Chapter 186: Bartering at Dawn: Solar Power and Hidden Motives

On her way back, Xia Qing messaged Ji Li, asking if he wanted a Greenlight Rabbit. If he did, he could come find her on the east side of the Breeding Center. Since Sufeng Squad’s informant was still patrolling the Barrier, she couldn’t risk trading there like before.

People from Territory Seven quickly arrived at the spot Xia Qing named and picked up a rabbit.

With a Greenlight catch in hand, Xia Qing headed home in high spirits. The first thing she did was process the rabbit.

She fed the steaming-hot innards straight to the wolf, sliced the meat and set it to dry in the food dehydrator, then threw the bones in a pot with spices to simmer. After cleaning up, Xia Qing was about to go to bed when she heard that wolf retching in the yard.

She grabbed her flashlight and stepped outside—sure enough, the sick wolf had thrown up all the innards it had just eaten.

How could it even refuse fresh, warm Greenlight offal? Wasn’t that supposed to be a wolf’s favorite snack?

Seeing the sick wolf’s watery, pitiful eyes, Xia Qing gave in. She went to the vegetable shed, picked thirty spinach leaves, gave two to Boss Sheep, and juiced the rest for the sick wolf to drink.

A half hour later, with no further vomiting, Xia Qing finally turned in and grabbed two more hours of sleep.

At six thirty in the morning, Xia Qing got up and went downstairs.

The house was filled with the aroma of meat. Rabbit slices continued to dry in the food dehydrator. The chicks and goslings in the tool room were chirping away. The sick wolf was still alive in the Sheep Shed, but Boss Sheep was gone—probably out eating breakfast.

After freshening up, Xia Qing put a pot of rice on the stove, took the chicken cage to the backyard to release a few, and then set off to patrol the territory.

After making her rounds, Xia Qing was gnawing on a spicy, fragrant rabbit head when she heard Tang Huai call for her in the Lord’s Channel. “Xia Qing, are you up yet?”

Time to get started.

Xia Qing pressed her walkie-talkie. “Yeah.”

Tang Huai asked, “The truck with the solar kit just left Safe Zone. Can you meet us at the Territory Three sign around ten thirty?”

That time was carefully chosen. By the time Zhang Yong and Xu Juan helped her move and install the solar panels, it’d already be noon. Xia Qing would be hard-pressed not to invite them to stay for lunch.

A little chitchat over lunch—totally normal, right?

Xia Qing stayed calm as she replied over the walkie-talkie. “Alright.”

After breakfast, Xia Qing gave the sick wolf its second dose of medicine for the day. The late-night spinach juice had given the animal enough energy that it didn’t need any more food, so she didn’t feed it anything else.

At nine fifty, three members of Hu Zifeng’s Squad arrived at Xia Qing’s territory, guns at the ready, and took up defensive posts.

At ten sharp, Xia Qing gave Boss Sheep a dose of tranquilizer. Chang Li had calculated the amount—enough to make Boss Sheep as weak as his friend, but not so much that it’d keep him from moving entirely. It fit his role as a ‘sick sheep’ perfectly.

“Thanks for your hard work, Boss. You and your friend can rest here a while. I’m heading out to pick up our supplies. Once it’s all set up, you’ll be free to roam again.” Xia Qing ruffled Boss Sheep’s wool, smoothed the sick wolf’s fur, shut the heavy shed door, and drove the rotary tiller to the road sign.

Tang Huai waved at Xia Qing from the edge of Territory Two. “Xia Qing, there you are—I was just about to call! The truck’s almost here.”

Xia Qing nodded.

Tang Huai knew how gruff Xia Qing could be and didn’t get mad. He went on, “How’s your Evolved Sheep holding up?”

“Alright,” Xia Qing replied, watching as the vehicle made its timely entrance from the east.

Tang Huai snorted, folding his arms and leaning on the Territory Two sign with a self-satisfied air. “If it weren’t for me putting in a good word, there’s no way the Squad would’ve given you so many solar panels. Pretty good of me, right?”

Xia Qing wasn’t sure if Tang Huai was in on Sufeng Squad’s plans or not, so she just replied cold as ice, “I want what was promised, not a single screw less.”

Tang Huai was left speechless.

Damn it! Hu Zifeng must really have strong teeth to handle such a tough woman.

An old, battered box truck pulled up beside the Territory Three sign. A middle-aged man in a plain protective suit jumped down from the passenger side, pulled off his mask, and grinned with a broad, square face.

Zhang Yong had turned up, just as Sufeng Squad said he would. Xia Qing watched him with a calm face.

A jagged scar ran right across Zhang Yong’s dark face, twisting his smile into something a little scary.

That scar was from the fourth year of the disaster, when a sudden evolved insect swarm erupted from underground and attacked the Safe Zone. If Xia Qing’s father hadn’t dragged him out, Zhang Yong would have been stripped to the bone long ago.

“Huai, where should we unload?” Zhang Yong greeted Tang Huai first, then threw Xia Qing a smile. “Your territory’s here too? No wonder.”

Xia Qing couldn’t tell which metal clip might be a camera or a bug, but she knew from the moment Zhang Yong appeared that she was under surveillance. She kept her mask on and gave a brief nod. “Yong-ge.”

She wasn’t exactly unfriendly, but no one would call her warm.

Tang Huai gave instructions. “Unpack six solar panels, two voltage stabilizers, and three big batteries and take them to Territory Three for Xia Qing. Make sure they’re ‘brand new.'”

“You got it.” Zhang Yong walked to the back of the truck, used to Xia Qing’s chilly manner and talking to himself as he worked. “Not much work inside Safe Zone lately, so I brought my guys here to earn a bite to eat. There’s a familiar face in the back, too.”

Suspecting Xu Pin might be in the truck, Xia Qing forced herself to clear her mind, steady her breathing, and followed Zhang Yong in, asking casually, “Is Tan Junjie’s wife here too?”

Zhang Yong nearly tripped, muttering under his breath, “She’s only fierce at home—wouldn’t dare leave the Safe Zone.”

As he spoke, he opened the back of the truck. Xu Juan, clad in a brand new lilac protective suit, jumped down.

That suit’s stylish cut and bright color looked a lot better than it worked as protection, and cost several hundred more points than the standard gear. Xia Qing would never buy one herself, but she had to admit it showed off a female evolver’s figure.

Xu Juan took off her lilac mask and greeted Xia Qing with a warm smile. “I heard from Zhang Yong that we were delivering supplies to the North District, so I wanted to come see you. Between the hail and those evolved bird attacks, you weren’t hurt, were you?”

Seeing them both remove their masks, Xia Qing figured their trackers were probably near their necks. She didn’t bother searching and just replied calmly, “Nope.”

After Zhang Yong had two Construction Crew workers unload the gear Tang Huai mentioned, the truck drove straight into Territory Two.

Tang Huai ordered Zhang Yong to open boxes and check all the supplies in front of them, then told Xia Qing, “All new, not a single part missing. We’re square now. Last time was my fault. Won’t happen again.”

Xia Qing kept her face cold. “Only counts when they’re installed and working.”

Seriously, what is with her?

Tang Huai glared. “Then I’ll have to watch you put them in. Who knows, maybe you’ll break a wire yourself!”

Xia Qing just stared at Tang Huai from beneath the sign, her hand resting on the knife at her waist. It was clear if he stepped into Territory Three, she’d stop him.

Zhang Yong quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “How about this, Huai? I’ll go in and help Xia Qing install everything. I’ll make sure it all works—if there’s any problem, Building Crew will handle it and won’t bother you until she’s satisfied.”

Tang Huai snorted but agreed.

Zhang Yong gave Tang Huai a look, then signaled at Xia Qing not to butt heads with him. “You’re strong—come help me move a couple panels, will you?”