Chapter 269: Three Helicopters

Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Three Helicopters

The radius and ulna are crucial flight bones for a bird. If the broken bones couldn’t be set precisely, allowing the two ends to heal together perfectly, this eagle would completely lose its ability to fly. Xiaqing didn’t have the skills to set the eagle’s bones. She simply applied some high-potency hemostatic medicine to its wound to prevent it from bleeding to death or dying from an Evolutionary Bacteria infection.

After treating the Evolutionary Eagle’s injuries, Xiaqing sat quietly in her chair, reviewing the afternoon’s unusual hunt amidst the roar of the helicopter.

’The Evolved Wild Rabbit that the Weasel killed died because it was too curious. If it hadn’t stopped to watch the Weasel’s shaman-like dance, it wouldn’t have been hunted down.’

’When the Weasel was hunting the rabbit, it definitely didn’t notice the Evolutionary Eagle circling high in the sky. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have carried the rabbit across the isolation belt, nearly losing its hard-won prey.’

’The Weasel had also expended a lot of energy catching this rabbit. If the eagle had snatched it, the Weasel would have had to endure its hunger and fatigue to continue hunting. If it failed to catch prey, an ordinary weasel would grow weaker and weaker, eventually being killed by other animals or Evolved Plants.’

’This clever Weasel was a follower of the Head Wolf. It was very smart. It had long since discovered me watching from behind a tree and, in a critical moment, asked for my help, saving its own prey.’

’As for the hungry Evolutionary Eagle, it had only seen the Weasel and the rabbit, not me. Or perhaps it did see me but didn’t think a mere human could do anything to it, which is why it swooped down to snatch the prey. It made a mistake, and so it became my prey.’

’If I hadn’t been there, even if the Evolutionary Eagle had stolen its prey, this plucking Weasel wouldn’t have starved to death. It could have gone to the Head Wolf to gnaw on some leftover meat and chew on some leftover bones to get by.’

To survive the fierce competition, the Weasel followed the Wolf Group, plucking chicken feathers for them.

After the great evolution of life on Blue Star, one could not underestimate any creature’s will to survive.

Xiaqing stuffed the Evolutionary Eagle into a bag, put it back in the utility room, and went upstairs to grab a bottle of chilled boiled water. After chugging a mouthful, she heard the roar of a helicopter getting closer.

The helicopter spraying in the south couldn’t have reached the Third Territory this quickly. Xiaqing climbed up to the attic, lifted a corner of the blackout curtain, and sure enough, saw a second helicopter flying over Mountain No. 49 and into the airspace above her territory.

Her excellent vision allowed Xiaqing to see two people in the cockpit. Although the pilot was wearing a Protective Mask, Xiaqing immediately recognized her as Jiang Ting, a Level 4 Visual Evolutionary and one of the few Visual Evolver pilots at Hui San Base.

Jiang Ting often flew helicopters on missions to spray insecticide and Weed Killer. She had flamboyant, long red hair, which she never tied up or covered with a hairnet while flying, making her very easy to recognize. The way she wore her Protective Mask was both cool and beautiful, leading many to imitate her style.

But this way of wearing it was only suitable within the Safe Zone or while piloting an aircraft. No one would dare wear it like that when entering the Evolution Forest for a mission.

Beauty is important, but staying alive is what’s most important.

"BAA—" The roar of the aircraft grew louder. Downstairs in the living room, the Sheep Leader anxiously called out to its companion.

Xiaqing closed the curtains and hurried downstairs. Having grown up in the Evolution Forest, the Sheep Leader was experiencing a helicopter spraying insecticide for the first time, so it was understandably nervous. The two wolves were silent, but they were certainly tense as well.

The helicopter roared as it flew over the courtyard, and the sound of the insecticide spattering against the windows was very similar to the tapping of rain.

Hearing the same sound while hiding in the Evolver dorms versus hearing it in a room on her own territory felt completely different. Xiaqing stroked the Sheep Leader’s soft wool, her expression relaxed.

Unlike Xiaqing, the two wolves and the sheep were extremely tense. The Sheep Leader pressed close to Xiaqing’s side, seeking its companion’s protection.

The Broken Waist Wolf shielded the Sick Wolf with its body, staring grimly at the window. Xiaqing had already drawn the curtains, but the Broken Waist Wolf’s expression remained incredibly stern, as if it would charge forward and rip any threat to shreds the moment it appeared. This, despite the fact that it was an Evolutionary Wolf still not fully recovered from a severe back injury.

The Sick Wolf, standing behind the Broken Waist Wolf, also had its paws spread and tail low, its lupine eyes fixed fiercely on the window in a ready-to-attack stance.

Xiaqing didn’t dare to recklessly touch the Evolved Wild Wolves at a moment like this. She soothed them in a soft, quiet voice, "Broken Waist, Second, don’t be afraid. It’s just humans in a helicopter spraying insecticide to kill the pests in our territory. They’re not here to attack us."

The two wolves didn’t let down their guard despite Xiaqing’s reassurance. Clearly, they didn’t trust any humans besides her. Xiaqing didn’t press the issue; it wasn’t a bad thing for Evolutionary Animals to remain constantly vigilant around humans.

Soon, Xiaqing heard the roar of a third helicopter. Then, for more than half an hour, no more helicopters arrived.

Xiaqing’s brow furrowed slightly.

A helicopter could spray about 1,500 mu per hour. With three helicopters, they could cover 4,500 mu in an hour. The number sounded large, but the total area of Territories No. 1 to No. 26 was over 70,000 mu. If they only relied on three helicopters, it would take sixteen hours to spray the entire area once.

In sixteen hours, the slug moth larvae could grow from two millimeters to a centimeter long. How many plants would they devour in that time?

Xiaqing heard Qi Fu ask, "Captain Tan, are more helicopters coming?"

Tan Junjie replied, "The base has a limited number of helicopters. We can only send three to Territories No. 1 to No. 26. The helicopters will first spray the cultivated fields and their surrounding areas in each territory, then the uncultivated arable land, and finally, the Buffer Forests."

Zhao Ze, who had a Buffer Forest in his territory, grew anxious. "Captain Tan, by the time it’s the Buffer Forests’ turn, I’m afraid there won’t be any leaves left."

Before Tan Junjie could speak, Tang Huai shot back, "Our base’s helicopter squadron only has thirty helicopters in total. Sending three our way is already more than generous. The territory is huge, so of course they have to prioritize the places where people live and grow crops. Weren’t you complaining a while back that your Buffer Forest was just a nuisance? Wouldn’t it be perfect if the bugs chewed it clean?"

Zhao Ze responded weakly, "After they devour the Buffer Forest, the caterpillars will definitely crawl towards my greenhouses. My greenhouses are right by the river below the Buffer Forest. Xiaqing, Brother Qi, Brother Qing, it’s the same for you guys, right?"

The river at the foot of Mountain No. 49 flowed along the base of the mountain. For ease of irrigation, the farmlands within Territories No. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, which all had Buffer Forests, were located not far from the river—and therefore, not far from the Buffer Forests.

If not for this reason, the base wouldn’t have included large swathes of Buffer Forest within these particular territories.

Qi Fu responded, "The farmland here has already been sprayed once by the helicopter. I’ve noticed there aren’t as many caterpillars in the Buffer Forest as there are on the flatlands. Spraying the flatlands first is the right call." ℯℯ𝘭.

Kuang Qingwei also replied, "Right."

Xiaqing pressed the button as well. "Right."

Zhao Ze...