Chapter 1074: The Darkest Hour of the Day

"Thud!"

"Wooo!!!"

The clear sound of glass being struck and the handsome giant wolf's roar rang out one after another. Xia Qing, who had been sleeping on the bed in the second-floor bedroom, grabbed her night-vision goggles and put them on, rolled off the bed landing on her right knee and left hand, and drew the handgun from her waist with her right hand.

"Aoo—"

Old Four gave an urgent low call, then viciously clawed at the concrete drying platform under the eaves with its paw, producing a piercing scraping sound.

"Awoo!" The little wolf sister's still somewhat immature roar rang out.

"Old Four, I heard you." Xia Qing called out, stood up, quickly put on her protective suit and went downstairs. After the operating-room-style automatic door slid open, she saw Old Four standing on one side of the yard facing the handsome giant wolf and little wolf sister of the Northern Wolf Pack, both in attack stances. Wolf Lao Er was coordinating in the middle, while the Head Wolf, Broken-Waist Wolf, and Black Wolf stood under the eaves watching, with no intention of joining the fight.

Seeing Xia Qing come out, Old Four, wearing its protective suit, no longer paid attention to the handsome giant wolf and little wolf sister. It gave her an urgent awoo, turned, and gestured for her to follow.

It was now half past four in the morning—the darkest hour of the day. Old Wolf must have made some important discovery to come back in such a hurry to call her.

"Old Four, I'll come with you. Drink some nutrient solution first." Xia Qing went back inside and took out a handful of nutrient solution tubes and half a bucket of pollution-free spring water. She first squeezed one tube of nutrient solution into a basin. "Old Four, drink this to replenish your energy."

Old Four came over and, amid little wolf sister's roars, quickly drank the nutrient solution and pollution-free spring water from the basin, then gave Xia Qing a low call, urging her to hurry.

Xia Qing also wanted to hurry, but relying on her own two legs, she couldn't possibly move fast. So Xia Qing poured another large basin of water, added four tubes of nutrient solution, and brought it to the Northern Wolf Pack, whose bodies blended into the night. "Queen my lord, you all drink this delicious and energizing nutrient solution too, then let's go with Old Four."

Old Four's breathing was heavy, which meant the place it was taking Xia Qing to must be somewhere her two legs couldn't reach quickly. So this operation had to team up with the handsome giant wolf.

Seeing the Head Wolf not move, Xia Qing pointed at the roaring little wolf sister beside her and said, "Queen my lord, Handsome Wolf Brother, let's bring little wolf sister along too, let her see the world."

Only then did the Head Wolf lower its head and drink a few sips of nutrient solution. Then Broken-Waist Wolf, Black Wolf, and little wolf sister drank too. Only the handsome giant wolf, whose silver-gray fur seemed to glow under the night sky, remained motionless.

Xia Qing carried the basin over to tonight's main fighting wolf and cooed softly, "Giant Wolf Brother, have some too. After drinking it you'll become even stronger and definitely be able to defeat the Western Wolf King."

Broken-Waist Wolf gazed at Xia Qing, lost in thought.

The handsome giant wolf's face was expressionless, motionless. Wolf Lao Er came over and nuzzled it, but it still didn't move.

Old Four urged her in a low voice. Xia Qing shoved the basin right up to the mouth of this fellow who liked to play deaf and dumb, and only then did the handsome giant wolf open its mouth and drink all the nutrient solution in the basin.

Xia Qing put down the basin, quickly packed her backpack, brought along the Black Blade, sniper rifle, and handgun, and instructed her companion, "Wolf Lao Er, I'm leaving the home to you and the Boss. I'm going out with the Queen my lord and the others. I won't be back until dawn."

Wolf Lao Er grinned, showing a happy smile.

Xia Qing stroked its unscarred forehead, then ran north following Old Four. The four wolves of the Northern Wolf Pack all looked at the Head Wolf. Hearing a "beep" from the north gate, the Head Wolf, with a chunk missing from one ear, finally stretched in a big lazy stretch and ran outside, with the wolf pack immediately following.

Running, Xia Qing contacted the Beard Feng Squad and asked them to come watch her territory, then ran at full speed behind Old Four.

Xia Qing, who had just soaked in the medicinal bath, felt as if her joints had been coated with a layer of lubricant. Her running speed had already approached the normal level of a Level Five speed evolver, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.

Awesome!

Listening to the whistling wind, the feeling of running fast through the Evolution Forest was truly exhilarating!

But after leaving Zone 3 of Mountain 49 and entering the unfamiliar dense Evolution Forest, Xia Qing's speed slowed down. Old Four turned back several times to urge her. Little wolf sister, teaming up with Xia Qing for the first time, roared at her several times. Seeing she was still dawdling, it got angry and raised its paw to hit her.

This was still the first wolf in the Northern Wolf Pack to dare raise a paw at Xia Qing. Just as Xia Qing drew her blade to slap it flying, Broken-Waist Wolf and the Head Wolf both jumped between the human and the wolf, stopping this internal fight.

After running into Mountain 48, Xia Qing couldn't run anymore. She staggered forward while adjusting her breathing and heartbeat, easing the burning pain in her lungs.

After training, her running speed had indeed improved, but she wasn't a speed evolver. Long-distance fast running rapidly consumed her energy and put enormous strain on her muscles, joints, heart, breathing, and nervous system. She had to slow down, or her body would sustain new injuries, and the pain from the medicinal bath just hours ago would have been suffered for nothing.

Old Wolf, which had run ahead a stretch, turned back again and circled Xia Qing urgently. After Xia Qing eased her body's discomfort for a while, she took out the pre-tied straps and discussed with the handsome giant wolf, "Giant Wolf Brother, could you carry me for a stretch? I really can't run anymore."

The handsome giant wolf pretended it couldn't hear or see, standing still among the wolf pack. When Xia Qing walked toward it with the rope, this big fellow fiercely bared its snow-white fangs.

"Wooo—"

Before it could roar, the Head Wolf gave a dignified low growl. The handsome giant wolf closed its mouth and stared at Xia Qing with a pair of fierce, murderous ice-blue eyes that, to an outsider, looked like a stance ready to tear Xia Qing apart.

"Thanks, Giant Wolf Brother. After we finish the mission, I'll prepare delicious food and strengthening potions for you." Xia Qing wasn't afraid of the handsome giant wolf throwing a tantrum. She quickly grabbed its two front legs, slipped the rope loop on, and climbed onto its back.

Before Xia Qing could settle into position, the handsome giant wolf shot forward. Xia Qing, nearly thrown off, quickly hugged its neck, and the wolf pack began advancing at full speed.

After Xia Qing caught her breath, she noticed that little wolf sister following behind the Head Wolf, in both running posture and build, was exactly a smaller version of the Head Wolf.

Good lord!

This cub of the Head Wolf and Broken-Waist Wolf was actually a dual-system evolver with brain domain and acceleration! As long as nothing went wrong, in another year or two this little fellow would definitely become a main combat force of the Northern Wolf Pack, and might even become the new Wolf King.

After the wolf pack advanced at full speed for half an hour, covering more than sixty li, they cut diagonally across Mountain 47 into Mountain 45, then from Mountain 45 into Mountain 43. The aged Old Wolf and the handsome giant wolf carrying Xia Qing were both tired, and their pace slowed.

The Head Wolf stopped, letting the wolf pack rest on the spot. It glanced at Xia Qing twice, then mutually sniffed with Broken-Waist Wolf, and climbed onto the nearby Shanfeng to scout the terrain.

By now the east had turned pale, and the sun was climbing the slope. Xia Qing pressed a button on her protective mask, retracted the night-vision lenses, first gave the handsome giant wolf some water, then walked over to Old Wolf, which was resting on a nearby rock, and massaged the cramping muscles in its four limbs.

Without asking, Xia Qing had already guessed where Old Wolf was taking her. Because this was the path the invaders who had attacked the Ninth Center Magnetic Sense Squad before the Rain of Injury had taken when fleeing.

Xia Qing had later analyzed together with Seeing Xin Yu that this was an Evolution Forest passage that avoided the core territories of nearby large beasts and led to Huiyi Base.