Chapter 160: Ultrasonic Attack

Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Ultrasonic Attack

Xiaqing seized the last few moments to turn on the headset communicators on all four Protective Masks. She quickly tied up Sheep Leader with a rope, then spoke gently to it and the two wolves, "There’s going to be a very loud noise soon. It’s to drive away the flock of birds. Don’t be scared. I absolutely will not let you get hurt."

The two wolves heard Xiaqing’s voice ring right in their ears, so startled their eyes looked ready to pop out.

"Baa." Bound and uncomfortable, Sheep Leader bleated in protest, but its cry came out weak and muffled through the Protective Mask.

Xiaqing had set the headset communicators for Sheep Leader and the two wolves to receive-only mode, unable to transmit sound. Since animals’ hearing is more sensitive than humans’, Xiaqing worried that once the ultrasound attack began, Sheep Leader would struggle and howl violently, which would distract her.

"SCREEE—"

The Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle continued to call for Evolutionary Bird reinforcements. From the Evolution Forests to the territory’s north and east, vast flocks of Evolutionary Birds took flight like a dark cloud, slowly moving toward Territories 1 through 26.

"Ten-second countdown. Once the ultrasound attack begins, the bird flock will instantly descend into chaos. Snipers and marksmen, get ready."

"Wolves, Leader, don’t be afraid. I’ll take the brunt of this attack." Xiaqing opened the attic skylight, aimed her sniper rifle at the nearest Evolutionary Bird, and spoke the most resolute words in the gentlest of voices.

"Begin."

Even though she was wearing the best Protective Mask, as a Level 7 auditory evolver, Xiaqing still felt a piercing HUM, as if her head were about to explode. At the same time, the flock of Evolutionary Birds circling in the sky descended into chaos. One bird dropped rapidly, entering Xiaqing’s range.

"BANG!" Xiaqing fired a single shot, accurately hitting the Evolutionary Bird in the neck. The bird struggled for a moment before plummeting, spraying a rain of blood as it fell.

"MOO—"

Under assault from the ultrasound, Sheep Leader couldn’t take it anymore. It cried out, begging Xiaqing for help.

"Don’t be afraid, Leader. It’ll be over in a few minutes. Just hang in there, and I’ll make you all something delicious to eat afterward." While reaping the lives of Evolutionary Birds with her sniper rifle, Xiaqing endured her headache, dizziness, and nausea to soothe her companions in the gentlest tone she could manage.

"MOO—" Sheep Leader couldn’t hold on any longer. Unable to move its bound limbs, it began to slam its head against the floorboards. THUD. THUD.

The two injured wolves were also in agony. The broken leg wolf, in particular, had started to roll its eyes back into its head.

"Don’t be afraid, Leader. Don’t be afraid, wolves." Xiaqing’s gentle voice soothed the three Evolutionary Animals beside her. It also reached Da Jiang and Liangzi, the Auditory Evolvers in Hu Zifeng’s team in the Third Territory, who were also gritting their teeth to endure the sonic assault.

Suddenly, six birds streaked from the sky above the Second Territory toward the Third Territory. The first three had a crystal-clear target: Xiaqing’s house.

"Xiaqing!"

Hu Zifeng warned.

"Copy that. The first three are mine." These birds weren’t particularly fast; they were likely Strength-type or had evolved some other ability. ’I can handle them,’ Xiaqing thought. But her hands had begun to tremble, and she could no longer hold the sniper rifle steady.

’Bring it on! You think I’m scared of you?!’

As the Evolutionary Birds closed in, Xiaqing, driven half-mad by the ultrasound attack, swapped her rifle for a submachine gun and let loose a spray of bullets at the three birds. RAT-TAT-TAT.

Xiaqing shot down two of the Evolutionary Birds, but the third one broke through, its sharp claws flashing with a cold light as they slashed toward her.

’Fuck, you think I’m scared of a move like that?!’

Xiaqing dropped the submachine gun, drew the long knife she had paid a fortune for at Huo Lei’s shop, and met the attack head-on.

"CLANG!"

The bird’s talons and the long knife collided with the sound of striking metal. The force of the bird’s dive was immense, but Xiaqing’s own Strength was considerable. She absorbed the impact and hacked open its talons with her blade, exposing the bone in the Evolutionary Bird’s leg.

The Evolutionary Bird shrieked in agony, flapping its wings to fly away and escape.

After all that, how could Xiaqing let it escape? She grabbed the bird’s leg—thicker than a wolf’s—with one hand and yanked down. With the other, she stabbed the tip of her knife upward and then sliced viciously. Blood gushed down like a torrential downpour.

At that exact moment, a Speed-type Evolutionary Bird shot toward her, as fast as lightning. If it weren’t for her Visual Evolution, she would never have even caught a glimpse of its shadow.

There was no time to counterattack. Xiaqing yanked down on the bird leg in her hand, using the Evolutionary Bird’s body to block the attic skylight.

"BANG!"

"CRASH!"

The Speed-type Evolutionary Bird, swift as a gale, shattered the skylight’s glass and shot from the attic out toward the back of the house.

"I’ve got the Gale Bird," Hu Zifeng’s calm voice came over the communicator.

"Gale Bird eliminated."

"Copy." Xiaqing forcefully threw the dead Evolutionary Bird blocking the window into the backyard, wiped the blood from her hands onto her clothes, then grabbed her sniper rifle and took aim again. After that last fight, she felt the effects of the ultrasound had lessened. She could hold the rifle steady once more.

Although the long-feathered beast high in the sky was still calling for its kin, its flock was in disarray from the ultrasound. Only a dozen or so remained circling high above, the rest having been killed.

The real threat now was the reinforcing flock. Xiaqing’s bloodshot eyes were fixed on the sky, scanning for the direction of the incoming birds. She was so focused she couldn’t even spare a moment to comfort her companions.

In its frenzy, Sheep Leader had already cracked the attic floorboards with its head.

Two minutes later, the ultrasound attack stopped. Sheep Leader collapsed to the floor, motionless. Xiaqing, covered in blood, leaned against the wall, fighting back the urge to vomit as she comforted her companions. "Leader, wolves... the hardest part is over. I’ll make you something delicious in a bit."

The worst of it might have passed, but a dozen or so Evolutionary Birds had now fixated on the humans in this territory. They lingered high in the sky, neither leaving nor attacking.

As long as they remained, the humans could not lower their weapons.

"The ultrasound has prevented the flocks in the Evolution Forest from taking off. The only Evolutionary Birds threatening the territory now are the few left in the sky." Tan Junjie’s voice remained calm and serious. "Territory Land No. 7, acknowledge."

"Territory Land No. 7 copies."

Tan Junjie began to lay out the battle plan. "The missile system has locked onto the Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle. Ground-to-air defenses for Territories 1 through 26 are fully deployed. Territory Land No. 7, begin using the Laser Cannon to take down the other Evolutionary Birds. All Snipers, coordinate your fire."

"Territory Land No. 7 copies." Two seconds after the reply, Xiaqing saw a white point of light flash on the belly of a circling Evolutionary Bird. It then began to plummet straight down.

The flock of Evolutionary Birds, just beginning to recover from the ultrasound attack, was startled once more and began to fly about in a panic.

Xiaqing took aim at an Evolutionary Bird that entered her range and fired. Unfortunately, her aim was still off; she only managed to hit its wing, sending a few feathers flying.

Before Xiaqing could take another shot, a gunshot rang out from several hundred meters to her north. The injured Evolutionary Bird flapped its wings and tumbled downwards.

Hu Zifeng’s team, stationed several hundred meters behind Xiaqing to guard the farmland, had hit the bird.

Attacked simultaneously by the Laser Cannon and human Snipers, the flock of Evolutionary Birds in the sky was quickly reduced to just a handful.

"SCREEE—"

The Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle cried out from on high, and the flock began to retreat to the southwest.

Even after the birds were long out of sight, Xiaqing, sniper rifle in hand, did not dare to lower her guard in the slightest.

It was not until a bright light streaked across the sky that Tan Junjie’s calm, serious voice sounded over the Lord channel. "The Evolutionary Ape-eating Eagle has been eliminated by a missile. This has triggered a Harmful Rain in the Evolution Forest twenty-five kilometers to the east. Based on current weather patterns, this Harmful Rain will not reach the territory. Disengage combat alert."

Phew—

Xiaqing lowered her gun, leaning back against the low wall.

Hu Zifeng’s voice came over the headset communicator. "Xiaqing, what’s your situation?"