Chapter 237: Wolf? Dog? Wolf-Dog!

Seeing Xia Qing's stunned expression, Zhang San felt even better. "I'll have someone put together a recipe and send it to you later. This time, the medical fee will be deducted directly from the herb points the wolves brought back."

"Thank you, Third Brother." After thanking him, Xia Qing asked Zhang San for advice, "Do you have any potion that can be sprayed on the body to avoid insect attacks in the Evolution Forest? I'm planning to wander around the outer perimeter of the Evolution Forest for a few kilometers tomorrow."

Ji Li, who was carrying the refrigerator on his back while escorting Xia Qing back to Territory Three, noticed that Xia Qing was silent while holding the wolf-dog and assumed she was still mulling over the wolf-dog matter. "In the first two years of the Catastrophe, many domestic dogs were forced into the Evolution Forest and became wild animals. To survive, it wasn't uncommon for domestic dogs to team up with wolf packs—after all, they're distant relatives."

Xia Qing, holding the wolf-dog, sighed, "This wolf wagged its tail at me several times. I thought it was a genetic mutation, but turns out it was a bloodline awakening."

Bloodline awakening?

After a while, Ji Li came over and reminded Xia Qing, "It wagging its tail at you means it likes you and is trying to please you. Wolf-dogs have the bravery of wolves and the loyalty of dogs. Most evolved military dogs are descendants of wolf-dogs. But those were all raised and domesticated by humans, so they're dependent on people. The one you're holding grew up in the Evolution Forest with a wolf pack, so its wolf nature outweighs its dog nature. If you successfully tame it, it will become your capable assistant and loyal companion; if you fail, it will abandon you and return to the Evolution Forest. Don't be too extreme in your methods. Wolves are animals that hold grudges. Although this wolf-dog is very weak right now, its companions are very strong."

Extreme methods? Xia Qing lowered her head and stared into the sick wolf's clear eyes. "I took the wolf pack's supplies and am helping treat its illness. I don't plan to tame it. After it recovers, whether it leaves or stays, I won't interfere."

Xia Qing wasn't opposed to keeping Wolf Lao Er, who was careful and would stand guard at night, but it depended on whether it was willing. If it wasn't willing, Xia Qing didn't dare force it to stay—otherwise, the alpha wolf could kill her a thousand times over.

Ji Li saw how sad Xia Qing was about the wolf pack and assumed she wanted to tame the wolves and keep them as assistants. He hadn't expected her plan to be this.

After a long pause, Ji Li finally said, "That's pretty good."

Humans are clever and greedy. After the final red array rain of this year's third Calamity Rain began, the outer perimeter of the Safe Zone fell into chaos. Many people pretended to go mad and lose their rationality, seizing the chance to plunder others' survival supplies with extremely cruel methods.

In this Calamity Rain, the casualties from the melee exceeded those caused by the rain itself, but in the end, they were all tallied under the "Catastrophe."

This is humanity's catastrophe after the collapse of order.

After returning to Territory Three, Xia Qing put the two wolves in the sheep pen and left them in the alpha wolf's care. Then she carried the refrigerator upstairs and placed it next to the Yi Element Detector.

There was no other reason—just because there were power lines and outlets here, so she didn't need to run new wiring.

This refrigerator was brand new, divided into two storage compartments—a fresh-keeping section and a freezer section—with a total capacity of three hundred liters. This functional division was the same as refrigerators before the Catastrophe, but the design was plain, without a brand logo and not very refined. The outer panels were very thick, clearly a post-Catastrophe product.

The instruction manual stated that this refrigerator consumed one degree of electricity per day. The two sets of constant temperature and humidity equipment in the cellar consumed a total of five degrees per day under current temperature conditions. Besides these, she also had to charge her phone, radio, and walkie-talkie, plus lighting and an electric kettle. Fortunately, she had eight solar panels; otherwise, she couldn't run so many appliances.

On overcast or rainy days, eight solar panels couldn't generate enough power for so many appliances, and she'd need to use a diesel generator to supplement the electricity.

If her territory didn't have pollution-free spring water and Green Light spinach, Xia Qing would absolutely not dare to set up so many electrical appliances.

Too luxurious.

After connecting the power and the temperature inside the refrigerator began to drop, Xia Qing took a small piece of Use Yishi out of its protective case and placed it inside the refrigerator. Only this way could the refrigerator shield against Calamity Elements and truly become usable.

After the atmospheric Calamity Element content returned to normal levels, Xia Qing retrieved the Yi Stones placed on the sweet potato field, Green Light rice field, chicken coop, and the two injured wolves' necks, and put them into the Use Yishi protective cases. Only the Use Yishi placed on the Green Light spinach field continued to release Yi Elements, protecting the most important plants in Xia Qing's territory.

The ones on her and on Sheep Boss and the sick wolf were still being worn. Xia Qing never shortchanged herself, nor would she shortchange her only companion. The sick wolf was weak and also needed special protection.

After the temperature inside the refrigerator dropped, Xia Qing brought up the fresh rabbit meat from the underground storage room, stuffed it into the freezer, and put the sick wolf's probiotics and capsules and the injured wolf's medicinal patches into the fresh-keeping compartment. After putting these things in, the refrigerator was still empty. Xia Qing simply placed a few bottles of spring water inside; once the water cooled down, she'd have ice water to drink.

After working hard on a hot day, chugging a bottle of ice water cools you down and beats the heat.

Having acquired another important appliance, Xia Qing hummed a little tune as she went downstairs, greeted the alpha wolf and Sheep Boss, and began preparing for tomorrow's chestnut harvest.

Upon learning that Yan Long wasn't free, Xia Qing didn't plan to find anyone else.

Unlike the Safe Zone, when a territory needed to form a team, it couldn't post tasks at the Government Affairs Hall. Among the people Xia Qing could contact directly here, there were five olfactory evolvers, but only two advanced olfactory evolvers: Yan Long and Chang Li.

Why only advanced evolvers? Because the red squirrel was very clever. Every day, various substances were smeared on its body, causing the scent of the tracking potion on it to grow fainter and fainter.

Xia Qing had tried having Chen Zheng, a Level Five olfactory evolver, attempt it, but he could no longer track the red squirrel by smell. Now Yan Long wasn't free, and Chang Li, a Level Nine olfactory evolver, was the team medic and couldn't form a team.

So, Xia Qing decided to go herself. Based on the locator on the red squirrel, she had basically locked down the chestnut tree's location, which was still within Section Three of Mountain Forty-Nine.

In other words, the chestnut tree was growing in her private training ground. Xia Qing simply listed this harvesting activity as a training exercise.

The Evolution Forest after the Calamity Rain was indeed very dangerous, but with Xia Qing's current strength and equipment, entering the valley would at most mean no harvest; self-preservation was absolutely no problem.

Xia Qing had seen chestnut trees in the Evolution Forest during previous missions. Short ones were five or six meters tall, tall ones over ten meters. The chestnuts were wrapped in a spiky burr, and the burr's spines were very hard. Some chestnut trees were even aggressive.

Back then, Xia Qing was an external logistics personnel. After the squad's main force confirmed there was no danger, she had to quickly knock the chestnut burrs down with a stick, then collect them into bags, seal them, and carry them back to the Safe Zone.

She didn't need to prepare a stick—the forest had no shortage of sticks. The potion she just traded from Zhang San had to be brought along, and the pole pruner also needed to be sharpened, just in case it came in handy...

"Buzz—"

The phone rang. Xia Qing, who was just thinking about what equipment to bring, picked it up and saw who it was, then immediately answered, "Captain Tan."

"Sister Qing, it's Jiang Hu. I borrowed the captain's phone to call you."

Hu Zi's voice came through the phone. Xia Qing asked, "Is it time to go harvest pine cones?"

A while back, Hu Zi had arranged with Xia Qing to go to Mountain Fifty after the Calamity Rain to pick Green Light pine cones. Xia Qing figured the timing was about right.

"No." Hu Zi apologized, "The Safe Zone is short on hands right now and has reassigned us. We won't be back until the end of the month. I'll tell you the location, so you can team up with someone else to go?"

From late September to early October, large numbers of evolved migratory birds would fly over Hui-Three Base. The evolved migratory birds might attack the Safe Zone's planting center, and the fierce beasts and raptors that gathered because of the evolved migratory birds would also prey on humans. So if they wanted to harvest pine cones, they had to do it before then.

Xia Qing noted down the location Hu Zi gave her. "Once we harvest the pine cones, we'll set aside your share for you."

According to the rules, the person who discovers supplies gets one-tenth of the haul, and the person who discovers supplies and leads the way gets at least two-tenths.