Chapter 124: Rescue the Wolves

Time was tight, so Xia Qing called Luo Pei directly. "Brother Luo, is Doctor Wang still in your territory? I have two injured wolves here that need treatment—one has a broken hind leg, and the other one probably has a broken spine."

Luo Pei didn't answer directly, but asked calmly, "Xia Qing, what time is it now?"

This was a code Xia Qing and Luo Pei had agreed on: if either noticed something off about the other, they'd ask what time it was. If the other gave the exact time, everything was normal; if they answered "let me check" or "I don't know," it meant they'd run into danger and couldn't speak freely.

Xia Qing answered directly and precisely, "2:35 a. m."

Hearing Xia Qing give the time, Luo Pei fell silent for two seconds. The Azure Dragon squad had clearly sent people to hold Forty-Nine Mountain, and Tan Junjie's team was also on patrol tonight—how had the wolves broken into Xia Qing's territory?

And how had the wolves communicated to Xia Qing, asking her to treat their injuries?

"Wolves got injured and ran into your territory, and asked you to treat them?"

Luo Pei's reaction was calmer than Xia Qing had expected, and she answered calmly as well, "It was the wolf that attacked the wild boar breeding center on May fourteenth that brought them. It also brought me a few plants. That wolf is now lying on the roof of the courtyard in front of me, and the two injured wolves are in my courtyard. I've already fed them Soothing Capsules."

At this rate, the injuries had to be treated. Luo Pei answered, "Put the herbs away, let the wolf understand you've agreed, and I'll bring the squad doctor over right away."

Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief. "Already put them away. Thanks, Brother Luo. Make sure everyone's in protective suits. I'll do my best to keep that wolf steady."

To avoid the surveillance on Plot Two, Luo Pei led his people from Forty-Nine Mountain around into the northern buffer forest of Territory Three, heading toward the village where Xia Qing lived. Along the way, they triggered five of the alarm traps Xia Qing had set up. The clear clinking sounds reached Xia Qing's ears, and the lead wolf's ears as well.

The lead wolf took its position at the highest point of the ruins, looking north.

Xia Qing explained gently, "These are humans I called who can treat injuries. They're all my companions—you can trust them."

Xia Qing was afraid the wolf would fight with Luo Pei, so she nudged Sheep Boss. "Boss, go tell your friend that the ones coming are my friends. Tell it not to make trouble."

Sheep Boss didn't understand. Standing beside Xia Qing, it narrowed its eyes and chewed its cud, looking perfectly content.

The moment Xia Qing heard footsteps, she noticed the two wolves behind the lead wolf split off—one to the left, one to the right. Xia Qing said in a low voice, "The ones coming are my companions. If you dare hurt them, I'll kill your companions."

The lead wolf was unmoved, only staring at the road on the left that led into the village.

Xia Qing felt she was being ignored, so she acted at once—stepping out of the courtyard to meet Luo Pei, with Sheep Boss clip-clopping along behind. With her back to the lead wolf, Xia Qing had her hearing fully open and her muscles tensed; the moment she heard any wrong sound of wind behind her, she would leap up onto a tree or onto the ruins.

Until Xia Qing met up with Luo Pei's group of five, the lead wolf made no move. Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief and quickly explained to Luo Pei, "When they heard you coming, the two uninjured wolves hid. The lead wolf is still standing outside my courtyard."

The female squad member beside Luo Pei said quietly, "One wolf is behind a tree thirty meters to the left, one behind a wall to the right, twenty meters in a straight line."

It seemed this female squad member was a hearing-evolver or smell-evolver far more capable than herself. Xia Qing immediately adopted her way of stating things and added, "Another one is on the ruins of a house about two hundred meters ahead of Brother Luo, on the south side of the road."

Luo Pei nodded, ignored the matter of the wolves, and first introduced the squad members he'd brought to Xia Qing. "This is Chang Li. She's skilled at treating external injuries, so I brought her along too."

Xia Qing greeted Chang Li, then led the way at the front. Luo Pei, Hu Zifeng, and Wei Chengdong took the left, right, and rear positions, keeping Chang Li and Doctor Wang protected in the middle.

Although everyone was wearing night-vision goggles, Xia Qing still shone a flashlight. The light was for Sheep Boss to see by, and also to show the wolf pack the direction the humans were moving, so they'd understand the humans meant no harm.

After entering the village, Luo Pei looked at the lead wolf—missing a chunk from the outside of its left ear—standing atop the ruins under the moonlight, and said quietly, "High-level evolver."

Xia Qing nodded slightly. "Definitely."

The group entered the courtyard under the lead wolf's gaze, backs to the house and facing the lead wolf, and only then did their tense feelings relax a little. Hu Zifeng exhaled. "This really is…"

He'd fought wolves several times before, but a scene like tonight's was his first—he couldn't put the strangeness into words.

But Hu Zifeng felt that the strangest thing here wasn't the wolf on the ruins, nor the wolves lying in the courtyard, but the evolved sheep walking back and forth between the wolves and the humans.

Doctor Wang and Chang Li, under the protection of Xia Qing, Hu Zifeng, and Wei Chengdong, stepped forward to examine the wolves' injuries.

Luo Pei gripped his gun, facing off against the lead wolf. Two top evolvers—if they really fought, the outcome would be hard to call.

Soon, Chang Li gave her preliminary diagnosis. "One has fractures in both hind legs—I can treat it. One has lumbar spine damage; we'd need to take an X-ray to judge the extent of the injury. I can only save its life, not cure it."

Xia Qing asked, "Is there any way to help the seriously injured one recover?"

Chang Li looked at Luo Pei, and only continued after seeing him nod slightly. "The fastest way is to find the lord of Plot Seven. If he's in a good mood and willing to step in, there's a chance."

Idol Third Brother? Xia Qing immediately had a plan. "Please treat the wolf with the broken leg first, you two. I'll contact the lord of Plot Seven right now."

Chang Li reminded Xia Qing, "At this hour, he's either sleeping or doing research. Either way, being disturbed won't put him in a good mood."

Xia Qing gripped her phone and asked, "If we wait until dawn, can this wolf's injury still be saved?"

No—Chang Li shook her head.

So she still had to make the call now. Xia Qing took out the four plants the wolf had brought. "Please take a look at what kind of plants these are and what they're used for."

Chang Li was setting the broken leg of the wolf, while Doctor Wang examined the muddy plants under the flashlight beam. "All of them are herbs for treating external injuries. Judging by the color and the roots, the quality isn't bad."

Good quality made things easier. Xia Qing gathered her courage for a few seconds, then made the call at the risk of being blacklisted by her idol. With each extra ring, Xia Qing's heart sank a little more.

On the fifth ring, the call finally connected. Zhang San's voice carried the hoarseness and irritation of someone woken from sleep. "Xia Qing, are you sleepwalking?"

True to his reputation as a quality idol—even woken in the middle of the night, he'd already thought up an excuse for her.

Xia Qing's tense heart relaxed at once, and she apologized repeatedly. "Third Brother, I'm really sorry for disturbing your rest so late. An emergency has come up here—one of Sheep Boss's wolf companions has been brought in with serious injuries and needs you to treat it."

Zhang San was silent, saying nothing.

Xia Qing immediately sweetened the deal. "The wolf brought four plants. I don't recognize them, but they look like they should be good stuff. Should I send them to you first?"

Zhang San's voice was flat. "You and Ji Li carry the wolf over here."

"Got it, thanks so much, Third Brother!" Xia Qing, who hadn't been blacklisted, hung up the phone with the corners of her mouth almost reaching the back of her head. "Brother Luo, Ji Li will be coming over in a bit. I'll go with him to bring the wolf over."

That Zhang San had actually taken Xia Qing's call and agreed to help surprised everyone present. Luo Pei nodded. "Leave this place to me. Let Zifeng go with you."

Xia Qing shook her head. "Third Brother told me to go with Ji Li alone. Captain Hu just brought the kitten back—if he has the wolf's scent on him and the Princess smells it, she might just carry the kitten back."

Hu Zifeng hadn't expected that at such a critical moment, Xia Qing could still consider the difficulties of a newly minted cat-slave like himself. Deeply moved, he said, "The wolves hiding in the dark don't know why you're carrying a wolf away, so they'll definitely follow. Better let Chengdong escort you over, to guard against a wolf ambush."

He wouldn't go, afraid of running into the Princess.