Chapter 242: Mushroom Schemes, Hidden Connections

The idea that Zhang San and the Tang Family were working together to cultivate edible mushrooms? Xia Qing didn’t believe a word of it.

The way Ji Li slipped her that note only confirmed Xia Qing’s suspicion—Tang Huai, who ate the Termite Mushroom and was totally fine, definitely had something going on.

All it cost Tang Huai this time was five sets of protective suits, and in return, he got both himself and Territory Seven to cover this up for him. Honestly, it was a bargain.

Food shortages were now humanity’s biggest problem. Xia Qing didn’t know why Tang Huai could eat something poisonous and walk away unharmed, and she didn’t care much either, but she knew plenty of people would be dying to find out. Li Si, who’d been stopped by Zhang San for example.

Zhang San was a researcher, same as the rest, so of course he was interested. That’s why he made the first move and suggested a partnership. But what kind of project was he plotting with the Tang Family?

Were they going to study why Tang Huai was immune? How would they even go about that?

Was Li Si really going to be fooled that easily?

Hidden away inside her territory, Xia Qing kept a tight grip on all her secrets—an uncontaminated spring, supercharged spinach full of Yi element, an Evolved Sheep, a pack of Evolved Wolves, and, of course, herself: a multi-talented Evolver. She just wanted to keep a low profile, keep growing crops, and get stronger by the day. The last thing she wanted was anyone poking around, not even Zhang San.

Over in Territory Twelve, the three Tang men sat in silence, each one looking more serious than the last.

On the table in front of them lay a scrap of paper, five rough words scribbled across it:

“Immune System Evolution.”

If his father hadn’t mentioned those secret underground experiments, Tang Huai would’ve been over the moon right now. As it stood, all he wanted was to dig a hole and crawl in.

Tang Zhengbo took a sip of tea before speaking, “Ever since the Huiyi Research Institute began their underground experiments, their goal was to boost human immunity. If you raise the immune system, you can fight off radiation and the damage from the Life Drain Element—and maybe get those forbidden creatures back on the menu.”

“After the disaster, life’s been rough for our family,” Tang Zhengbo sighed, “but we’ve never been so hungry we had to risk our necks eating those Greenlight creatures, which is probably why we never noticed Huai had evolved.”

“Dad, this can’t get out!” Tang Heng blurted, terrified his brother would end up like their older cousin—shipped off to a lab for experiments. “People from Territory Seven won’t leak it, will they? Bro, did Liu Sheng and the other bodyguard see Ji Li give you that note? What about Xia Qing?”

Liu Sheng and his partner had been Tang Zhengbo’s bodyguards even before the disaster, sticking by him after their powers awakened. Whether before or after everything fell apart, Tang Zhengbo always paid them well.

Tang Huai thought back. “Those two were behind me at the time, so they probably missed it. Xia Qing was beside me, but there was a cigarette box in the way so she probably didn’t see either. And even if she did, it’s no big deal. She’s sharp as a tack; if she saw anything, she’d keep quiet.”

Tang Zhengbo nodded. “The fact that Ji Li handed you a note with Xia Qing right there means she never intended to hide it from her. Now we just wait for Zhang San to reach out and see how he wants to handle this ‘project.’ Huai, you’d better get that mushroom cultivation up and running. Use the mushroom soil we got from Territories Four and Six.”

Tang Huai hugged his coat tighter. “Dad, you don’t think Zhang San will…?”

“He won’t.” Tang Zhengbo reassured him, “His temper’s not the best, but he’s not a bad person. If he was going to do anything, he would’ve made his move a long time ago.”

Tang Huai smacked himself. “It’s all my fault for being such a glutton!”

With the crisis behind them, Tang Heng couldn’t help but laugh. “Next time my brother eats a poisonous mushroom, maybe he’ll quit yanking them out of his own skin in a panic.”

Tang Huai shot him a glare. “That was decades ago! Say it again and I’ll smack you!”

Tang Zhengbo drank his tea and waited for his sons to finish bickering before commenting, “After watching Xia Qing coordinate with Territory Seven today, I realized something: Out of all the territories from One to Ten, she’s the only one who’s got solid connections with everyone. She holds all the people skills in this whole patchwork of territories. If she plays it smart, she can collect enough key resources to survive anything.”

Tang Huai wanted to argue but counted everyone up, and sure enough, his father was right. Xia Qing had more than just people skills—she had sheep skills and wolf skills too…

At four-thirty the next morning, the so-called ‘network master,’ Xia Qing, knelt outside her front door with a fat wild chicken in hand, sweet-talking her most important ‘wolf connection.’ “Look at this plump bird, Your Majesty! No way but you could have caught such a fine prize. You truly live up to your title as queen—the one and only leader of the pack!”

The Alpha Wolf just turned away, watching her packmates gnaw on wild boar. The chicken was for Xia Qing and the sick wolf, so there was no need to pluck it, and the yellow weasel wasn’t invited today.

“Number Two, I’ve got a busy day so just snack on some dried meat for now. I’ll cook chicken and pumpkin porridge for you tonight.” Xia Qing stood up, sealed the feathered chicken into the freezer, then brought hot pumpkin and meat stew outside for the sick wolf.

Don’t be fooled by how few pumpkin vines she had left—their yield was impressive. The sick wolf was already enjoying Greenlight Pumpkin these days.

She had to set out before dawn, so the chicken couldn’t be released outside. After eating and gearing up, Xia Qing slipped Boss Sheep a compressed ration and handed it a little basket. “Boss, hold down the fort for me, keep the chickens and fish fed, and don’t worry about the snake tank—I’ll do it when I get back.”

Why not give that scrawny wolfdog a basket too?

Come on, who would dare order the Alpha’s companion around right in front of her?

Truth was, even at home, Xia Qing had to explain her plans to the Alpha. “Your Majesty, I’m heading out to forage. Three helpers will be here later to keep watch, so just rest up and focus on getting better.”

The Evolved Squirrel moved so quickly that Xia Qing had to be at the abandoned cave in the Wild Boar Breeding Center to stake it out before sunrise, ready to track it as soon as it left its nest.

The road from Territory Three to the Breeding Center was already so well-trodden by Xia Qing and the wolves they were about to carve out a proper trail. It was safe in the dark, but going any deeper was best left till daylight.

Once inside the cave, Xia Qing used her phone to check the Evolved Squirrel’s location.

At first light, the little critter popped out of its nest and did a lap around its territory. Then the red dot on Xia Qing’s phone map moved into Territory Three, heading south.

Right now was when the squirrel usually stopped by her window for water and snacks. Watching the red dot hover near her home, Xia Qing, hidden in the cave, felt a deep satisfaction.

Her plan to tame the Evolved Squirrel was actually working—at least for now.

When the red dot on her screen shot north, Xia Qing quickly grabbed a stink bug crawling past, giving it a gentle squeeze. The bug, startled, let off its foul stench—just the thing to cloak her scent from the squirrel’s sharp nose.

When the gap between her green dot and the squirrel’s red dot hit two hundred meters, Xia Qing figured it had moved on and wouldn’t notice her trail. Without hesitation, she stepped into Valley One and gave chase.