Chapter 13: Piglets, Forests, and an Unexpected Showdown

After getting home, Xia Qing went straight to check on her precious little wild boar. It was still huddled in the corner, refusing food and water. She hurried to replace its spring water and Chinese toon shoots—there was no way she would let anything happen to it on her watch.

After a shower and a hearty meal of rice mixed with spicy toon shoots, Xia Qing stretched out on her bed with total contentment. She absolutely loved the freedom and peace of living alone.

While she drifted off to sleep, the northern valley in Plot Four was ablaze with light. Several people in camouflage protective suits circled around eleven wild boars—three adults and eight piglets—that had been sedated for testing.

Su Ming rushed over to the two squad leaders with exciting results. “Of the three big ones, we’ve got one boar and two sows. One of the sows, the one raising piglets, came up greenlight in the blood test. Among the seven piglets, one is greenlight, one is yellowlight. Counting the one that was taken, that’s three piglets good for eating!”

The greenlight sow and redlight boar producing two greenlight piglets meant the sow had high stability with her Yi (Vitality Element)—perfect for breeding.

Tan Junjie was about to order the pigs taken back when Yang Jin jumped in first. “We’ve got mountains, water, woods—it’s a great spot to pen wild boars. From what I know, the breeding program at the experimental center isn’t going well. If we send these pigs there they might not even last a few months. How about you check with the higher-ups, Teacher Tan?”

Su Ming quickly agreed, “Right, Captain. This place is so close to our camp, keeping the pigs penned here would be no trouble at all.”

Easier access to pork, too.

Tan Junjie found it reasonable as well, so he called it in. Sure enough, the superiors gave their go-ahead. “Pen off the whole area for wild boar breeding. The machinery will be here in a couple hours. Yunzi and Mingzi, you two stay here to watch the pigs. The rest of you, half an hour’s break, then come with me to meet up with the machinery.”

“Yes, sir!” More than twenty soldiers responded with high spirits.

Tan Junjie turned to Yang Jin again. “What about your team?”

Yang Jin flicked a leech off his protective suit with a wry grin. “We’ll follow your lead. Maybe we can count on some long-term meat rations.”

“Still short on meat, are you?” Tan Junjie shot him a knowing smile.

Yang Jin just laughed and changed the subject. “So, do the orders cover just this valley or all the northern areas of Plots Three, Four, and Five?”

Yang Jin clearly didn’t want to continue that line of talk, and Tan Junjie didn’t press. “Clear it all. The area north of Plot Three gets folded in. This side will be a breeding center for top-quality wild boars. Tonight, we’ll start by carving out the barrier strip, machinery and people together. At dawn, we clear out dangerous wildlife. Got to finish before the rain hits.”

With four forest barrier machines and over forty people, they easily dug out a new fifty-meter-wide barrier across the rolling slopes north of Plots Three, Four, and Five, all in one night.

Next morning, when Xia Qing went to fetch water on the northern hill, she spotted a plume of smoke rising from the Evolver Forest up north.

Had Captain Tan’s team already caught the wild boars and started clearing the Evolver Forest? Before Xia Qing could go check it out, she got a call from Tan Junjie—he was sending people over to catch pigs.

Xia Qing asked first, “Captain Tan, when will I get the land certificate for my newly assigned plot?”

A deal’s a deal—details come first.

Tan Junjie answered straight away, “It’s already been submitted. Zhong Tao will deliver it to you within two days.”

“Thanks, Captain Tan.”

After hanging up, Xia Qing hurried to catch a lively piglet. She carried it to the north barrier of the Buffer Forest and handed it off to Su Ming, who was craning his neck in anticipation.

Su Ming pricked the piglet for a few drops of blood, then grinned so widely his eyes practically disappeared. “No wonder this one’s greenlight—it’s got real spirit.”

Were those two things related? Xia Qing asked, “Are you also clearing out the wild boar valley? I saw smoke over there.”

Su Ming chuckled. “The base wants to set up a wild boar breeding center here. The northern barrier’s done; once we pen off the north of Plots Four and Five, we’ll move on to the small hill north of Plot Three.”

A breeding center meant her land would be safer. Xia Qing was in a great mood. “If you get swamped, I can clear that plot myself.”

“We’re good—mission will be done within two days, tops.” Su Ming’s curiosity got the better of him. “Hey, Xia Qing, are you tight with Captain Yang from the Azure Dragon Unit?”

Yang Jin, leader of the Azure Dragon Unit—the second most powerful team at Hui San Base—was a campus celebrity. He was a handsome, Level Seven speed Evolver, always turning heads wherever he went. But Xia Qing not only felt nothing for him, she actually wished she could stay as far away as possible.

Because any woman who got near Yang Jin instantly became a thorn in Tang Lu’s side.

So Su Ming’s abrupt question put Xia Qing on alert. “I don’t know him, never dealt with him. What’s up?”

“Nothing, just curious, that’s all.” Su Ming scratched his head, grabbed the piglet, and left.

The top two squads at Hui San Base were technically neutral, but their allegiances were obvious. Sufeng Squad, led by Tang Sufeng, absolutely answered to Tang Zhengrong. Yang Jin’s Azure Dragon Unit was much closer to the military.

Most of Yang Jin’s team had been military academy students before the disaster. Under his leadership, the Azure Dragon Unit handled things more cleanly than Sufeng Squad and enjoyed great respect in the base. People lined up to team up with them for missions. Xia Qing had gone on a few missions with the Azure Dragon Unit, but only on those led by their core members.

As for getting close to Yang Jin himself, she wanted no part of it.

So why did Su Ming think she knew Yang Jin well? Xia Qing narrowed her eyes, watching Su Ming enter the Evolver Forest, before heading back to her own territory.

Before she could figure anything out, she suddenly heard the pounding of hooves getting closer by the second. Dropping her basket, Xia Qing readied herself.

An evolver goat with spiral horns burst out from the woods, charging straight at her. Xia Qing braced and threw everything she had into countering the attack.

Bang!

Xia Qing lost that first clash and stumbled back three steps, slamming hard into a tree. If she weren’t stronger from her evolution, she’d have been badly hurt from that impact.

As soon as she got to her feet, the evolver goat backed up a little and charged again. Xia Qing set her stance and squared up for round two.

“Today you’ll find out who’s boss of Plot Three!”

She wasn’t as strong as the goat, but she definitely had brains. When the goat crashed in again, Xia Qing twisted aside and grabbed its horns with both hands, shouting, “Out you go!”

With all her strength, Xia Qing hurled the evolver goat sideways. It slammed into a rock with a loud thud, eyes wide for two seconds before bleating in rage and pouncing at her again.

It was Xia Qing’s first time hearing a goat make that furious a sound, but she didn’t hesitate. “Get out!”

Crack!

Once again, the goat was sent flying, this time smashing into a tree as thick as her thigh and snapping the trunk clean in two.

“Maa!” The evolver goat staggered to its feet and shook its head, then charged Xia Qing again at full speed.

“Get out!”

Bang!

“Out you go!”

Bang!

“Get lost!”

Bang!

…