Chapter 301: Grand Feast

Chapter 301: Chapter 301: Grand Feast

With the odds stacked against her, Xiaqing decisively chose to retreat. She would form a team tomorrow and come back to test and harvest.

Seeing Xiaqing climb up, the crows and the Evolutionary Eagle waiting for their grand meal were not about to let her go. They swooped in, flapping their wings and pecking, trying to force Xiaqing back down toward the Fir Tree.

On the slippery slope, Xiaqing tightened her grip on the climbing rope with her left hand and drew her handgun with her right.

PFFT.

The suppressed shot wasn’t loud, but it was just as accurate. She took out the lead Evolved Crow with a single bullet.

Xiaqing swung her handgun around, only to find that the lead Evolutionary Eagle had already ducked into the woods. ’With moves like that, it has to be a Speed Evolver.’

After the flock of birds was driven back, Xiaqing pulled on the rope and climbed up quickly, only to hear a pecking sound.

Looking up, Xiaqing couldn’t help but curse.

A crow was hiding behind the tree where the climbing rope was tied, pecking at the rope. Only a few of its twitching black tail feathers were visible, making it impossible for Xiaqing to get a clear shot.

’Judging by its cleverness, it has to be a Brain Domain Evolution Crow.’

’Damn it!’

’This is so damn weird. In the half-year since I started farming, I’ve seen more brain-evolved animals than in the last ten years of missions combined!’

’I have to get up there before the crow pecks through the rope, or I’m in big trouble!’

As Xiaqing scrambled upward, she saw a familiar red flash dart through the bushes, heading for the large tree at the top of the slope. An idea struck her, and she immediately aimed her handgun at the tree.

The lightning-fast Red Squirrel actually did exactly as Xiaqing predicted, knocking the Brain Domain Evolution Crow that was hiding and pecking the rope into the air!

BANG!

The moment the Brain Domain Evolution Crow was exposed among the branches, the Sniper, Xiaqing, took it out with a headshot. Then, she scrambled to the top of the slope with incredible speed and, from her high ground, began to snipe the Evolutionary Eagles and crows leaping and fleeing through the woods below.

The one who was about to be the main course for the Evolutionary Animals had, in the blink of an eye, become the hunter of this feast.

A crow hopping between branches was ensnared by a vine with pale purple leaves and slowly dragged toward the ground. This vine was the second hunter to successfully capture prey at this feast.

The other crows, startled, flew out of the forest, only to be shot down one by one by Xiaqing.

The hunt was over.

After memorizing the appearance and location of the other hunter, Xiaqing started looking for the Red Squirrel. But the little guy was timid and fast, and had long since vanished.

Xiaqing reloaded her handgun with Bullets, coiled her climbing rope, and put it in her backpack. Just as she was about to retreat, she suddenly heard a sound fifty meters to the north.

SHHH, SHHH, SHHH... DRIP, DRIP... It was the sound of a large animal moving through the bushes, shaking off water droplets! There was no sound of hooves on rock. ’It’s a predator!’

Every muscle in Xiaqing’s body tensed. She listened carefully, but then heard a faint, familiar, rhythmic sound.

Among large animals, only a wolf wearing booties could make such a sound! Xiaqing grew excited and asked in a low voice, "Broken Waist? Second?"

A soft whine answered.

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP...

Half a minute later, a sopping wet wolf’s head emerged from the bushes, its clear, rust-colored eyes gazing at Xiaqing.

Sick Wolf, Wolf the Second, who had left the territory the morning before last, had returned!

Xiaqing wiped a freshly fallen water droplet from her protective visor, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. "Second!"

Sick Wolf emerged from the bushes, walked over to Xiaqing, and rubbed its grass-and-mud-caked Protective Suit against Xiaqing’s equally filthy one.

Xiaqing ruffled the fur on its head. "Where have you been these past two days? What did you eat? Did you get an upset stomach?"

Sick Wolf nudged the pocket of Xiaqing’s Protective Suit.

"Hungry?" Xiaqing pulled a piece of jerky from her pocket, tore open the wrapper, and held it out.

Sick Wolf swallowed the jerky in one gulp.

Xiaqing felt its stomach. It was indeed empty. It seemed the wolf hadn’t eaten since it left.

Xiaqing took out her daily portion of Special Level Nutrient Liquid. "I just made this this morning. Lucky you. Open up."

Sick Wolf opened its mouth, revealing a soft pink tongue and sharp fangs. It drank every last drop of the freshly squeezed spinach juice Xiaqing squirted into its mouth, then nudged her backpack.

"Want some water?"

Xiaqing set down her backpack and poured water from her bottle into a small plastic bag. Sick Wolf quickly drank more than half of it.

After eating the jerky and drinking the Special Level Nutrient Liquid and Pollution-free Spring Water, the thirsty and hungry Sick Wolf was fully revived and started wagging its tail.

Now that she had a companion, Xiaqing decided to go back down to test the Fir Tree’s Harmful Element content. She had eliminated the flock of birds, and her companion had arrived. Of the three conditions—timing, terrain, and support—she now had two. It was time to act.

After re-tying the climbing rope to the large tree and spraying Sick Wolf with Insect Repellent, Xiaqing instructed her companion, "Second, you stand guard here. Don’t let any animal damage the climbing rope. I’m going down for a bit to check a tree’s condition and possibly gather some food."

Sick Wolf rubbed against Xiaqing’s leg, then stood guard by the large tree.

Xiaqing rappelled down the climbing rope, quickly descending the same way she came up. This time, there were no Evolutionary Eagles, crows, or squirrels—only a few rats and snakes in their holes watching her.

Xiaqing carefully avoided the purple vine nearby and reached the base of the Fir Tree. She squeezed some juice from a leaf, and after her test confirmed it was Green Light, she decided to go all in and picked all the three-year-old fruit from the tree before returning to the top of the slope.

Once she was back on the slope, Xiaqing turned to show Sick Wolf her large backpack. "Look! Green Light Fragrant Nut Fruits! I got a huge bag!"

Xiaqing quickly sealed the bag of Fragrant Nut Fruits with a heat sealer and soothed the slightly nervous Sick Wolf. "Don’t be scared, it’s just the smell of the anesthetic. As long as you don’t touch it directly, you won’t get knocked out. Let’s go, we’re heading back to the territory. The Sheep Leader really misses you guys."

’The bodies of the Evolutionary Eagles and crows?’ They were on the slope, difficult to retrieve. Xiaqing decided to just abandon them. With this huge bag of Fragrant Nut Fruits, the trip was already more than worth it.

She had come alone, her mind filled with thoughts of revenge. Now, she was returning with a companion, and her mood was much lighter. As she walked, she told Sick Wolf about everything that had happened in the past three days. "It’s a good thing you didn’t head back yesterday, or you definitely would have run into the Jiang Bear Team. They have two Evolutionary dogs. You haven’t fully recovered yet, so you might not have been able to beat them."

Sick Wolf followed quietly behind Xiaqing, whether it understood or not was anyone’s guess.

Chen Cheng of Hu Zifeng’s team saw the sopping wet wolf following behind Xiaqing and froze. "Sister Qing, this... is this...?"

Xiaqing explained simply, "Yeah, Second came back. Thanks for your help this morning."

"No trouble at all." After his last experience of trying to pat the wolf’s butt and hitting its leg instead, Chen Cheng didn’t dare rashly approach the wolf that seemed so obedient by Xiaqing’s side. He was afraid that some move or word would displease it and make it run off again.

After Chen Cheng left, Xiaqing led Sick Wolf down through the Buffer Forest, where she saw the Sheep Leader galloping toward them.

Seeing the wolf had returned, the Sheep Leader was even more excited than Xiaqing. It rubbed all over Second, getting its white wool covered in mud.

Xiaqing, who had only planned on washing the wolf, now had to wash the sheep too.

But Xiaqing was happy to do it.

Never mind washing two of them; even if the Queen, the broken leg wolf, and the Broken Waist Wolf all came running back covered in mud, she would wash them until they were sparkling clean!