Chapter 1086: Sliding into Desperation

Seeing Yan Meng like this, Xia Qing finally understood why Feng Wen had to half-lie and half-coax her into helping, and why Yan Meng had left his own territory.

If he didn’t get medicine soon, he wouldn’t last more than a few days. Xia Qing honestly hadn’t expected an evolved fighter’s body to deteriorate so fast without infection by the evolution bacteria.

What exactly did Fire Phoenix give him? How high is his Devastation Element content now?

Xia Qing switched on the dash cam, kept her left hand on the wheel and her right hand gripping her gun as she drove ahead. If Yan Meng made a single move to attack, she’d shoot him without hesitation—just stack one injury on top of another.

As a territory leader, Yan Meng knew all too well the consequences of attacking another leader. He tried his best to stand up straight, shuffling unsteadily into the middle of the road. He picked up his phone and dialed Xia Qing’s number.

Xia Qing brought her car to a halt, staring through the bulletproof glass at Yan Meng, who towered over her nearly one point nine meters tall.

“Xia Qing, it’s me—Yan Meng.” Yan Meng wanted nothing more than to blow up the woman who ruined his life, but to survive, he had to swallow his pride. “I have a deal for you—one that I know you’ll be interested in.”

Xia Qing didn’t reply, just sat stone-faced, watching Yan Meng through the bulletproof glass. She wanted to hear what he’d say and compare it to what Feng Wen offered.

Yan Meng’s lips stretched into a stiff grin. His voice sounded sandy and weak. “This isn’t something others should hear. Open your door and let me in, I’ll talk to you face-to-face.”

The muscles in Yan Meng’s face and neck were slack and shrunken, and when he forced a fake smile, the wrinkles sharpened on his skin. He was smiling but there wasn’t a hint of good intent behind it.

Right now, he looked just like the beggars in the Safe Zone who couldn’t survive much longer, loitering at the roadside for a handout.

In the first couple of years after the disaster, people still had faith in humanity—they believed society would recover soon and were willing to help those in need. These good people were the main targets for beggars.

If you made eye contact, that beggar would flash you the same kind of smile as Yan Meng. Refuse to give food? He’d curse you out on the spot. Look too weak to defend yourself? He’d rush up and rob you for supplies. And if you softened and handed out even a little food, you’d be swarmed by more beggars, stripped of your food and anything else worth taking.

These days, good Samaritans in the Safe Zone’s outer city had all but vanished, so the beggars waited outside the inner city gates hoping for a chance. Every time Xia Qing finished a construction job in the inner city and came back, she’d have to pass through a crowd of those same grinning faces—hundreds at a time. When she did, she’d lead her construction crew right through the mob, face blank, machete and iron rod in her hands.

Her machete and iron rod were rarely clean—there was often blood on them.

Now, at the Northern Barrier of Section One, Yan Meng saw that Xia Qing wouldn’t open the door. He tried to stand straighter, his skeleton-thin frame making the effort, and circled the car, panting out, “I didn’t bring any weapons—my offer is real. Besides, you’re a dual system advanced evolutionary now. There’s no way I could hurt you even if I tried.”

Xia Qing’s expression stayed as cold and unreadable as ever.

Yan Meng’s facial muscles twitched. Something feral, inhuman flashed in his eyes. The veins in his neck bulged out, thick and tense.

Standing by the battered SUV, he took a few deep breaths, trying to stay calm. He clutched his phone, voice trembling as he forced out his side of the bargain. “This year’s soybeans you planted—they’ve got a nasty slow-acting poison. The first batch of soybeans you sent to Territory Seven got swapped out by Ji Li… They used the soybeans from my territory instead… I kept some in secret. Do you want them? Get the leader of Territory Seven to treat me, prescribe me medicine, and I’ll give them to you.”

Now she understood why Yan Meng’s magnetic field felt so dangerous around the pregnant Feng Wen, even Little Shiyi sensed it—it was because he was barely holding it together.

Xia Qing didn’t waste another second. She hit the gas.

The Northern Barrier was fifty meters wide—even if there was a wall in the middle, this road still spread a full twenty-five meters across. Xia Qing didn’t even bother turning her wheel, just gunned it straight ahead.

Logically, Yan Meng knew Xia Qing wouldn’t really ram him. Killing a territory leader was a major crime. But when he saw the car tearing straight toward him with no sign of slowing down, fear got the better of him. He scrambled off to the roadside, cursing her out. “Xia Qing, you wretched woman! Others may not know what you’re really like, but I know all about you! Cough, cough—”

“…Back in year nine of the disaster—maybe even earlier—you were running with that pack of northern wolves. Cough—wasn’t it you who got the Wolf Pack to wipe out Storm Squad and murder my little sister…”

Yan Meng coughed and panted, chasing after the car while staggering. “If I’ve got nothing to lose, I’m not afraid of you or anyone. I’ll call and report you right now, see if I don’t!”

Those few rambling sentences were all Xia Qing needed to realize that this supposed connection to ‘Dan Ying’ was just something Feng Wen made up.

Once Xia Qing left, Zhu Li stepped out from behind the wild grass wall, standing at the northern gate of Territory Six with a cold smirk. “So, Yan, you’re gonna report Sister Qing? Go on then. Let’s see you make that call right here!”

After a round of shouting and a short, staggering run, Yan Meng was wheezing like a worn-out ceiling fan, barely able to speak. He forced himself up, hunched his body and kept walking—who knew if he was heading back to Territory Fourteen, or still stubbornly chasing Xia Qing’s car.

Zhu Li let the knife she’d hidden behind her back drop with a twist, a bit disappointed. “Thought if I pushed a little harder, maybe he’d lose it and come rushing in.”

Kuang Qingwei chuckled. “If he didn’t have at least that much sense, he’d never have survived this long. Still, in his state, he won’t last much longer either.”

Zhu Li nodded. “I’ll go follow him and see if he dares confront Third Brother directly.”

“Even if he does, it won’t change a thing…”

Before Kuang Qingwei could finish, the walkie-talkie crackled with the clear, cheerful voice of Territory Fifteen’s leader. “Attention, all leaders! The truck hauling cattle and sheep just came through the East Gate!”

Hearing that the Tang Family had delivered the livestock ahead of schedule, Xia Qing hit the brakes and spun the car around, giving up on her plan to talk things over with her Idol. She drove straight for her own territory, ready to receive the shipment.

Yan Meng, leaning heavily on a crutch, spotted Xia Qing’s car coming back. His eyes lit up fiercely, and he slowly straightened.

As Xia Qing sped right past him without even a glance, Yan Meng broke down completely, collapsing to the muddy road just cleared of Devastation Grass and screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Xia Qing! I know my sister’s death wasn’t your fault—I was wrong! Please, you have to help me! I don’t want to die… Help me—”

“Why? Why! You could save my life if you just said the word! Why won’t you help me? Are you even human? Ah—ah—”

Yan Meng’s rage grew, his voice rising higher and higher. “I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you—”

Yan Meng, who’d needed a crutch just to walk, suddenly leapt up, arms flailing as he gave chase after Xia Qing’s car, shrieking wildly.

All the while, Tan Junjie had been watching Yan Meng through the camera mounted on the iron mesh wall. He pressed the walkie-talkie: “Attention Section Five, attention Territory Six—there’s a berserk individual on the Northern Barrier of Territory Six. Personnel from Section Five and Territory Six, do not leave your posts. If he invades and injures or destroys crops, subdue him immediately. Confirm receipt.”

The leaders of Territories One through Ten, who’d been bubbling with excitement, grew tense at the news.

Qi Fu quickly responded, “Section Five, message received.”

“Territory Six received,” Zhu Li said, gripping her walkie-talkie and watching the rampaging Yan Meng stagger past the northern gate of Territory Six, still chasing after Xia Qing.

It wasn’t long before the patrol truck barreled through the mud and skidded to a stop. Two members of the Inspection Team jumped out, pinned the out-of-control Yan Meng, and injected him with a soothing agent.

Just then, a box truck loaded with cattle and sheep crept past the parked patrol truck, bumping along the uneven ground of the Northern Barrier on its way to deliver to Section Three.