Chapter 39: The Evolving Kitten

Chapter 39: The Evolved Kitten

Tang Huai let out a cold snort. "You're worrying about things that aren't your business. Even if there are refugees, they'll be heading for the Hui-1 and Hui-5 bases."

After the Great Biological Evolution, humanity abandoned their original homes in search of survival, clustering together to establish bases. Two or three years after the onset of the natural disasters, hundreds of small and large bases had been established within China. However, as evolved organisms and the environment continued to deteriorate, only forty-four remained. For the sake of convenience, management, and coordinated defense, these forty-four bases were divided into five base clusters. The core Red City base cluster consisted of eleven bases, with Red-1 serving as the capital of China. The seven bases in northern China formed the White City cluster, the ten in the west formed the Blue City cluster, the ten in the center formed the Hui City cluster, and the six in the south formed the Gui City cluster.

As the name implied, Hui-3, where Xia Qing was located, was the third largest base in terms of population within the Hui City cluster. To the south of Hui-3 were the Hui-1 and Hui-5 bases. Five hundred kilometers southwest of Hui-5 lay Gui-3, the base most threatened by marine life.

It was exactly as Tang Huai said; if Gui-3 fell, refugees heading north would undoubtedly rush toward Hui-1 and Hui-5 first.

But Kuang Qingwei was still uneasy. "Brother Tang, I remember Gui-3 has 2.5 million people. Even if only two million escape, and a small fraction of those head north into the Hui City cluster, Hui-1 and Hui-3 won't be able to hold nearly a million refugees. I think they'll be selective about who they take, forcing the rest to keep moving north."

Xia Qing nodded as well. Currently, every base was struggling to stay above the brink of starvation; letting in hundreds of thousands of people would surely cause an explosion of chaos.

Before Tang Huai could speak, an unfamiliar voice rang out over the channel, "These matters can only be arranged by the high-level authorities. There's no use in us worrying. We just need to tend to our own land and ensure we don't starve to death."

As soon as the voice fell, Tang Huai immediately questioned, "Hu Zi, you want to farm?!"

A person from Territory No. 1 cursed loudly, "My name is Hu Zifeng. I took a squad mission to guard Territory No. 1. What's wrong with farming? If you keep barking nonsense, I'll come over there right now and blow your damn head off with a shot."

Everyone...

Compared to Luo Pei, who had been taken away by a plane, this newcomer to Territory No. 1 had a truly terrible temper.

Hu Zifeng, a Level 5 Visual Evolver, was the squad leader sent to protect Xia Qing and Territory No. 3. This task was perfectly suited for someone skilled in long-range sniping like Hu Zifeng.

Xia Qing was extremely satisfied with this future security captain.

Tang Huai, who had spoken out of turn due to the unexpected turn of events, didn't dare make another sound. Zhang San's lazy voice rang out in the channel, "I'm Zhang San from Territory No. 7. Has Territory No. 1 found anything tasty yet?"

Hu Zifeng reined in his anger and replied calmly, "We are currently clearing out the Blight Grass. So far, we've only found a few peanut seedlings and ginger seedlings just poking through. We'll trade with everyone once we have something good."

Zhang San couldn't wait to place an order. "Once the peanuts are harvested, I'll take as many as you're selling."

Xia Qing followed suit. "I want ginger." She had too little ginger, only six plants.

Qi Fu and Zhao Ze spoke up simultaneously. "Brother Feng, I'm Zhao Ze (Qi Fu) from Territory 4 (5), and I also need ginger."

They didn't dare compete for the things Zhang San wanted; they could only aim for others.

Hu Zifeng replied, "That's fine. We'll trade once we harvest. We came out late and missed the planting season, so we don't know if the seeds will germinate. Does anyone else have many seedlings coming up? Can we exchange for points or supplies?"

Before the disaster, he ran a fruit shop; after the disaster, he dealt in supplies in the safe zones; and after establishing his territory, he wanted to continue being a middleman. Kuang Qingwei immediately asked, "Brother Feng, you're new so you might not know. We previously agreed to exchange vegetable seedlings on a one-for-one basis. You can also buy them for 100 points per seedling, or exchange them for supplies at a discounted rate based on safe zone prices. What kind of supplies can you offer, Brother Feng?"

Xia Qing sat up, her finger resting on the walkie-talkie button.

Hu Zifeng answered, "We just arrived, so we don't have many supplies. However, I brought two small micro-tillers. After arriving, I realized Territory No. 1 isn't large enough to need both, so I want to trade one. I had to use connections to get this machine from the Planting Center. It's brand new. 5,000 points."

A fuel-consuming micro-tiller actually required fifty vegetable seedlings in exchange?! No one was interested; manual labor was more cost-effective.

The real game was about to begin.

Xia Qing pressed the button and, following the lead of Kuang Qingwei and the others, addressed Hu Zifeng as "Brother." "Brother Feng, I'm Xia Qing from Territory No. 3, and I'd like to trade with you. I have garlic, perilla, tomato, pumpkin, eggplant, and cucumber seedlings. The perilla and garlic can be transplanted now, but the others will have to wait half a month. Additionally, in about a month, I will have spinach seeds available for trade."

Hu Zifeng replied professionally, "Fine. For the tomato, cucumber, eggplant, and pumpkin seedlings, I'll take ten of each. How many spinach seeds can I get with the remaining points?"

The growth cycle of spinach is about 40 days. In the later stages of growth, it bolts and produces seeds, which can be replanted to yield even more spinach.

Xia Qing bargained skillfully, "My spinach is a Green-Light safe food. Is 100 points for five seeds acceptable?"

"Deal."

As soon as Hu Zifeng finished speaking, Zhang San's voice erupted, "Xia Qing, it's me, your Third Brother. How much Green-Light spinach do you have? Can I trade for it now? Name your price."

Qi Fu followed, "Xiao Xia, it's Old Qi. I want spinach seeds too. Can I trade vegetable seedlings for them?"

"Sister, I want some too!" Zhao Ze and Kuang Qingwei immediately tried to get on her good side, turning the channel into a chaotic mess.

Zhang San pulled out his ultimate trump card: "Xia Qing, my evolved cat is pregnant."

A kitten!!!

Xia Qing's heart raced with excitement, but before she could speak, Tang Huai cut in, "Third Brother, I want the cat. Name your price."

"Get lost! I'm not trading with Territory No. 2!" After cursing at Tang Huai, Zhang San turned back to Xia Qing with a reasonable tone, "Xia Qing, how about a kitten? Once my cat gives birth, you can pick whichever one you want."

With a fluffy kitten on the line, even the "Boss Sheep" suddenly lost its charm. Xia Qing was incredibly tempted, but she remained cautious. "Third Brother, of course I want the cat. But I only have a few spinach plants. If I pull them up to trade with you, I won't have any seeds left. Besides, evolved cats are hard to raise. How do you keep yours? If it can only be kept in a cage, I don't want it."

Before the evolution, cats were masters to humans; after the evolution, they had ascended to the status of supreme rulers. They weren't something humans could just raise on a whim. If kept in a cage, a cat could drive a person to a mental breakdown.

Zhang San replied immediately, "No need for a cage. As long as you have fish, the cat will come back to eat when it's hungry. Once you raise the cat, you can trade dried fish with me using Green-Light vegetables. I won't take all your spinach; just pull a few plants for me to taste first."

Xia Qing...

Zhang San added more conditions, "I can also trade you a household food dehydrator and an automatic household vacuum sealer."

Xia Qing guessed Zhang San's intention. "Third Brother, does that mean I'll also have to trade with you for food packaging bags?"

Zhang San laughed happily. "Heh, you could buy them from the patrol teams, but I guarantee mine are the best quality."

Now that fungi and bacteria had also accelerated their evolution, food was difficult to preserve. A dehydrator that could quickly dry food and a vacuum sealer that truly removed air to extend shelf life were high-priced supplies that were nearly impossible to snatch up in the safe zones.

If one possessed both, they could dehydrate and seal fresh vegetables to preserve them for months.

Zhang San was truly putting down a massive bet just for a taste of spinach.

While Xia Qing was intensely tempted, she remained extremely prudent. "I really only have a few spinach plants, and I can't guarantee they will remain Green-Light after a Blight Rain. I need to keep them all to harvest seeds. Can I trade with you after the spinach bolts and I grow the next batch?"

Zhang San was easy to talk to. "That works, but my cat and my supplies are in high demand. If you want to reserve them now, you'll have to pay a deposit with spinach. You don't have to pull the whole plant; just pluck off all the edible leaves."

Xia Qing...

(End of Chapter)