Chapter 1593: The Raven's Courtship

Seeing the jet-black raven with only the sclera of its eyes white flying over, Yang Jin lowered his voice and asked, "Sister Qing, is this White-Eyed raven a male?"

"Yes." Ravens are a sexually monomorphic bird species; based on appearance alone, not even Seeing Xin Yu could tell a raven's sex, let alone Xia Qing. The reason Xia Qing could confirm this raven was male was that she and Seeing Xin Yu had brought Moli to the Evolution Forest to be matched a few times, so Xia Qing could judge whether the bird before her was female or male based on Moli's reaction.

Yang Jin asked curiously, "Did Quack Quack take a fancy to it?"

Xia Qing explained, "It hasn't started courting yet."

Moli must have taken a fancy at first, which is why she actively flew over with a string of pearl bracelets in her beak to show off. But before the other party could respond, the pearl bracelets were vaporized by a laser gun from a fake bird in the tree, and then Moli's attention shifted to revenge.

Now this White-Eyed raven flying over was most likely because it had also taken a fancy to Moli and had come to court. Having survived the fierce battle just now, this raven's combat power was not low, and Xia Qing was quite optimistic about it.

The White-Eyed raven was very cautious; it didn't fly straight over, but landed on a slope fifty meters away, adjusting its posture so the sunlight fell on its shoulders, back, and chest, highlighting its glossy black feathers.

Dense, oily feathers are a sign of health.

Xia Qing turned her head and saw Moli squinting with her neck tucked in, crouching on her shoulder, and knew this fellow hadn't been attracted by the White-Eyed raven's feathers.

The White-Eyed raven opposite also realized this. It lifted its head, puffed out its chest, and began to strut across the snow, displaying its sturdy build, while letting out a pleasant trill utterly different from the harsh "quack quack" used to warn enemies.

After displaying its build, the White-Eyed raven flapped its wings and took off, beginning an aerial display. After demonstrating speed, gliding, and turning several times each, Xia Qing didn't know if Moli was moved, but she herself was.

After displaying its flying ability, the White-Eyed raven landed on a tall snow pine on the snowy slope where it had rested earlier, pulled out a shiny object from a tree hollow, carefully placed it on the snow, then backed up a few steps, tilting its head and watching with bright, expectant eyes the female bird crouching on the human's shoulder.

At such a sacred moment, Xia Qing shouldn't have complained by rights, but she really couldn't help it. Because the treasure the White-Eyed raven had pulled out was actually a freaking... USB port...

This thing was quite rare in the Evolution Forest, but not in Territory Eight. Xia Qing turned her head and saw that Moli the raven was indeed still half-squinting, not attracted by this shiny object.

Discovering that the shiny treasure hadn't attracted the female raven opposite, the White-Eyed raven flew back to the tree and pulled out a second shiny object—a key.

Then a third—a glass slide.

Yang Jin couldn't hold back. "Sister Qing, I understand why this raven allows humans to stay in its territory."

Xia Qing responded, and she understood too.

These shiny objects were really attractive to ravens living deep in the Evolution Forest, who liked to collect shiny things.

The White-Eyed raven opposite, finding it still couldn't attract the female raven, finally pulled out its treasure hidden at the bottom of the hollow—a small red light-emitting diode. It pressed the switch with its claw, and after the diode emitted red light, the White-Eyed raven gazed at the female bird opposite with shining eyes.

Finding it still couldn't attract the other party, the White-Eyed raven's wings drooped. Dejected, it turned off the switch and began picking up its treasures, placing them back into the tree hollow one by one.

Xia Qing watched anxiously, and was just about to open her mouth to remind the fellow opposite to switch to using the husks or seeds of the big prickly ash tree, when her keen vision caught a corner of snow lifting up five hundred meters southwest of the big prickly ash tree. Xia Qing immediately stopped watching the show and warned, "Captain Yang, enemy spotted five hundred meters southwest of the big prickly ash tree."

Yang Jin quickly locked onto the abnormal position and ordered, "Eryong, take off; Beard Feng reconnoiter, ground squad prepare for combat."

"Copy!" Eryong immediately piloted the helicopter into the air.

After the helicopter's sound rose, the White-Eyed raven quickly put all its treasures back in the tree hollow, then circled and screeched in the sky. The surviving ravens immediately followed it into the air, forming a rolling black storm, looking ready to fight the helicopter.

Without Xia Qing giving the order, Moli crouching on her shoulder flapped her wings and took off, bravely charging forward to engage the White-Eyed raven.

The flock fought in the air, the helicopter roared, and humans on the snowy mountain and ground prepared for a fierce battle—when the moving snow was flipped over, it actually revealed a trembling stick with a white cloth hanging from it.

Xia Qing did not relax her vigilance because the other party had raised a white flag; her finger remained on the trigger, her gaze locked on the cave entrance that had appeared on the small hill.

Commander Yang Jin gave the order, and Wang Man in the air began to broadcast through the loudspeaker: "All personnel underground, disarm, put your hands on your heads, walk out and lie on the ground, otherwise you will be shot dead on the spot; all personnel in the basement, disarm..."

After Wang Man finished the second broadcast, Xia Qing saw a person wearing a white airtight protective suit come out of the basement with hands on head, and lie down on the snow. From the movements, she could tell this was a researcher with poor limb coordination.

"Gah—"

Moli the raven, fighting in the air, let out an angry cry, flapped her wings, and dove toward the ground to peck at the human lying there.

Xia Qing immediately ordered, "Quack Quack, come back."

"Gah—"

Moli was a trained brain-evolved bird and resolutely executed orders on the battlefield, immediately turning to rendezvous with Xia Qing. But the lord of this mountain domain—the White-Eyed raven—would not tolerate it. It screeched and dove down as fast as lightning, its sharp beak pecking at the fingers of the human lying on the ground.

The person on the ground let out an "Ah!" from the pain, and was just about to pull his hand back, when Wang Man immediately broadcast with murderous fury through the loudspeaker: "Stay still on the snow, otherwise you will be shot dead immediately!"

The Fiery Squad member lying on the snow could only endure, suffering attack after attack from the ravens. The third Fiery Squad member to come out with hands on head learned from his two predecessors' experience, came out wearing thickened protective gloves with hands on head, and lay down on the snow. On closer inspection, one would find a small glowing diode clamped between his fingers.

The White-Eyed raven that had just failed in courtship was not attracted by the shiny object in this human's hand, and pecked even harder.

After the thirteenth person came out, no one else emerged from the cave entrance. Yang Jin ordered team members to go capture prisoners, then sent detection equipment into the basement. After confirming there was no danger inside, he sent people down to clear out supplies.

At four in the afternoon, three helicopters began the return trip.

Two military helicopters, carrying Yang Jin's squad and the military special operations team, as well as the twenty-five intruders captured in this mission, the three corpses killed, and various experimental equipment obtained from the underground laboratory, returned to the safe zone.

The helicopter with the giant eagle's claws tied on carried Xia Qing's squad and the samples they had collected, as well as the equipment from the underground laboratory that the big shot had taken a fancy to, and flew back to Northern Sector One Territory.

A speed-evolved raven followed the helicopter with the giant eagle's claws tied on to Mountain Forty-Nine, and landed on a big tree.