Chapter 814: About to Get Scolded Again

"I want to go over and try."

Although the anger magnetic field the crocodile released made Xin Yu uncomfortable, she didn't want to give up this rare training opportunity and proposed going over to dig bamboo shoots.

Compared to other large beasts of prey, crocodiles aren't very intelligent, so they weren't classified as animals that must not be provoked. Otherwise, Yan Long wouldn't have brought Xia Qing and Tan Qi along to beat up crocodiles at their den.

Xia Qing naturally agreed to Xin Yu's suggestion and warned her, "Don't let the giant crocodile get within ten meters. It's not slow, and its bite force is terrifying—getting bitten would definitely fracture bone."

"Understood."

Xin Yu put away her long blade, took out the small hoe for digging bamboo shoots, and got ready.

Xin Yu had hired Gao Xin as a coach and trained hard every day to improve her combat ability. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to team up with Xia Qing and enter the post-Rain of Devolution evolution forest without her tamed beasts and bodyguards.

Once the crocodile moved away from the area of that green-light bamboo, Xin Yu immediately leapt off the boulder and went to dig. She tried six pre-marked targets in a row before finally finding a green-light shoot. As she chopped it, six bamboo-leaf darts struck the shield on her back with soft thuds.

Why only six?

Because the mature, shootable leaves still growing on this bamboo were already nearly gone.

"Goo—rrk, goo—rrk!"

The giant crocodile heard the commotion, turned around, whipped its tail, and charged over. A crocodile's running speed on land is more than half slower than in water, but with its massive body and powerful limbs, its speed still surpassed that of a human Tier-2 speed evolver!

But Xia Qing on the boulder didn't make a sound, only aiming her sniper rifle at the giant crocodile.

Xia Qing came out to dig bamboo shoots; Xin Yu came out to train and improve. As a teammate, while ensuring her safety, Xia Qing also hoped she could get more real experience of close contact with large beasts of prey.

When in close contact with beasts of prey, the physiological reactions and psychological changes the human body produces can't be simulated in a training room. Only those who can react quickly and accurately at the edge of life and death can survive one sudden disaster after another.

For Xin Yu, who possessed magnetic sense, this process was even harder, because she had to overcome the discomfort brought by her opponent's hostile magnetic field.

When she sensed the giant crocodile charging over, the pain between her brows intensified. Xin Yu, who had been about to put the bamboo shoot into her bag, fumbled, and the shoot dropped to the ground.

Catching this from her peripheral vision, Xia Qing didn't speak, her crosshairs aimed at the giant crocodile's eye, ready to fire.

In the blink of an eye, the twelve-meter-long giant crocodile was already within ten meters. Xin Yu grabbed the fallen shoot, stuffed it into her bag, didn't even bother to pick up her small hoe, and turned to sprint away.

A loud "Crack!" behind her made Xin Yu's heart jump. Her running speed rose to the level of a Tier-3 speed evolver as she raced back to Xia Qing's side.

Xia Qing holstered her gun, grabbed Xin Yu's belt, and had just lifted her into a jump when the pursuing giant crocodile slammed hard into the large rock the two of them had just been hiding behind. The small hilltop trembled, and leaves and rubble rained down.

Xia Qing leapt quickly, set Xin Yu down on the small hilltop, and said, "Hold onto a big tree. I'm going to deal with it!"

With that, Xia Qing holstered her sniper rifle, reached the giant crocodile's side in two bounds, and when the beast opened its fang-filled jaws to bite, she sidestepped and punched it on the underside of the jaw near the neck.

"Bam!"

"Smack!"

"Ribbit—ribbit—"

The giant crocodile, flipped over by Xia Qing's punch, crashed on its back into a nearby small puddle. The few frogs in the puddle shrieked and fled. Xin Yu on the hilltop widened her eyes.

Having known Xia Qing for so long, this was the first time Xin Yu had seen her throw a punch. Apart from strength, Xia Qing's speed and timing were far superior to hers—she had to work even harder.

After the giant crocodile was knocked out, the several-meter-long small crocodile following behind didn't seem to know fear and charged at Xia Qing to bite. Xia Qing waited until it ran over and exposed its jaw, then dropped it with one punch.

After Yan Long's special training, Xia Qing could take these things down even in water; on land, it was even easier.

Taking out her Devolution-element detector and confirming both crocodiles were red-light, Xia Qing beckoned Xin Yu over. Both crocodiles were down, so they could dig bamboo shoots without worry.

There was only one green-light bamboo in this grove, and it had been broken by the giant crocodile. After circling around and finding no more green-light shoots, the two simply dug up two green-light bamboo roots, stuffed them into a large packaging bag, and brought them back, planning to plant them in Mountain Area 50.

Although today hadn't gone very smoothly, Xia Qing had also harvested three green-light bamboo shoots, totaling over 20 jin. Peeled, they could yield a jin or two of plain bamboo shoot shreds—enough to report to her idol. Seeing her companion staring at the giant crocodile, Xia Qing suggested, "Come closer, I'll take a photo of you two together, then we pull out."

"Sure, use my phone." Xin Yu immediately handed her phone to Xia Qing, because Xia Qing's phone was too old—the photos it took weren't just low resolution, they also had two colored vertical lines.

Xin Yu ran to the belly-up giant crocodile, grabbed one of its big claws and held it high, striking a very chuunibyou pose. After running over to check the photo, she got very excited. "Red Two Base just released a new phone—want to switch to one?"

Her phone had already been used for eleven years; it really was time for a new one. "If you have a channel, help me buy one."

"Okay." Seeing Xia Qing already preparing to set out, Xin Yu didn't ask what price range or model she wanted. Calmly watching the surroundings for any sign of movement, she started on their way.

Over ten minutes later, Xin Yu, who had used her magnetic sense to pick up the evolution wolf, alerted Xia Qing, "Lao Er is back."

Soon, Lao Er appeared in the dense forest ahead, glared ferociously at Xin Yu for a few seconds, turned and walked a few steps, then looked back at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing knew this gesture all too well. "Lao Er wants me to follow it. Shall we go see?"

"Okay." Xin Yu replied as calmly as she could, not wanting to provoke this fierce evolution wolf.

"Wooo—"

Noticing Xin Yu following behind, the wolf-dog Lao Er turned and stood by Xia Qing's side, baring its pale fangs at Xin Yu and growling low.

Clearly, it didn't trust Xin Yu and wouldn't allow her to follow.

Seeing Lao Er didn't seem in any particular rush either, Xia Qing gestured and explained to it at length. She and Xin Yu first brought the shoots and shoot roots back to the off-road vehicle at the foot of Mountain 50, then had Xin Yu wait inside the vehicle. She called out to Lao Er, who had been following at a distance, and went with it to check the situation.

She hadn't expected Lao Er to lead her to the edge of the bamboo grove occupied by the red foxes. Xia Qing stopped. "Lao Er, ahead is the territory of a high-level evolution red fox. We can't go any further."

Lao Er walked a few more steps ahead, then turned its head and looked calmly at Xia Qing.

"Fine. If anything seems off, we pull out immediately." Xia Qing chose to trust Lao Er and followed it deeper into the bamboo grove.

When she saw the red fox—clearly a size larger than an ordinary one—from about ten meters away, Xia Qing immediately judged it to be a brain-domain evolver.

Although this was the first brain-domain evolution fox Xia Qing had seen in the eleven years since the catastrophe, she absolutely wouldn't mistake it. Because this fierce-looking creature baring its fangs had a gleam of intelligence in its eyes.

Before Xia Qing could speak, the wolf-dog Lao Er had already stepped forward and mutually sniffed with the brain-domain evolution fox, then looked back at Xia Qing, signaling her to keep going.

Xia Qing put away her blade and gun and walked over as calmly as she could. She holstered her weapons first because she trusted Lao Er, and second because a fox's build was much smaller than a wolf's—even if this was a high-level evolver, it couldn't hurt Xia Qing.

Of course, holstering her weapons was also a way of showing this fox she hadn't come to fight.

Watching Xia Qing approach, the red fox growled low a few times, then, soothed by the wolf-dog Lao Er, sheathed its fangs and followed Lao Er forward.

Now Xia Qing understood: this red fox and Lao Er had known each other for a long time. She had been called over because the red fox's cub had run into a predicament that, in Lao Er's view, only Xia Qing could solve.

Lao Er—is this sending her to Territory Seven to get scolded?