Chapter 13: Who is the Boss

Chapter 13: Who is the Boss

After returning home, Xia Qing first checked on her precious little wild pig. Finding it still huddled in a corner without eating or drinking, she immediately replaced its water with fresh spring water and provided it with toyon sprouts; she absolutely could not let anything happen to it under her watch.

She went inside to shower, ate a hearty meal of rice mixed with toyon and chili, and then lay comfortably on her bed. She absolutely loved this free and easy life of living alone.

As she lay down to sleep, the small valley north of Plot 4 was brightly lit. Several people wearing camouflage protective suits were surrounding eleven wild pigs—three large and eight small—which had been anesthetized for testing.

Su Ming ran up to the two captains to report the exciting inspection results. "One male, two females. Among the three large ones, the blood test for the female nursing a piglet came back green. Among the seven piglets, one showed green and one showed yellow. Including the one that was captured, that makes a total of three edible piglets!"

A green-light female and a red-light male producing two green-light piglets indicated that the female's elemental stability was very high, making her suitable for breeding.

Just as Tan Junjie was about to order the pigs to be taken back, Yang Jin beat him to it. "There are mountains, water, and forests here, and food is abundant. It's very suitable for raising wild pigs. As far as I know, the wild pig breeding project at the Experimental Center isn't progressing smoothly; these pigs might not last more than a few months if sent there. Teacher Tan, may I ask for instructions?"

Su Ming immediately agreed. "Yes, Captain. This place is so close to our camp; it won't be any trouble to fence it off for pig farming."

It would also make eating pork much more convenient.

Tan Junjie also thought it was feasible and called for instructions, which, as expected, received support from superiors. "Fence off this entire area for pig farming. I'll have the machinery arrive in two hours. Yunzi and Mingzi will stay to look after the wild pigs. The rest of you take a thirty-minute rest on site, then follow me to meet the machinery."

"Yes, sir!" The twenty-plus soldiers and officers were in high spirits.

Tan Junjie then asked Yang Jin, "What are your plans?"

Yang Jin flicked away a leech clinging to his protective suit. "I'll follow your arrangements and aim to secure a long-term 'meat hostage' status."

"You're still short on meat?" Tan Junjie laughed with a meaningful look.

Yang Jin smiled and changed the subject. "Is the order from above to only clear this valley, or to clear the entire area north of Plots 3, 4, and 5?"

Yang Jin didn't want to say more, and Tan Junjie didn't press him. "Clear it all. The area north of Plot 3 will be incorporated into Plot 3, and this side will serve as the wild pig high-quality breeding center. Tonight, the personnel and machinery will work together to establish the isolation zone. Once dawn breaks, we start clearing dangerous creatures. Everything must be cleared before it rains."

With four forest isolation zone clearing vehicles and over forty people, they easily carved out a new fifty-meter-wide isolation zone across the rolling slopes north of Plots 3, 4, and 5 in a single night.

The next morning, when Xia Qing went to the northern slope to fetch water, she saw smoke rising from within the Evolution Forest to the north.

Had Captain Tan and the others already caught the wild pigs and begun clearing the Evolution Forest? Before Xia Qing could go investigate, she received a call from Tan Junjie; he was sending someone over to catch pigs.

Xia Qing first asked, "Captain Tan, when can I get the land use certificate for the new plot you assigned to me?"

Since this was a transaction, she naturally wanted to clarify things in advance.

Tan Junjie answered readily, "It's already been reported. Zhong Tao will deliver it to you within two days."

"Thank you, Captain Tan."

Xia Qing hung up and immediately went back to catch the lively little wild pig, bringing it to the isolation zone north of the buffer forest to hand over to Su Ming, who was waiting with his neck craned.

After Su Ming pricked the piglet's skin and tested a few drops of blood, he grinned from ear to ear. "As expected of a green-light pig, it's really energetic."

Are these two things related? Xia Qing asked, "Are you going to clear out the wild pig valley as well? I saw smoke over there."

Su Ming said happily, "The base plans to build a wild pig breeding center here. The northern isolation zone is already done. Once we finish fencing off this area north of Plots 4 and 5, we'll go clear the small hills north of Plot 3."

Building a breeding center meant her territory would be even safer. Xia Qing was very pleased. "If you guys are too busy, you can just clear that land yourselves."

"We have enough hands; we'll definitely finish the task within two days." After Su Ming finished speaking, he asked Xia Qing curiously, "Sister Xia Qing, are you very close with Captain Yang of the Azure Dragon Squad?"

Yang Jin, the captain of the Azure Dragon Squad—ranked second in overall combat strength in the Hui-San Base—was a celebrity in the base. He was a Level 7 speed evolver, young, and very easy on the eyes. An evolver like him would be a target of pursuit regardless of gender.

Because of breeding with high-level evolvers, if their offspring were tested to have evolutionary potential, they could move into the inner city of the Safe Zone and be assigned easy, respectable jobs. Relying on base benefits and wages, they could live an enviable life.

Xia Qing had never considered taking that path, so she wanted to stay as far away from Yang Jin as possible. Because Yang Jin was the target of Tang Lu's pursuit, any woman who got close to him would be seen as a thorn in Tang Lu's side.

Although Tang Lu was the daughter of Tang Zhengsu and lived in the inner city, it didn't change the fact that she was an ordinary human. She naturally wanted to marry a high-level evolver and give birth to offspring with evolutionary abilities to secure her later years.

Therefore, Su Ming's sudden question made Xia Qing immediately alert. "I don't know him, and we haven't interacted. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just asking." Su Ming scratched his head and walked off with the little wild pig.

Although the top two squads in the Hui-San Base were nominally neutral, their allegiances were quite clear. The Sufeng Squad led by Tang Zhengsu naturally followed Deputy Base Director Tang Zhengrong, while the Azure Dragon Squad led by Yang Jin was closer to the military leader—Base Director Qi Zhongye.

Because Yang Jin and most of his team members had been military academy students before the catastrophe, the Azure Dragon Squad's conduct was much cleaner than the Sufeng Squad's under Yang Jin's leadership. They had a high reputation in the base, and everyone liked to team up with them for missions. Xia Qing had also gone on missions with the Azure Dragon Squad, but she only participated in missions led by the squad's core members.

She stayed far away from any missions led personally by Yang Jin.

Why did Su Ming think she was close to Yang Jin? Xia Qing narrowed her eyes, watching Su Ming enter the Evolution Forest before he returned to his own territory.

Before she could figure it out, she heard the "thump-thump-thump" of running approaching from a distance. Xia Qing immediately dropped her basket and took a fighting stance.

An Evolution Sheep with large spiral horns leaped out from the woods and charged headlong at Xia Qing. Xia Qing met it with one hundred and two percent of her strength.

*Bang!*

Xia Qing lost the collision, stumbling back three steps and slamming hard into a tree. If her body hadn't become stronger through evolution, she would have certainly been injured by the impact.

Just as Xia Qing stood up, she saw the Evolution Sheep retreat a few steps before charging again. Xia Qing braced herself and prepared to go all out against the sheep.

"Today, I'll show you who the boss of Plot 3 is!"

She wasn't as strong as the sheep, but she had brains. As the sheep charged again, Xia Qing stepped aside, grabbed its horns with both hands, and yelled, "Get out of here!"

With a powerful heave, Xia Qing sent the Evolution Sheep flying sideways. It hit a rock with a loud *thud*, looking dazed for two seconds before its eyes widened. With a loud *moo*, it jumped up and lunged at Xia Qing.

This was the first time Xia Qing had heard a sheep make such an angry sound, but she didn't hold back at all. "Get out!"

*Crack!*

The Evolution Sheep, thrown by Xia Qing once again, slammed into a tree as thick as a human thigh, snapping the trunk.

"Moo!" The Evolution Sheep stood up, shook its head, and charged at Xia Qing again with a *thump-thump-thump*.

"Get out!"

*Bang!*

"Go!"

*Bang!*

"Get!"

*Bang!*

...

(End of Chapter)