Chapter 280: The Wolf Pack Leaves the Territory

The two immediately stepped back, signaling they meant no harm. Only after they returned to their original positions and set down their weapons did the Broken-Back Wolf resume staring at the loudspeaker hanging on the big tree by the reservoir.

The wolf howl that had just come from the loudspeaker was truly too harrowing; even Xia Qing felt a chill listening to it, and the Broken-Back Wolf, as a fellow wolf, probably picked up even more from it.

Xia Qing was just about to soothe it with a few words when the Broken-Back Wolf suddenly sprang into action.

With a single bound it leaped from the high slope straight down to the low slope, landing on the open ground beside the greenhouse, then leapt high into the air and swatted the loudspeaker hanging on the dawn redwood flat with one paw, crushing it.

The loudspeaker let out a piercing burst of electronic static and fell together with the broken branch, crashing into the mud puddle beneath the dawn redwood.

The evolved wolf's sudden attack made Beard Feng's squad instinctively raise their guns, ready to fight.

Xia Qing, who had already taken off her protective mask, could only run downhill while shouting, "Put the guns down, I'll handle it."

The Broken-Back Wolf ran down behind Xia Qing, letting out anxious "aowu" sounds.

Seeing its fangs bared, the Broken-Back Wolf watched the other humans lower their weapons, then turned toward Xia Qing and the Sick Wolf's direction and threw back its head in a mournful howl:

"Aoooo—"

This howl was almost identical to the one that had come from the loudspeaker.

After the howl, the Broken-Back Wolf leaped up over four meters high, leaving deep claw marks on the dawn redwood, then used the momentum to turn and vault straight over Xia Qing and the Sick Wolf's heads, running without looking back toward Section Three of Mountain Forty-Nine.

The Sick Wolf circled Xia Qing once, then turned and ran after the Broken-Back Wolf.

Beard Feng walked over to Xia Qing and asked quietly, "Scared you? That Broken-Back Wolf got angry because of the howl from the loudspeaker?"

Xiao Jiang was so shocked his tongue couldn't even straighten out, "Qing-jie, that paw that just smashed the loudspeaker—was that really the evolved wolf with the injured back?"

Although the Broken-Back Wolf and the Sick Wolf rarely appeared before humans, Beard Feng's squad, who often roamed Xia Qing's territory, could tell them apart—after all, the two wolves differed greatly in build.

Xia Qing nodded slowly.

She wasn't scared, but the Broken-Back Wolf's leaps just now made her recognize this wolf—last year, when they wiped out the Fengyun Squad, the Broken-Back Wolf had leapt between the trees just like this, swatting down one human after another hiding in the branches to shoot at the pack.

It's just that its coat had no distinguishing features, and its injured back made it move slowly; after arriving at the territory it had never shown Xia Qing its leaping ability, so she hadn't recognized it.

Over the walkie-talkie, Tang Huai asked, "Hey Hu, what's going on? Did you guys do something to the evolved wolf too? Why is its howl the same as the one from the recording loudspeaker?"

"Boss, Qing-jie." Chen Zheng, who hadn't come over from Territory One, reported through his earpiece walkie-talkie, "A wolf in a protective suit smashed the camera hanging on the big tree at the abandoned cave entrance in Section Three. Should we send someone to check?"

The camera at the abandoned cave entrance was the only one in Section Three of Mountain Forty-Nine. It had been installed because Xia Qing had needed Beard Feng's squad to help watch over the two injured wolves when she had to move them into the Section Three cave.

Xia Qing, holding her protective mask in her hand, wasn't surprised, because the Broken-Back Wolf had stared at the camera while in the abandoned cave. "No need to check. Please notify everyone: the wolf pack will leave Mountain Forty-Nine along the Number One valley, then head deep into the Evolution Forest through the valley between Mountains Forty-Nine and Fifty. Do not block them."

"Copy." Chen Zheng acknowledged.

Beard Feng was about to speak when he saw Sheep Leader, wearing a protective suit, come bleating out of the village. It was migratory bird season—raptors could pass over at any moment—and a sheep running around the territory was far too dangerous.

Xia Qing immediately pulled on her protective mask and rushed up to block Sheep Leader.

"Baa!!" Sheep Leader called anxiously.

Xia Qing answered softly, "Leader, the Broken-Back Wolf and Wolf Lao Er have left our territory and are taking the other wolves back to the Evolution Forest."

"Baa!" Sheep Leader pawed the ground anxiously, calling to the pack, "Baa—"

"The Broken-Back Wolf reacted strongly to the howl from the loudspeaker and got angry." Xia Qing continued, "I don't know if they'll come back."

Sheep Leader called out twice more, getting no response from the pack. Frantic, it charged north along the valley between Territories Three and Four. Xia Qing didn't block it, following behind to protect it.

Reaching the northern isolation belt, Sheep Leader stopped and called anxiously to the pack, just as it had five months ago when it first heard the alpha wolf's howl and rushed to check.

After calling a few times, Sheep Leader realized the pack had gone far away, and only then lowered its head and walked back. It was truly heartbroken—not even the thought of picking a fight.

On the lord channel, Tan Junjie was once again reporting that flocks of migratory birds were coming.

Xia Qing looked down and asked Sheep Leader, "The migratory birds are coming again. Are you coming with me up the high slope, or going home?"

Sheep Leader pawed the ground a few times, climbed the high slope, and lay down under the green-light big jujube tree. Xia Qing sat beside it, removed the sniper magazine, loaded it full, then held the rifle and gazed at the sky.

Soon, over twenty swallows being chased by six evolved sparrowhawks fled in panic over Mountain Forty-Nine. After the Great Biological Evolution, the danger level in nature had shot straight up—migratory birds now traveled in flocks of hundreds. This group of swallows had probably been hunted by the sparrowhawks all night, with only these few left.

For so few, there was no need to fly kites to drive them off. Sparrowhawks, though agile, had weaker attack power than other evolved hawks. Xia Qing gave the order, "Ignore the swallows. I'll take care of the sparrowhawks."

"Copy." Zhao Ze responded immediately.

The swallows were flying at only five hundred meters, and the sparrowhawks, chasing them, weren't flying high either. When they passed over Section Three of Mountain Forty-Nine and entered the airspace above Territories Three and Four, Xia Qing shot down all six evolved sparrowhawks, one bullet each.

The swallows, freed from danger, had no need to keep flying. They circled a few times above Territory Three and landed by the reservoir to drink and rest.

Past five in the afternoon, Tan Junjie reported that all the migratory birds had passed through, and that the raptors and fierce beasts gathering in the nearby Evolution Forest were heading to Hui-Five Base under the lead of over twenty high-level evolved beasts.

In other words, this year's migratory bird season's final fierce battle would be fought at Hui-Five Base, and the territory at the foot of Mountain Forty-Nine at Hui-Three Base was temporarily safe. Everyone greeted each other over the walkie-talkies, sharing their relief.

Kuang Qingwei went from territory to territory, refunding points to those who had bought the loudspeaker.

After refunding Xia Qing ten points, he then handed over a box of yellow peach canned fruit. Food was scarce after the catastrophe, and fruit was scarcest of all. Xia Qing hadn't seen yellow peach canned fruit in years, let alone tasted it.

Xia Qing knew he would certainly bring a thank-you gift, but she hadn't expected it to be so generous.

Kuang Qingwei thanked her sincerely, "Little sis saved my life this time. I know you don't care for empty pleasantries, so I won't say much. I, Old Kuang, have no other skills and can't help you with anything big, but from now on if you're short on anything just tell me—as long as I can find it, I'll give it to you at cost."

"Thank you, Qing-ge." He had come to offer his thanks sincerely, so Xia Qing accepted, and asked quietly, "Qing-ge, what's the deal with that howl? Who recorded it for you?"