming black talons. The Evolutionary Birds following it had varied plumage, but every single one of them was armed with sharp beaks and claws.

In the ten years of the Natural Disaster, Xiaqing had personally witnessed talons just like these tear through vehicles and roofs, snatching people into the sky, leaving behind trails of blood and screams of agony.

Just as the Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle was about to reach the airspace above territories one to twenty-six, Xiaqing clearly saw it dip its head to look down at the earth. She immediately began to pray silently: ’There’s nothing to see here, fly away, just fly away...’

But her prayers went unanswered. The Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle pulled its three-meter-long wings upward, retracted its talons, and tilted its head down, beginning a dive.

’Here it comes!’

Tan Junjie’s voice immediately rang out. "Laser Cannon, prepare. Snipers, prepare."

Before the battle, Xiaqing had been extremely nervous, but upon hearing Tan Junjie’s command, she became perfectly calm. She aimed her rifle at the Evolved Sea Eagle trailing just behind the Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle, because that eagle’s gaze was fixed on the Third Territory!

The Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle was diving toward Territory Land No. 7.

Tan Junjie gave the calm order, "Number Seven, fire on the lead bird."

"Number Seven, roger."

The moment the reply from Territory Land No. 7 came, Xiaqing saw out of the corner of her eye a white spot flare up on the diving Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle’s right wing. A hole was instantly burned through it, but astonishingly, the wing was not severed by the Laser Cannon.

"Fuck!"

Tang Huai’s exclamation over the Lord channel voiced what everyone was thinking. The Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle was an estimated one thousand meters away—a distance at which a five-millimeter steel plate would be burned through—yet its wing hadn’t been sliced off.

’Was it a miss, or are its bones harder than steel?’

During the Laser Cannon’s three-second cooldown, Xiaqing could only watch as the Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle performed a sudden mid-air stop, turned, and rapidly ascended.

’Damn it, how can something so huge move that fast?’

The second laser blast hit an Evolved Sea Eagle with a wingspan of over three meters that had moved to block the shot, burning straight through the Sea Eagle’s body. The raptor plummeted from the sky.

In another three seconds, the Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle had already escaped the Laser Cannon’s effective range! The Level 9 Visual Evolver Xiaqing could no longer track its position.

A chill went down Xiaqing’s spine. Judging by the creature’s speed and evasion tactics, it might be a Brain Domain Evolver.

’Damn it!’

’Isn’t brain domain evolution supposed to be an extremely rare ability? When did it become so common?’