Chapter 575: The Feeling of Coming Home

"Based on what I've learned, Young Lady Xia was the first to discover and kill the evolved bat, is that correct?" Peng Zhen, the team leader of the Red One investigation squad's on-site survey group, stood on the slope of Territory Three and politely asked Xia Qing.

Beside him stood a recorder, head lowered, pen in hand, waiting to take notes. The more Xia Qing learned about magnetic sense, the less she dared to look down on these seemingly unremarkable, insignificant little clerks. Because they might be evolvers with magnetic sense or similar abilities, capable of catching the magnetic field and emotional shifts of a living creature when it hears or answers a question, and judging whether it is emotionally tense.

In the ordinary, unremarkable Northern District One of Hui San, there were already three magnetic-sense evolvers crowded together; the investigation squad Red One sent over was certainly full of talent, and it would be no surprise at all if they had a few magnetic-sense evolvers even more impressive than Seeing Xin Yu.

Xia Qing nodded calmly, "Yes."

After killing the evolved bat, she had posted an announcement on the patrol channel; this couldn't be concealed.

The recorder began taking notes, and Peng Zhen continued his questioning, "Where were you positioned when you fired?"

Xia Qing led Peng Zhen to her sniper position at the time; the snow-covered slope still bore the obvious traces left by her and the sick wolf that night.

Peng Zhen had someone measure the straight-line distance from the sniper position to the explosion point, take photos, make notes, and then asked again, "Evolved bats make almost no sound when flying, and the bats that invaded the territory are said to have been coated with stealth paint that can't be picked up by night-vision goggles. How did you discover the bat's invasion position and kill it?"

Xia Qing explained, "It was the evolved wolf recuperating in my territory that detected the bat. I fired into the air based on its abnormal behavior, and it took three shots to hit the evolved bat."

Even coated with stealth paint, an evolved bat couldn't hide from an evolved wolf with such sharp senses of smell, hearing, and sight.

"Under conditions equivalent to shooting blind, hitting the target in three shots is already very impressive. This bat must have been heading for your hiding position; if it had been a bit closer, you could easily have been injured."

Xia Qing, her face perfectly calm, ignored the first half of the sentence and answered only the key point, "After the bat exploded, I developed obvious symptoms of blast-induced tinnitus and was unable to hear commands and situation reports over the walkie-talkie for a short time."

This point Xia Qing mentioned, Peng Zhen had already seen in the investigation materials from other groups, "Your symptoms were quite severe at the time, but in less than ten minutes you were able to hear the walkie-talkie and give accurate replies. To recover that quickly, did you take or use some medication you had prepared in advance?"

Xia Qing explained with a calm expression, "I didn't prepare anything in advance. After the explosion I used the internal and topical medicines from Territory Seven that I had just received, combined with acupoint massage, which is why the tinnitus symptoms eased so quickly."

Peng Zhen pressed, "Were they sent over to you by Territory Seven?"

Through her sharp hearing, Xia Qing caught the difference in Peng Zhen's tone when he asked this question. It seemed he considered this question very important. Xia Qing still answered calmly, "I couldn't hear anything at the time, so I don't know whether someone from my territory went to get them, or whether someone from Territory Seven delivered them."

Peng Zhen continued, "Would you mind confirming this now?"

Now? That was fine.

Right in front of Peng Zhen, Xia Qing contacted Hu Zifeng directly and learned that it was Ji Li who had contacted Hu Zifeng, and Hu Zifeng had sent the speed evolver Jing Kuan to fetch the medicine.

The recorder scribbled away, and Peng Zhen continued his questioning, "May I ask if that sick wolf is still in your territory?"

Xia Qing nodded, "Yes. It can only eat cooked food now, so it's still recuperating in my territory."

Peng Zhen asked, "May I ask whether you keep it in a cage, or—?"

Xia Qing explained, "I saved its life, so it won't hurt me. My territory has walls around it, and it would endanger the safety of others in the territory, so I let it roam free inside. However, it stays extremely wary of strangers entering the territory, so right now I've shut it inside the house."

Peng Zhen understood what Xia Qing meant and didn't insist on seeing the sick wolf in person, "Do you have photos of it?"

Xia Qing found two photos of the sick wolf on her phone—one of its pitiful state when the alpha wolf first brought it into the territory, and one of how it looked now.

The recorder beside her also leaned over, curious, and took a few glances. The two photos side by side showed a very striking contrast.

Peng Zhen smiled, "This is a wolf-dog, probably the offspring of a shepherd dog that lived in the Evolution Forest a few years before the catastrophe and an evolved wolf, more affectionate toward people than a purebred evolved wolf. On the night of the beast tide on the 24th, the wolf pack in the Evolution Forest to the north of this territory howled from the third peak of Mountain Fifty, stopping the beast-tide-driving wolf pack from entering this territory. Does that have anything to do with the sick wolf in your territory?"

Xia Qing, still perfectly calm, stated the facts and did not offer her own judgment, "The wolf in my territory also howled along at the time. I can't be sure whether there's a connection."

Peng Zhen nodded and asked again, "Thank you for your cooperation, Young Lady Xia. May we go up to the third peak of Mountain Fifty to examine the tracks left by that pack of wolves?"

Xia Qing didn't answer directly, "The third peak has high-risk zones, so that's not my call. You'll need to apply directly to the lord of Territory Seven."

Peng Zhen asked again, politely, "Could you apply to the lord of Territory Seven right now? Our investigation deadline is very tight; we need to complete the various survey tasks as soon as possible."

These people really weren't giving her any chance to communicate privately with the relevant personnel. Xia Qing nodded and contacted Ji Li right in front of Peng Zhen.

Ji Li's answer was very crisp, "Third Brother isn't up yet. You'll have to wait until he wakes up before you can ask."

"Alright." Xia Qing hung up and looked at Peng Zhen.

Peng Zhen smiled, "Then there's nothing for it. We'll go survey Territory Eight first, and apply to the lord of Territory Seven once he's awake. Young Lady Xia, you should know the lord of Territory Seven's true identity, shouldn't you?"

Xia Qing nodded and said nothing more. Thinking of trying to dig up information about her idol here—no way!

Peng Zhen read Xia Qing's meaning and began making small talk with her about the growth of the crops in the territory, and the climate differences between here and Red One.

After the team members finished surveying and sampling the explosion site, Peng Zhen led the group in taking their leave. Unlike last time, this time they chose to leave through the north gate, "We're going to the explosion site in Territory Four. Leaving through the north gate is a bit closer than going through the refugee area."

Xia Qing didn't care either way.

After following Xia Qing out of the north gate, Peng Zhen looked at the small path cleared from Territory Three's north gate leading to Mountain Forty-Nine and asked casually, "Young Lady Xia, is this path swept regularly?"

"Yes."

Every time a wolf passed through, this path would be carefully swept clean, removing the tracks and scent left by the evolved wolves.

Of course, the reason given to outsiders wasn't that. Xia Qing added calmly, "Hu Zifeng said clearing out a path like this gives him the feeling of coming home."

The survey group, having just been force-fed a mouthful of dog food, silently drifted off toward Territory Four, and shortly after, Tang Huai, who had likewise been force-fed a mouthful of dog food, came walking over from the west.