Chapter 168: A Deal with a Wolf

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: A Deal with a Wolf

After the two injured wolves ate the Pangolin’s innards, the Head Wolf didn’t come out to eat. The two wolves that had carried the prey over gnawed at the meat on the Pangolin’s stomach, then picked up the half-eaten carcass and started dragging it outside, seemingly to dispose of the body.

Xiaqing rushed out of the house, holding up a piece of the Pangolin’s scale armor to negotiate with the Head Wolf, who was lying inside the sheep pen. "Queen, could you let me handle the rest of this Pangolin? I need its scale armor—this."

The Head Wolf remained motionless in the sheep pen. Xiaqing continued her flattery, "Wise and beautiful Queen, I really need the scales, please. Seeing as I’ve taken good care of your two brethren, would you let me have the rest of the Pangolin?"

The Head Wolf still didn’t move. The injured Brain Domain Evolution Wolf crawled forward a few steps on its front legs, then lifted a paw, pointed at the water basin, and patted the hollowed-out Pangolin.

"Okay, on it!"

’I get it,’ Xiaqing thought. She immediately scrubbed the water basin clean, poured in fresh spring water, and pushed it in front of the injured wolf. "Here, have some water."

The Brain Domain Evolution Wolf lowered its head to sniff the water, then pointed at the basin with its paw before patting the Pangolin again.

’Not the spring water?’

This time, Xiaqing truly understood. "You want the medicine? The green kind from yesterday?"

The Brain Domain Evolution Wolf gazed calmly at Xiaqing and nudged the Pangolin toward her with its paw. Although it couldn’t budge the heavy carcass, its meaning was perfectly clear.

’They’re giving me a hollowed-out Pangolin worth two hundred thousand points. A few sips of spinach juice is a fair trade.’ Xiaqing nodded in agreement. "Okay. Let me put the Pangolin away first, and then I’ll get your medicine. Deal?"

The Brain Domain Evolution Wolf nudged the Pangolin’s heavy tail again, signaling its agreement.

’Unbelievable... It’s like it has a soul.’

Xiaqing cautiously approached and pulled the hollowed-out Pangolin toward her. Seeing that the Wolf Group didn’t object, she immediately hauled it back into the house and sealed it away. Then, she quickly gave herself, the house, and the yard a thorough spray-down with Deodorant, not even missing the soles of her shoes.

Then, she shouldered her large backpack, filled with three hundred thousand points worth of supplies, and headed to the Northern Isolation Zone beyond the North Buffer Forest to make a delivery.

For fear of Tang Huai from the Second Territory eavesdropping, the rendezvous between No. 1 Territory and the Third Territory was set in the Northern Isolation Zone, behind the High Slope of the Third Territory. Although it was a roundabout route, it created enough distance that Tang Huai, with his Level 5 evolved hearing, couldn’t monitor any activity there.

Chang Li had come with Hu Zifeng’s team. They were all familiar with each other, so there was no need for pleasantries. Under the cover of the tall trees, Hu Zifeng quickly transferred two large, sealed bags from Xiaqing’s backpack to his own and dispatched three team members to escort them back.

Then, Hu Zifeng led his team, along with Chang Li, into the Third Territory to search for and clean up any scent, scales, or bloodstains left behind by the Evolutionary Pangolin.

Guan Tong naturally took the sprayer off Xiaqing’s back. Chang Li asked, "Miss Xia, is this filled with the medicine that can mask scents?"

"Just call me Xiaqing, Sister Li." Xiaqing had taken a liking to the quiet, highly skilled Team doctor. "This is the Deodorant I got from Territory Land No. 7. It works pretty well, so I’m planning to spray everywhere that might have a scent, just in case."

"Yes, the medicine from Territory Land No. 7 is always very effective." Chang Li, who was a year older than Xiaqing, switched to her first name. "Xiaqing, I don’t smell anything unusual around here. Why don’t I head back to the village with you? We can try to follow the path the wolves took."

Xiaqing led them to the village entrance. From there, the three Olfactory Evolvers—Chang Li, Chen Zheng, and Chen Cheng—took the lead. They sprayed a path from the village entrance to the abandoned Wild Boar Breeding Center and into No. 1 Canyon, following the route the Wolf Group had taken with the Pangolin. Along the way, they found five fingernail-sized pieces of scale armor but no traces of blood.

This was because the Wolf Group was cautious; they had their own ways of eliminating scents and had not left any obvious traces along their path.

After spraying the entire route, Xiaqing discussed a scent-masking plan with Hu Zifeng for the Wolf Group’s movements over the next few days, then parted ways with his team.

Chang Li and Hu Zifeng’s team continued to follow the Wolf Group’s route into Zone Three of Mountain 49 to keep searching. Xiaqing returned to her territory and started spraying Deodorant around the village.

Back home, Xiaqing found the injured Brain Domain Evolution Wolf staring at her. Its gaze was incredibly direct, holding a two-word question:

The medicine?

Xiaqing glanced at the Head Wolf, which was resting with its eyes closed in the sheep pen, and replied, "I was just taking care of the scent trail the Queen left when she brought the Pangolin. I’ll go get the medicine right now."

After setting down the sprayer, Xiaqing grabbed a basket and went to pick some fresh greens.

The spinach plants on the terraces were small and only had a few leaves each, so Xiaqing picked just a small handful before heading home. She felt that her own head was much better, and Sheep Leader seemed more energetic too; neither of them needed the spinach leaves anymore.

’So this handful is all for the wolves.’

Back home, she juiced the spinach, added two drops of the medicine from Zhang San, and poured the thirty-odd milliliters of spinach juice into the water basin. She placed it in front of the sheep pen. "Medicine’s ready. Come and get it."

To Xiaqing’s surprise, the one that came out for the "medicine" wasn’t the broken leg wolf or the injured Brain Domain Evolution Wolf, but the Head Wolf.

The Head Wolf sniffed the green liquid in the basin and began to lap it up. Xiaqing was surprised but didn’t stop her. ’The Head Wolf does look a bit listless,’ she reasoned. ’She must have been near the territory during the fight yesterday and gotten hit by the ultrasound attack as well.’

When the Head Wolf had lapped up half of the spinach juice, Xiaqing spoke up. "That’s enough. You can’t have any more."

The Head Wolf looked up at Xiaqing. Only then did Xiaqing notice that its eyes weren’t as bright and clear as usual. ’Looks like she really is feeling unwell.’

Mustering her courage, Xiaqing warned her again, "This medicine is strong. You’ll get sick if you have too much, Queen. You should let the others have some."

The Head Wolf understood. It returned to the sheep pen and sent the broken leg wolf out to drink the "medicine."

Xiaqing was thrilled to see that the broken leg wolf wasn’t dragging its hindquarters but walking out on all four legs. Although its two hind legs were still in splints, making its gait a bit comical, Xiaqing was overjoyed.

When this wolf had first arrived in Xiaqing’s territory, the femurs in both its hind legs were completely shattered, leaving them misshapen. Now, only half a month later, it could stand. ’This proves how formidable a wolf’s Recovery Power is,’ she thought, ’and also that Chang Li’s medical skills are truly excellent.’

’I hope Qi Fu, who’s also being treated by Chang Li, recovers quickly too.’

Xiaqing wasn’t sure how the wolves knew the spinach juice was good for them, but the two of them licked the basin spotlessly clean. She scrubbed it out, refilled it with spring water, and then, ignoring her resting "VIPs," went back to meticulously spraying the village with Deodorant.

Even after she finished spraying, Xiaqing still felt uneasy.

’It wasn’t that she doubted her idol; she just suspected the medicine was only effective on animals.’

’After all, when Zhang San had given her the Deodorant, he had said it would prevent wolves from smelling the sheep. But even after Xiaqing gave Sheep Leader a thorough bath with the stuff, the Head Wolf still found him, and the two were now inseparable.’

’So far, the only confirmed use for this medicine is that spraying it on crops reduces their appeal to insects. As for whether it works on Olfactory Evolvers and Evolutionary dogs... I really can’t be sure.’

’If only it would rain right now,’ she thought. ’A downpour would wash away and dilute any remaining traces and scents. Of course, it has to be normal rain. Harmful Rain is the last thing I need. My seedlings still need protection, especially the poor spinach, which has been picked almost bare.’

RUMBLE—

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she heard a clap of thunder.

Shit!

Forgetting all about the scents, she leaped to her feet and sprinted toward the fields.