Chapter 134: Showdown at Plot Nine

Xia Qing hadn’t read much, so she didn’t know exactly what counted as a dangerous chemical, but she was sure Li Si’s excuse didn’t hold up.

After the great evolution of life on Blue Star, before the disasters, chemical pesticides used in farming would disrupt the balance in plants and animals and make Xiang Evolution more likely. That’s why the commonly used farm chemicals now—like insecticides and repellents—are all targeted biological agents.

Though these biological agents are somewhat toxic, none could make every living thing in the area drop dead.

So, if there were ‘Class One dangerous chemicals’ lying around in Li Si’s territory, there’s no way it was for research or farming. It was probably for self-preservation or some other shady reason.

Why would Plot Nine suddenly admit to having illegal contraband? Was it accidental, or on purpose? And if they did it on purpose, what was Li Si actually after?

The deeper Xia Qing dug into this gossip, the more confused she got.

Zhang San finally spoke, his voice as flat as when he’d operated on that Brain-Evolved Wolf. ‘There are no contraband items in Territory Seven.’

If it were anyone else saying this, Xia Qing wouldn’t have believed it. But since it was Zhang San, not only did she believe him, the other lords did too—even Li Si went quiet.

Zhang San kept pressing forward. ‘Captain Tan, if a Class One dangerous chemical leaks, it threatens every creature within at least a twenty-kilometer radius and could cause Xiangified animals to go berserk or trigger a beast tide. That’s why trained professionals must be dispatched immediately to eliminate the chemicals, secure them, and turn them in. Zhang San, professional technician, requests joint operation with the Inspection Team.’

Tan Junjie replied, ‘Agreed. The situation is urgent. Lord of Territory Seven, please get to Plot Nine’s station in fifteen minutes. This has already been reported and The Base has authorized the Inspection Team to search Plot Nine. The Hazard Inspection Team formally asks Plot Nine’s lord again for permission to enter and search for hazardous goods.’

Li Si exploded. ‘Do you really have to make things this difficult, Third Brother? You know what I’m here for! Have you even thought about what happens if you cross the Blazing Fire Unit?’

Zhang San didn’t reply—obviously, he’d already gone to prep for clearing out the dangerous chemicals from Plot Nine.

At this point, Xia Qing didn’t care about how many pumpkins she could grow anymore—she just wanted to see the action up close. She sprinted home, threw on her protective suit and mask, and dashed out, nearly scaring the two honored guests recovering in the sheep shed half to death.

Boss Sheep thought something bad had happened and started to follow Xia Qing. Xia Qing stopped, stuffed a pack of compressed rations in his hands, and gently reassured him. ‘Everything’s fine, Boss—hold down the fort for me. I’ll be back soon.’

With snacks in hand, Boss Sheep followed for a while, only stopping when Xia Qing left Territory Three. Thankfully, after all Xia Qing’s lessons, Boss Sheep knew it was dangerous beyond the walls and wouldn’t step out easily.

Xia Qing slipped through a patch of overgrown grass along the southern edge of Territory Three and stopped under the station sign, peering east.

She loved watching drama, but her own safety came first. With her sharp eyes and keen hearing, standing here was good enough—getting any closer was both risky and likely to annoy others.

‘Qing-jie!’ Da Jiang, the Hearing Evolver, jogged over from Plot One. ‘We’re way too far to see anything from here—let’s go check things out up close!’

One person alone might be in danger, but two was different. Xia Qing didn’t hesitate a second and followed Da Jiang eastward.

The two ‘gossip chasers’ had barely started moving when the Tang brothers burst out of Plot Two. ‘Da Jiang, wait up—we’re coming too!’

‘Hurry up or you’ll miss Third Brother and Captain Tan charging into Plot Nine!’ With drama to watch, even folks from the Azure Dragon Unit and Sufeng Squad could get along for once.

Technically, Plot Two bordered Plot Nine, so Tang Huai, the Hearing Evolver, could have just stayed inside and listened in, gaining more intel than by running out. Still, Tang Huai chose to join the crowd, which suggested his surveillance orders focused on Plots One and Three, not Nine.

Xia Qing saw through this but kept quiet, following along with the group for some prime drama.

‘You guys got here quick.’ Seeing folks from Plots One through Three all gather, Zhao Ze from Plot Four limped over to join them under the sign.

Plot Four was just south of Plot Nine, and the road sign for Four was only twenty meters from Nine, making it the best spot for front-row action. People from four plots huddled by the sign, all staring expectantly eastward.

Seeing the growing crowd, Qi Fu and his partner from Plot Five, Kuang Qingwei and his wife from Plot Six, and Shi Du and his mother all poked their heads out of their territories to join as well.

It was the first time Xia Qing saw Kuang Qingwei’s wife, Zhu Li. She looked younger than Xia Qing, and standing next to Kuang Qingwei, they looked more like father and daughter than a couple.

‘Everyone’s here except for those from Plot Eight,’ Zhu Li said in a whisper, clearly excited, as she leaned in toward Xia Qing.

‘Yeah,’ Xia Qing answered. Pretty much all of Plots One through Ten who could show up had gathered, eager to watch the showdown between Seven and Nine.

If they had to pick, everyone here wanted Zhang San to win—after all, nobody wanted deadly chemicals hidden in Plot Nine, waiting to silence them for good.

Shi Du slid over to Xia Qing’s side and asked quietly, ‘Qing-jie, do you know what a Class One dangerous chemical is?’

Xia Qing just gave him a look. Did she look like she had a clue?

Shi Du scratched his short hair with a little laugh, then his eyes went wide. ‘Qing-jie, your skin looks way better—did you switch meds?’

Xia Qing had been telling everyone her red skin was due to poisoning and that she was using medicine to keep it from spreading.

But really, her skin was now a healthy, even red—not because of any medicine, but thanks to a dye Zhang San had given her.

Xia Qing kept a straight face. ‘No new medicine. Probably just eating better these days—boosted my resistance.’

‘Makes sense,’ Shi Du’s mom chimed in as she chatted with Yuan Yan and Zhu Li, listening in from the side. ‘Qing, I think Third Brother’s amazing. Next time he’s in a good mood, you should get him to check you out. He’s got the real cure, and his medicine always works.’

All the local lords who’d bartered with Territory Seven knew anything from Zhang San was top-notch.

Xia Qing didn’t argue. ‘Got it. If I get a chance, I’ll ask Third Brother.’

‘Look—they’re coming!’ Zhu Li excitedly alerted her fellow gossip fans.

Everyone turned east, spotting twenty-some people approaching—some in camo protective suits, some fully covered head-to-toe in airtight white protective gear.

Their roles were obvious: the ones in camo with weapons were soldiers—sixteen of them. The ones in all-white, carrying toolboxes, were technicians—five total.

Xia Qing recognized the squad in front as Tan Junjie’s team, followed by Zhang San sandwiched between Yan Long and Ji Li, then two surgical assistants from Plot Seven she’d seen by the operating room door.

The rest were strangers.

Kuang Qingwei was amazed. ‘Captain Tan’s only got six soldiers—are all these others from Third Brother’s territory? Wow!’

Qi Fu guessed, ‘Could be other inspection teams, too.’

Tang Huai was fired up. ‘Who cares where they came from—check out those weapons! They brought light grenade launchers, the exact heavy firepower newly issued by the Huicheng bases. Looks like they’re ready to storm Plot Nine if needed.’

‘They’re all bundled up—how can you tell which one is Third Brother?’ Zhao Ze grumbled, disappointed.

He’d been stuck in his plot for half a year, met every lord except for Zhang San and the lord of Plot Eight—still had no idea what either looked like.

Watching all the soldiers and techs suit up, Kuang Qingwei took off his own protective mask from his belt. ‘They’re headed in for hazardous material cleanup so of course they’re dressed like that. Tang, let’s put on our masks too, just in case.’