Chapter 224: Dangerous Qiang Evolution Tree

Chapter 224: Chapter 224: Dangerous Qiang Evolution Tree

Xiaqing immediately fell back, glancing at the Green Light on the Air Poison Detection Instrument on her right arm. After confirming the Qiang-evolved creature that had suddenly attacked her hadn’t released any toxins, she gripped her machete with both hands, met its charge, and sliced the dark shadow in two.

It was an aggressively Qiang-evolved vine. The severed portion lost its ability to attack, but the other half, still connected to its roots, thrashed wildly in the air, whipping at the Injurious Grass. It was a bizarre sight.

Although it was an aggressive Qiang evolution, the vine’s hardness and speed were only enough to classify it as a low-level threat—nothing to be truly worried about.

Wait, no!

’There are no large trees within a hundred meters. A tree whose vines can stretch this far and still attack with such force absolutely can’t be a low-level threat!’

Every muscle in Xiaqing’s body tensed as she quickly scanned her surroundings. ’It’s the Rainy Season. I can’t let this tree evolve any further. I have to find it and eliminate it as soon as possible.’

Since she couldn’t see the tree’s location, she had to follow the vine to its source. Xiaqing grabbed the thrashing vine with both hands and gave it a yank.

She had only intended to pull the vine taut to find the tree, so she hadn’t used much of her strength. But to her surprise, the "tree" was actually ripped from the ground, flying toward her as it thrashed wildly.

This wasn’t a tree at all, but a piece of wood that had grown roots and sprouted vines. It was a branch she had cut from the Wild Phoenix Tree Forest a few days ago while building the new chicken coop!

’If a severed branch can evolve to this extent, the tree it came from must be even more dangerous.’

Xiaqing immediately pressed the button on her comms.

"Captain Hu, a tree in the Wild Phoenix Tree Forest, two hundred meters northwest of the southeastern wasteland, has undergone aggressive Qiang Evolution. Danger level unknown. Requesting assistance."

"Received. Report your position. I’ll bring my team to rendezvous with you immediately."

After calling for backup, Xiaqing began to move along the chicken coop, clearing out the aggressively Qiang-evolved branches.

She had only taken two steps when she heard Shi Du’s urgent call for help over the comms. "Captain Tan, are you there? An Intermediate-danger Qiang-evolved tree has appeared in the Tenth Territory! We need support, urgently!"

Tan Junjie replied at once, "Received. Fall back to the Safe Zone immediately. The Danger Investigation Team will arrive in five minutes."

The Tenth Territory was very close to the Danger Investigation Team’s barracks, which was why Tan Junjie and his team could get there in five minutes.

Xiaqing grabbed another vine that lashed out at her and forcefully ripped the branch out, roots and all. Her heart sank.

Tan Junjie was already leading his team to the Tenth Territory. That meant that even if an Intermediate-level threat appeared here, she wouldn’t be able to get support from the Danger Investigation Team anytime soon.

Of course, according to regulations, Lord Xiaqing had the right to call the Danger Investigation Team for aid. If the team was unable to provide support, they were supposed to contact headquarters immediately, who would then dispatch reinforcements.

But distant water can’t quench an immediate thirst. It was more reliable to depend on herself. Xiaqing quickened her pace.

By the time Hu Zifeng arrived at the chicken coop with four team members, Xiaqing had already cleared out the four rooted, vine-sprouting branches and thrown them onto the coop’s netting to isolate them from the soil.

After hearing Xiaqing’s report, Hu Zifeng immediately led his team toward the Wild Phoenix Tree Forest at full speed.

The poisonous snakes and insects that leaped out to attack them along the way did nothing to slow the team down. The weaker creatures were simply ignored, while the more powerful ones were dispatched with gunfire.

Less than ten seconds after the shots rang out, Tang Huai was on the Lord channel. "Xiaqing? Zifeng? What’s going on? Why are guns involved?"

Xiaqing, busy smashing the head of a frenzied, three-meter-long snake, had no time to answer Tang Huai. Besides, Tang Huai would soon be unable to eavesdrop on the Third Territory’s situation, because a barrage of gunfire had just erupted from the Tenth Territory.

Tan Junjie and the Danger Investigation Team had begun to clear out the Intermediate-danger Qiang-evolved tree in the Tenth Territory.

When Xiaqing and Hu Zifeng’s team raced to the edge of the Wild Phoenix Tree Forest, they were met with the sight of a massive canopy that nearly enveloped the entire grove!

Xiaqing maintained this grove for firewood, periodically felling the trees to keep the Wild Phoenix Trees from growing over three meters tall.

Normally, a tree under three meters tall shouldn’t pose a major threat even if it underwent a dangerous Qiang Evolution. When Xiaqing had patrolled the area before nightfall, everything had been normal.

But in just a few hours, one of the Wild Phoenix Trees had shot up to a height of eight meters.

Looking closely, they could see the tree’s canopy was still expanding at a visible rate. Dense, snake-like vines hung from its branches, motionless in the rain, but ready to strike the moment they were triggered.

This tree was not going to be easy to deal with.

Liangzi, the Level 6 Hearing Evolver, reported, "I hear the sound of roots growing rapidly beneath our feet."

’If it keeps growing, it’ll probably surpass the Intermediate danger level. We have to eliminate it quickly.’ Xiaqing asked in a low voice, "Captain Hu, can we use a Grenade Launcher?"

"Using a Grenade Launcher during the Rainy Season would definitely trigger a red-level downpour. We can only use guns or physical attacks." The experienced Hu Zifeng immediately laid out a battle plan. "This kind of tree has powerful attacks on its periphery, but they weaken once you get to its base. We’ll charge in. The four of us will handle defense while Xiaqing and Guan Tong go all out to sever the trunk as quickly as possible."

"Roger that."

Chainsaws were useless in the rain, so a brute-force job like felling a tree fell to the Strength Evolvers.

The grove wasn’t large, but the trees were packed together. The six-person team advanced carefully, weaving around the vines until they were twenty meters in, where they inevitably brushed against one.

The instant the vine twitched, Hu Zifeng riddled it with machine-gun fire, and it dropped to the ground. But hundreds of other vines on the tree began to writhe simultaneously, like the thrashing tentacles of a demon.

Against an attack of this intensity, their only option was to force a path open with concentrated firepower.

The gunfire from the Third Territory, even more intense than that from the Tenth, reached the Second Territory, making Tang Huai jump in fright. "Xiaqing, what is going on? Is that tree so close to the Second Territory? Can you handle it? Zifeng’s team is better equipped than Captain Tan’s, right?"

As the gunfire from the Tenth and Third Territories grew fiercer, Yuan Rui of the Danger Investigation Team came on the line. "Third Territory, report your status. Do you require support?"

The six-person team in the Third Territory charged to the base of the massive tree, trampling over shredded vines. Just as predicted, the attacks here were far less frequent than on the periphery. Now they just had to chop down the tree as fast as they could.

Xiaqing pressed the comms button. "An Intermediate-risk Qiang-evolved tree has appeared in the Third Territory. We can handle the clearing. No support required."

"Received," Yuan Rui shouted back, his voice raised high to be heard over the ubiquitous gunfire.

While Hu Zifeng and the other three used their guns to fend off the vines, Xiaqing and Guan Tong holstered their firearms and drew their blades. With a few swings, they cleared the smaller trees around the massive one. Wild Phoenix Tree wood was soft, so it took them very little effort.

Once the smaller trees were gone, the two of them swung their blades with all their might at the Qiang-evolved tree, which was now forty centimeters thick.

CLANG!

With a single chop, Guan Tong, a Level 5 Strength Evolver, only managed to hack off the bark and a two-centimeter-thick sliver of wood. Xiaqing’s machete actually shattered on impact.

Everyone was stunned. They had known from the vines’ durability that the tree had hardened, but they never imagined it would be to this degree.

’Dammit!’

Xiaqing tossed the broken hilt of her machete aside and drew the long black blade from her back. This was the blade Huo Lei had custom-forged for her—heavy, resilient, and razor-sharp.

CLANG!

Xiaqing, a Level 6 Strength Evolver, swung diagonally downward, then diagonally upward, gouging out a palm-sized chunk of wood.

The great tree reacted to the attack by whipping its vines even more frantically. The gash she’d made began to visibly grow and heal. To make matters worse, the rain began to fall harder.

Hu Zifeng, still firing at the vines, immediately gave the order. "Three minutes. If we can’t cut it down by then, we retreat immediately. We’ll deal with it after the Harmful Rain ends."

After the Harmful Rain, they could just blast it with artillery. The tree was limited to physical attacks, so as long as they stayed out of its range, they would be safe until it was time to eliminate it.

But the Harmful Rain wouldn’t end for dozens of hours. The wildly growing tree was already in attack mode, and Xiaqing’s house was less than three hundred meters away.

That was the home she had spent half a year meticulously setting up. It held all of her supplies, and underneath it was a cellar that had cost her hundreds of thousands to build.

If she let the tree run rampant, by the time the Harmful Rain was over, her house and the storage building would be smashed to splinters.

’Like hell it will!’