Chapter 398: Secrets of the Evolved Forest

“No need, I sprayed myself with pesticide. Traded for it with Third Brother,” Tang Huai said, making no move to wear a protective suit as he scanned the area. “Where’s the sheep? And the wolf?”

Xia Qing hoisted the tray of Green Lantern Yellow Lantern Mealworms and led this goofball into her territory, warning him in advance, “Don’t go jumping at every little thing. If you startle them, the sheep might ram you and the wolf will bite. Get hurt, it’s your own problem.”

“Got it, got it,” Tang Huai replied as he entered Section Three. He just tossed his protective suit over the gate’s railing and followed Xia Qing with easy confidence to reassure her.

That’s some serious commitment, right there.

No one would pass by here, so there was no worry about stealing clothes. If he wanted to toss them, let him.

With Tang Huai in tow, Xia Qing paused near a patch of shrubs, alerting her two companions first: “Old Goat, Er Gou, we’ve got a human entering our territory. He’s not aggressive and he’s unarmed—don’t worry.”

Before Xia Qing could say more after circling the bushes, Tang Huai had already adopted his best ‘Big Bad Wolf Grandma’ voice and eagerly greeted the two evolved animals he’d been dying to meet. “Hello! I’m Tang Huai, from the next territory over. Old Goat, Er Gou, pleased to finally meet you both!”

Tang Huai’s antics almost begged for a beatdown.

Old Goat barely tolerated Hu Zifeng’s Squad, who often roamed Section Three, so some newcomer pressing in on his turf had zero chance. The sheep narrowed its eyes and pawed the ground.

As for Er Gou, the sick wolf, apart from Xia Qing it kept its guard up around every human. Sharp claws dug into the dirt, wild eyes flashing, angry lines creasing its snout as it bared its fangs and let out a threatening growl. If Xia Qing hadn’t been there, it would’ve attacked this intruder already.

Tang Huai wasn’t scared at all. His excitement made his voice tremble. “Wild! Absolutely wild! Only fitting for evolved beasts raised in the Evolved Forest!”

Xia Qing could only watch in exasperation…

“That sheep sure looks mean. Way bulkier and with glossier fleece than the ones in the Safe Zone’s Breeding Center. You’ve done a solid job raising it!”

“Are you sure this one’s a wolf? It looks more like a wolfdog—some cross between a sheepdog and a wolf. The build, the coat, the way it moves—it’s got ‘wolfdog’ written all over it.”

“Baa!” Old Goat burst out with an angry bleat.

“Grrr…” Er Gou, the sick wolf, let out a low, menacing growl.

Xia Qing stepped between them, urging Tang Huai to back away. “Enough? If you stay here any longer, I really can’t promise your safety.”

Tang Huai nodded, reluctant but obedient. “I’ve seen what I needed. Let’s head somewhere else.”

Xia Qing had planned an afternoon nap but, remembering the tray full of Green Lantern Insects, decided this generous trading partner deserved a chat and led him to the guest room by the fields.

Tang Huai wasn’t wearing a protective suit, and even with the pesticide, Xia Qing dared not let him linger in the Buffer Forest.

Old Goat and Er Gou weren’t happy with Xia Qing’s call, but a few ration bars and strips of jerky were enough to buy their patience.

Once inside the guest room, Tang Huai couldn’t help but comment on the simple furniture before finally sitting at the table. “So, you want to raise insects? A breeding room with no Devastation Element is pricey and high-tech. Without one, even if the bugs lay eggs, the next generation’s quality drops.”

“How do you build a breeding room?” Xia Qing asked.

“You need special ventilation and air filtration systems designed after the Catastrophe. A thirty-square-meter room costs hundreds of thousands of credits. Filters and other pricey parts have to be changed often. Unless you go commercial, breeding bugs just for yourself or your chickens isn’t worth it. Unless…”

Tang Huai lowered his voice, acting all mysterious. “Unless you have a Yi Stone. You know about Yi Stones, right? It’s an open secret among the Safe Zone upper circle.”

“Do you have a Yi Stone?” Xia Qing asked calmly.

“Not a chance!” Tang Huai leaned back in his chair. “Yi Stones are rare minerals, you can’t buy them even if you have credits. Ever seen one yourself?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Back in the Safe Zone, I saw Tang Lu and Fire Phoenix wearing some. Black-and-white patterned, and later I heard they block Devastation Elements.”

“Hmph.”

Tang Huai snorted, unclear if at Tang Lu or Fire Phoenix, before continuing, “Yi Stones are the status symbol among today’s elite. A tiny stone releases Evolution Elements nonstop—it nurtures your body and chases away Devastation Elements. Pretty magical…”

After letting him ramble, Xia Qing pressed, “Since it’s a mineral, there’s a source. Do you know where the Yi Stone mine is?”

Her place was quiet—the kind that was heaven for anyone with evolved hearing—so Tang Huai was more than happy to relax and chat. “Yi Stones, like Pure Spring Water, need some truly special conditions to form. Nobody gets how it works, and you only find them in the Evolved Forest by pure luck. That’s why they’re so valuable. During the Catastrophe’s sixth New Year’s banquet, Tang Zhengsu got tipsy and started bragging to my dad about sending people to mine Yi Stones, but Tang Zhengrong cut him off.”

“Maybe nobody else caught it, but I’ve got sharp ears. He said: Shencaojia Forest Zone. The place was a mountainous, dense wilderness even before the Catastrophe, and now, over three thousand square kilometers are a human no-go zone.” Tang Huai glanced at Xia Qing. “You know why, right?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Because of the evolved monkey troop.”

Shencaojia Forest Zone was inside Huicheng Base’s range, at the edge of Huai Six Base. The area was crawling with Brain-Evolved Monkeys who fought humans, raided Planting Center crops, and posed the greatest threat to Huai Six Base’s security.

“Exactly. After Blue Star evolved, the monkeys got a whole lot smarter and much harder to deal with.” Tang Huai yawned lazily.

“Did the Sufeng Squad get any Yi Stones?” Xia Qing pressed.

“No chance! Tang Zhengsu sent Hu Shaojiang and his squad—over twenty people—only one came back. You know Hu Shaojiang, right?”

Xia Qing nodded. “He was Sufeng Squad’s number three back then. Who survived?”

Back then, Sufeng Squad’s top fighter was Tang Zhengsu, second was Tang Feng, who vanished in the Catastrophe’s fourth year, and third was Hu Shaojiang. Tang Feng was never seen after disappearing, likely dead; Hu Shaojiang died on a mission that sixth summer too, leaving Sufeng Squad badly weakened. That same summer, the Azure Dragon Squad arrived at Hui Three Base and quickly claimed a foothold while Sufeng was struggling.

“Xu Pin, the current vice-captain of Sufeng Squad.” Tang Huai yawned again.

Xia Qing’s eyes darkened. “I remember Xu Pin only joined Hui Three Base in the summer of the sixth year.”

“You know your stuff. Yup, that’s the timing. Smell the conspiracy yet? I bet it was Xu Pin who took out Hu Shaojiang. Somebody dangled a huge chunk of Yi Stone as bait and lured them into Shencaojia to mine. Who’d be dumb enough to miss how dangerous it was? Mining Yi Stone there was suicide—it’d be smarter to just spend credits and build an air filtration system.”