Chapter 1696: The Evolved Tiger Who Can Activate Mechanisms

Xia Qing arrived at Zone Six of Mountain 49 at top speed, and stood before the silent Old Four, Blindy the tiger whose gaping mouth showed the back of its throat, the irritable Western Wolf King, and the equally irritable Western Tiger King.

Around them, the stone was cracked and the trees toppled.

Xia Qing had barely caught her breath and opened her mouth when Old Four turned and looked back, signaling her to follow — they were setting out. Its intent was obvious: it wasn't giving Xia Qing the chance to open her mouth and demand compensation.

Compensation for what? Of course, for the cameras damaged by the evolved wolves and evolved tigers.

In front of one wolf and two tigers, Xia Qing gave Old Four that face.

Closing her mouth, Xia Qing pulled a small packet of freeze-dried treats from her side pocket and stuffed them into the big mouth in front of her. "Old Five, long time no see. You look even burlier — congratulations."

After passing Blindy the tiger, Xia Qing walked toward the Western Wolf King, who was roaring at her. "Wolf King, my lord, long time no see."

The Western Wolf King immediately leapt aside and let out an angry roar at Xia Qing.

To figure out what this fellow had come for, she'd have to ask Old Four. But Old Four wasn't giving her the chance to demand compensation right now and refused to communicate, so this matter would have to be discussed later.

So Xia Qing turned to look at the Western Tiger King ahead — its build about the same as Pian Tiger's, but several hundred jin burlier. "Tiger King, my lord, hello. I'm Xia Qing, a human."

"Smack!" The irritable Western Tiger King lashed its tail and sent a stone flying, then lunged to flatten Xia Qing. Xia Qing didn't move a muscle, while Beard Feng and Jing Kuan over at the cameras were so startled they both stood up.

Old Four moved swiftly, placing itself in front of Xia Qing, and let out a deep wolf howl, "Aoo~ woo~ woo~"

That howl from Old Four meant the Western Tiger King was also a cub it had watched grow up.

Seeing the Western Tiger King retract its claws and shut its mouth in sullen displeasure, Xia Qing's taut nerves immediately relaxed. She made her request to the old wolf standing in front of her — the one who held the tiger lineage's reins. "Old Four, I'm tired. Can I ride a tiger on the road?"

Old Four said nothing and kept walking forward.

"If I can't ride a tiger, riding a wolf works too."

Old Four still said nothing and kept moving.

Watching one person, two wolves, and two tigers leave Mountain 49 and enter the Mountain 52 territory, Jing Kuan in the Mountain 49 monitoring room asked, "Boss, what did Qing-jie's gesture mean just now? Is she telling us to go clean up Zone Six now?"

Beard Feng shook his head. "She's telling us to keep the recordings and take photos to document the damage in that area."

Jing Kuan was stunned. "And then? Who do we claim compensation from? The tigers, the wolves, or… Qing-jie?"

Who would go demand compensation — their own squad leader?

"Aoo—"

Xia Qing had just led the two wolves and two tigers out of Mountain 49 when members of the Northern Wolf Pack patrolling Mountain 52 spotted the intruders, struck attack poses, and opened their mouths in warning, telling them not to advance any further.

"Woo!"

Before it could finish its roar, Xia Qing had already walked in front of Old Four and let out an authoritative low growl at the wolves guarding the mountain.

The wolves guarding the mountain naturally recognized Xia Qing and understood the meaning of her growl, but they still didn't retreat, standing in place with their fur bristling as they growled softly.

Truly worthy of being a main combat wolf of the Northern Wolf Pack — facing an evolved tiger whose combat strength was unknown times greater than its own, it still didn't back down!

Xia Qing let out a satisfied low growl, had Old Four restrain the one wolf and two tigers behind them, and took over leading the group herself. She set out along the fringe of Mountain 49, heading toward Mountain 50.

Xia Qing was a member of the Northern Wolf Pack. Since she was leading the detour and no longer approaching the Northern Wolf Pack's core territory, the main combat wolves guarding the mountain didn't growl again — they just stood on high ground watching them.

Half an hour later, Xia Qing led the two wolves and two tigers past Mountain 50's surveillance, greeted three patrolling wolves of the Northern Wolf Pack, and entered the valley beneath the Fourth Peak of Mountain 50.

Then the person-wolf-tiger squad trudged through the snow past a dozen or so aggressive evolved trees, heading toward the mountain fissure that led to the wild boar cave.

The Western Tiger King and Blindy the tiger, who had been following behind the old wolf, caught Pian Tiger's scent and in a single bound landed ten-plus meters ahead at the mountain fissure. The Western Wolf King sniffed here, sniffed there, then bared its fangs, its pale-blue eyes on that icy face brimming with killing intent.

Just then, a brown-gray figure came leaping swiftly from the evolved forest to the north, and the two wolves and two tigers almost simultaneously turned to look at the evolved wolf charging over.

Xia Qing spoke first to greet it. "Broken-Back, over here."

After receiving Beard Feng's notification, Xia Qing immediately sent a message in the Blue Star Alliance group chat, informing the two leaders of the Northern Wolf Pack: Old Wolf had entered the Northern Wolf Pack's fringe territory with the Western Wolf King, the Western Tiger King, and Blindy the tiger, and shortly Xia Qing would take them to visit the sick, hospitalized Pian Tiger.

At Broken-Back Wolf's speed, it had surely secured the core territory before rushing over.

Broken-Back Wolf leaped out of the evolved forest and landed steadily atop a rock over six meters high, its killing-intent gaze locking directly onto the Western Tiger King.

From Broken-Back Wolf's movements, Xia Qing judged that it had never dealt with the Western Tiger King before. At a first meeting, the leaders of fierce beasts naturally had to show off their muscle.

Xia Qing, the Northern Wolf Pack's Number Four combatant, nimbly climbed up onto the big rock and stood to Broken-Back Wolf's right. The Western Wolf King also jumped onto the rock and stood to Broken-Back Wolf's left.

The Western Wolf Pack and the Northern Wolf Pack were iron allies, so it was perfectly natural for the Western Wolf King to stand on Broken-Back Wolf's side.

Blindy the tiger stood beside the Western Tiger King, while Old Wolf stood in the center, not participating in this contest.

Half a minute later, the bristling fur on Broken-Back Wolf's neck settled, and this silent contest ended swiftly. Old Four looked at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing asked, "Old Four, you want me to go open the mechanism inside the wild boar cave and let Pian Tiger through?"

The old wolf nodded.

"Alright. You go say hello to Pian Tiger first, then keep the Western Tiger King, Western Wolf King, and Blindy the tiger in check — don't let them make a racket later and alert the humans or the Queen."

Broken-Back Wolf nodded solemnly, indicating that what Xia Qing had said was exactly what it had wanted to say.

After Old Wolf nodded again, Xia Qing said goodbye to Broken-Back Wolf and the Western Wolf King, jumped straight off the rock into the mountain fissure, and went to open the stone switch she had set up to release Pian Tiger.

Before Xia Qing had even reached the inside of the wild boar cave, she heard the muffled sound of rock grinding from ahead. Xia Qing stopped and looked forward.

Fifteen seconds later, footsteps and the breathing of an evolved tiger came from within the mountain fissure. Twenty seconds later, two big lightbulbs lit up in Xia Qing's infrared night-vision goggles.

Xia Qing gazed calmly at those two lightbulbs and spoke. "Brother Pian opened the stone mechanism and came over on his own? You're really something — you learned it in one go. Old Four brought your companions to visit you; they're in the valley outside."

Earlier today, around three in the morning, Xia Qing had not only taught Old Four how to open the stone mechanism inside the wild boar cave, but had also taught Pian Tiger. Then, with Old Four, she led it through this fissure, took a stroll around the base of the Fourth Peak of Mountain 50, and sent it back again. She did this so Pian Tiger would understand it wasn't being confined and could come and go freely.

Pian Tiger's condition had been very poor at the time, and Xia Qing had thought it hadn't learned how to operate the switch. She hadn't expected it had learned.

Truly worthy of a brain-domain evolver, truly worthy of being Old Four's friend!

Pian Tiger opened its mouth and exhaled, and a large patch of high-temperature bright spots instantly appeared in front of the infrared goggles Xia Qing was wearing. She steadied herself, and while talking to Pian Tiger, she backed up. "Let's go. We'll go out and meet your companions."

There were none of her companions here, so Xia Qing didn't dare turn around and present her back to this evolved tiger — which, though poisoned, was still immensely powerful.