Chapter 1032: The Third Calamity Rain of Year Eleven of the Catastrophe

After the four people and one wolf regrouped, Eryong, sitting in the pilot's seat, started the helicopter and asked, "Sister Qing, where are we headed?"

Xia Qing asked the head wolf sitting beside her, "My lord, which direction should we go?"

The head wolf jumped down from the seat, walked forward, sat in the co-pilot's seat, and stared straight ahead.

The Beard Shanfeng squad of three…

Xia Qing, who had been serving as the gunner, gave up her seat to Beard Shanfeng and Jingkuan, walked over to squeeze into one seat with the head wolf, and issued orders: "Take off first, maintain low-altitude flight, don't pass through the cloud layer, or my lord won't be able to recognize the direction. Captain Hu, Jingkuan, be ready to shoot down any out-of-control birds of prey that come at us at any moment."

After the helicopter climbed to 800 meters, the head wolf looked west, and Xia Qing gave the order: "Head west."

"Copy that." Eryong stepped on the pedal to turn the helicopter, heading toward the western Evolution Forest.

Watching the helicopter fly away, the five members of the Beard Shanfeng squad in Territory Three and the three members stationed at Mountain Forty-Nine all felt a shadow settle over their hearts.

The wind drowned out the roar of the helicopter, and the lords of the territory alliance were all busy tending to their crops and poultry, so apart from Hearing Zhu Li, Tang Huai, and Watching Huo Zhun, no one noticed the helicopter leaving Mountain Forty-Nine.

Tang Huai felt something was off, so he called Xia Qing directly, only to find her phone was busy.

"Right, I'm heading out. We spotted some suspicious people in the Evolution Forest again. Brother Huo, are there any wanderers living near us?"

While putting a protective suit on the head wolf, Xia Qing asked Huo Zhun, who had called, for information about the wanderers.

Huo Zhun replied, "I don't have intel on that. But wanderers rarely operate in the Evolution Forest areas where the base humans are active. If they show up in those areas, it's eighty percent likely they're there to loot supplies. You suspect the two we caught yesterday afternoon were wanderers?"

Xia Qing adjusted the Yi-stone necklace on the head wolf. "Third Brother made that judgment based on their gear. One more thing: their pistols were Hui-1 military issue."

"What model pistol? Does it have a serial number?" Huo Zhun had served in the Hui-1 Special Forces for years and knew the weapon assignments of every Hui-1 official squad inside out.

"It's with Third Brother. You can ask him."

Xia Qing hung up the phone and saw two cumulonimbus clouds ahead of the helicopter slam into each other under the gale, flashing a dazzling purple light. She immediately covered the head wolf's ears to lessen the thunder's impact and shouted, "Eryong, get above the cloud layer!"

"Copy that!" Eryong stepped on the rudder pedals, pulled up the collective to raise the helicopter's altitude, and constantly adjusted the cyclic stick according to the wind direction to dodge the thunderclouds.

"Wooo—"

The helicopter rocked violently. The head wolf, body tensed, leaned against Xia Qing and turned its head to growl at Eryong.

Having been scolded, Eryong immediately apologized: "Sorry, my piloting skills aren't skilled enough yet."

Xia Qing gently stroked the fur on the head wolf's neck and soothed Eryong: "The wind is strong now, so it's normal for the helicopter to shake. My lord, are we still heading that way?"

The head wolf stopped scolding, turned its head back, and continued staring ahead.

After the thunder and lightning, black fog appeared beneath the cloud layer. The third calamity rain of Year Eleven of the Catastrophe began at two in the afternoon on August 27th.

The lords in the territory wore their best gear, some standing inside greenhouses, others staying in their rooms, staring at the calamity-element detectors in their hands to confirm the grade of this calamity rain.

The calamity rain lashed against the tents atop the ruins of Territory Three's houses, making a sound that irritated the sheep. Sheep Boss lay on the straw-matted king's platform, pressed close to Old Wolf, calling out to his underlings again and again.

Old Wolf growled at Sheep Boss, telling it not to make noise, then shifted to the side and peered through a gap in the rainproof cloth, watching the movement outside.

The first wave of calamity rain was Orange grade, and it came on with terrifying force.

Three minutes later, Huo Zhun called: "They were carrying the sidearms issued to Hui-1's Sixth Squad. Ten days ago, the Sixth Squad was ambushed in the Evolution Forest 150 li north of Hui-1. All six fell into a pit lined with sharp wooden stakes smeared with deadly poison and died on the spot. Their weapons and supplies were looted. The other side numbered twelve. Hui-1 officialdom has issued a bounty mission — dead or alive."

"The captain of Hui-1's Sixth Squad had a grudge with Fierce Fire's Phoenix. We can't rule out Fierce Fire's involvement in this attack." Huo Zhun urged very seriously: "These people are skilled at close-quarters and jungle combat. Sister Qing, don't engage them at close quarters. If they retreat, don't chase blindly, or you might walk into their ambush."

"Understood, thanks." Xia Qing hung up and quickly analyzed the intel she had gathered:

Half a month ago, in the Evolution Forest north of Hui-1 — that is, 250 li southwest of Hui-3 — they were attacked. Yesterday, someone carrying the looted weapons was setting up the Living Dead in Mountain Forty-Four, west-northwest of Hui-3. After being spotted by Xia Qing, they immediately moved to take her life. Last night or early this morning, the wolf pack picked up the Living Dead's trail, and the fastest head wolf, ignoring the danger, led her there during the calamity rain period…

Xia Qing looked down and saw, in the Evolution Forest ahead of the helicopter, large swathes of bright red flowers blooming in the calamity rain, giving off a dangerous scent. The helicopter had flown nearly sixty li west. Was this still the western wolf pack's territory?

Xia Qing sent Yang Jin the photos of the two blue-skinned humans from yesterday, asking whether the Green Dragon had dealt with these people, and whether he had any news about the ambush of Hui-1's Sixth Squad half a month ago.

Just after sending the message, Xia Qing saw the head wolf's head turn slightly to the left and immediately ordered: "Eryong, ten o'clock."

"Copy that." Eryong immediately turned.

Xia Qing slowed her speech and discussed it with the solemn-faced head wolf: "My lord, we can't let those two humans hiding in the Evolution Forest see our helicopter. We need to land early and hide, then sneak over."

After shooting down an Evolution Eagle that had swooped at them, Jingkuan silently complained to himself: Sister Qing, the thing beside you is a wolf — can it really understand such complex human language?

The head wolf in the co-pilot's seat slowly raised its left paw and pointed at the high peak to the front-left.

Xia Qing gave the order: "Eryong, ten o'clock, the mountain peak five hundred meters out. Find a place to land."

"Copy that!"

Jingkuan…

The helicopter landed on a giant boulder in a wind-sheltered spot halfway up the mountain. The terrain here was rather steep, with no tall trees around and relatively sparse vegetation, so the safety factor was high.

Xia Qing began assigning tasks: "Eryong, Jingkuan, you two guard the helicopter. Captain Hu, you and I follow the head wolf down. The paths are slippery in the rain, watch your step."

"Got it." Beard Shanfeng jumped out of the helicopter after Xia Qing, but after only a few steps, he was blocked by the head wolf. The head wolf in the rain bared its fangs, refusing to let Beard Shanfeng follow.

Xia Qing had already seen the silver-gray giant wolf running over and understood the head wolf's intention: "Captain Hu, the giant wolf is coming. It can carry me to move faster, so you stay and protect the helicopter. If an emergency comes up, don't worry about me, just take off."