Chapter 36: 36. Chapter 36: Terms of Trade

Chapter 36: Terms of the Trade

When the appointed time arrived, Xia Qing confirmed there was no one monitoring within a two-hundred-meter radius before carrying the hundred-plus liter water tank into the western buffer forest. The spring on her mountain produced about three hundred liters of water daily; over the next four months, Luo Pei would use nearly half of it. This was the largest exchange she had made since leaving her territory.

Handing the life-saving water tank to Wei Chengdong, Xia Qing lowered her voice. "Tomorrow, same time."

"Thank you for your hard work." Wei Chengdong now wished he could worship Xia Qing like a goddess. Taking the water tank, he asked cautiously, "Our Captain Yang wants to discuss treating Brother Luo's injuries with you. Would that be alright?"

Having seen the plane land at Territory One after dark, Xia Qing had guessed that Yang Jin might have arrived, and that he would certainly want to see her. She nodded calmly. "That's fine."

Seeing that Xia Qing was about to follow him back to Territory One, Wei Chengdong hurriedly added, "It's the middle of the night; we can't have you making another trip. Captain Yang is waiting over there."

With that, Wei Chengdong looked back and gave a hand signal, calling out in a low voice, "Boss."

Xia Qing had long heard human breathing within the Territory One buffer forest. She had assumed they were there to carry water, not realizing it would be Yang Jin, the leader of the Azure Dragon Squad.

Watching Yang Jin, the leader of the Azure Dragon Squad, emerge from the buffer forest under the moonlight—his physique clearly top-tier even through his camouflage protective suit—Xia Qing had only one thought

Her boss and his boss were truly two completely different species.

"Our boss doesn't talk much, but he's actually a very good person." Fearing that Xia Qing might be intimidated by his cold expression and his stingy negotiation style, Wei Chengdong emphasized this before carrying the water tank away.

Yang Jin was, of course, a good man. If he hadn't led the Azure Dragon Squad to the Hui-3 Base, the dominant Feng Squad would have been even more tyrannical, and Xia Qing's life would have been much harder.

Yang Jin was a standout in the Hui-3 Base, while Xia Qing was merely an obscure figure. Although she held the upper hand in this transaction, she had her own objectives rather than simply performing an act of charity; therefore, she could not afford to act coy in front of a big shot.

Thus, once Yang Jin approached, Xia Qing took the initiative to introduce herself. "Hello, Captain Yang. I am the Lord of Territory Three, a Level 4 Strength Evolver, Xia Qing."

The Azure Dragon Squad had been in the Hui-3 Base for five years, and Xia Qing had accompanied Luo Pei's squad on many missions, but this was her first time speaking to the Captain of the Azure Dragon Squad.

The last time Yang Jin and Tan Junjie had come to Territory Three to clear the predatory evolved trees in the western buffer forest, they had witnessed her fighting with Boss Yang—an incident Xia Qing had proactively deleted from her memory.

Since Xia Qing wasn't wearing night-vision goggles, Yang Jin also took his off, introducing himself in kind. "Miss Xia, I am Yang Jin, Captain of the Azure Dragon Squad. Territory One is crowded and full of prying eyes; can we discuss this in your territory?"

Xia Qing indeed disliked others entering her territory, but since she was negotiating a deal with the Azure Dragon Squad, safety had to come first.

"That is fine. This way, please. The mountain paths are difficult; please keep your goggles on." Xia Qing couldn't afford high-end equipment like night-vision goggles; she only possessed an ordinary handheld night-vision device. However, under the faint moonlight of three in the morning, Xia Qing, possessing visual evolution abilities, needed no visual aids to walk the familiar paths.

Talking at home was out of the question, so Xia Qing led Yang Jin to a relatively intact room within the abandoned village below the western buffer forest.

By "relatively intact," she meant the room had walls and a roof. After moving into her territory, Xia Qing had sealed the windows of this room, using it as one of her hiding places in case of danger.

She invited Yang Jin inside, then blocked the low, narrow door—which only allowed one person to pass through by crouching—with wooden planks. After lighting a fire to illuminate the space, she turned to invite him to sit on the only seat-like object, a thick wooden stump, only to find he had already sat down on a rock on the other side.

In the firelight, his face was even more handsome than in the sunlight. More importantly, Xia Qing could sense a tranquility from him that was like the sky itself. Such a sense of peace was incredibly rare amidst the chaotic social order and crises following the Great Evolution of Earth's biology. It was no wonder the habitually arrogant Tang Lu pursued him relentlessly.

His youth and good looks were secondary; Yang Jin was a top-tier Evolver with a lifespan of 150 years and the Captain of the Azure Dragon Squad. Following him meant one would never have to worry about food or safety again. Thus, it wasn't just Tang Lu; many women in the Hui-3 Base wanted him.

Xia Qing had even heard that the big shot of the famous Blazing Fire Squad at the Hui-1 Main Base—the Fire Phoenix, Deng Yufeng—had her eyes on him.

The last time the Fire Phoenix came to the Hui-3 Base, Tang Lu had recklessly gone to provoke her and was immediately trampled underfoot by the big shot. It was a spectacle that everyone in the Hui-3 Base had cheered for, though Xia Qing had been on a mission at the time and missed it.

Sitting on the stump, Xia Qing explained why they were talking here. "I keep an evolved sheep with a very strong sense of territory. If I took you home to talk, it would cause quite a commotion."

Yang Jin nodded and got straight to the point. "What weapons do you want?"

Lacking deep knowledge of weaponry, Xia Qing humbly sought his advice. "My goal is to protect myself and the safety of my territory. What weapons do you think would be suitable? My territory spans seven thousand five hundred acres. Of that, the farmland, three villages, and the reservoir account for three thousand acres, while the buffer forests on the western and northern slopes account for four thousand five hundred acres. There is only me and an evolved sheep in the territory, and I do not plan to increase the population in the future."

He was not surprised by her lack of intention to add more people. "What is your sheep's combat capability? Can it communicate with humans and follow orders?"

Xia Qing felt a bit guilty. "It is a Strength evolution, and its evolution level is no lower than a Level 5 Strength Evolver. It is quite clever regarding matters related to food and can understand simple commands, but whether it executes them depends on its mood."

An evolved animal that had to be bribed with food to work could not be relied upon to stand alone.

Yang Jin provided concise options. "There are three options for protecting your territory: First, we use iron mesh fencing to enclose the entire territory and electrify it. Second, I will dispatch a mid-sized ten-person squad from the Azure Dragon Squad to guard the perimeter of Territory Three and intercept all dangers. Third, I will station a mid-sized ten-person squad in Territory One to follow your orders at any time. We will handle the equipment and installation for the first option; the protection period for the latter two options is one year."

Installing electrified iron mesh was tempting, but the subsequent maintenance costs would be too high and it would be too conspicuous. Xia Qing made her choice immediately. "I choose the third option."

As expected, Yang Jin continued with the plan best suited for her. "To ensure your safety, we will provide you with one pistol, one automatic rifle, and one long-range sniper rifle, with three hundred rounds of each type of ammunition. Additionally, there are three sets of the best protective gear: two for you, and one for your evolved canine—the sheep can use it too."

The sheep's protective gear was an addition Yang Jin made on the fly because he knew Xia Qing cared deeply for her sheep. Regardless of whether the evolved sheep was useful, what she wanted was a companion—one she wouldn't have to worry would betray her and turn on her.

Yang Jin understood Xia Qing's reasoning for choosing an evolved animal over a human companion. No matter how much animals evolved, their minds would never be as complex or difficult to understand as those of humans.