Chapter 994: The Attack Power of the Green-Light Hickory

The swift-headed wolf had already vanished from sight, and the bear on Mountain 61 had stopped roaring. Xia Qing, following Broken-Waist Wolf over yet another ridge, finally reached the halfway point of the second peak of Mountain 60.

This was where Xia Qing had harvested green-light hickory nuts last year.

The hickory tree that had been toppled in last year's great battle between wolf, bear, and python still lay where it fell. The saplings sprouting from the stump had already grown past three meters tall, and bore no fruit.

Broken-Leg Wolf, standing on the hickory log, saw Xia Qing had finally arrived and came bounding straight over with a howl.

"Broken-Leg, long time no see! How's your sister's little Four-Eyes doing? Have you seen Wolf Lao Er lately?" Xia Qing gripped Broken-Leg Wolf's big paw to keep it from rubbing mud all over her, then pulled a packet of freeze-dried treats from her pocket, tore it open, and handed it over.

Broken-Leg Wolf finished quickly and came back to fuss for more.

Prepared in advance, Xia Qing gave it a pig-skin chew stick and told it to gnaw on the side, then asked Broken-Waist Wolf, "Broken-Waist, where's the tree that bears the hickory nuts?"

Broken-Waist Wolf signaled Xia Qing to follow and ran on toward the northwest.

Under the gaze of a pack of wolves, Xia Qing followed Broken-Waist Wolf over another ridge, huffing and puffing, until she reached a gentle, sun-facing slope. At a glance she spotted Wolf Lao Er with four half-grown wolves, practicing catching speed-evolved rabbits beneath a hickory tree over twenty meters tall!

Perhaps catching Xia Qing's scent, Wolf Lao Er, rabbit pinned under his paw, turned his head to look.

"Wolf Lao Er!!!"

Xia Qing let out a cheer and rushed over. Wolf Lao Er wagged his tail in delight and let the rabbit go to meet her.

The little wolf sister from my lord's household leapt over and pinned the fleeing rabbit, then dashed toward Broken-Waist Wolf.

Four-Eyes and the other two wolves, called by sounds from the den, returned to the wolf den less than ten meters from the hickory tree.

"Wolf Lao Er, so you've come to Mountain 60! No wonder you didn't show up for the medicinal bath." Xia Qing plucked a grass blade from Wolf Lao Er's head and pulled out a large boiled egg from her pack. "This is the biggest egg our chickens have laid lately. I boiled it and brought it for you—might even be a double-yolk."

Xia Qing, her face shield dusted with wolf fur, quickly peeled the egg. Finding it wasn't a double-yolk, she still smiled brightly. "Not a double-yolk, but give it a try, Wolf Lao Er—see if it tastes good."

Wolf Lao Er finished the egg in two bites, then rubbed against Xia Qing and left her glove covered in fur.

Seeing how badly Wolf Lao Er was shedding, Xia Qing's heart ached. She pulled out a bottle of her own special-grade nutrient solution and fed it to him, then gave him a quick physical check.

Confirming Wolf Lao Er was perfectly healthy, Xia Qing dripped a few drops of deworming medicine onto the back of his neck. "Go on and play, Wolf Lao Er. I'm going to check out that hickory tree."

Wolf Lao Er didn't return to the den but happily followed Xia Qing to the base of the hickory tree.

This big tree, dense with branches and leaves, bore fewer fruits than the one toppled last year. Whether that was due to its growing location, this spring's late cold snap, or the summer's heavy rains, she couldn't tell.

Xia Qing bent down and picked up a small, black, unripe hickory nut that had fallen. She had plenty of these at home, because the very thoughtful Broken-Waist Wolf often brought her a couple as a little gift whenever he went to Territory Three.

These small nuts had already gone bad and couldn't be tested for Shang-element content.

Xia Qing gestured as she asked, "Wolf Lao Er, Broken-Waist—I'm going to pick a leaf to test this tree's quality. It won't be dangerous, right?"

No matter what Xia Qing said, Wolf Lao Er just grinned broadly.

Broken-Waist Wolf, playing with her pups, bared her little fang tips upon hearing this, indicating that picking a leaf was safe.

Xia Qing reached up and plucked a leaf, then pulled out her Shang-element detector. The Shang-element content was—4.5‰!

"Green-light! Wonderful!"

Xia Qing happily pulled a telescoping pole and an iron ring with a net pouch from her pack. The ring was welded with a circle of three-centimeter-long iron teeth, with two-centimeter gaps between them. This was a harvesting tool Xia Qing had specially welded for picking hickory nuts. Screw this iron rake-and-net onto the telescoping pole, and any hickory nut within fifteen meters' height drops right into her bag.

What about nuts higher than fifteen meters? Then of course she climbs the tree!

But first, she had to confirm how dangerous this tree's attack methods were.

"Broken-Waist, Wolf Lao Er, both of you go back to the den. I'm going to pick the hickory nuts."

Green-light hickory is a highly aggressive tree species. Because Xia Qing had communicated with Broken-Waist Wolf in advance, she knew this tree would attract insects, so she had prepared thoroughly.

Neither Broken-Waist Wolf nor Wolf Lao Er was wearing protective gear, so they needed to withdraw from the green-light hickory's attack range.

After Broken-Waist Wolf took her pups and the rabbit into the den, Wolf Lao Er nuzzled Xia Qing and retreated inside as well.

Seeing the wolves had withdrawn out of sight, Xia Qing realized this tree was even more dangerous than she'd thought. She double-checked that her protective suit, face shield, and boots were intact, then sprayed herself with the special insect-repellent her idol had made—one that keeps aggressive insects like bees from coming close. Only then did she extend the telescoping pole, snare a hickory nut, and give it a gentle pull.

It didn't budge—the nut's stem was firmly attached.

Xia Qing applied a little more force, and a hickory nut dropped into the net pouch. She activated her full abilities, alert to every movement around her.

Green sap slowly seeped from the broken stem of the nut—this was normal. Xia Qing raised her arm to check her airborne-toxin detector; finding no toxins nearby, she continued harvesting.

Just as Xia Qing had filled a net pouch with hickory nuts and bagged them, and was about to pick more, she heard Wolf Lao Er howl from inside the den.

Xia Qing looked up sharply and saw tiny insects, each less than a centimeter long, flying near the branch she'd just stripped of nuts.

These little insects looked like…

Xia Qing netted a few with her pouch and pulled them close. Seeing the red-and-black stripes on their bodies, her heart sank.

Holy crap!

These were the dreaded evolved Scorch Bugs—ones that leave scars the moment they touch skin! And they actually liked the smell of hickory sap?!

If the evolved Scorch Bugs had arrived, couldn't the evolved Yellow Hornets and other poisonous insects that fed on them be far behind? And the evolved mid-sized hunters that fed on those poisonous bugs must already be on their way!

Watching the net pouch get a hole corroded through it by fluid secreted by the evolved Scorch Bugs, fully geared-up Xia Qing decisively clamped the mouth of the bag holding a dozen or so hickory nuts shut and fled the danger zone at top speed.

The hickory branch Xia Qing had harvested was quickly wrapped in a black cloud of evolved Scorch Bugs. Then evolved Yellow Hornets came buzzing in from the north, with Crested Honey Hawks close behind…

Because Xia Qing had only picked a few nuts, this feeding frenzy dispersed after ten-odd minutes.

Xia Qing figured she hadn't encountered this spectacle last year because back then it was late October—the temperature had dropped, and insect activity had decreased.

When Broken-Waist Wolf emerged from the den, Xia Qing asked, "Broken-Waist, if we wait until the hickory leaves fall before picking the nuts, will there be fewer bugs?"

Broken-Waist Wolf bared her little fang tips, indicating Xia Qing had guessed right.

Xia Qing……

Then hadn't she made this whole trip for nothing?!