Chapter 1114: Secrets, Strategies, and Strained Loyalties

After watching Huo Zhun head east along the Northern Barrier, Xia Qing turned back toward her own territory.

She didn’t bother focusing on what would happen next. Xia Qing could already guess the outcome: even if Huo Zhun brought something back from Territory Seven, that medicine he traded for was never going to heal Zhang Yi’s injuries.

Among the evolution abilities focused on physical prowess, Explosive Power Evolution is closely linked to both Speed and Strength Evolution.

Explosive power refers to the coordination between different muscles—real power and speed working together as a unique facet of human ability.

Only evolved fighters whose strength, speed, and nervous system regulation surpass normal people are considered explosive power evolvers. Their battlefield strength edges out other physical evolution types at the same level, but overusing that explosive power takes a heavy toll on their bodies.

During her years in the Safe Zone, Xia Qing survived by relying on her strength evolution ability. She overused it, which left her with muscle and bone injuries that haven’t fully healed even now.

Zhang Yi is a level-six explosive power evolver who served fifteen years in the military. Even if army meals were better, his accumulated injuries probably match or surpass Xia Qing’s.

Long-term physical damage like this takes time and careful care to heal. There’s no miracle medicine for instant recovery.

But care comes at a price—credits.

Xia Qing currently maintains her condition by taking an evolved Ba Zhen Pill every day and soaking in a special damage-repair bath every ten days.

Each evolved Ba Zhen Pill costs ten thousand credits. Her Idol first wrote her a fifty-day prescription, then—after another checkup—added fifty more, totaling one hundred pills. That’s a million credits. According to Idol, even at quadruple the price you couldn’t find these on the open market. The treatment bath requires eighteen soaks in total, costing another eight hundred thousand credits.

On top of that, Xia Qing drinks pure spring water every day, eats Green Lantern Vegetables, and gets premium grains and meat for her meals. Just six months of this regimen to repair her body has already cost her over 2.5 million credits.

As for Huo Zhun, he was discharged for breaking the rules, so his severance and benefits are pitiful. Huo Lei nearly emptied the family savings to secure Territory Eleven, so their family can’t afford that kind of money to treat Zhang Yi’s injuries.

After retiring, Zhang Yi left Hui One and moved straight into Hui Three’s territory, making it clear he refused the job Hui One offered him. Even though he’s a retired special forces soldier with fifteen years under his belt, his position can’t compare with Yue Haiying—who also retired early for injuries and gave up a post at the Base.

Yue Haiying’s lump sum pension plus other benefits came to eight hundred ninety thousand credits. Zhang Yi’s severance and bonuses likely totaled only a bit over seven hundred thousand. That’s plenty for daily life, but nowhere near enough for the treatment his body needs.

Beyond that, even if Zhang Yi scraped the credits together, there’s no guarantee he could get Zhang San to make him any medicine.

Because the Senior Expert has been in a bad mood lately.

Back in her own territory, Xia Qing carefully cleaned the newly built laboratory, making sure not a speck of dust was left. She wanted everything spotless just in case her Idol dropped by for an inspection and hopefully left in a better mood.

Within twenty minutes of stepping into Territory Seven, Huo Zhun got kicked right back out by the Senior Expert.

Head hung low, Huo Zhun trudged back to his territory and went to find Wang Man. He started with questions about Zhang Yi’s performance after his retirement and what Captain Yan Long really thought of him.

Wang Man’s eyes were as sharp as blades. “You really want to know?”

Standing in front of her, Huo Zhun looked like a scolded little brother. He nodded honestly. “I do. Only, Sister Man, I really have stuff to do today. Can you save the beating for tomorrow?”

“Go ask Zhang Yi,” Wang Man replied, not even bothering to look at Huo Zhun’s sorry state as she turned back into the house.

If he could just ask Zhang Yi, would he really have come here looking to get roughed up?

Dejected, Huo Zhun walked into his best friend’s room and aimed for the bed—only for Di Ming, who was lying down, to kick him right onto a heavy wooden chair. In a frosty tone Di Ming asked, “So, who chewed you out?”

Huo Zhun…

“Was it the Leader of Territory Seven, Xia Qing, or Man Snake?”

Sprawled out on his own, hand-made but sturdy wooden chair, Huo Zhun muttered, “…No one chewed me out.”

Even if Third Brother and Man Snake looked a bit grumpy, that’s just how they are by nature. Xia Qing hadn’t said a word—not only that, she’d actually laughed at his codename…

Huo Zhun looked so pathetic, it was hard to watch. Di Ming rolled his eyes. “With a face like yours, you could slaughter pigs for a living—but turns out, you’ve got the brain of one, too.”

Wu Lianmin, grinning from his bed, chimed in. “Hey Ming, don’t insult pigs like that. Once they’ve evolved, they’re way more useful than a hammer.”

Huo Zhun, who’d inherited every inch of his father’s face, kicked the bed he’d built himself. “If you two are so gutsy, go tell my old man I look like a pig butcher. Ming, seriously, what do we do about this?”

Both Huo Zhun and Wu Lianmin would rather ask Di Ming, the brain evolution expert, than figure things out on their own.

Di Ming hardly bothered to explain anymore. “When Sister-in-law Yan first joined us, she brought up work with Xia Qing in front of everyone. That set off alarms. Then Man Snake handed Xia Qing a special gift from Yan Long right in front of us—that settled it. I knew something was up with Yan. What was that special gift, anyway? A seahorse?”

Huo Zhun perked up immediately. “A seahorse with no tail! I know Yan Long well enough to say this—she’s sending a warning. Someone must be threatening Brother Yi!”

Di Ming tossed him a look. “Getting beaten up by Yan Long for years and you still don’t get her. If Zhang Yi were under threat, she’d snap that seahorse’s head off. Giving Xia Qing a tailless seahorse means someone’s using the two kids as leverage over Yan.”

Wu Lianmin still didn’t get it. “Why not threaten Brother Yi directly?”

“The tail means ‘descendants’ or ‘future generations.’ Just look at how Brother Yi’s been acting lately—especially at dinner. Does he seem like someone in the know?”

Di Ming massaged his throbbing temples. As a brain evolution specialist, he suffered the same common side effect as others like him—a relentless headache.

Not wanting to waste more words, Di Ming just gave Huo Zhun instructions. “Yan Long made that gift public on purpose. She’s not afraid of anyone knowing. Xia Qing figured it out straight away, which is why she sent you over. Since Yan Long’s already shouldered this, you don’t need to keep things secret. In a bit, take that seahorse to Zhang Yi and see what he does. Now—both of you, out. Let me sleep. I’m retired now. I plan to sleep till I wake up naturally!”

Huo Zhun’s eyes lit up. He grinned and stood. “Your headache acting up again? Get some rest—nothing’s happening this afternoon. I’ll have eight pounds of Green Lantern Pecans in a few days. Once I get them, they’re all yours for brain food.”

Di Ming jumped up. “Xia Qing traded them to you? When did you two get so close?!”

Di Ming had worked missions in Territory Seven before, so he knew all about Xia Qing’s deal with Zhang San for those Green Lantern Pecans last year.

With mock seriousness, Huo Zhun reminded his buddies, “Not ‘Xia Qing,’ you two—if you want to stick around here, it’s Sister Qing. I’m one of her core team members now, of course we’re tight.”

Wu Lianmin crowded over, eager for details. “What’s Sister Qing’s combat team called? How many people are in it? Where do they rank on Hui Three’s power board?”