Chapter 1203: Above the Sheer Cliff

Zhang Song carefully watched his footing, striving to clear his name. "Qing-jie, actually, as long as I don't let my mind wander to other things, I won't fall."

Last night, Zhang San handed Zhang Song over for a two-plus-hour discussion, making him pause his current research project and begin studying the topic of evolved wolves. Zhang Song agreed.

If he wanted to research the topic of evolved forest, he had to build a good relationship with Xia Qing, earn her trust, and let her discover that he was very valuable, someone she'd be willing to bring along everywhere.

Because Xia Qing was the person in the Northern Sector One territory — indeed, on the entire Blue Star — who had the best relationship with the pure wild wolf packs inside the evolved forest.

Xia Qing kept her attention on her defensive zone and replied calmly, "I know. Song Ge has never had an accident during surgery. Huang Jian, you carry Song Ge on your back."

This was wolf territory. Their mission today was to collect seeds, not to clear out aggressive mutated evolved plants. As captain, Xia Qing had to eliminate any unstable factors that might trigger danger.

"Copy that." The special-ops team member responsible for protecting Zhang Song, Huang Jian, stepped forward and nimbly hoisted him onto his shoulder.

Zhang Song, his upper body draped over Huang Jian's pack, skillfully reached out and grabbed the pack's strap, relieved that this stretch of road wasn't long.

After eliminating the sole unstable factor, the collection squad passed smoothly through the zone of aggressive mutated evolved vines and reached the collection area Zhang Tao had selected.

When living in the safe zone, Xia Qing had participated in over a hundred collection missions as a strength evolver, so she quickly identified several plants in this area: barnyard grass, wild wheat, and crabgrass.

If these grasses were yellow-light or green-light, cutting them and turning them in at the mission hall could earn points. The mission hall would send these grasses to a food processing plant, where they'd be made into rations and distributed or sold to residents of the safe zone.

None of these grasses were evolved varieties, but it was still early, and there were only evolved wolves around — no other large predators. Since Zhang Tao's group was willing to collect and study them, Xia Qing let them gather.

At four-thirty in the afternoon, Xia Qing judged from their breathing and footsteps that Zhang Tao's group had hit the bottom of their stamina, and decisively ended the collection mission for the return trip.

"Awoo—wuu—"

The squad had just reached the vicinity of the helicopter when a howl from Old Four suddenly rang out from inside the evolved forest.

Zhang Song, being carried by Huang Jian, immediately perked up and strained to lift his head, looking at Xia Qing with eager, imploring eyes.

Xia Qing gave her orders: "Captain Zhang, you take everyone and board the aircraft. Tao-jie, from the air, follow the water vein we just passed and search upstream and downstream for any other areas suitable for planting. Record the detailed coordinates — do not land to survey. I'm going back for one more trip. If I don't make it back within half an hour, return directly to Northern Sector One territory."

"Yes." Xia Qing was the captain of this mission, so Zhang Jingwu obeyed the captain's orders without condition.

Zhang Tao was uneasy. "Can you really manage alone out here? This place is too far from any human activity zone."

Xia Qing nodded. "Don't worry, Tao-jie. I won't be in any danger."

Zhang Song really wanted to go with Xia Qing, but he knew that was impossible. He reminded her to be careful: "Qing-jie, wear your protective mask properly. There are plenty of wild fungi on the wetlands by the river — watch out for toxic spores."

"Got it. You all stay safe." Xia Qing turned and, following the small path they had just cleared, sprinted at full speed toward the direction from which Old Four had howled.

Watching Xia Qing — gun on her back, blade in hand — charge alone into the dense evolved forest without a moment's hesitation, the members of Zhang Jingwu's special-ops squad all wore looks of genuine admiration.

This was deep inside the evolved forest, where fierce beasts and poisonous insects roamed and aggressive mutated evolved plants grew everywhere. Even fully armed special-ops team members would not dare act alone in such an area.

As a dual-system high-level evolver and top-tier sniper, Xia Qing's close-combat ability was not outstanding. She dared to go alone because she had saved an evolved wolf last year.

The evolved wolf's outstanding sense of smell, hearing-based scouting ability, and close-combat ability, combined with Xia Qing's sniping ability, meant this human-wolf pair could roam freely across this stretch of evolved forest!

The wolf howl had sounded close, but the terrain here was complicated, and it took Xia Qing twenty minutes to rendezvous with Old Four.

Part of the reason, of course, was that Old Four didn't want the people on the helicopter to see it, so it waited until the helicopter had flown far away before showing itself.

Xia Qing stopped in front of Old Four, breathing hard, and asked, "Old Four, did you need me for something?"

The old wolf turned and gestured for Xia Qing to follow it.

Xia Qing followed Old Four forward, chatting as she went: "Old Four, are there any more blue-skinned vagrant human caves around here? Let's clear them out while we're at it, shall we?"

Old Four ignored Xia Qing and kept walking forward.

"Old Four, is there a high-grade Yishi mine around here? Otherwise, how would those vagrant humans have so much high-grade Yishi?"

"Old Four, how about we go pick up a few pieces of high-grade Yishi?"

"Old Four…"

The old wolf suddenly sped up. Xia Qing had no time for idle chatter and gave chase at full speed.

One wolf and one human wound through the lightless dense forest for over an hour, encountering along the way several dozen pairs of animal eyes glowing green, before Xia Qing finally saw daylight again.

After advancing another fifty-plus meters, the view suddenly opened up before her.

Xia Qing then realized that the old wolf had actually brought her to a place atop a sheer cliff. Above was the vast blue sky; below, an endless jungle.

Standing there, with the autumn west wind — that uniquely autumnal air of grim, sweeping chill — blowing around her, Xia Qing couldn't resist the urge to take off her protective mask and let out a shout or two. "Old Four, is this where you live? This is way too awesome!"

If it weren't for the unpolluted spring water inside Territory Three, Xia Qing would have wanted to move here and live with Old Four. As a sniper, she was absolutely crazy about this supreme sniping spot within a two-kilometer radius!

She quickly analyzed the terrain of the evolved forest below, raised her hand, and pointed to a slightly wider section of the stream that wound like a jade ribbon not far away. "Old Four, is that the spot where we were just collecting brook moss?"

Old Four, lying atop the king's platform, pulled back its lips slightly, revealing grayish-white fangs.

Standing right at the entrance to its home, it could see the full panorama of the stream flowing from the pool beneath that waterfall — no wonder this old wolf had happily agreed to guard that patch of aquatic plants.

Xia Qing carefully observed the area below the cliff, pointed at a few spots that were clearly worn smooth by being stepped on, and asked, "Does Old Four usually go up and down the cliff from here?"

Old Four, looking perfectly calm, pulled back its lips slightly again.

"Old Four, you're really incredible! A cliff this high and this steep — and you can actually climb up from below!"

Xia Qing let out a sincere exclamation: "Old Four, can you do a lap so I can watch? I've never seen any evolved wolf that can run in a place this steep. Old Four truly is the wolf king standing at the very top of Blue Star's pyramid — the way you run must be the coolest of all…"

Old Four actually moved. From atop the king's platform, it leaped and dropped straight down.

Xia Qing took off her protective mask and watched the old wolf running and leaping among the rocks and trees below the cliff. For the first time, she gained a deep, intuitive understanding of speed and freedom.

A complex emotion that couldn't be put into words surged in her chest, forcing the rims of her eyes to turn red.

In less than half a minute, the old wolf had covered over four hundred meters forward and a vertical drop of more than a hundred meters, reaching the pool beneath the waterfall where the brook moss grew.

After drinking a few mouthfuls of water and nibbling a few bites of grass, the old wolf ran and leaped back the same way, returning to the top of the cliff and quietly gazing at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing understood what it meant. "Old Four wants to say that living here makes it easy for you to protect the little plants in that pool, right?"

Old Four pulled open its mouth, still beaded with water, and revealed its grayish-white fangs.