Chapter 463: Fierce Battle (Sauce Alliance Bonus Chapter)

Beard Feng replied, "Territory One has already formed a search squad and is setting out immediately. No need for everyone to pool points."

Nominally, Xia Qing is Beard Feng's girlfriend, so if something happened to Xia Qing, of course Beard Feng had to go rescue her.

Territory Fifteen's agent, member of the Lord Alliance Yue Haiying came online, crisp and decisive: "Territory Fifteen can send two Evolvers along, armed, no payment required."

Territory Eight's lord Seeing Xin Yu came online: "Territory Eight can send an Evolver Eagle Owl to accompany the team on an aerial reconnaissance mission."

Territory Ten's Shi Du came online: "Captain Hu, I apply to join the search squad."

Kuang Qingwei had been unable to get through to Xia Qing's phone the whole time, frantic with worry: "It's getting darker and darker. Every extra minute Xia Qing spends in the Evolution Forest is another minute of danger. I'm begging everyone. I'll steam rice and stew meat back at the territory, waiting for everyone to return."

Zhang San also came online, his voice flat but absolutely loaded: "Territory Seven is sending three high-level Evolvers, carrying heavy weapons and search-and-rescue equipment, to head with your squad to Mountain Fifty. Xia Qing went out this time to gather herbs for me. If something happens to her, no matter which of you did it, I will pay any price to repay her twentyfold."

Tang Huai inside Territory Twelve was so worked up he was practically quacking, just about to press the walkie-talkie when his old man beat him to it: "Territory Twelve can provide night-illumination equipment. Everyone don't worry too much. Xia Qing isn't the reckless type. Since she dared to go out, she must have a certain measure of confidence."

The search-and-rescue squad had already taken shape and was ready to assemble and depart, but Tan Junjie called a halt: "Stand down for now. The investigation team has already reported the situation upward and is applying for a reconnaissance aircraft. Once the search-and-rescue squad is formed, it will set out immediately. The Evolution Forest at night is extremely dangerous. Please personnel of all territories do not go outside."

In the afterglow of the sun, purple smoke rapidly spread through the dense pine forest on the third peak of Mountain Fifty, and the evolved animals enveloped by the smoke fled desperately.

Birds that flew out of the thick fog lost their balance after barely ten-odd meters and dropped crashing to the ground. The wails of the reptiles swallowed by the thick fog quickly vanished, and countless creatures at the fog's edge scattered in all directions.

"Wolf Lao Er, run, full speed!" Xia Qing put a fully enclosed protective mask on the Sick Wolf and ordered it to flee. Xia Qing herself charged into the purple fog, rushing toward the center of the explosion to rescue. The Sick Wolf ran two steps, discovered Xia Qing was actually charging in, and without hesitation turned around and followed.

"Boom!"

Another poison-gas bomb exploded, and the purple fog rapidly expanded.

"my lord, Broken-Waist—" The fog blocked her vision. Xia Qing shouted as she charged, finally catching up with the two wolves, clamped the fully enclosed protective masks onto their heads, quickly tightened the straps, and fled at speed together with them.

Aggressive vines? Cut them down!

Giant lizards collapsed on the ground? Leap over them!

Stampeding rats and rabbits? Run alongside them! No, wait—they run faster. Xia Qing followed them, commanding the wolf pack to retreat as she ran: "my lord, Broken-Waist, Wolf Lao Er, you guys run, don't worry about me, I'll use the protective suit."

"Whoosh—"

A gust of vicious wind came rushing in. Before Xia Qing could react, the Lead Wolf and Broken-Waist Wolf had already turned around to meet it, while Xia Qing and the Sick Wolf kept sprinting.

"Bang!"

"Boom!"

The sound of the two wolves colliding with the pursuing beast-catching team members had barely faded when an explosion rang out, making Xia Qing's ears ring. The purple fog spread rapidly, and small animals kept collapsing and convulsing.

The Sick Wolf couldn't hold on either—its running speed visibly slowed. Xia Qing immediately opened her pack, stuffed the Sick Wolf inside, and sprinted on with it on her back.

"Boom!"

"Bang!"

Once again the explosions and collisions rang out in succession, and this time the explosion was even closer to Xia Qing. Clearly, the two evolved wolves had failed to intercept the pursuer.

The beast-catching squad had eight members eliminated, with two remaining. Relying on hearing, Xia Qing judged that there was only one pursuer, but he was a high-level speed Evolver—the one who had fought the Lead Wolf just now.

Both the Lead Wolf and Broken-Waist Wolf were wearing fully enclosed protective masks, so their sense of smell was disabled, their hearing halved, and their vision blocked by the thick fog. Their combat power was greatly reduced, and they could only fight the pursuer with claws and body. The situation was extremely unfavorable to our side.

She had to eliminate this high-level speed Evolver before the other beast-catching team member in the airtight protective suit caught up!

Xia Qing decisively stopped, turned and dropped prone, held her breath, quickly removed her protective mask, put on thermal-imaging goggles, then clamped the mask back on. The thermal-imaging goggles had the drawback of image lag, but they could see through the thick smoke—they were the only option that let Xia Qing join the fight.

In Xia Qing's field of vision, the outlines of the two wolves and one person moving at high speed were blurred by the thick fog and their speed, but four-legged wolves and a two-legged person were still easy to tell apart. The weapon in the pursuer's hand, judging by its shape, was the same kind of thick-barrel weapon that had been used to ambush the wolf pack earlier.

So this weapon was used to fire poison-gas bombs!

Stay calm, stay calm. The pursuer was probably a Level Seven speed Evolver. Only by staying calm could she accurately track his movement trajectory and predict his direction of movement.

Calm…

Keep breathing steady…

Hands must be steady…

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The instant the pursuer dodged the Lead Wolf's claw strike and turned to fire a poison-gas bomb at the spot where Broken-Waist Wolf was about to land, Xia Qing decisively opened fire. Three bullets flashed out of the barrel under the thermal-imaging goggles, turning into three streaks of light streaking toward three directions.

"Boom!"

The bullets hit the pursuer's abdomen at the same moment he pulled the trigger and fired a poison-gas bomb.

The poison-gas bomb aimed at Broken-Waist Wolf was struck by the third bullet Xia Qing had fired and exploded in midair.

The wounded pursuer was pushed back half a step by the blast wave, then the Lead Wolf, charging against the blast wave, slammed its protective mask hard into his back, sending his body pitching forward uncontrollably.

Immediately after, Broken-Waist Wolf launched itself like a shell, charging straight in and slamming the pursuer flying. Xia Qing's bullets followed in quick succession, striking his waist and abdomen.

"Bang!"

The pursuer, hit by three shots and slammed by Broken-Waist Wolf, crashed violently into a pine tree. Countless pine needles were shaken loose, pattering down in a rain of pine needles.

Only after Xia Qing confirmed he was thoroughly dead did she roll over, open her pack, and check on the Sick Wolf. Seeing its belly still rising and falling, she immediately got up with it on her back and fled the fog at speed with the two wolves.

As if by unspoken agreement, the two wolves and the one person all ran upward, heading toward the spot where the first poison-gas bomb had exploded, to pursue the last remaining beast-catching team member.

After running out of the fog, the Lead Wolf jumped in front of Xia Qing, signaling her to take its protective mask off.

"my lord, this fog is very dangerous…"

Before Xia Qing could finish, the Lead Wolf had already turned toward Broken-Waist Wolf.

Broken-Waist Wolf without hesitation raised a paw and, with two precise swipes, ripped the protective mask's strap off the Lead Wolf's neck. The Lead Wolf shook off the protective mask and charged up the mountain.