Chapter 415: The Frost Descends

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Sufen and Liehuo used the refugee squad to attack the evolved bears, intending to draw out the bear group from Mountain 61, so they could take the opportunity to sneak into the giant python's territory next to Bear Mountain to cause trouble.

Their behavior, which completely disregarded the safety of the territory, enraged the people of the territory. The plane was bombed, they lost their transport, and couldn't rush deep into the Evolution Forest. Instead, the wolf pack of Mountain 60 seized the opportunity when the evolved bears went out and struck immediately.

If the wolf pack's sneak attack succeeds, they will be the biggest winners of this battle. The intelligence of evolved animals is truly unimaginable.

How far will the wolf pack evolve in a few more years? How should humans get along with advanced evolved animals? Xia Qing pondered seriously while patrolling the territory.

One in the morning, a cold air mass struck, and the temperature plummeted to -13°C. The water vapor in the air condensed into frost on the ground. Xia Qing took off her mask, felt the biting cold wind, and saw the white breath she exhaled.

The frost of the tenth year of the natural disaster has descended.

Two bears trampled across the frost at full speed to Mountain 50, found their injured companion, caught the scent of humans in the air, and bared their fangs.

Deep in the Evolution Forest, the wolf pack was locked in a fierce battle with a giant python. The two brain-domain evolved bears on Mountain 61 were startled awake and opened their eyes.

Inside Territory 2, lights blazed. In the compost fungal powder production plant in the north of Territory 8, machinery was still running. In the white building in the south, Xin Yu was adjusting equipment under the light. Five domesticated birds and beasts of various sizes perched on a wooden rack, among which an evolved eagle had its right wing slightly drooping.

Inside Territory 9, several researchers in white coats gathered in the lab, staring solemnly at the green-light spinach in the central hydroponic pool.

Inside the tin shack of Territory 14, a man curled up in a tattered quilt, shivering from the cold.

In the warm, air-conditioned room of Territory 7, pale-faced Zhang San sank into a large, soft C-shaped pillow, fast asleep.

People in other territories were busy taking various measures to protect their crops from frost damage.

Inside the breeding greenhouse of Territory 3, Xia Qing checked that the green-light chickens, yellow-light rabbits, green-light yellow mealworms, and the spring-water fish in the tank were all normal, then went to check the temperature and humidity gauge.

The temperature was 15°C, down two degrees, still within the acceptable range for the animals; humidity was 75%, up three percentage points, exceeding the suitable range. If humidity rose further, the animals would feel uncomfortable.

She could no longer rely solely on the drip-free film's own drainage to reduce air humidity. Xia Qing immediately carried several large bundles of dry grass from the small shed and spread them over the greenhouse's ground film. Dry grass absorbs moisture from the air and lowers humidity.

Sick Wolf helped Xia Qing spread the grass, scratching and biting at it. Though it looked busy, it was actually making more work, but Xia Qing didn't stop it.

After spreading the dry grass, Xia Qing called her companion and they left the greenhouse together. Before they had stepped out of the small shed, she heard the faint sound of a bird flapping its wings.

A sound at this decibel level is impossible for non-hearing-evolved humans to pick out from the wind. So Xia Qing pretended not to hear. Only when the Sick Wolf beside her raised its head, bared its fangs, and growled did Xia Qing raise her gun.

"Bang!"

"Thud!"

The Sufen reconnaissance team member behind the surveillance screen in Territory 2 saw Xia Qing raise her handgun, but before he could direct the recon bird to evade, the surveillance image began to change rapidly. He immediately pressed the detonation button, then reported, "The recon bird that entered Territory 3 has been shot down. Detonated."

Xu Pin, who had been sitting on the sofa in the back looking at his phone, walked over. "Pull up the surveillance."

"Yes, sir." The team member opened the footage the recon bird had transmitted before being shot down and enlarged it.

Xu Pin stared at the imposing wolf-dog in a protective suit on the screen and frowned. "Is this the evolved wolf that was nearly dead three months ago?"

The surveillance operator quickly pulled up the video recorded when Zhang Yong and Xu Juan entered Territory 3, found the image of the thin, patchy-furred evolved wolf in the sheep pen, and compared them. "Although the build and fur density are very different, based on facial features, it is indeed the same one."

"Ah! Captain Xu, the recon bird over Territory 8 has been caught by a raptor!"

Xu Pin turned immediately, saw the adjacent surveillance screen blur into a smear of motion, and ordered, "What are you waiting for? Detonate it now!"

"Yes, sir." The reconnaissance team member pressed the detonation button, but the image was still shaking rapidly, and the recon bird let out a scream. "Captain Xu, detonation failed."

"Captain Xu, look—it's an evolved eagle-owl." On the high-altitude recon bird monitor for Territory 2, a raptor with a wingspan over one meter was clutching the recon bird above Territory 8 and flying toward a large tree inside Territory 8. Because its speed wasn't that fast, the species of raptor could be identified.

Evolved eagle-owl, king of the dark, the natural enemy of small recon birds.

"At this distance we can't detonate the explosive on the recon bird, which means the signal transmission is being jammed." The captain of the Sufen reconnaissance squad speculated, "This eagle-owl might be carrying a signal-jamming device."

In other words, it might be a domesticated bird.

Xu Pin immediately ordered, "Recall all recon birds outside Territory 2, and keep a close eye on Territory 3."

Huh?

The reconnaissance captain reminded him, "Pin-ge, Territory 8 is more suspicious than Territory 3."

Xu Pin looked at the two blackened screens and smiled eerily. "Territory 8 has the Heavy Union Group behind it. Let the captain use that woman in Territory 3 to vent his fire first."

"Understood." The reconnaissance captain chuckled twice and quietly discussed with Xu Pin, "Pin-ge, in weather this cold, the brothers going out will really suffer…"

Xu Pin shot him a single glance. The reconnaissance captain immediately shut up and laughed dryly.

"You don't need many people. Just keep an eye on the north and south gates of Territory 3. The moment Xia Qing goes out, report it immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Inside Territory 3, after Xia Qing waited for the inspection team to come take away the recon bird's remains, she was about to go check the potted strawberries and mint in the planting greenhouse when she suddenly received a message from Beard Feng:

One person is hidden in the northern wasteland grass wall inside Territory 2, and another in the northern isolation belt of Territory 3. Their surveillance target is the north and south gates of Territory 3.

First recon birds, now people staking out… Tang Zhengsu and Xu Pin can't possibly think she was the one who bombed Territory 2's helicopter, can they?

A few days ago, them watching wouldn't have mattered—Xia Qing had nothing here she was afraid of them seeing. But tonight was different, because the wolf pack would very likely bring the captured python into Territory 3.

Xia Qing contacted the inspection team that had just left, and reported the situation.

Cao Xianyun responded immediately, "Copy that. We'll head over in a bit. We'll say we were the ones who found them. Qing-jie, don't show yourself. The people from Territory 2 are going crazy everywhere."

"Okay, thanks for your hard work." After hanging up, Xia Qing quietly waited for over ten minutes before she heard the inspection squad enter the northern isolation belt of Territory 3 and smoothly take away the surveillance personnel hiding in the grass nest.

Not long after, Xia Qing heard the inspection squad's patrol vehicle pass through the northern isolation belt.

With the inspection squad patrolling outside, Xia Qing felt reassured. She walked home across the white frost to sleep.