Chapter 589: Team Three Night Heron

Before Xia Qing, who was still clumsy with words back then, could open her mouth, Luo Pei, who had been gazing into the distance, had already gathered his emotions and encouraged her with earnest hope:

"You are a high-level Evolver of the Strength, Hearing, and Vision systems—exactly the abilities every sniper dreams of. High-level Strength keeps your gun steadier; high-level Hearing and Vision let you pick up subtle changes at a distance and judge the trajectory more accurately. Xia Qing, as long as you're willing to put in the hard work, surpassing me and Nie Hong is inevitable."

After hearing all that, Xia Qing didn't feel the slightest surge of热血澎湃. She had only one thought: being a three-system Evolver of Strength, Hearing, and Vision wasn't only suited for sniping—it was also suited for farming.

Over the past year, while tending her fields and raising her sheep and wolves, Xia Qing had constantly worked to improve her speed, combat, and sniping abilities, making herself stronger and stronger.

Only by being strong could she survive on this chaotic, mad Blue Star according to her own will.

After more than half a year of effort, Xia Qing had now pushed the effective range of the sniper rifle in her arms to 1,900 meters, surpassing the vast majority of snipers—but still a long way from Luo Pei, whose abilities had declined due to poisoning, and she had no idea how far she still trailed Nie Hong.

Still, Xia Qing was already quite content.

Because under Luo Pei's hands-on guidance, she had already found the right method to improve her effective range and shooting accuracy; as long as she kept at it, her marksmanship would improve little by little.

The female soldier from Yan Ning's squad had returned. Standing by the bed, she looked up and complained to Xia Qing, "Yan Ning, our squad's duty post tonight is the outer city wall. We muster at four in the afternoon and stay until midnight."

"Mm." Xia Qing replied calmly, her voice low and husky—a tone Chang Li had spent half a day teaching her before she finally got it right.

Xia Qing had always assumed Chang Li was a single-system olfactory Evolver. Only yesterday did she learn that Chang Li was also a vocal-cord Evolver, able to imitate other people's voices down to the last nuance.

At this very moment, Chang Li was at Territory Three, holding Xia Qing's two phones and walkie-talkie, wearing her protective suit, and spending "New Year" together with her "boyfriend" Hu Zifeng. As long as no one forced their way into Territory Three, no one would know Xia Qing wasn't on the territory.

When muster time came, Xia Qing drank a high-grade nutrient solution, checked her weapons and gear, and as the patrol vehicle was leaving the inner city, she happened to run into Yang Jin leading a squad on foot into the inner city.

Because he was attending the banquet tonight, Yang Jin wore a black suit with a beige trench coat over it. That outfit, paired with Yang Jin's cold, handsome face, was simply devastatingly handsome.

Xia Qing very much wanted to snap a photo of him and take it back to use as a clothing model pitch for Duan Yao Wolf. Duan Yao Wolf might just be willing to fork out two Yi Stones to have her get it a Yang Jin matching set.

Yang Jin's distant, indifferent gaze swept past the military vehicle's window, as if he hadn't seen Xia Qing at all. But after the vehicle passed, the tips of his ears slowly flushed red.

The female soldier beside her nudged Xia Qing with her elbow, hinting she should look outside again. Xia Qing turned her head and saw a black sedan driving over from afar; Tang Lu, sitting in the passenger seat, was holding up a small mirror to touch up her makeup.

Sharp-eyed Xia Qing noticed that Tang Lu showed not the slightest expression of joy at attending the banquet—she had just been crying, and was now using a cotton pad to conceal the redness around her eyes.

In the sedan's back seat there was also a woman in formal dress; Xia Qing guessed it must be Tang Lu's mother or aunt, otherwise Tang Lu wouldn't be sitting in the passenger seat.

It seemed Tang Lu might have known or sensed something. Xia Qing looked no more, hugged her rifle, and closed her eyes again.

The female soldier, who had been sitting beside Yan Ning brimming with things to say, could only swallow her words back when she saw Xia Qing like this.

When the patrol vehicle passed through the Safe Zone's main gate, Xia Qing opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the large patches of dried, dark-red bloodstains on the Safe Zone's walls—faded to the point of being almost invisible, perhaps noticed by no one anymore except Xia Qing—and silently said in her heart:

Dad, Qingqing is back to avenge you.

Winter days are short and nights long; by seven in the evening, the sky was already pitch-dark. After circling the Safe Zone walls twice on patrol, the vehicle returned inside the Safe Zone, stopped by the gate, and began assigning tonight's guard positions.

Vision-type sniper Yan Ning and the Hearing-type Evolver squad leader formed one team, responsible for the high ground above the western wall.

At half past ten at night, sporadic firecracker sounds rose from inside the city. The squad leader patted Xia Qing's shoulder and pointed below the wall, signaling it was time for her to move out.

The squad leader was also part of tonight's operation, but his mission differed from Xia Qing's—he guarded the wall.

Xia Qing stood up and saluted, pulled a climbing rope from her pack, and swiftly slid down the Safe Zone's ten-meter reinforced concrete wall, slipping into the darkness beyond the reach of the lights. The squad leader hauled the climbing rope back up and continued holding his post.

Xia Qing, wearing night-vision goggles, quickly adjusted her walkie-talkie channel and reported in a low voice, "Team Three, Night Heron, has exited the Safe Zone via the west wall."

Night Heron was Yan Ning's code name for tonight; she had no idea who came up with it.

When Xia Qing heard the code name, her mind immediately flashed to the two little waterbirds—long white feathers stuck on the back of their heads, necks tucked in, tails bald—that the egrets had brought after she stole the eggs of the two egrets nesting in the dawn-redwood grove of Territory Three.

The captain of Team Three, out on tonight's operation, ordered, "Night Heron, move immediately to Evolution Forest Three in the western sector. Maintain concealment."

"Copy."

Xia Qing knew this terrain extremely well; she kept low and moved at full speed through the dark. Evolution Forest Three lay ten kilometers beyond the west wall and the western territory. That was the most likely main battlefield tonight; the other possible battlefield was in the east of the city.

Xia Qing hoped Tang Zhengsu would have the sense to flee westward with his men, so she could take her revenge with her own hands.

Inside the Safe Zone's inner city, in the banquet hall on the third floor of the office building, the brisk, melodious "Banquet Waltz" began to play.

Tang Zheng, splendidly dressed, rose and walked gracefully toward Yang Jin. But before she could reach him, Yang Jin turned and walked toward Chen Dongyang, who looked dazed and distracted.

Tang Zheng gently bit her lip, walked with a smile toward Tang Rui not far away, and asked in a low voice, "Where's your dad?"

Tang Rui, sunk into the sofa playing a mobile game, didn't even lift his eyelids. "Don't know."

Feng Wen, wearing a pink strapless cocktail dress, stood up, pointed at the door to the west, and said, "Captain Tang was over there talking to someone just now."

"Thanks." Tang Zheng thanked her coldly, turned, and walked toward the west door.

That Tang Zheng was willing to speak with her delighted Feng Wen immensely, but when she caught the indifferent glance Tang Rui swept her way, Feng Wen's heart gave a jolt and her smile froze on her face.

Tang Shao is angry.

"Target has left the banquet hall."

When the midnight New Year fireworks display went off, the voice of tonight's operation commander came through simultaneously in Xia Qing's earpiece walkie-talkie: "Multiple fires have broken out in the inner and outer cities. Target One has broken out of the inner city. All squads, prepare for combat."

"Copy." The Team Three captain asked over the walkie-talkie, "Team Three members, report your current positions."

Xia Qing, who had been scanning her surroundings for a sniper position within a one-kilometer radius where she could hide, pressed the talk button. "Team Three, Night Heron, center-north of Evolution Forest Three in the western sector."