Chapter 337: Victory

The sound waves from the furious roars of the evolved bears and wolf pack struck Xia Qing's chest and eardrums without pause, but none of it shocked her as much as the sight of the alpha wolf standing up and walking outside.

"My lord, have some water to replenish your stamina before you go?"

Xia Qing, who believed in stalling for as long as possible, had no reason to stop a capable, responsible, and dependable alpha wolf from going into battle. For a species to continue, it needed—and had to have—such a great leader.

The alpha wolf had been poisoned by the Qiang snake venom and lost too much stamina and blood; it needed a rapid energy boost. So what Xia Qing poured was not just pollution-free spring water—she also added a vial of premium nutrient solution.

The alpha wolf quickly finished the water and bumped Xia Qing's protective mask with its head. Xia Qing froze for a moment, because she had never seen wolves communicate with each other in this way.

This head-bumping gesture was something Xia Qing only used after she had finished a fight with Boss Goat and collapsed from exhaustion. She did it because she was elated after a thoroughly satisfying brawl. How had the alpha wolf understood the meaning of this gesture?

After drinking the spring water laced with premium nutrient solution, the alpha wolf charged out of the cave at top speed, racing toward the battlefield.

If Xia Qing hadn't injected it with serum an hour earlier and applied medicine and bandaged its four limbs that were exposed to the bone, she wouldn't have believed that a wolf poisoned by Qiang snake venom and with such severe limb injuries could move like this.

Qiang snake venom is a type of synthesized Qiang toxin.

Before Luo Pei synthesized Qiang toxin, Xia Qing had assumed all such toxins were made by humans combining excessive Qiang elements with various other poisons. Later, she learned from the two squad medics at Territory One that synthesized Qiang toxin could also occur naturally.

Qiang snakes have the ability to fuse excessive Qiang elements into their venom.

The common feature of these evolved venomous snakes is a bulge on the head, inside which is venom mixed with excessive Qiang elements. Because the bulge on the Qiang snake's head somewhat resembles a cockscomb, it is also called the Cockscomb Snake.

The Cockscomb Snake is a fictional snake-like creature with a cockscomb on its head, recorded in ancient Chinese folklore and classical texts. This creature can spray venom and toxic mist; anyone struck by it dies.

The alpha wolf's current condition was the same as Luo Pei's right after being poisoned: after the antiviral serum was injected, its poisoning symptoms lessened, but the toxin was not completely cleared.

The synthesized Qiang toxin had already entered the evolved creature's body through the bloodstream. The more times the poisoned creature used its abilities, the faster the synthesized Qiang toxin destroyed its body. If the alpha wolf survived the battle and came back, even without new injuries, its body would be weaker than when it went out.

The alpha wolf probably didn't know this now, but Xia Qing felt that even if it did, it would still go fight. Just like two months ago, when evolved raptors attacked Hui-Three Base, Luo Pei—the top combatant Hui-Three Base had against evolved raptors—set out from the territory with the remaining toxin still in his body, resolutely heading to the front line to intercept the flock.

Those who stand at the top shoulder heavier missions and responsibilities.

The bear roars and wolf howls below the mountain grew more intense, but the two sides had not actually started fighting, indicating they were probing each other's strength. As the leader of the wolf pack, the alpha wolf had to go out.

If it didn't appear, the bear group would begin their attack once probing was done.

If it appeared and displayed formidable strength, the bear group would have to carefully consider the consequences of starting a fight.

Even though dozens or hundreds of wolves and bears were roaring below the mountain, Xia Qing, a Level-Nine auditory evolver, could still pick out the alpha wolf's voice from among them. It was giving its all to roar back at the evolved bear leader, slamming its already grievously injured limbs against the ground, shattering the rocks.

A python? That thing doesn't roar, so Xia Qing in the cave couldn't hear any movement from them.

The antitoxin serum only neutralized part of the snake venom in the alpha wolf's body; it couldn't stop the pain. Right now it was enduring excruciating pain, sustained by sheer willpower and the premium nutrient solution, intimidating the evolved bear group. Xia Qing truly wanted to rush out and put a bullet through the lead bear that was roaring back at the alpha wolf.

She was an excellent sniper; she had a sniper rifle on her back and plenty of bullets. But she could not go out to fight.

Because she was human. If she joined the fight, it would mean humans had entered the battle between the two—or three—groups below the mountain.

The victorious side might be grateful to her, but the defeated side would definitely look for a chance to take revenge on humans, just like the wolf pack's sudden revenge tonight.

Xia Qing, a human, could not bear the consequences of joining the fight.

Over an hour later, when the sky was already beginning to brighten, this mutual intimidation of roars was finally brought to a close by the alpha wolf with one long, resonant howl.

After the alpha wolf finished its howl, the bear group's leader did not roar back, but led the bears in retreat amid the howling of the wolf pack.

Xia Qing heard the heavy footsteps of the evolved bears leaving, and the distinctive howls of the broken-legged wolf leaping and bounding about.

The wolf pack had won!

Xia Qing, clutching her sniper rifle, leaned against the wall, her head buzzing from this close-range roaring.

After the broken-legged wolf strutted in leaping about, the sick wolf also came back limping. Its bruised front leg had swollen a bit more—probably from slapping the rocks. An injury of this level was nothing serious for an evolver; it would recover in a few days.

Xia Qing ignored the broken-legged wolf running wild, only rubbed the sick wolf's head, then began preparing medicines, waiting for the alpha wolf to return so she could rebandage its four limbs.

The alpha wolf still hadn't returned to the cave, but the broken-waist wolf came in carrying a python over seven meters long in its mouth and dropped it in front of Xia Qing. With its movements, it told her that this python was hers.

"Thanks, Broken-Waist. If you need anything in exchange, just say so." Xia Qing didn't stand on ceremony either. After the broken-waist wolf made no demands, she began processing her spoils. Testing showed the python was on the red list, so Xia Qing decided to abandon the several hundred jin of snake meat and take only the high-value parts.

The python's fatal wound was at the heart; most of the snake skin was intact and had to be taken.

The moment she drew her dagger and got to work, Xia Qing's eyes lit up. This was actually an evolved snake with extremely hard skin—excellent material for crafting protective gear for high-level strength evolvers!

Butchering spoils was the core duty of the auxiliary logistics personnel when a squad went on a mission, and Xia Qing handled it with ease. She quickly peeled off the entire python skin, then extracted the snake heart, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and stomach that could be used for medicine. After sealing the gallbladder, she put it together with the Qiang snake into an insulated medicine chest filled with ice. The other organs and the snake skin were sealed and packed into her backpack.

Xia Qing wore a Yi stone on her person, which could drive away Qiang elements within a one-meter radius around it. The inside of her backpack had an insulating layer. Under the combined effect of both, the snake skin and organs would definitely not spoil within ten hours.

Ten hours was more than enough for her to return from Mountain Sixty to her own territory and store the snake skin in the underground storage room.

The organs and the Qiang snake? She'd trade them to her idol once she got back.

After packing her backpack, she checked on the six injured wolves and confirmed they were lucky—none had contracted a super-pathogen. Xia Qing planned to set out.

"Broken-Waist, I'm heading back to the territory. Where is my lord? It and that wolf over there with two broken hind legs have to come back to the territory with me for continued treatment."