Chapter 36: A Deal Under the Moonlight

At the agreed time Xia Qing made sure no one was watching within two hundred meters before hauling a water tank that held over a hundred liters into the western buffer forest. The spring on her mountain produced about three hundred liters daily. Over the next four months Luo Pei would need almost half that water—for Xia Qing, this was the largest trade she’d set up since leaving her territory.

Handing over the life-saving water tank to Wei Chengdong, Xia Qing lowered her voice. “Same time tomorrow.”

“You’ve worked hard.” Wei Chengdong looked like he wanted to worship Xia Qing as a living bodhisattva as he carefully took the water tank and asked, “Our Team Leader Yang wants to discuss treatment for Brother Luo’s injuries with you. Would that be alright?”

After nightfall when she saw a plane land at Plot One, Xia Qing already guessed Yang Jin had arrived. She figured he’d want to meet her, so she nodded calmly. “Sure.”

Seeing Xia Qing about to follow him back to Plot One, Wei Chengdong hurried to add, “It’s the middle of the night—you really shouldn’t make the trip again. Team Leader Yang’s waiting for you just over there.”

With that, Wei Chengdong turned back and made a quick hand sign, calling out softly, “Boss.”

Xia Qing had already heard human breathing deeper in the buffer forest near Plot One. She thought they were just here to help carry water—she didn’t expect it would be Yang Jin, the leader of Azure Dragon Unit himself.

The moonlight was bright enough that even in full camo protective gear, the Azure Dragon Unit’s leader looked like he had an amazing physique as he stepped out of the buffer forest. Xia Qing could only think one thing:

Their boss and her boss—they might as well belong to two different species.

“Our leader doesn’t talk much, but he’s actually a good guy.” Wei Chengdong worried that Yang Jin’s cold face would scare Xia Qing, so he said it loud and clear as he hefted the water tank and left.

Of course Yang Jin was a good man. If he hadn’t brought the Azure Dragon Unit to Hui San Base, the Sufeng Squad would’ve run roughshod over everyone even more. Xia Qing’s life would only have gotten worse.

Yang Jin was the standout at Hui San Base. Xia Qing was just a nobody. Even though she was the one calling the shots in this trade, she had her own reasons for doing it. It wasn’t about giving charity, so she definitely couldn’t act all high and mighty in front of a bigshot. So when Yang Jin approached she introduced herself willingly. “Team Leader Yang, I’m a Grade Four Strength Evolver, lord of Plot Three—Xia Qing.”

The big boss had led his unit into Hui San Base for more than five years, but this was Xia Qing’s first time speaking directly to him. The last time Yang Jin came to clear the buffer forest of that Xiang-element evolved tree with Tan Junjie and saw her brawling with Boss Sheep—Xia Qing had already deleted those memories on purpose.

Yang Jin, still wearing night vision goggles, looked at Xia Qing for a long moment before taking them off and introducing himself just as formally. “I’m Yang Jin, captain of the Azure Dragon Unit. May I talk to you in your territory? Luo needs treatment, and there’s nowhere private to talk in Plot One.”

She wasn’t fond of strangers entering her territory, but since she was negotiating a deal with the Azure Dragon Unit, safety had to come first.

“Of course. Please, this way, Team Leader Yang. The path is rough, so hang on to your goggles.” Night vision gear was luxury equipment Xia Qing couldn’t afford; she only had a basic handheld night vision device. But at three in the morning, with only a sliver of moonlight, Xia Qing’s evolved eyesight was sharp enough that she didn’t need any gear to walk at night.

Bringing Yang Jin straight home was out of the question. Xia Qing led him to a half-ruined room in an abandoned village at the foot of the western buffer forest, one that was still mostly intact.

“Mostly intact” meant the place still had four walls and a roof. Xia Qing had sealed up the windows, turning it into one of her hideouts in case of danger.

She invited Yang Jin inside and then blocked off the low, narrow doorway—barely big enough for one person to stoop through—with a wooden plank. After lighting a fire in the hearth, she was about to offer the only thing resembling a seat, a thick tree stump by the fire, when she turned and saw Yang Jin had already picked a stone to sit on.

In the firelight, his face was even more striking than in the sunlight. But what caught Xia Qing was the calm he radiated—like a clear, empty sky. Peace like that was so rare in the chaotic post-evolution world of Blue Star. No wonder the ever-proud Tang Lu shamelessly chased him everywhere.

And it wasn’t just Tang Lu or the women of Hui San Base. Even Huo Fenghuang from the legendary Blazing Fire Unit at Hui One Base—the queen of the whole city—set her sights on Yang Jin.

When Huo Fenghuang visited Hui San, Tang Lu foolishly tried to provoke her and got stomped into the ground and cursed out right in front of everyone. That was the funniest thing anyone at Hui San Base had seen in ages.

Xia Qing took her seat on the log and explained why they had to meet here. “I’ve got an evolved sheep with a real territorial streak. If I bring you home for a talk, it’ll stir up a huge fuss.”

Being addressed politely as “you” didn’t bother Yang Jin, but hearing Xia Qing use that word made him want to tear it into pieces and toss it so she couldn’t ever pick it up again.

Though all that went unsaid. On the outside, Yang Jin remained calm and got straight to the point. “What kind of weapons are you after?”

Xia Qing didn’t know much about weapons, so she decided to ask for advice. “I just want to keep myself and my territory safe. What do you think would work best? My territory covers seventy-five hundred mu—about three thousand are farmland, three villages, and the reservoir. The western and northern slopes are buffer forest, covering forty-five hundred mu. It’s just me and an evolved sheep there, and I don’t plan on taking in anyone else.”

She didn’t plan to add people; that didn’t surprise Yang Jin. He looked at her across the fire, his voice steady. “How strong is your sheep? Can it understand people, follow orders?”

Xia Qing hesitated, a bit embarrassed. “It’s a strength evolver. Not weaker than a Grade Five Strength Evolver. As long as it’s food-related, it’s smart enough—can obey simple commands, but actually following through depends on its mood.”

If you had to bribe your evolved animal with food for every job, don’t expect it to be much help in a crisis.

Yang Jin didn’t fuss. He laid out three options. “There are three ways to secure your territory. First, we put up a steel-mesh perimeter fence around it and electrify it. Second, I send a ten-person medium squad from the Azure Dragon Unit to patrol around Plot Three, blocking any danger. Third, I station a ten-person medium squad at Plot One on standby to move at your command. For the fence option, we’ll handle the equipment and setup. The last two options, the protection lasts one year.”

That electrified steel fence sounded tempting, but the ongoing maintenance would be pricey and the thing would stand out like a sore thumb. Xia Qing made her decision in a heartbeat. “I’ll take option three.”

Not a surprise. Yang Jin offered her the most suitable terms. “To keep you safe, we’ll provide you a handgun, an automatic rifle, and a long-range sniper rifle. Three hundred rounds for each. Plus, three sets of top-tier protective gear—two for you, one for an evolved dog, but a sheep could use it too.”

The sheep’s protective gear was an on-the-spot addition from Yang Jin—he’d noticed how much Xia Qing cared about it. It didn’t matter if the sheep was useful or not to her. She just wanted a companion she could trust not to stab her in the back.

Yang Jin completely understood why Xia Qing chose evolved animals over humans for company. No matter how far animals evolved, their brains would never get as complicated and unpredictable as a person’s.