Chapter 260: Evolution Bear

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Evolution Bear

"You still need a Strength Evolver for trees with evolved hardness," Hu Zifeng agreed. "Don’t push yourself. We can take turns if you get tired. Just cut the ones you can reach and forget the rest. Don’t force it. A fall from this height would be fatal."

"Yeah, gotta leave some for the Cross-beaked Magpies," Jing Kuan added.

As the three began to climb, the Evolved Cross-beaked Magpies in the tree didn’t react much. But once they reached a height of five meters and Xiaqing took out the sharp scythe on an extendable pole she had modified yesterday, the birds had enough. They rushed down, chirping furiously, and launched their attack.

Xiaqing focused on cutting the pine cones, felling several with each swing of her scythe. Hu Zifeng and Jing Kuan provided cover fire, shooting down the Evolved Cross-beaked Magpies that charged at them and keeping them at bay.

After a volley of gunfire, magpies dropped from the sky. Reddish-brown feathers drifted down, scattered by the wind. The counterattack had wiped out a third of the flock circling the trio. The survivors no longer dared to approach, settling on distant branches to squawk insults.

Once the first wave of the attack was over, Jing Kuan felt relaxed enough for some small talk. "Captain, their birdsong is actually pretty nice. Should we catch a few and raise them as pets?"

Hu Zifeng immediately shot him down. "Absolutely not. Their claws and beaks are too sharp. They’d hurt my cat."

An image flashed through Xiaqing’s mind: the wobbly little kitten with its "white boots" from their trip to Territory Land No. 7, toddling towards her. Her heart ached at the memory. "Captain Hu, you should bring your cat over to play at the Third Territory sometime."

Hu Zifeng looked a bit awkward but refused decisively. "Your territory smells too much like wolves. I’m worried Little Fifth would get stressed out. You can come visit him at the No.1 Territory when you’re free."

’An Evolution Cat can get stressed out?’ Xiaqing momentarily lost control of her strength. With a loud CRACK, her scythe snapped a pine branch as thick as a person’s arm that had evolved for hardness. Jing Kuan flinched at the sight.

"ROAR!!!"

Before Hu Zifeng could say another word, the roar of an Evolution Bear erupted from a nearby mountain peak. The sound was deafening, shaking the very birds and beasts in the forest.

The terrified Evolved Cross-beaked Magpies scattered with panicked chirps. The hearts of the three climbers skipped a beat. As a Visual Evolver, Hu Zifeng immediately issued orders. "The bear’s on the next mountain over. Xiaqing, keep harvesting pine cones. Jing Kuan, provide protection. I’ll track the bear’s movements."

"Roger that." With no magpies to bother them, Xiaqing quickened her pace.

"ROOOOAR—"

The bear on the adjacent peak roared in anger again. The sheer volume of the soundwave was enough to flush the Evolved Cross-beaked Magpies from their nests, forcing them to abandon their homes and flee.

Jing Kuan’s guts clenched. "Captain, what’s happening over there?"

Hu Zifeng replied, "Another Evolution brown bear showed up. Looks like a territorial dispute. Let’s use the noise to our advantage and speed up. Jing Kuan, you’re on guard. I’ll start cutting pine cones too."

In the Evolution Forest, any injury could lead to weakness and, eventually, death. Therefore, when evenly matched opponents met, they would first display their strength to intimidate each other, hoping the other would back down.

On the neighboring mountain, the two bears were locked in a shouting match. One would roar, the other would roar back. One would snap a tree in half, the other would shove a boulder down the slope, each demonstrating its power.

When two bears fight, a third party profits. Xiaqing’s harvesting speed increased yet again. Two hours later, only the top three meters of the tree still held any pine cones. A thick carpet of cones and needles covered the ground below.

The harvesting team stopped. Xiaqing, a Level 9 Visual Evolver, put away her scythe. As she flexed her aching hands and arms and prepared to descend, she peered out from behind the tree trunk to glance at the neighboring mountain.

That one glance nearly sent her plummeting from the forty-meter-high tree.

The two giant Evolution Bears roaring at each other hadn’t frightened her. But the sight of a wolf’s head—one with a notched left ear—peeking out from behind a rock to watch the fight, that truly terrified her.

’Holy mother of... Queen, what in the world are you doing here?’

As if sensing her gaze, the Head Wolf turned and glanced toward Xiaqing’s mountain. High up, under the blazing sun, its pair of brilliant gold eyes glinted with a fearsome light.

Xiaqing immediately ducked back behind the trunk and started her descent. Picking up pine cones—that was her job. As for why the two bears were fighting, or what role the Head Wolf played in their conflict, Xiaqing had zero desire to find out. She wanted no part of it.

’She couldn’t even defeat the Head Wolf, let alone two Evolution Bears that stood over four meters tall, weighed tons, and could shatter rock and splinter trees with a single swipe of a paw.’

The appearance of the two bears had allowed the harvesting team to work faster than planned. But they knew to quit while they were ahead. They didn’t touch the second tree, shouldered their bags of pine cones, and started the journey back.

If they didn’t leave now, they risked a face-to-face encounter with the bears when they came down the mountain. If the bears decided to attack, the three-person team, lacking any heavy weapons, would be no match for them.

They made it out of Mountain No. 50 and back to the Third Territory in one mad dash. The three of them ripped off their Protective Masks and sweat-soaked head liners, collapsing to the ground and gasping for air.

Chen Cheng, who was on guard duty, ran over. "You’re finally back! You didn’t run into the Evolution Bears, did you?"

"Nope, they were on a different peak." Jing Kuan slapped the huge sack on his back, his smile as bright as the sun. "We have the bears to thank for letting us harvest so many pine cones."

Chen Cheng’s expression immediately turned sycophantic. "Brother Jing, can you have Eryong make us some pine nut corn? I’ve been craving it for nearly a year."

That meant the last time they’d eaten pine nut corn was this time last year. Xiaqing, who had craved the dish for ten years and now had both pine nuts and her own corn growing, resolved to learn the recipe from Eryong.

’Once she learned how, she could eat as much as she wanted!’

From a single pine tree over forty meters tall, they had brought back 815 pounds of large, green pine cones. After a short rest, the three began to divide the mission’s spoils.

Unlike their last trip to collect Chestnuts in Zone Three of Mountain 49, which belonged to Xiaqing, this trip was to an unclaimed, wild Evolution Forest. The harvest had to be divided based on each person’s contribution.

All three were core members of the team, just with different roles. They had agreed in advance: after setting aside Hu Zi’s share and accounting for the cost of ammunition and tools, the remaining pine cones would be split evenly. Each of them received 229 pounds.

Normally, ten pounds of pine cones yield one pound of pine nuts. That meant each member of the team ended up with roughly twenty-two pounds of pine nuts.

High risk came with high rewards. Green Light Pine Nuts were a rare material, so their price was high, at 350 points or more. This one trip into the Evolution Forest meant that each of their harvests was worth at least seven thousand points!

Jing Kuan was grinning from ear to ear.

Hu Zifeng turned to Xiaqing to discuss their next move. "When should we go back for the other pine tree?"

Chen Cheng looked at Xiaqing with pleading eyes, clearly hoping to join the next harvesting mission.

Xiaqing answered, "We’ve already stirred up the flock, so it’s best to harvest the rest as soon as possible. But I need to rest up and prepare for the coming bird migration. Captain Hu, you should take your team. I’m sitting this one out."

High rewards came with high risks.

’Xiaqing knew her own limits. She had no experience tangling with large Evolved Beasts. With two Evolution Bears now in Mountain No. 50, a mission like this should be handled by Hu Zifeng’s team, who had extensive combat experience and perfect coordination.’