Chapter 315: It Must Be a Special Fate

Chapter 315: Chapter 315: It Must Be a Special Fate

"Sister Qing, did you say seven?!" Shi Du was stunned to hear Xiaqing’s call, and everyone else pricked up their ears to listen.

Xiaqing confirmed, "That’s right. I caught seven—four Green Lights and three Yellow Lights. They’re all alive. Come get them at the road sign. I’m afraid they’ll suffocate if it takes too long."

"Okay, okay, I’m on my way!"

As Shi Du spoke, he was about to rush out, but his dad grabbed him. "Take the rabbit you caught over to Xiaqing."

"Okay." Shi Du grabbed the rabbit cage, rushed out of the Tenth Territory, and ran toward the Third Territory.

Shi Zhong and his wife were also incredibly excited. Mother Shi looked at her husband’s hand, where the swelling in his joints had mostly subsided, and tears welled up in her eyes. "If we can keep these snakes alive, you won’t have to worry about your medicine anymore."

"There are seven of them, so we should be able to keep at least a few alive," Shi Zhong said, heading out excitedly. "I’ll go catch some Evolved Insects to feed the snakes. They’re about to hibernate, so we need to fatten them up quickly. I wonder if Tang Huai sells mice..."

"Xiaqing, did you raid a snake den?"

Tang Huai stood under the Second Territory’s sign, marveling at the constantly squirming cloth bag in Xiaqing’s hand. Today, he was leaning sideways against the road sign, showing only half his face to Xiaqing, and his voice was hoarse.

"Basically," Xiaqing replied. With her keen sense of hearing, Xiaqing could tell that Tang Huai’s vocal cords were injured.

Hearing Shi Du’s running footsteps, Tang Huai glanced back before quickly turning around again. But Xiaqing still caught a glimpse of the bruises on the side of his face he was trying to hide.

’Bruises on his face, an injured throat... looks like Tang Huai got beaten up.’ Xiaqing remained expressionless, but her mind was already racing.

"Sister Qing—"

Shi Du stopped in front of Xiaqing, drenched in sweat, and held out a rabbit cage. "I went to Mountain No. 51 to look for snakes today and caught this Yellow Light rabbit in a trap. I can’t tell if it has an Evolutionary Ability, but can I trade it for the snakes you caught, Sister? How much do they weigh?"

Rabbits were herbivores that reproduced quickly, and there was a standing request for them on the Safe Zone’s mission board. This one was large, edible, and had no obvious injuries, making it a rare catch. It could be sold for 1200 points back in the Safe Zone.

Xiaqing had wanted to raise rabbits for a while. She took the rabbit and handed over the cloth bag. "All seven are in here. The four Green Lights weigh eight pounds, and the three Yellow Lights weigh five pounds. Keep them in two separate Snake Boxes. Don’t let sunlight hit the boxes directly, but they need ventilation and water..."

Shi Du noted everything down carefully. "This rabbit isn’t enough to trade for all these snakes. What would you like for the remaining points, Sister Qing?"

Xiaqing didn’t really have any supplies she wanted to trade for. "Just deduct the difference from the points you’ve earned for helping me chop trees."

"Okay." After Shi Du hurried away with the snakes, Xiaqing was also eager to get back and set up a hutch for the rabbit. In the blink of an eye, Tang Huai was the only one left under the road sign.

He took off his Protective Mask and lit a cigarette, tilting his head back to gaze at the white clouds. The choke marks on his neck were even more conspicuous than the bruises on his face, yet his eyes were perfectly calm.

When Xiaqing returned home with the rabbit, she immediately attracted an audience: Sheep Leader and Sick Wolf. Sheep Leader, a non-meat-eater, lost interest after a few glances. Sick Wolf, however, thought Xiaqing had brought it back a meal and panted happily with its tongue lolling out.

"We’re not eating this one. We’re going to raise it," Xiaqing told Sick Wolf very seriously. "Once you’re feeling a bit better, Second, we’ll catch live rabbits so they can have babies. Then, very soon, we’ll have more rabbits than we can eat."

When Sick Wolf saw Xiaqing giving the rabbit water to drink, it understood that this rabbit wasn’t for it to eat. It didn’t make a fuss, simply lying down obediently beside the cage and watching Xiaqing work.

Xiaqing placed the rabbit in an iron cage inside the sheep pen, one that had previously housed a Red Squirrel for a few days. Then she grabbed a basket and headed to the greenhouse to get some vegetable leaves to feed the rabbit.

After leaving her yard, Xiaqing took out her phone. She was just about to ask Hu Zifeng what had happened in the Second Territory today when an alert popped up from her surveillance app.

Xiaqing tapped it open, and her eyes widened instantly.

The Head Wolf, who hadn’t been seen in a month, had actually appeared within range of the High Slope camera, followed by a Weasel dragging a rabbit.

The Head Wolf had spotted the camera on the Big Chuntun Tree and was staring at it with a pair of brilliant gold eyes, its gaze unfriendly.

"Spare it, Queen! That thing is no threat to you. I’m on my way."

Xiaqing hurriedly communicated with the Head Wolf through the camera, afraid that if she were a moment too late, it would leap up and destroy 20,000 points with a single swipe of its paw.

’Even though the new materials were highly durable, Xiaqing still felt the Head Wolf’s claws and teeth were tougher.’

The Head Wolf lifted its nose and sniffed at the object that could produce Xiaqing’s voice. Deciding it was the same sort of thing as the walkie-talkie Xiaqing often carried, it lost interest and continued on its way down.

After reaching the low slope, the Head Wolf spotted another camera on a rock and stopped, its thoughts unreadable.

When Xiaqing ran up the slope, she found the Head Wolf staring at the camera, while the Weasel dragging the rabbit hid behind the wolf, secretly watching her.

Seeing the Head Wolf’s interest in the camera, Xiaqing immediately explained, "Queen, this is a camera. It’s used to protect the territory. It can rotate, but it can’t attack. Look."

As she spoke, Xiaqing used her phone to adjust the camera, making it rotate. The Head Wolf looked at the camera, then at the phone in Xiaqing’s hand, seemingly pondering the connection between the two.

"You truly are a Brain Domain Evolver, Queen. This phone controls that camera. I traded a lot of food for it, so we must protect it. It absolutely cannot be damaged." Xiaqing warned the Head Wolf sternly, making it clear how important the camera was to her.

The Head Wolf seemed to understand and looked back at its little follower.

The Weasel struggled to drag the rabbit over to Xiaqing and drop it at her feet, then it scurried away.

"Is this rabbit for me?" Xiaqing asked, lifting the still-warm doe. It was a terrible shame. "Queen, I just traded for a live male. If this one were alive too, they could have made a pair."

Having delivered the rabbit, the Head Wolf ignored Xiaqing and continued on its way down the slope.

"You head home first, Queen. I’m going to pick some greens to feed the rabbit," Xiaqing added cheerfully. She carried her basket into the greenhouse on the terraced low slope, planning to pick some sweet potato leaves for the rabbit.

As the Head Wolf walked down, the cameras along the path captured its image, flagged it as an intruder, and sent alerts to Xiaqing.

Xiaqing pulled out her phone and opened the camera feed for her yard. She saw the Head Wolf and Sick Wolf greeting each other by sniffing, while Sheep Leader was affectionately rubbing its body against the wolf. The scene was almost too much for Xiaqing to watch.

Just as she was about to put her phone away, she received a message. Tapping it open, she was surprised to see it was from Yang Jin:

Do you have time now?

’He’s back already? Queen and Yang Jin, who disappeared and reappeared at the same time, must share some special connection.’

Xiaqing knew why Yang Jin was looking for her. She put down her basket and replied: No need for you to make the trip. Just have Brother Dong come over directly.

Luo Pei’s detoxification would definitely require Pollution-free Spring Water. Yang Jin had just returned and must have a lot to deal with; there was no need for him to come all this way just to pick up water. Besides, Xiaqing had already settled on the price and volume limit with Yang Jin long ago.

Before Xiaqing could take more than a few steps, her phone buzzed again. Yang Jin’s reply was short and to the point:

There’s something else.