Chapter 225: Lord No.3 Calls the Strength Evolution Companion

Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Lord No.3 Calls the Strength Evolution Companion

Xiaqing gritted her teeth and swung her saber. "CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

She was strong enough, and her saber was sharp enough. The massive tree couldn’t regenerate as fast as Xiaqing could chop. The gash in its trunk grew wider, as did the one on Guan Tong’s side.

But they couldn’t possibly fell the tree within three minutes. After that, their strength would begin to wane.

’This isn’t working.’

Xiaqing bit down on the straw inside her Protective Mask and downed the spinach juice in one gulp. In a dead-serious tone, she called out to her companions, "Sheep Leader, I need your support in the Wild Phoenix Tree Forest south of the village. Run over here! Any slower and our home is gone! Second, Broken Waist, Broken Leg, don’t you dare leave the sheep pen!"

"BAA!" Sheep Leader responded, running out from their home.

In a situation like this, what use could an Evolutionary Sheep without sharp claws or fangs possibly be?

Before Hu Zifeng could ask, Xiaqing began assigning tasks while still hacking at the tree. "Guan Tong, put everything you’ve got into chopping! Hold on for another three minutes! Captain Hu, send two people to cover Sheep Leader as he charges in. In two minutes, Sheep Leader and I will knock this tree down."

’Knock it down???’

"Roger!"

Guan Tong let out a great roar and, just like Xiaqing, gave it one hundred and twenty percent, hacking desperately at the tree.

This was the Third Territory, so naturally, Xiaqing called the shots. Even if they failed, they would only be flung aside by the vines, not killed. Hu Zifeng immediately led Liangzi out to meet up with Sheep Leader.

By the time the two men and the sheep fought their way in, the tree trunk was already more than halfway severed, but the remaining portion was still substantial. Xiaqing handed her long saber to Hu Zifeng. "Captain Hu, keep chopping. Faster."

Inspired by Xiaqing’s momentum, Hu Zifeng raised the saber. He and Guan Tong flanked the tree, hacking away at it, while the remaining three team members blocked the vine attacks to cover the retreat of Xiaqing and Sheep Leader.

After retreating six meters with Sheep Leader, Xiaqing stopped and roared, "Leader, with me! Let’s smash this tree apart!"

Sheep Leader let out a great bellow of its own, charged forward a few steps, then leaped, ramming its spiral horns violently into the thick trunk.

"THUD!"

Somehow, the human and sheep had achieved perfect synchronization; the sheep’s horns and Xiaqing’s hands slammed into the trunk of the Qiang Evolution tree at the exact same moment. Hu Zifeng, who had dodged just in time, heard a loud "CRACK!" The massive tree, nearly half a meter thick, was actually tilting from the force of their combined blow!

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Hu Zifeng excitedly shouted orders, "Guan Tong, move ninety degrees to the right and keep chopping! Xiaqing, Sheep Leader, ninety degrees to the left and ram it again!"

It wasn’t that the others didn’t want to join the charge; they simply weren’t strong enough. They would only get in the way.

"Leader, let’s go!"

"MOO!"

"THUD!"

"Go!"

"MOO!"

"CRA—ACK!"

After three consecutive rams, the Third Territory’s two Strength-Evolved Lords actually managed to knock down the half-meter-thick Qiang Evolution tree by sheer force!

The massive canopy crashed to the ground, but it was down but not out; a portion of its vines could still lash about.

Discovering that an arm-thick section of the trunk was still connected to the stump, Xiaqing, Guan Tong, and Sheep Leader combined their strength and easily brought about a clean break between the trunk and the stump.

’Job’s done.’

Just as smiles began to spread across their faces, they saw the stump, pelted by the relentless Harmful Rain, begin sprouting new shoots at a speed visible to the naked eye.

’The job’s not finished. We have to clear out the roots.’

Xiaqing used her backpack to shield Sheep Leader’s head. "Captain Hu, Sheep Leader’s Protective Mask cracked. I’m taking him home. I’ll have to leave this to you for a moment."

Hu Zifeng nodded. "Go on, we’ll clear the stump."

As Xiaqing shielded Sheep Leader from the rain on their way home, she heard Tang Huai’s voice ask over the group channel again.

"Xiaqing, is the job done?"

The gunfire had stopped, meaning their crisis had been resolved. However, the shooting from within the Tenth Territory hadn’t ceased, which meant Junjie’s squad was still in combat.

Xiaqing pressed the button on her comms. "Third Territory has severed the trunk and is now clearing the roots."

’A beautiful piece of work!’ Yuan Rui clenched his fist in excitement. "Roger that. Report immediately once the area is clear."

"Roger."

In the background, behind Yuan Rui’s voice, Xiaqing could hear Shi Du roaring. She wondered if he was also busy cutting down a tree.

After returning home and greeting the Wolf Group in the pen, Xiaqing led Sheep Leader inside. She removed its Protective Mask and used a syringe to squirt spinach juice—with an energy content rivaling a Special Level Nutrient Liquid—into its mouth.

Sheep Leader absolutely loved the stuff and refused to let go of the syringe even after it was empty.

Xiaqing let it play with the syringe while she examined the damaged mask under the light, her own hands trembling slightly.

Unlike last time, during the ultrasound attack, when Sheep Leader had cracked the side of the Protective Mask, this time the mask’s faceplate had a long gash. She’d have to trade with Yang Jin for a matching replacement faceplate to fix it.

Holding an umbrella, Xiaqing ran to the pen, took the Protective Mask off her own head, and offered it to the Sick Wolf. "Sheep Leader’s mask is cracked. Can Second wear mine? See? It’s the same as the one Broken Waist Wolf has. It works like a charm and is super comfortable."

The canine Protective Masks were different from the human version; the latter provided full-head coverage, while the former was a half-mask. Sheep Leader’s spiral horns were able to poke through the two holes intended for ears on the canine mask.

When the Sick Wolf didn’t back away, Xiaqing took it as consent. She gave it a piece of meat jerky and quickly swapped out the Protective Mask it was wearing.

Back in the house, Xiaqing praised her companion in a soft, sincere voice. "Sheep Leader, you were amazing. Without you today, there’s no way we could have knocked down that tree. You’re stronger than I am; you’re the one who protected our home and our territory. You worked so hard, Sheep Leader. Does your head hurt?"

Sheep Leader stopped gnawing on the syringe. It squinted, stood up, and nudged its head against the pocket of Xiaqing’s clothes where she kept the compressed rations.

Xiaqing immediately pulled all the compressed rations from her pocket and stuffed them into the side pocket of Sheep Leader’s Protective Suit. "It’s all for you. All the rations in the house belong to you. If this isn’t enough, I’ll go get you more. You rest here at home. I’m going to go clear out the roots. I’ll be back after sunrise to make you something delicious."

Xiaqing put the Protective Mask on Sheep Leader, then went to check on the poultry sleeping in their coop in the tool shed. Only then did she put on her own silver-white Protective Mask, shoulder the two pickaxes from the house, and run toward the Wild Phoenix Tree Forest.

Did her arms ache? Yes, they did. But the danger wasn’t gone, and she couldn’t rest.

Although woody plants had a stronger resistance to the Harmful Rain than herbaceous ones, no one could guarantee that the Qiang Evolution tree’s roots wouldn’t latch onto the roots of other trees, triggering a Qiang Evolution in the entire forest.

Therefore, the entire section of the forest had to be cleared out—the faster, the better. This kind of heavy labor had to be done by Strength Evolution People.

When Xiaqing arrived, Guan Tong was hacking away at the new shoots that were constantly sprouting from the stump. Liangzi and Eryong were digging out the stump, while the remaining two patrolled the woods, clearing away any small shoots that emerged from the Qiang Evolution tree’s roots.

Relatively speaking, Guan Tong had the easiest task. This was because he had expended so much energy chopping the tree earlier and was now completely spent.

Xiaqing tossed him a small pouch of nutrient liquid. "Special Level."

"S-Special Level?" Guan Tong froze for a second, then thanked her in a low voice. He quickly unzipped the seal connecting his Protective Mask and Protective Suit, pushed the pouch inside, and drank it.

Special Level Nutrient Liquid could rapidly restore stamina and repair physical damage. Two minutes after drinking it, Guan Tong joined Xiaqing. They each grabbed one side of a thick root of the Qiang Evolution tree, and with a rhythmic chant, yanked the entire root system out of the soil.

Just as the roots in the Third Territory were pulled free, the gunfire from the Tenth Territory also fell silent.