Chapter 950: Qing-jie, Step It Up

The giant eagle was no fool — that was precisely why it had driven off or killed the local raptors and claimed the treetop nest that the evolved wolves could never reach. It dreamed of becoming the sky overlord of this region, just like the raptors in Shi Zhu Forest on Mountain No. 7, forcing the evolved wolf pack to live the way hyena packs lived under raptor rule.

But it had misjudged the northern wolf pack's fighting strength and ferocity. Even without Xia Qing's help, the pack could have killed it under the alpha wolf's lead — it would just have cost them more. That was why the alpha wolf, at the critical moment, had traded a chin stone for Xia Qing's joining the eagle-hunting squad.

Xia Qing would not tell Huo Zhun that one eagle talon in the bag was her share of "food" from the hunt, and the other was a gift from the alpha wolf. As for the use, Xia Qing knew perfectly well.

"Tie them to my personal flyer to scare birds." The alpha wolf had always looked down on Xia Qing's personal flyer. Now that they had an off-road vehicle and a helicopter, Xia Qing herself was a bit disdainful of the flyer's loud noise and high fuel consumption.

Er Yong… Qing-jie, are you serious?

Huo Zhun's eyes lit up. "Great idea!"

Zhang Song, busy at work, reminded them, "Birds judge an opponent's attack power and threat level by body size, feather color, and flight posture. Tying giant eagle talons to the flyer won't have any obvious deterrent effect."

Huo Zhun groaned, "If I'd known that, we should've picked up all that giant eagle's tail feathers just now and stuck them on the flyer."

Zhang Song…

Er Yong: No wonder your dad curses you every day…

Huo Zhun kept asking, "Was the giant eagle Qing-jie just killed the one that ran over from Base Gui Five?"

"The plumage looks pretty similar. We'll have to compare photos when we get back to be sure."

Er Yong, piloting the helicopter, answered, "I'd say it's ninety percent that one. I've flown patrols over this evolved forest in the helicopter before and never saw an eagle that huge."

"This kind of eagle hides the moment it hears a helicopter, so you wouldn't have spotted it." Huo Zhun pulled out his phone, brought up the bounty photo, and began carefully comparing it with Xia Qing's headless-bird photo.

Zhang Song, who had just injected medicine into the little wolf, leaned over for a look and gave a definitive answer: "Same one."

Zhang Song was the expert. If he said the eagle Xia Qing killed was the one that had run over from Gui Five, then it definitely was.

Xia Qing, 65,000 points richer, was delighted but kept a perfectly calm face as she took back her phone.

After returning the phone to Xia Qing, Huo Zhun lowered his head to send a message: "Of the two giant eagles that ran over, the Azure Dragon Night Heron took out one, and Qing-jie took out one. The threat is finally gone. I'll let Yan Long know so she can rest easy."

Yesterday Yan Long had even messaged Huo Zhun, asking him to remind everyone to stay on guard against giant eagles sneaking into the territory.

Xia Qing reminded him, "Brother Huo, don't say I killed it."

Yan Long's phone was almost certainly under surveillance, just like Ji Li's. Xia Qing didn't want to stand out — better one less thing to worry about.

"Got it, the Azure Dragon Squad got it. Azure Dragon's new top sniper Night Heron took out the giant eagle at a range of 2,050 meters. How many meters was it for Qing-jie?"

Xia Qing tossed out a casual answer, "Not as good as Night Heron."

"Qing-jie, just a little more effort and our base will soon have three top snipers!"

Er Yong, piloting the helicopter, stared straight ahead and pretended he hadn't heard a thing, didn't know a thing.

Xia Qing didn't pick up the thread. She lowered her head and seriously studied how to splint the wolf's fractured leg.

"All done."

Zhang Song, after splinting the broken-waist wolf's injured leg, briefed the family on daily care precautions: "This wolf's front paw has six broken claws with obvious bleeding. I treated them and wrapped them in gauze to keep it from licking and causing a bacterial infection. When Qing-jie changes the dressing, be careful not to…"

Xia Qing, listening carefully to the medical instructions, felt the wolf's ear tremble in her palm. The anesthetic dose for the broken-waist wolf had been small, and it was already showing signs of waking.

The helicopter's interior noise wasn't loud, but it was bound to be uncomfortable for this keen-eared evolved wolf. Xia Qing cradled its head in her lap and gently covered both of its big ears.

Leaving the ground and entering the humming, swaying helicopter had been a huge shock to the increasingly alert broken-waist wolf. It instinctively pressed close to Xia Qing, seeking the protection of a companion.

Xia Qing held the broken-waist wolf and glanced out the window. "Er Yong, land on Mountain No. 49 first. I'll get off there."

"Copy." Er Yong sped up and headed for the helipad on top of Mountain No. 49.

Zhang Song discussed with Xia Qing, "Qing-jie, can I take the eagle talons back first? Besides testing the microbes on them, I also want to measure and scan their dimensions."

After Blue Star's frenzy of evolution, the nation had poured massive manpower, money, and resources into bionic robot research to reduce human casualties.

Zhang Song felt those eagle talons were extremely valuable and wanted detailed data on them for use on a bionic robot bird.

"Sure, Brother Song can keep them as long as you need."

Xia Qing got off the helicopter on the north side of Mountain No. 49, carried the broken-waist wolf on her back home, wiped the blood from its head and neck, fed it pollution-free spring water, and turned on the air conditioner.

Wolf Lao Er trotted anxiously beside her, sniffing the broken-waist wolf's wound now and then, then sniffing Xia Qing's hand, letting out a sorrowful low howl before turning to head outside.

It must have caught the scent of other wolves' blood on Xia Qing's hands and wanted to go back to the pack to check. The broken-waist wolf opened its mouth to call it back, but the anesthetic hadn't fully worn off, and no sound came out.

Xia Qing didn't stop Wolf Lao Er. It was a member of the pack, and after something like this, it was perfectly normal for it to want to go back and see.

Xia Qing examined the wolf that the giant eagle had killed — its brain scooped out, eyes and internal organs eaten. It was a large-framed, gentle-tempered she-wolf that Xia Qing had seen last year when she went to Mountain No. 60 to give the pack deworming pills. This wolf's role in the pack was probably similar to Wolf Lao Er's, and its age was probably about the same. It was very likely one of Wolf Lao Er's good friends.

"Broken-waist, rest at home. Don't worry — you'll be fully recovered in half a month." After Wolf Lao Er left, Xia Qing rubbed the unscratched forehead of the broken-waist wolf, told it not to gnaw the wound or the splint, then discussed with her companion on the hanging chair: "Boss, I'm going to Territory No. 7 to pick up Little Black Wolf. The broken-waist one and the territory are both in your hands. Does Daigua, don't run off."

Sheep Boss squinted and said nothing.

After Xia Qing left, Sheep Boss walked over to the tatami, sniffed the broken-waist wolf's paw, and lay down beside it. Comfortable, peaceful, and protected by a companion, the exhausted broken-waist wolf quickly fell asleep.

Does Daigua the monkey squatted on the clothes-drying pole in the corner, staring blankly at the broken-waist wolf's smooth white leg.

Xia Qing entered Territory No. 7, waited outside the operating room for Little Black Wolf to finish surgery, then brought it back to Territory No. 3.

Little Feimao had been grabbed by a kite eagle — its intestines were severed and its kidney bruised. Little Black Wolf had been grabbed by the giant eagle — its intestines were perforated and its liver ruptured, so its injuries were more severe than Little Feimao's, which was heartbreaking.