Chapter 1384: The Evolved Tiger Blocking the Road

Xia Qing rode a giant black wolf, galloping through the killing snow behind the Western Wolf King, when a helicopter carrying a pair of giant eagle claws landed in Mountain Area Twenty-One, a few hundred meters from the two evolved wolves.

Huo Zhun led his team jumping down from the helicopter, while two Azure Dragon members waiting nearby jumped aboard to join Er Yong in carrying out aerial patrol, surveillance, and emergency rescue missions.

After the helicopter flew off, two evolved wolves whose fur color closely resembled the killing snow stepped out from the thickets, the one in front bearing a pair of gray wolf eyes.

That signature iris color immediately let Huo Zhun identify this teammate. Taking the initiative to assume the duties of deputy captain, he greeted them with a smile, "Fourth Brother, I'm Huo Zhun. Qingjie Sect sent the four of us to team up with you and capture the human wanderers who've done a lot of bad things. These are the human members Yang Jin, Wang Man, and Hu Zifeng. Does Fourth Brother still remember them?"

Yang Jin and the other two did their best to show goodwill, greeting the old wolf opposite.

Besides the old wolf, Hu Zifeng also greeted the half-grown gray wolf with a scar on its face beside it, "Scarface, long time no see."

Scarface had once lived in Territory Three for a while, occasionally following the wolf-dog Lao Er to catch bugs within the territory, so Hu Zifeng had seen it a few times.

Scarface clearly recognized Hu Zifeng too, and solemnly nodded its head.

The old wolf's stern gaze swept past Hu Zifeng, paused on Yang Jin for three seconds, then turned to Huo Zhun.

Huo Zhun immediately stood at attention, using the half of his face behind the protective mask to reveal the brilliant smile of a man at the peak of his life, "Fourth Brother, Captain, do you mean for me to serve as the human deputy captain for this mission?"

The old wolf nodded.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Huo Zhun immediately pulled out a pair of goggles, "This is equipment Qingjie had me bring. It protects the eyes and enables team communication within a five-kilometer range. Fourth Brother, may I put them on you?"

Yang Jin and Wang Man silently turned their heads away, not wanting to see Huo Zhun's fawning look any longer.

Fourth's stern gaze moved away from him, landed on Hu Zifeng, then glanced at Scarface beside him.

Huo Zhun, still riding high, immediately asked, "Does Fourth Brother mean for me to put these goggles on Scarface?"

"Wooo—" Seeing Huo Zhun extend his paw toward Scarface, Fourth quickly moved to block it, bared yellowed fangs at Huo Zhun, and let out an authoritative roar.

Yang Jin couldn't stand watching any longer and reminded him, "Huo Zhun, the captain means for Hu Zifeng to put the goggles on the little wolf."

"Huh? Oh, oh!" Seeing the old wolf showed no objection, Huo Zhun immediately handed the goggles to Hu Zifeng.

Wang Man, who had originally thought that after Huo Zhun got scolded she could tidy herself up and be promoted to deputy captain, gave Yang Jin a leisurely glance and decided that next time she attended Azure Dragon Squad training, she'd have a little sparring match with him.

From that single glance, Yang Jin understood exactly what Wang Man meant.

Wang Man was a soldier from the same cohort as Luo Pei, three years earlier than Yan Long, but like Yan Long she was combative. She was a flexible evolver whose fighting moves and force application were extremely tricky—one careless moment and you'd fall victim to her dirty hands and feet.

Yang Jin glanced at Hu Zifeng putting goggles on Scarface, and immediately came up with a good idea that could both let Wang Man cool off and improve the Azure Dragon members' fighting skills.

Hu Zifeng, who had just finished putting the goggles on Scarface and adjusting the walkie-talkie, suddenly felt a chill run down the back of his neck...

After Hu Zifeng put the goggles on Scarface, Fourth turned around and glanced back at Huo Zhun.

"Understood!" Huo Zhun immediately stepped to the old wolf's left rear, blocking Scarface behind them together with it, and in proper fashion gave the order, "Dead Man Jie takes rear, Feng-ge takes center, Jin-ge on Feng-ge's outside. When Feng-ge's stamina gives out, I'll carry him; when Dead Man Jie's stamina gives out, Jin-ge carries her. In short, we can't slow down the captain's pace. Move out!"

As the wolf squad capturing the Mountain Twenty-Four wanderers raced forward under Captain Fourth's lead, Xia Qing and the four giant wolves of the Western Wolf Pack, who were capturing the Mountain Thirty-Six wanderers, had their path blocked by a mottled fierce tiger.

"ROAR————"

The evolved tiger assumed an attack stance, its pair of pale yellow tiger eyes glaring with bloodthirsty intensity at the four wolves and one human who had appeared in its territory, its roar shaking the accumulated snow on the surrounding trees loose in a rustling shower.

The Western Wolf King didn't roar back at the tiger, but glanced back at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing immediately understood what it meant, and greeted the familiar tiger opposite—the Blind Tiger, "Old Five, it's Xia Qing."

"ROAR————"

The evolved tiger's cry was no different from before.

With the Western Wolf King not stepping forward and Broken-Waist waiting ahead, Xia Qing had to make this Blind Tiger recognize her as quickly as possible and clear the path.

She took out the net she'd used to scoop up small Yi snakes from her pack, then took out a frozen small Yi snake and placed it in the net, holding it forward, "Is Old Five hungry? Want some small Yi snake, a specialty from the hot spring lake on Mountain Sixty-Seven?"

The Blind Tiger's big mouth opened, but this time there was no roar—this fellow was waiting for meat.

Only after confirming that this blind one had recognized her did Xia Qing jump down from the giant wolf's back, steady her heartbeat and breathing, and slowly walk forward, fully prepared to retreat, climb onto a wolf, or flee at any moment.

The small Yi snake's attraction was indeed great enough—the Blind Tiger's mouth corners had already started drooling, yet it still refused to close its mouth.

Xia Qing first put the small Yi snake from the net into its big mouth, then nimbly fastened a Yi-stone necklace around its neck.

The Yi element content in the atmosphere now exceeded the limit, and the Blind Tiger had nearly lost control and gone berserk during the last Yi rain. If she didn't put a Yi-stone necklace on it, Xia Qing feared its internal Yi element would spike again and, losing control and going berserk, it would attack her.

Not just the Blind Tiger—the Western Wolf King and the two giant wolves she'd just ridden were also fitted with Yi-stone necklaces by Xia Qing. No choice—Yi stones were precious and scarce, but life mattered more. Xia Qing had several hundred Yi stones, but only one life.

After swallowing the Yi snake, the Blind Tiger opened its big mouth again, waiting. Xia Qing felt that if this fellow's territory bordered the Northern Bear Group's, it would surely become good friends with the greedy little bear.

Small Yi snakes were too precious—Xia Qing had only brought three, and the remaining two had to be kept for emergencies. But the fanged big mouth in front of her couldn't be left unfed either. Xia Qing took out a small packet of freeze-dried meat and poured it in, making her position clear, "No more meat today, Old Five. Shall we go catch the bad humans in your territory?"

The Blind Tiger swallowed the freeze-dried meat and continued holding its mouth wide open, waiting.

"This is the last green-light chicken egg, there's no other food today!" Xia Qing stuffed another egg into it, then turned to the Western Wolf King and said, "Wolf King, shall we go find Broken-Waist? It must be getting anxious waiting."

The Western Wolf King's gaze slowly moved away from the net in Xia Qing's hand, and it walked forward, going around the Blind Tiger to continue on.