Chapter 420: You Have Your Own Team?

Chapter 420: Chapter 420: You Have Your Own Team?

Xiaqing aimed the muzzle of her silenced sniper rifle at the Giant Python’s head and fired from close range.

BANG!

The bullet not only pierced the hardness-evolved Python Skin, but also cracked a finger-thick stone slab beneath the Giant Python’s head with a CLANG.

Broken Leg Wolf, who had been chasing a wild boar, was startled. He scrambled back to the pack to stand in front of his sister, baring his teeth at Xiaqing. The gunshot also startled Broken Leg Sister and Black Wolf, who bared their fangs at Xiaqing and let out low growls.

Head Wolf, Broken Waist Wolf, and Sick Wolf all lifted their heads to watch Xiaqing intently, wondering what she was up to.

The heavy sniper rifle in Xiaqing’s hands was a top-tier domestic sniping weapon. It boasted long range, high precision, and immense power. A single bullet could destroy a car engine, or even penetrate a twenty-centimeter-thick concrete wall to eliminate a target on the other side. Its destructive capability was terrifying.

Xiaqing lowered her rifle and walked over, turning the Python’s massive head. She discovered that the stone slab hadn’t been cracked by the bullet itself, but by the force of the impact. The bullet had failed to even penetrate the python’s muscle and the second layer of its skin.

The hardness of the Python Skin far exceeded Xiaqing’s expectations. She had expected the bullet to easily pierce both layers of skin and then crack the stone slab, a display that would surely intimidate the Wolf Group.

If her heavy sniper rifle could only break one layer of Python Skin, then ordinary firearms would be completely unable to penetrate this level of hardened skin. This kind of Python was extremely dangerous.

Although it had only pierced one layer of skin, judging by the wolves’ expressions, Xiaqing believed she had successfully demonstrated humanity’s power and intimidated the Wolf Group.

She held the rifle in one hand and pointed to the bullet hole on the Python’s head with the other, sternly warning the six wolves, "This is a gun, a human weapon. This is a High Level Hardness Evolution Evolved Python, and its hide couldn’t even stop a human’s bullet. If you wear armor made from this Python Skin, you won’t be able to stop our bullets either."

"Wolves have their territory, and humans have theirs. If you want to trade with me for Python Skin Armor, that’s fine. But if you put on this armor and dare to enter human territory and cause trouble..."

Xiaqing pointed the muzzle of her rifle at the king of the pack—Head Wolf—and warned with palpable killing intent, "I will use this gun to put a bullet through every single one of your heads."

Head Wolf glanced at the dangerous-smelling rifle with its brilliant gold eyes, then raised its gaze to stare at Xiaqing for a few seconds. Then, it opened its mouth in a wide yawn, lay back down, and went back to sleep.

After Head Wolf lay down, Broken Leg Wolf bounded over to Xiaqing. He circled her, nuzzled her leg as if to say, ’Don’t go looking for trouble when there isn’t any,’ and then ran off to chase the wild boar again.

As her brother ran over, Broken Leg Sister swiped at him viciously with a paw before she and Black Wolf resumed glaring fiercely at Xiaqing.

Sick Wolf also came over to nuzzle Xiaqing’s leg. It looked up at her, panting happily, then looked toward a boar it had picked out in the distance, still panting, then looked back at Xiaqing. Its meaning was clear: ’Don’t waste bullets on snakes! Shoot that meaty wild boar so we can take it home and have a feast!’

Broken Waist Wolf looked from the hole in the snake’s head to the rifle in Xiaqing’s hand, a thoughtful expression on its face.

Xiaqing immediately put away her beloved sniper rifle, making her stance clear to dispel any ideas Broken Waist Wolf might have. "The gun is absolutely not for trade. Even if I gave it to you, you couldn’t use it with your paws. You see the power of human weapons now, right? Do you still want to use the Python Skin to make the kind of Protective Equipment I’m wearing?"

Broken Waist Wolf immediately grinned, showing Xiaqing the tips of its fangs.

Understood.

Xiaqing picked up the walnut-sized Yi Stone and put it in her pocket, signaling her acceptance of the deal. Then, she took out her phone to contact the hot-tempered owner of the Huo Family Knife Shop, Huo Lei.

"It’s the crack of dawn! What the hell do you want?" After six rings, Huo Lei’s roar finally blasted through the phone, making Xiaqing’s eardrums buzz. Even the sleeping Head Wolf’s ears twitched.

Xiaqing rubbed her ear and explained in a placating tone, "Uncle Huo, I’ve gotten my hands on another hardness-evolved Python Skin. It’s even tougher than the last two. I was hoping to commission you to make some Protective Equipment."

Huo Lei was silent for a full twenty seconds before asking, "Didn’t you get some land to go farm? How come you’ve started hunting large beasts so frequently? Did you join the Green Dragon Team, or did you start your own squad?"

Xiaqing looked at the six wolves before her, each with a different expression, and replied, "I started my own squad. I have my own companions now."

’Unfortunately,’ Xiaqing thought, ’because of the Brain Domain Evolutionary Bears, I can’t hunt with my "companions" in the Evolution Forest. Otherwise, if the Wolf Group and the Bear Group clashed again, the bears might take their anger out on the humans in this territory.’

’If the Brain Domain Evolutionary Bears saw the Wolf Group wearing Protective Suits, wouldn’t they know that humans and wolves were cooperating?’

’No, no, no, that’s completely different.’

’If the Brain Domain Evolutionary Bears saw the Wolf Group with human supplies, they would assume the wolves had stolen them, just as humans steal prey from beasts.’

’Only if Xiaqing and the Wolf Group appeared together, clearly demonstrating a cooperative relationship, would the Brain Domain Evolutionary Bears conclude that humans and wolves were working together—or that the wolves had been domesticated by humans, like dogs.’

’Honestly, setting aside the relationship between the Wolf Group and the Bear Group, Xiaqing also wanted to establish a friendly, cooperative relationship with the bears. After all, the Bear Group was also incredibly powerful. If she could get on good terms with them, this human territory would be much safer.’

Huo Lei said in his rumbling voice, "You’ve definitely met my Huo Zhun, right? He’s a Dual System Evolver with Level 7 Strength and Level 5 Jumping Power. I’m going to pencil him in for a spot on your team for now. When he gets out of the service, I’ll have him look you up. Farming, hunting, he can do it all."

Xiaqing...

’His own father just casually revealed Huo Zhun’s true evolutionary abilities to me? A Dual System High Level Evolver like him would be sought after by every team upon retirement. How could he possibly have nowhere to go?’

’If Huo Zhun really did retire in a few years, and the spring on her land was exposed by then, she would definitely agree to let him join her "team." But not now.’

Xiaqing answered sincerely, "You really shouldn’t say that. Brother Huo’s combat power is far greater than mine. If he doesn’t want to join a Top Level team after retirement, he could absolutely form his own without any trouble."

"He’s all brawn and no brains. He’s a terrible judge of character, not as clever as you, and not as thick-skinned either. Starting his own team or joining someone else’s would be a dead end for him."

Xiaqing...

...

...

’Clever and thick-skinned? Was that a compliment or an insult?’

Huo Lei was just trying to reserve a spot for his son; he didn’t force Xiaqing to agree on the spot. He continued, "So, should I make a full set of Protective Equipment using the three sets of measurements you gave me last time?"

"No," Xiaqing consulted with Huo Lei. "Have you ever made Protective Equipment for an Evolutionary dog? I mean the kind the Jiang Bear Team’s dogs wear—a full set that protects the neck, abdomen, four legs, and paws."

Huo Lei shot back, "The Jiang Bear Team, ranked fifth in our base? The whole lot of them, from the captain to the members, from the humans to the dogs, they all got arrested and haven’t been released yet. I heard you had something to do with that?"