Chapter 411: Provoking the Evolved Bear

Although the wind interfered, Xia Qing could still rely on her advanced evolved hearing to accurately pinpoint the refugee squad's location — southwest, two hundred meters in a straight line.

Southwest, two hundred meters…

Xia Qing quickly made a decision. She led the Sick Wolf back ten meters and had it hide behind an ordinary tree more than an arm's span thick without moving. Then Xia Qing swiftly pulled out her Cat Claw Shoes, put them on, climbed quickly to a height of six meters, brought out her silenced sniper rifle, and aimed at the target.

Once the fully armed six-person refugee squad reached the spot Xia Qing had chosen, she fired one shot and hit a tree vine a hundred and sixty meters away.

The fact that Xia Qing had survived to the tenth year of the apocalypse was certainly not due to luck alone. Back when her strength was insufficient, she had taken every step with great caution. Now that her strength had grown, she still dared not relax in the slightest, and every step she took remained just as cautious. If she weren't sufficiently confident, she wouldn't have dared today to enter Mountain 50 with the Sick Wolf, knowing full well that refugees were hunting on Mountain 50's Second Peak.

With every step forward, she carefully observed the surroundings, calculating how she could best use the creatures in the evolved forest to fight if something unexpected happened.

The evolved vines of the same kind that had trapped the falcon and the centipede, and the evolved giant lizards in the pond nearby, were now all Xia Qing's "companions."

After being attacked, the tree vines launched an indiscriminate assault, churning up an area over forty meters in radius. The animals hidden in or near this zone scattered in all directions to dodge, and the evolved giant lizards by the water's edge also began to hunt. The prey they chose was, of course, the six humans with the biggest bodies.

Watching the refugee squad's counterattack speed and combat style, Xia Qing knew this was a well-coordinated, battle-hardened squad. Within twenty minutes, they would surely be able to shake off the giant lizards and the tree vines.

But twenty minutes was more than enough.

Xia Qing quickly climbed down the tree, put away her Cat Claw Shoes, and led the Sick Wolf back along the same route out of Mountain 50, returning to Mountain 49, Zone 7. This was Green Dragon Squad's territory, perfectly safe.

Xia Qing had the Sick Wolf rest at the base of the tree while she stepped into her Cat Claw Shoes, swiftly climbed a large pine tree, and hid behind it to observe the battle unfolding in the Mountain 50 area.

After the refugee squad drove off the giant lizards, they showed no interest in the lizards' corpses and pressed on. Seeing that these people weren't heading toward the rock crevice where the green-light peanuts grew, Xia Qing reported "all clear" to Beard Feng, then led the Sick Wolf through Mountain 49 under cover of darkness, and at eight in the evening, returned to Territory 3 through the Beimen.

Xiao Jiang, who had been guarding her territory, came over to ask as soon as the Sick Wolf returned to the village, "Sister Qing, did you find it?"

Xia Qing nodded. "You could say I found it, but there wasn't enough time to lock down the exact location."

Xiao Jiang was happy for Xia Qing too. "After tracking the red squirrel for so long, there's finally going to be a payoff! Sister Qing, what time are you heading out tomorrow morning?"

Xia Qing shook her head. "I probably won't make it tomorrow. Refugees from Territory 2 went up Mountain 50's Third Peak. I suspect they're after the evolved bear."

"No way…"

"Roar—"

Before Xiao Jiang could finish speaking, the furious roar of an evolved bear rang out. No need to doubt it now — those people from Territory 2 really were going after the evolved bear!

"Dammit!" Xiao Jiang cursed and ran toward the Beimen. "Sister Qing, I'm heading back first."

"Baa—"

"Boss, I'm back!" Xia Qing heard Ram Boss's anxious call and immediately shouted back, running toward home.

Before she met Ram Boss, Xia Qing saw the Sick Wolf sprinting toward her at top speed. It charged at a tree as thick as a human thigh located more than two meters from the wire-net wall inside the North Buffer Forest, and using the rebound from the tree, it vaulted cleanly over the four-meter-plus wire-net fence, racing toward Wolf Den in Mountain 49, Zone 3, to protect its injured companion — the Broken-Leg Wolf's sister.

Seeing this scene, Xia Qing confirmed that the Sick Wolf was even smarter than she had thought.

"Roar—"

A second furious bear roar came from the distance. Xia Qing met her companions at the village entrance. She stroked Ram Boss, who was pressing tightly against her leg, while tilting her head to listen carefully.

Hearing the gunfire, Xia Qing's face grew solemn.

The temperature was already approaching zero now. In such cold, an evolved bear would be holed up in a warm cave sleeping. So it was these people who had run into the bear's den and provoked the evolved bear.

If they charged into the bear's den and slaughtered the bear, it could very well enrage the two brain-domain evolved bear leaders on Mountain 61. If those bears decided to take revenge on humans, this walled-less human territory would be the first stop on their retaliation.

Damn!

"Roar!"

This bear roar was clearly different from the previous two — a second evolved bear had been roused as well, and the gunfire grew more intense.

"All lords or proxies of Territories 1 through 10, please report immediately whether any of your territory's personnel are stranded inside the evolved forest on Mountain 50."

Beard Feng was the first to report. "Territory 1, none."

Xia Qing waited a few seconds. Hearing no one from Territory 2 speak up, she pressed the walkie-talkie button. "Territory 3, none."

Zhao's Mother followed right after. "Everyone in Territory 4 is inside the territory."

……

Even after waiting until Zhong Tao reported, Territory 2 still hadn't responded. Tan Junjie called them out directly. "Territory 2, please respond."

Tang Zhengpo replied mildly, "Captain Tan, Territory 2's proxy Tang Huai was injured and sent to Territory 7 for treatment. Before leaving, he completed the handover. Territory 2 is now temporarily proxied by Zhou Xun."

Tan Junjie replied, "Copy. Territory 2 temporary proxy Zhou Xun, please respond."

More than ten seconds later, Zhou Xun finally responded, fuming. "Captain Tan, a ten-person refugee squad that left Territory 2 ran into evolved beasts on Mountain 50. Only four made it back; the other six haven't returned and their status is unknown. I just tried the walkie-talkie — I can't reach them."

Tan Junjie's voice remained calm and stern. "Territory 2, report the weapons and equipment of the six who haven't returned."

After a two-minute pause, Zhou Xun reported, "When they set out, they carried four homemade pistols and twenty grenades. Their mission today was to hunt herbivores. They must have run into the bear by accident."

"Copy. Everyone in Territories 1 through 10, do not leave your territory, and keep your walkie-talkies open."

After Tan Junjie gave the order, Territory 8's proxy Zhou Zhaoping asked, "I heard there are brain-domain evolved bears deep in the northern evolved forest?"

Beard Feng answered, "In the evolved forest more than sixty li to the north, at least two adult brain-domain evolved bears have been confirmed."

Hearing Beard Feng's answer and then another bear roar after another, Zhao Ze was terrified. "You mean the kind of bear that, in the fourth year of the apocalypse, led a huge pack of evolved bears and wiped out a gathering area of over ten thousand people at the Bai Si base? There are two of those bears living near us? Oh my god—"

"Correct." Beard Feng answered Zhao Ze's question, then pointed the finger directly at Territory 2. "Territory 2, surely you didn't fail to brief your outgoing hunting squad on intel this important beforehand?"