Chapter 422: Bartering in the Frozen Territory

Inside the Wild Grass Wall of Territory Two, a Su Feng Reconnaissance Squad member picked up movement from Section Three and reported, “Someone just came in through the North Gate and they’re moving around inside.”

Xu Pin absentmindedly stirred her bowl of Green Lantern Rice porridge with her chopsticks, deep in thought. Before the captain gets up, how am I supposed to lure Xia Qing into the Evolved Forest?

In Section Three, Xia Qing was too busy to cook. She gnawed on two sticks of beef jerky, the Premium Nutrient Shake clamped between her teeth as she called her idol.

Zhang San’s voice was flat and unenthusiastic. “Up so early, Xia Qing?”

“Third Brother, I scored a high-evolution Green Lantern python. Hardness Evolution. But its Devastation Element is only 2.3 per mille. Want to try some python meat?”

Zhang San’s voice instantly turned warm. “Did the Wolf Pack give that to you? Are you sure it’s a high-evolution Green Lantern python?”

Since Broken Back Wolf, Lame Wolf, and Er Gou were all personally treated by her idol, Xia Qing had no reason to hide where the python came from. “This one is fifteen meters long, weighs over a ton, and its skin is at least twice as tough as the last two, so it’s definitely high-evolution. The Wolf Pack brought it over just before dawn. It’s still fresh—the temperature’s below freezing.”

“How many pounds can you trade me?”

No evolved being could resist high-evolution Green Lantern meat, especially not a Green Lantern gourmet like Zhang San. Hardness Evolution? All the more chew for him!

A smile tugged at the corners of Xia Qing’s mouth, her eyes sparkling. “This python will yield at least fourteen hundred pounds of meat. I’ll keep five hundred for myself, trade at least five hundred to other friends. The python skin and spine have already been traded out. If you want, Third Brother, you can have the rest delivered to you.”

Zhang San might be petty, but he’d never take unfair advantage. “This python is bigger than ninety-nine percent of those on Blue Star, and it’s Green Lantern. The nutritional and medicinal value are off the charts. Keep what you need, but I want the rest—the meat, ribs, and innards. I’ll trade at five hundred credits per pound. Want credits or materials?”

Trust a top-tier idol on Blue Star—he quoted five hundred credits per pound, two hundred more than Xia Qing’s estimate!

Xia Qing made her request. “Third Brother, I’d like to trade two items right now. Let’s save the rest for exchanging medicines.”

Xia Qing told her idol the details of her barter.

“Territory Two is convinced I blew up their helicopter. They’ve sent teams all night and this morning to watch me. Right now, someone is eavesdropping from the northern Wild Grass Wall of Territory Two, using equipment to listen in on my place. I can’t even talk outside—I’m hiding indoors just to call you. So, I’d like to trade for anti-eavesdropping equipment. The higher the grade, the better.”

“The second thing is the soaking agent for python skins—the formula you mixed last time. The one that boosts the skin’s toughness, corrosion resistance, and breathability.”

“No problem.” Zhang San nodded. “I’ll have Da Ya and Ji Li bring them over. They’ll come through the South Gate. Don’t leave your territory yet. Wait until the Fire Phoenix people leave—handle things once only Su Feng is still around.”

“Thanks, Third Brother.” Da Ya was one of Third Brother’s most trusted crew, and Ji Li was from Hui One Base’s Special Forces. Their route through the South Gate was a show for Territory Two’s people.

Her idol’s actions made it clear whose side he was on. Of course Xia Qing had to thank him.

Next, Xia Qing messaged Yang Jin. Besides mentioning the python meat trade, she casually asked him for Tang Zhengbo’s phone number.

Sitting atop Hill Sixty-One, Yang Jin sent Xia Qing the number and asked: Want to reveal your alliance with the Azure Dragon Squad?

Xia Qing replied: Not yet. I can handle this for now.

Sunlight pierced the clouds, lighting up the thick snow blanketing the summit of Hill Sixty-One.

Thud—thud—thud—

Two Brain-Evolved giant bears, leading the injured cub from Hill Fifty, pushed through the clouds to reach the mountaintop, staring at Yang Jin with seething rage.

“Roooar—”

“Roooar—”

Both bears roared at the same time, making the ground tremble.

Yang Jin pocketed his phone and tossed the two Fire Phoenix members, who’d been pretending to be refugees, in front of the Brain-Evolved bears. “These are the ones who hurt your cub and tried to stir up a fight between humans and the Bear Pack. They’re yours now.”

The cub, covered in little wounds and with a bandaged arm, spotted the two who had attacked it. Fuming, it growled low and slapped the rocks. The two giant bears, though, kept their eyes fixed on Yang Jin, ready to attack.

Even if the Bear Pack couldn’t understand human speech, the cub—taller than Yang Jin when it stood—made its opinion perfectly clear: these were the culprits.

His mission was half accomplished.

Yang Jin opened the lid of the jar beside him. “This incident was our fault. Humans charged into your den and started this mess. So, please accept this Green Lantern honey as an apology.”

The scent of honey wafted over on the howling wind. The two giant bears didn’t even flinch, but the little cub behind them, covered in tiny wounds and its arm still bandaged, twitched its nose at the smell, itching to try it.

“Roooar—”

The male Brain-Evolved bear growled again and the cub immediately fell in line.

Seeing the giant bears had cooled off, no longer looking for a fight, Yang Jin knew he’d achieved what he’d come for. He didn’t even glance at the two villains lying in the snow, mouths gagged, lips purple, wide-eyed with terror. He turned and headed down the mountain.

Those two had taken a beating from Yang Jin for dozens of miles, then been left to freeze on the snowy slope for hours. There was barely a breath left in them. But letting them keep that breath was enough to clear the air between humans and the Bear Pack. Bears couldn’t understand human language, but they could read expressions—and that was enough.

Next up, Yang Jin was heading to settle scores with Su Feng and Fire Phoenix.

“Director Tang, this is Xia Qing from Section Three. How’s Tang Huai’s recovery going?”

When Xia Qing got through to Tang Zhengbo, she introduced herself, asked about her injured neighbor, and offered a little care-pack—making her goodwill clear.

“I have some Yellow Lantern white chrysanthemum and Greenlight mint leaves here. If you’re interested, I’ll leave them with Third Brother. Next time you take Tang Huai to Section Seven for a checkup, bring them home to make tea.”

She’d picked the Yellow Lantern white chrysanthemum herself in the valley; the Greenlight mint was home-grown. Neither counted as rare to someone of Tang Zhengbo’s caliber—but Xia Qing’s sincerity was what mattered.

Xia Qing had rarer materials if she wanted, but since she was meeting Tang Zhengbo for the first time, these gifts were enough. Anything more would’ve been overkill.

Tang Zhengbo’s tone was gentle. “Thanks to Third Brother’s medicine, Tang Huai is much better now. His vocal cords are still healing though, so he can’t speak with you yet. The chrysanthemum and mint are exactly what he needs right now—thank you so much.”

Before Xia Qing got to the real purpose of her call, she made sure to express her desire for friendly relations with Territory Twelve. “You can just call me Xia Qing. Tang Huai and I are neighbors—it’s only natural to help each other out.”