Chapter 163: The Injured Sheep Leader

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: The Injured Sheep Leader

Sheep Leader squinted at Xiaqing’s hand for a few seconds. Instead of letting her grab the compressed rations, it began dragging the two wolves outside.

Xiaqing could tell Sheep Leader was also unwell; it stumbled as it walked, a wolf in its mouth.

She immediately got up to help open the security door, allowing Sheep Leader to drag the wolves out smoothly. The moment Sheep Leader was out, Xiaqing heard a noise from the direction of the tatami mat. Turning her head, she saw that the Brain Domain Evolution Wolf with the injured back had actually managed to climb off the mat using its still-weak front legs.

Noticing Xiaqing watching, the injured wolf stopped and looked up at her.

’Is it... trying to stop Sheep Leader from dragging it out?’

Just as Xiaqing was hesitating over whether to go and help, Sheep Leader trotted back in, grabbed the Brain Domain Evolution Wolf by the scruff of its neck, and started dragging it outside.

Xiaqing could only watch.

’It’s fine. Let’s just leave it at that.’

Xiaqing first gave a piece of compressed rations to the hard-working Sheep Leader. Then, she put on a clean pair of gloves, took the portion of animal organs she had saved for the wolves out to the yard, and cut open the sealed bag in front of the sheep pen. "This is the treat I promised you two," she said. "The organs from a Green Light Chicken, a Green Light Goose, and a Yellow Light Goose. Go on, try them. They’re fresh."

Inside the sheep pen, the broken leg wolf’s stare had lost some of its ferocity, but it was still full of vigilance. The Brain Domain Evolution Wolf watched Xiaqing for a moment, then began to crawl out.

Xiaqing noticed that as the Brain Domain Evolution Wolf crawled, its two hind legs could now move along with it, though they still couldn’t bear much weight. She used a stick to nudge the bag closer to the wolf, saving it a few steps. "Your injury looks much better. Congratulations."

The Brain Domain Evolution Wolf crawled to the organs and lowered its head to eat slowly.

Seeing it eat, the broken leg wolf crawled out as well. Its movements were noticeably faster than the Brain Domain Evolution Wolf’s. Xiaqing estimated that once the splint on its hind leg was removed, it would be able to move freely.

’My two SVIP customers are about to check out,’ she thought. ’I wonder if the Wolf Group will leave a tip.’

’No, this isn’t the time to be thinking about tips.’ She was more worried about whether the Wolf Group, which might have been hit by the ultrasound attack, could still bring food for the injured wolves.

After cleaning the living room floor and giving Sheep Leader a new straw mat, the house was finally back to a state that put her at ease. Xiaqing collapsed into a chair and rested for half an hour. When it was time for a meal, she got up, ladled five chickens and one goose out of a large pot, and delivered them to Hu Zifeng’s team at No.1 Territory to thank them for helping her guard her territory today.

Afterward, Xiaqing made a special trip to the High Slope, where she pulled down some tender leaves from the Big Chuntun Tree to mix into Sheep Leader’s feed. Then, she stuffed one whole, tenderly stewed chicken and one goose into her own stomach, collapsed onto her bed, and fell asleep.

Although today’s battle hadn’t lasted long, the ultrasound attack had still caused a certain amount of invisible damage to Xiaqing’s body. She felt dizzy and muddle-headed, in desperate need of rest.

After sleeping for two hours, Xiaqing woke up feeling much better. She turned on the Lord intercom to catch up on the latest news from the surrounding territories.

The moment she turned it on, Xiaqing heard Zhao Ze wailing about his heavy losses.

"For two months, I’ve been tending to these chickens like they were my ancestors, just hoping they’d grow up and lay eggs to make life better. Now, everything’s gone."

Zhang San had always been fair in his trades. The two Yellow Light chicks he’d traded to Territory No. 4 and Territory No.5 were both hens.

Kuang Qingwei, who hadn’t managed to trade for any chicks, made a snide remark. "So you can’t eat eggs, but at least you got to eat chicken, right? Having meat to eat isn’t so bad."

"My crops were ruined by hail, and my house was torn apart by Evolutionary Birds! What mood am I in to eat meat?" Zhao Ze replied, his voice thick with tears. Everyone was already used to this over-six-foot-two-inch-tall hulk of a man, who would wail and play the victim at the drop of a hat.

Hearing that he wasn’t eating the meat, Kuang Qingwei’s interest was immediately piqued. "Not eating it? Want to trade? What’s your price?"

Zhao Ze stated his terms. "I want bamboo poles and insect netting. My greenhouse was ripped apart by the Evolutionary Birds."

"Done."

After some haggling, a deal was struck. Kuang Qingwei then asked, addressing Yuan Yan, "Sister-in-law Qi, what about your chicken? Are you trading?"

Having also been hit by the ultrasound attack, the chicken in Territory No. 4 had died, which meant the one in Territory No. 5 couldn’t possibly have survived either. However, Territory No. 5’s choice differed from that of Territory No. 4.

Yuan Yan refused curtly and decisively. "Not for trade."

Kuang Qingwei immediately replied, "Chicken soup is the best for recovery. Brother Qi is injured, so he definitely needs to recuperate. Sister-in-law, if you’re short on anything, just give a shout, and I’ll bring it over."

Yuan Yan gave a brief acknowledgment, and the Lord channel fell silent.

’A cellar is a good thing,’ Xiaqing mused after this incident. ’Not only can it provide shelter from flying birds, but it can also partially block ultrasound attacks.’

All the chickens and geese in Territory No. 4, Territory No. 5, and the Tenth Territory had died. The majority of her poultry had survived precisely because she had moved them into the cellar.

Xiaqing wiggled the fingers of her right hand and sat up in bed. ’If even Zhao Ze, who was crying about returning to the Safe Zone this morning, is now wiping his tears and figuring out how to repair his greenhouse, then I have even less reason to be idle.’

She put on her Protective Suit and went downstairs, preparing to head out to the fields, only to discover that Sheep Leader hadn’t finished the special feed in its bowl.

This was a first. Xiaqing sat down on the straw mat of the tatami, stroking Sheep Leader’s head and asking in a soft, gentle voice, "Not feeling well, Leader?"

"Meeeeh..."

Sheep Leader bleated weakly, its eyes squeezed shut. Only the scabbing wound on its face twitched, making for a pitiful sight.

Her own chest and head were also aching, but Xiaqing could endure it. Seeing Sheep Leader in so much discomfort, however, was something she couldn’t stand. "Hang on, Leader. I’ll go get you something nice to eat."

Xiaqing left the house and saw that the wolves hadn’t finished the organs either; large flies were already buzzing around them. She immediately shoveled up the leftovers and tossed them into the Snake Box.

The two wolves hadn’t even been able to finish such a small amount of organs, which showed her two SVIP guests were also feeling unwell. And Xiaqing had thumped her chest and promised the Head Wolf she would take good care of its pack members.

Xiaqing grabbed a basket and headed straight for the Green Light Spinach terrace in the hillside cultivation area. Thanks to the abundance of fertilizer and water, the second crop of Green Light Spinach—with a Yi Element content as high as six parts per ten thousand—was growing quickly. The largest leaves on the seedlings were already the length of a finger.

’High-Yi-Element Green Light Spinach might be a treasure,’ she thought, ’but it’s not more precious than my companion, Sheep Leader. I can always grow more spinach, but if Sheep Leader is gone, I’ll be all alone in this entire territory.’

Xiaqing squatted on the ridge between the rows, carefully pinching off the larger, tender leaves. Even though she only took one leaf from each plant, she soon had a small basket half-full.

After returning home with the basket, Xiaqing offered a few tender leaves to Sheep Leader. "Leader, this is the good stuff. Want to try some?"

Afraid that Sheep Leader might ruin the seedlings, Xiaqing had fenced the Green Light vegetable patch with thorns, keeping it out of the goat’s reach even if it stretched its neck.

Sheep Leader lifted its nose for a sniff, immediately devoured the spinach leaves, and then opened its big, sparkling eyes to gaze at Xiaqing.