Chapter 1721: Bird Flock Riot

On Mountain 45, inside a bulging snow mound above Bird Valley, a climbing rope nearly the same color as Bird Valley's mountain rock extended outward; a roughly circular stone weighing fifteen jin was tied to the rope's end, and the stone slowly descended down the nearly vertical cliff face.

Below was exactly the area where Xia Qing had harvested soybeans last August.

The stone dropped 30.6 meters and had just landed on the snow at the valley bottom when three blood-red vine tendrils burst through the snow, coiled around the small stone, and dragged it into a crevice below the stone wall; the climbing rope instantly snapped taut.

Seeing the rope in Xia Qing's hand go taut, Xin Yu, who had been watching Guagua's matchmaking situation, turned to glance at the screen and asked in a lowered voice, "Looks like a trigger-type aggressive mutant plant. Are the vines strong?"

Xia Qing, easily holding the rope, answered softly, "Not that strong, the rope won't snap. Leave this side to me; you keep an eye on Guagua, and if there's danger, call it back immediately."

Xin Yu responded and stared fixedly at the tree over a dozen meters away. The brain-evolved raven Jasmine, wearing a silver anklet, still perched on a branch, neck tucked in, motionless.

It had already maintained this posture for thirteen minutes. No matter how those few male ravens interested in it flaunted their feathers, flying ability, and vigorous figures, Jasmine showed no interest at all, making Xin Yu shake her head repeatedly.

At the bottom of Bird Valley, after the stone tied to the rope stopped moving, the blood-red thorny vines coiled around the small stone gradually loosened. After Xia Qing slowly pulled a few times, the vines tightened again and wound onto the rope, beginning to climb upward.

As the vines slowly climbed upward, the rope, originally the same color as the mountain rock, gradually turned red and became unusually conspicuous, finally drawing the attention of several large birds watching the excitement from the treetop.

A large black bird flew over and landed in front of the snow-mound bunker where Xia Qing and Xin Yu were hiding, tilting its pitch-black head and staring at them.

Based on the scars on this large black bird's beak, Xin Yu immediately recognized it as the same large black bird Xia Qing had encountered when she came to collect soybeans last year.

Sensing that this bird had no strong negative emotions, Xin Yu carefully took a dried fig from her pocket and slowly placed it on the snow outside the bunker.

This large black bird only glanced at it, then continued staring at Xia Qing and Xin Yu.

Guagua was still on the big tree inside Bird Valley, the red vines hadn't climbed up yet, so they couldn't withdraw now. Xin Yu took out two more green-pine nuts, two dried mealworms, and a locust, placing them beside the dried fig—all foods ravens liked.

But this large black bird's magnetic field didn't change noticeably because so many delicious foods had appeared before it. The more Xin Yu watched this bird, the more satisfied she became. But it already had a mate; in the nest at the best position on the treetop where it had just been, there was another raven.

Xia Qing stared at this large black bird with her eyes while slowly pulling the climbing rope—whose tension was growing greater—up and down with her hand, using her magnetic-sense evolution ability to perceive the blood-red vines below.

It's coming!

Eight meters!

In principle, in severe cold of around minus twenty degrees, a plant's activity should be much weaker than in autumn. But when she came to collect soybeans last August, the distance at which she could sense this vine's aggressive magnetic field was five meters; now she could sense it from eight meters away.

Without a comparison, Xia Qing couldn't be certain right now whether her magnetic-sense evolution ability had grown stronger, or the vines' aggression had grown stronger. But one thing was certain: the blood-red vines' climbing speed was definitely no slower than in August.

This was very bizarre.

Six meters, five meters, four meters. The large black bird staring at them seemed to sense the blood-red vines approaching, quickly hopped forward one step, used its claws to swiftly snatch up the dried fig and mealworms, and flew away.

Xia Qing drew a dagger with her right hand, gripped the climbing rope with her left, the muscles in her arm bulging, and calmly ordered, "The vines are coming up. Call Guagua back to the team, call Hu Zifeng to lower the rappel rope."

"Got it." Xin Yu immediately contacted their companion. Guagua immediately flew back. Before the helicopter's roar arrived, she sensed a powerful aggressive magnetic field approaching fast. "Handsome Giant Wolf is here."

The instant Xin Yu finished speaking, Handsome Giant Wolf landed in front of Xia Qing and Xin Yu, raised a paw about to snap the climbing rope that the red vines had coiled around and were climbing.

Xia Qing immediately set down the dagger, reached out her right hand and gripped Handsome Giant Wolf's raised foreleg, "Brother Giant Wolf, don't move. I need to collect a sample of these vines."

"Wooo—"

Handsome Giant Wolf bared its pale fangs and let out a low, majestic roar at Xia Qing.

Just two more meters and she could have collected the sample. Xia Qing refused to give up, "Giant Wolf…"

"Woo!!" Handsome Giant Wolf let out an even more majestic roar.

Sensing that Handsome Giant Wolf was truly angry, its magnetic field becoming extremely aggressive, Xin Yu was just about to open her mouth to warn her friend when she saw her release Handsome Giant Wolf's foreleg.

Xia Qing released Handsome Giant Wolf while seriously instructing, "Brother Giant Wolf, don't swat at it, the rope will break. I'll let go…"

Before Xia Qing finished speaking, she felt the tension in her left hand vanish! She immediately let go of the rope, grabbed Handsome Giant Wolf's foreleg with both hands, and yanked it forcefully into the bunker, then pressed tight against the bunker's entrance!

"Boom!"

"Woo!!"

"Caw—"

"Mm…"

The snapped rope, with the blood-red vines attached, shot upward and slapped against the outside of the bunker with a muffled thud; Handsome Giant Wolf, pulled into the bunker, raged and roared loudly at Xia Qing; the raven Jasmine, terrified, cawed once and buried its head under its wing; Xin Yu, struck at close range by an overwhelmingly violent magnetic field attack, clutched her head and involuntarily let out a muffled groan.

Xia Qing, arms around Handsome Giant Wolf's neck, cooed softly, "Brother Giant Wolf, the rope broke, the vines snapped, I'm sorry."

"Woo!!" Handsome Giant Wolf wouldn't listen, struggling.

Xin Yu couldn't hold on any longer, quickly inhaling a trial medicine from Territory Seven—Magnetic-Sense Pain-Relief Liquid.

"Brother Giant Wolf, don't be angry, let's go back tonight and take a bath, okay?"

"Woo!!!!" Handsome Giant Wolf wouldn't listen, struggling hard!

Seeing she couldn't soothe it, Xia Qing quickly dug an egg out of her backpack, stuffed it into Handsome Giant Wolf's mouth, and crushed it. "Brother Giant Wolf, eat an egg."

As Handsome Giant Wolf swallowed the egg, the brain-evolved raven beside them let out an excited cry. Xin Yu immediately realized things were about to go badly, quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into a protective box fitted with an air filter.

The bird cries outside grew louder and louder; countless aggressive magnetic fields rushed straight toward the bunker, slamming into the protective bunker with bang after bang.

Handsome Giant Wolf roared, telling Xia Qing to let it go—it wanted to go out and fight.

The Magnetic-Sense Pain-Relief Liquid hadn't taken effect yet, the magnetic field attack exceeded the limit Xin Yu could endure. She collapsed weakly, and said feebly, "I can't… hold on."

Xia Qing, pressing down firmly on Handsome Giant Wolf, said calmly, "You rest easy. I'll take you all back to the helicopter in a bit."

The helicopter's roar came through. Seeing the area above surrounded by flocks of birds, deputy team leader Wang Man immediately used the walkie-talkie to ask, "Captain, do you need support?"

Xia Qing, locking down Handsome Giant Wolf with both hands and legs, said calmly, "No need. You all immediately gain altitude, don't provoke the birds into attacking the helicopter."

This snow-mound bunker was high-grade equipment Xia Qing had just traded with Boss Wu for. Let alone a flock of birds, even the Western Tiger King couldn't break through it!