Chapter 1604: The Broken-Waisted Wolf Returns from Sampling

After Zhang Shi returned to the cliff at Mountain Hui-3-22, she immediately called Xia Qing to report on this outing, and specifically emphasized that after the invading monkey troop retreated, Wolf Lao Si and the Broken-Waisted Wolf took the medical kit into the river bend valley. Because her line of sight was blocked, Zhang Shi could not see the situation inside the valley, but when the Broken-Waisted Wolf came out, it not only had the medical kit hanging around its neck, but also had two bags in its mouth, and asked her to put the bags into her backpack.

After escorting her and Ye Yiyi back to the cliff, the Broken-Waisted Wolf took back the two bags it had brought out. Zhang Shi checked the medical kit and found one bottle of anti-inflammatory disinfectant and one pack of medical cotton missing.

Xia Qing understood. "I told the Broken-Waisted Wolf not to let any person or untrustworthy large predator discover you and Ye Yiyi, so it went over personally to treat the wolf's wounds. Thank you for your hard work, Shi-jie. Rest a while, have dinner, then write up an electronic case report for this trip and send it to me before six tomorrow afternoon. I'll take it to Third Brother to see how this treatment went."

Zhang Shi paused, then replied, "Qing-jie, Duan-ge wants me to send the report to you within an hour, then you forward it to him so he can review it."

Xia Qing was silent a moment longer than Zhang Shi. "Can you finish it in an hour?"

Zhang Shi gave an affirmative answer. "Yes."

After hanging up, Xia Qing complained to the sheep and the wolf sitting on the left and right sides of the microtiller's cab, "The Broken-Waisted one used to be a perfectly normal wolf—when did it get so full of itself?"

Wolf Lao Er grinned and laughed out loud. Sheep Lao Da paid no attention to the Broken-Waisted Wolf, squinted at the steering wheel, and gestured for Xia Qing to start driving.

"Alright! Lao Da, Lao Er, hold on tight. The three of us are getting back to work—getting ready to build the new house!" Xia Qing called out, started the microtiller, and continued using the bulldozer blade to clear the newly chosen homestead.

An hour later, the Broken-Waisted Wolf, with two black packaging bags hanging from its neck and three rabbits in its mouth, swiped through two automatic gates and entered Territory Three.

Passing through the wild grass wall and seeing the human, sheep, and wolf in the microtiller, this fellow's eyes immediately lit up. It bounded over in a few leaps, put the not-quite-dead rabbits and the two bags on the ground, gestured for Xia Qing to go roast the rabbits, and that the microtiller should be handed over to it to drive.

Hand it over to you? I'm afraid you'll smash a hole right through my little house!

Xia Qing shut off the microtiller, stuffed the key in her pocket, then opened the cab door, lifted both companions down to the ground, and greeted the Broken-Waisted Wolf. "Broken-Waisted, let's settle the task handover first, get your points credited, then we'll talk about driving the microtiller."

Hearing that a transfer was involved, the Broken-Waisted Wolf immediately agreed.

Back home, Xia Qing efficiently skinned and cleaned the three rabbits—one green-light, two yellow-light. She put the yellow-light one in the fridge, hung the remaining two in the fireplace to roast, and brought the offal to the Broken-Waisted Wolf and Wolf Lao Er.

After the Broken-Waisted Wolf had eaten its fill, Xia Qing asked, "Broken-Waisted, I heard from Shi-jie that some wolves in the Hui-1 southern wolf pack were injured, and you took the medical kit to treat them. How many wolves were injured in total?"

The Broken-Waisted Wolf traced a standard "8" on the ground.

Xia Qing was surprised. "That many? That monkey troop is pretty fierce. Are there any seriously wounded wolves in the pack who need stitches or internal injuries that require X-rays?"

The Broken-Waisted Wolf, with water droplets clinging to the fur around its mouth, closed its mouth to indicate no.

Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like the Hui-1 southern wolf pack's combat strength isn't weak either. You used up one bottle of medicine and one pack of medical cotton treating the pack. Did you recover the medical waste?"

The Broken-Waisted Wolf turned its head to look at the two black bags tied together, dirty on the outside, that Xia Qing had carried in. This simple knot was clearly tied by the Broken-Waisted Wolf, because the knot showed obvious claw-scratching marks—the knot-tying method Xia Qing had taught it.

Xia Qing, who had worked for years as a construction worker and an unofficial logistics staffer, was an expert at tying knots. She knew dozens of ways to tie knots; no matter what kind of object, she could lash it firmly together with all sorts of rope.

After the Broken-Waisted Wolf became interested in knot-tying, Xia Qing taught it two simple, practical methods so that it could use only its two clumsy paws—no mouth needed—to securely tie up packaging bags or prey's legs.

As the price of exchange, the Broken-Waisted Wolf brought back a medicinal herb Zhang San needed. The Broken-Waisted Wolf was still very innocent back then, not knowing there were knot-tying tutorial videos. Xia Qing missed that version of the Broken-Waisted Wolf dearly.

Xia Qing skillfully untied the knot and found that the lighter bag contained two wolf-use sterile rubber paw covers, a small pack of medical cotton stained with blood and medicinal liquid, and a plastic medicine bottle of disinfectant that the Broken-Waisted Wolf had poked a hole through with its claw.

"Broken-Waisted, you recovered all the medical waste—excellent work. As expected of the most handsome wolf my lord the Queen loves most." After affirming the Broken-Waisted Wolf's work, Xia Qing pointed at the medicine bottle and the medical cotton and gave specific suggestions for improvement. "Poking a hole in the bottle isn't your fault—it's a problem with the bottle cap design. I'll design medicine bottles suited to your use, and tweezers for you to pick up cotton with your claws and wipe wounds."

The Broken-Waisted Wolf, currently grooming its fur, immediately raised its left front paw and tried to spread its toes, letting out an indignant "aowu-aowu."

"I know, of course your paws are the most dexterous of all evolved wolves on Blue Star. That's exactly why I said the medical equipment is lacking. You're a wolf doctor standing at the very top of Blue Star's pyramid—your technique has no problems at all." After once more affirming the Broken-Waisted Wolf's working ability, Xia Qing asked about the fee. "Broken-Waisted, did you charge for this house call? What did you collect?"

The Broken-Waisted Wolf, happily showing the little tips of its fangs, pawed at the bag beside it, gesturing for Xia Qing to open it and look.

Xia Qing opened this heavy bag and found it was an insulated bag, full of samples the Broken-Waisted Wolf had collected.

Xia Qing was stunned. "Broken-Waisted, you didn't wear protective gear—how did you get these sample bags and test tubes over there? …Shi-jie brought them? …Why didn't you wear protective gear? …Lao Si wouldn't let you? Why…"

After the human and wolf communicated for a while, Xia Qing got through to her idol on a video call.

Seeing the grinning human and wolf squeezed into the screen, Zhang San actually didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, and his headache even eased. He asked gently, "Didn't Xiao Duan go out with Xiao Si? When did they get back?"

Xia Qing replied, "Been back a little while. Your Xiao Duan brought back a lot of samples from near an unfrozen water source in the Hui-1-22 mountain territory. It thinks they have great research value and wants to ask if you have time to come over—these samples need to be analyzed by you together with it."

The Broken-Waisted Wolf's meaning was to have Zhang San serve as its assistant. Xia Qing was afraid her petty idol would retaliate later, so she put it in more diplomatic terms.

Unexpectedly, even with Xia Qing's phrasing, the Broken-Waisted Wolf was still not satisfied and looked at Xia Qing solemnly.

Xia Qing quickly understood what the Broken-Waisted Wolf cared about. "You're not Third Brother's Xiao Duan—you're my lord the Queen's Broken-Waisted Wolf, the Number Two leader of our northern wolf pack, a brain-domain evolved wolf standing at the very top of Blue Star's pyramid!"

The Broken-Waisted Wolf grinned, showing the little tips of its fangs.

Zhang San, who had been looking very kind, dropped his expression and asked coldly, "How many categories of samples, and how many in total?"

Xia Qing answered honestly, "A lot. Water, soil, microorganisms, plants, and air samples. There are six types of water samples alone."

The Broken-Waisted Wolf closed its mouth and turned to look at Xia Qing solemnly.

Zhang San was also dissatisfied with Xia Qing's answer and went straight to discussing it with the Broken-Waisted Wolf. "Xiao Duan, the instruments in the Territory Three lab can't test air samples. Have Xia Qing send the samples to me for analysis?"

The Broken-Waisted Wolf closed its mouth and pawed at Xia Qing.

"Third Brother, because sampling time was limited, the Broken-Waisted one didn't number the samples, so only it knows where each was taken and how they differ. It needs to do the analysis itself." After explaining the situation, Xia Qing discussed it with the Broken-Waisted Wolf. "Broken-Waisted, let's go to Third Brother's territory together. I'll accompany you and Third Brother, and we'll use his lab equipment to test the samples—how about it?"

The Broken-Waisted Wolf thought it over for a few seconds, then nodded reluctantly.

Zhang San…