Chapter 1134: No Way!

Evolved raptors are also animals with extremely strong territorial instincts. They occupy vast areas as their own territory and attack and drive off other predatory animals that enter it. This strong territorial instinct helps them secure a dominant position in the Evolution Forest, ensuring sufficient food resources and a safe living environment.

So, how large is the territory of this flock of winged raptors in northern Hui-3?

Mountains 38 to 48 of the western Evolution Forest in Northern Zone 1 are the territory of the Western Wolf Pack; mountains 49 to 60 of the northern Evolution Forest are the territory of the Northern Wolf Pack. Mountains 61 to 67, north of the Northern Wolf Pack's territory, are the territory of the Northern Bear Pack.

Mountains 68 to 86—west of the Northern Bear Pack's territory, northwest of the Northern Wolf Pack's territory, and north of the Western Wolf Pack's territory—are all raptor territory, and their territorial area is twice that of the Northern Wolf Pack!

Just how domineering are the raptors?

Within raptor territory, each raptor or pair of raptors has both cooperation and competition. When outside enemies invade, they may help one another; when no outside enemies invade, they become each other's enemies.

Not only do carnivorous animals living within their territory have to keep a low profile, even human flight vehicles must detour around this area.

If one flies at low altitude across the raptors' core territory, especially hovering above it, it will be considered an invader. So every time the Killing Rain ends, the helicopters Hui-3 Base dispatches to spray Killing-Grass Enemy must raise their flight altitude to over ten thousand meters. Because above ten thousand meters the air is thin, oxygen content is low, and the temperature is also very low, most raptors will not fly at that altitude.

However, this does not mean that above ten thousand meters is absolutely safe.

In the seventh year of the Calamity, a cargo plane from Lan-5 was crossing this area at meter altitude when it was attacked by a speed-evolved giant vulture that was in the middle of courting. After the senior sniper on that plane shot the vulture dead, thirty-five evolved raptors within the raptor territory took to the air and surrounded the plane, forcing it to turn and fly toward the territory of another flock of raptors deep in the Divine Grass Shelf, which was the only reason it did not trigger a disaster of raptors attacking human territory.

After that incident, Hui City Headquarters issued a notice directly canceling the air route over raptor territory, and no longer mandating that Hui-3 Base enter raptor territory to spray Killing-Grass Enemy after the Killing Rain to eliminate Killing Grass.

After Hui-3 Base stopped for a year, Killing Grass within raptor territory proliferated wildly, encroaching on the living space of normal plants, causing large numbers of small animals to flee outward and go out of control. After food within raptor territory became insufficient, the raptors began expanding their territory, clashing with the wolf packs, bear packs, tiger packs, and others over territory, nearly threatening the safety of human territory.

It was not until Hui-3 Base resumed spraying Killing-Grass Enemy in this area and curbed the expansion of Killing Grass that this conflict, which had lasted half a year, finally stopped.

During that period, the base broadcast reported the progress of the evolved fierce beast conflicts every day, reminding combat teams going outside to avoid risks.

This July, the giant eagle that fled over from Gui-5 Base arrived at northern Hui-3's Evolution Forest and chose to seize territory from the wolf pack near raptor territory, which shows that this bird is very clever. Once it occupies the wolf pack's territory, it can become neighbors that watch out for and help each other with the raptors in raptor territory.

Raptors are one of snakes' natural enemies, and the threat they pose to snakes living in Python Snake Lake and the surrounding marshes is far greater than that of the bear packs and wolf packs.

Against raptors, the Yi Snake lures the snakes lay out are not much use.

Because Yi Snakes influence predators' emotions through their aura—the more Yi Snakes there are and the stronger the aura, the greater the effect on predators. But birds have wings, and after catching a Yi Snake they immediately fly away.

Therefore, upon learning that the snake swarm had invaded Territory 68, Xia Qing's feelings were extremely complicated.

This shows that the python commander's wariness of her combat ability has exceeded its wariness of the raptors, which counts as recognition of her; but on the other hand, if she wants to capture a female Yi Snake alive this year, she will have to enter raptor territory.

Xia Qing dares to ally with the wolf pack against the snakes, but she does not dare provoke the raptors. Although Mountain Area 68 is only the fringe zone of raptor territory, if she dares to set foot on Mountain 68 and snatch meat strips from the raptors, she might enrage the raptors of that mountain. If that fellow happens to be a brain-domain evolver, a few flaps of its wings and it could cross the wolf pack's territory in just over ten minutes and attack the humans' Northern Zone 1 territory.

Territorial safety is more important than Yi Snakes.

After quickly making her decision, Xia Qing looked at Broken-Waist Wolf. "Broken-Waist, the snake swarm has turned to attack Mountain 68."

Meeting Broken-Waist Wolf's gaze, Xia Qing knew what it was thinking. She pulled a map out of her backpack and showed it to it. "We're here, this is Python Snake Lake. The snake swarm has given up on us here and is invading here, Mountain 68."

Broken-Waist Wolf stared at the map for a few seconds, then raised its head and looked to the northeast.

"Not that way, this way." Xia Qing raised her hand and pointed northwest, toward the distant barely visible line of land. "That is Mountain 68, raptor territory. The snake swarm is over there."

Broken-Waist Wolf understood, ran over to nuzzle the Alpha Wolf, howled once, called four wolves, and was about to leave the valley.

"Handsome Wolf Brother," Xia Qing hurriedly called out to Broken-Waist Wolf. "Are you going to Mountain 68?"

Broken-Waist Wolf bared its lips, showing its fangs.

Going to do what, watch the fight or pick up scraps? Xia Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Can I go with you?"

Broken-Waist Wolf immediately closed its mouth, turned around, and ran off.

Xia Qing...

Felt like she had been looked down on...

With no snakes invading, the wolf pack and bear pack in the valley were both lazy. Xia Qing took this opportunity to report the snake swarm's movements to her idol.

Zhang Shiyi replied, "Aerial raptors do indeed pose a greater threat to the snake swarm, but for the giant pythons in the lake, you are a greater threat than the raptors."

As expected of her idol, she grasped the key point at once. Raptors can catch small and medium snakes, but cannot lift giant pythons weighing hundreds or thousands of jin. As long as the pythons fight their way out of a patch of territory and burrow into a mountain cave or an underground hole to hide, the raptors are helpless against giant pythons.

From Zhang Shiyi's end came the clatter of fingers on a keyboard. "According to satellite magnetic survey data, the magnetic field chaos in the area where you are is weakening. If the snake swarm's movements are related to changes in the magnetic field, their invasion of Mountain 68 should be a do-or-die operation, and this is also our last chance this year to capture a live female white snake. What do you think—will the wolf pack allow you to bring a few people into the lake to catch the white snake?"

Go straight into the lake to catch Yi Snakes? Xia Qing immediately understood which few people Zhang Shiyi meant, but she felt the odds were not great. "White snakes are food the wolf pack and bear pack really like. They probably won't agree. Let me ask and get back to you."

After hanging up the call, Xia Qing ran to the Alpha Wolf's side and gestured as she discussed the matter with it.

After the Alpha Wolf understood, it predictably bared its fangs at Xia Qing.

No!

"Okay, anyone other than me cannot enter Mountain 60 to catch the delicious white snake." Xia Qing repeated the Alpha Wolf's attitude, sent a message back to her idol, then took a sturdy finger-thick rope from her backpack, bent a steel wire into a fishhook shape and fixed it to the end of the rope, planning to go to the cliff to fish for snakes.

What if her luck exploded today and she fished up a female Yi Snake?

"Woof!" The Alpha Wolf opened its mouth to warn Xia Qing, using its gaze to signal her to return to her original position, not allowing her to act on her own.

Having lived with the wolf pack for so long, Xia Qing of course understood what it meant. She gestured as she explained, "Queen, my lord, I'm not going to shoot and kill pythons. I'm using this rope to fish for a female white snake I need."

The Alpha Wolf's face was stern, making it clear that Xia Qing could not go to the water's edge.

Xia Qing understood.

The Alpha Wolf also guessed that it was because of her existence that the pythons had changed the direction of their invasion. If she wanted the snake swarm to come back, Xia Qing could no longer lie on the cliff.

The snake swarm's invasion would bring casualties, but it would also bring nutritionally rich prey. The Alpha Wolf wanted the snake swarm to come back.