Chapter 1409: Companion

Xia Qing, who was in charge of the helicopter's flank security, saw Old Wolf dash to the mountaintop, stop, throw back his head and howl, then pull out his phone and tap a few times before issuing orders:

"Eryong, Peng Jian, Third Brother is asking us to scout Danger Zones Four and Five in the southern test area along the way and collect air samples here. Eryong, lower the flight altitude and speed; Peng Jian, you're responsible for scouting Danger Zones Four and Five and recording video; Tangzhou, sorry to trouble you, but please temporarily take over the right-flank security duty. I need to open the cabin door to collect air samples."

"Copy."

The three immediately began executing the mission. Eryong lowered the flight altitude and slowly flew over the battered valley below, which had been struck by the violent blast and hailstorm. Tangzhou stood beside Xia Qing with his gun, watching the right-side sky to guard against raptors suddenly taking flight.

Xia Qing took a test tube from her backpack, opened the helicopter's cabin door and leaned out. She clearly understood the meaning of Old Wolf's howl: he was demanding that the wolf pack members report their locations immediately.

After the violent blast and hailstorm disaster, Old Wolf needed to confirm the locations and status of the wolf pack members.

From an angle inside the cabin where the disaster-relief personnel couldn't see, Xia Qing waved at Old Wolf on the mountaintop.

Seeing Xia Qing wave at him from the helicopter, Old Wolf stopped howling and quietly watched the helicopter fly away.

From Old Wolf's reaction, Xia Qing knew that this old wolf—who had suffered so many disasters yet still possessed tenacious vitality—had already accepted her as a member of his wolf pack.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved. After these successive brushes with danger and disaster, Xia Qing had also accepted Old Wolf in her heart and regarded him as a companion.

After steadying her emotions, Xia Qing properly filled a test tube with air, sealed it tightly with a rubber stopper, brought it back inside the cabin, and closed the cabin door.

This mission was of course not issued by her idol; Xia Qing had made it up on the spot to confirm the meaning of Old Wolf's howl. But judging by the expressions of everyone in the cabin, Xia Qing knew they all believed it.

If someone else had issued a mission to collect air, everyone would think that person was crazy and was deliberately making trouble for people. But since this mission was issued by the big shot of Territory Seven, everyone figured the big shot must have a very important reason for doing so.

No way around it—her idol, standing at the very top of the universe's pyramid, was just that awesome!

Xia Qing put the test tube away and continued her security duty.

After she shot down two raptors that had gone out of control from violent evolution and charged at the helicopter, Peng Jian also properly reported, "Sister Qing, aerial image collection of Danger Zones Four and Five is complete. Confirmed these two danger zones were not affected by the violent blast."

Xia Qing calmly ordered, "Good. Eryong, raise the flight altitude to 1,800 meters and accelerate back to the safe zone."

"Copy." Eryong immediately raised the altitude and shook off the out-of-control birds that kept taking flight to attack the helicopter.

Tangzhou, the fourth-ranked combatant of the Azure Dragon Squad in the cabin, looked at Xia Qing beside him, then at Eryong and Peng Jian up front, and confirmed that this slick routine the three of them had just pulled off must have something to do with that gray-furred evolved wolf standing on the mountaintop.

If his guess was right, that wolf's name should be "Old Four."

Tangzhou's impression of this evolved wolf—the one that had tackled Zhu Zhenming and bitten his neck—was far too vivid. He hadn't expected that the first mission he joined after recovering his combat strength would bring him face to face with this wolf again.

Did this mean his bond with this wolf ran deep?

The helicopter continued north. When it flew over the hyena clan's territory in southern Hui-Three, two groups of hyenas that were fighting each other looked up and yowled at the helicopter overhead.

Tangzhou looked at Xia Qing and saw she had no intention of opening the cabin door to greet the hyenas. He guessed Xia Qing didn't have much of a relationship with this hyena clan.

It seemed there was a reason why Third Leader Xie Yu had sent three squads yesterday to brave the violent snow and raid the hyenas' den rather than the dens of other fierce beasts…

When the helicopter was five kilometers from the safe zone, Peng Jian pressed the helicopter's communication key to contact the Hui-Three Safe Zone control tower and request entry clearance.

"Calling Hui-Three Safe Zone tower, calling Hui-Three Safe Zone tower, this is Azure Dragon Squad Helicopter Two. Come in, please. Over."

After a brief silence, the tower responded: "Azure Dragon Squad Helicopter Two, this is Hui-Three Safe Zone control tower. We have received the report from the Hui-One Northern Evolved Forest Disaster Relief Command. Azure Dragon Squad Helicopter Two is cleared to enter the airspace above the safe zone and land at the food factory's helipad. The 1,808,828 survivors of Hui-Three Base welcome you disaster-fighting heroes home. Over."

"Azure Dragon Squad Helicopter Two, copy. Over."

Xia Qing looked through the porthole at the densely packed buildings inside the safe zone, protected by tall walls.

When she had last returned to the safe zone for a meeting, Director Yang Benming had still said "the base's 1.81 million survivors" when referring to the survivor count. In just two months, the number of survivors had decreased by at least 1,200.

She didn't know whether these people included the six "heroes" who had been sacrificed in this disaster relief effort and transported back by helicopter.

The helicopter flew into the airspace above the safe zone and landed steadily in the designated area. Tangzhou led the team jumping down from the helicopter, standing guard with guns in all directions.

A transport truck drove over. A person wearing a protective suit with a food processing factory armband came forward to complete the handover with Tangzhou, ordering workers to unload the animal carcasses—frozen solid—inside the helicopter cabin.

As Xia Qing stood quietly holding her sniper rifle watching these people work, she felt the phone in her protective suit pocket begin to vibrate.

She pulled out her phone, glanced at it, sat up straight, and answered, "Base Commander. Sniper Xia Qing has completed the mission, uninjured. Requesting next instructions."

The food factory workers who were moving the animal carcasses all froze when they heard this. The person sitting in the front of the helicopter was actually their top sniper!!!

Xia Qing's words were so uplifting. The weary voice of Base Commander Qi Zhongye rarely carried a smile as he said, "I've received the report from the disaster relief command. You only fired eight shots and took down three high-level speed-evolved individuals. You're truly our base's long-range guardian!"

How many points is the long-range guardian worth? Cut the empty flattery!

Xia Qing calmly replied, "You're too kind. I still need to strengthen my training and strive to waste not a single bullet on my next mission."

Reading between the lines, Qi Zhongye laughed heartily, "Good, very good! You must strengthen your training and claim the throne of our nation's top sharpshooter as soon as possible. Are bullets sufficient? Should I have someone send two cases over?"

Two cases?!

Xia Qing responded crisply, "Bullets really are running low. Thank you very much, Base Commander."

After hanging up and putting away her phone, Xia Qing leaned back in her seat, and most of the exhaustion throughout her body faded away.

After the animal carcasses, totaling nearly seven tons, were all unloaded, the helicopter took off again, hurrying back to Northern Zone One territory.

Tangzhou, standing on the ground, stared at the big bird-claw landing gear of the helicopter, pondering how to get the brigade commander to agree to let his squad replace Beard Feng's squad and take on the mission of guarding the mountain and protecting Territory Three.