Chapter 450: Ten Years After Disaster: Evolution, Power, and Survival

A decade since disaster struck, Blue Star’s population has plunged by 92%. The survivors, human and otherwise, now struggle to carve out an existence in this harsh new world.

Humans may have lost their physical dominance to the rapidly evolving beasts, but they’ve held onto an unmatched advantage—creativity.

In these ten years, people have built fortified bases, discovered safe foods, and advanced new medical technologies. Among their most valuable creations is the nutrient shake, designed for rapid stamina recovery.

These nutrient shakes come in three grades based on their restorative power: standard nutrient shake, premium nutrient shake, and the Evolution Element stim shake.

Standard nutrient shake is made from Green Lantern vegetables or meat with less than 0.5% Devastation Element and less than 5% Evolution Element. It’s essential for evolvers heading out on long or dangerous missions, as it quickly restores stamina.

Premium nutrient shake is crafted from Green Lantern vegetables or meat containing under 0.5% Devastation Element and 5-10% Evolution Element. Not only does it replenish stamina even faster, it also speeds up the healing of injuries.

The Evolution Element stim shake, extracted from Green Lantern vegetables or meat with over 10% Evolution Element and under 0.5% Devastation Element, does it all—rapid stamina, quick recovery, and a temporary surge in combat power.

You can see the difference in their price tags:

A 15ml vial of standard nutrient shake sells for 200-400 credits, while premium goes for 2,000-4,000 per 15ml. The stim shake, despite its side effects, is incredibly rare and sought after, starting at 10,000 credits for 10ml—if you can even find it.

After years of cultivation, the Blazing Fire Squad now grows several high Evolution Element vegetables with 5-7% Evolution Element, and their most stable variety is the Green Lantern spinach. Thanks to these, they’re able to mass-produce premium nutrient shake.

All the premium nutrient shake at Hui Three Base comes from the Blazing Fire Squad and sells for 2,000 credits per 15ml. Word is, this is a special ‘discount price’ reserved for the nine bases of Huicheng. The Blazing Fire Squad is making a killing off these premium shakes.

Their true ‘crown jewel’ is the Green Lantern spinach with 9% Evolution Element, perfected over years of breeding.

Forget about offering ten thousand seeds—just a single one is nearly impossible to get. No wonder Dan Ying stormed off, her face clouded with anger.

As for Xia Qing, that was entirely intentional.

She stood inside her territory, watching in silence as the Blazing Fire Squad’s helicopter—a good two sizes larger than Sufeng Squad’s—lifted off and soared away.

Xia Qing kept her face blank but Hu Zifeng knew she was angry. Even he’d wanted to shoot Dan Ying when she showed off that holier-than-thou attitude—and he’d barely even dealt with Er Gou before.

Xiao Jiang looked worried. “Er isn’t exactly impressive, so why would Dan Ying come all this way just for him? Sister Qing, could she have spotted the Queen through the camera on that evolved Water Rat from the other night, and thinks she’s actually Er Gou?”

That night, when Territory Nine broke through Section Three’s iron mesh and the evolved Water Rats snuck in for water samples, Alpha had sensed something wrong and led Xia Qing, Er Yong and Xiao Jiang out to the Water Rats.

Xiao Jiang remembered it clearly—both Xia Qing and Alpha had been so weak that night, legs trembling with each step. Alpha’s shorter build made his shaking less obvious than hers, but it was still there.

“No chance,” Xia Qing said, dead certain.

Alpha was nothing if not cautious. He’d hidden in the tall grass by the reservoir, out of sight, only coming out once Xiao Jiang and Er Yong had caught the rat and detached its transmitter. So Xia Qing knew for sure none of the equipment on those two Water Rats had captured Alpha on film.

Hu Zifeng nodded in agreement. “If Dan Ying saw the Wolf Queen, her attitude would’ve been totally different—not to mention she would’ve offered way more than 20,000 credits.”

Guan Tong agreed too. “Alpha once traded with Section Seven for an evolved cat that wasn’t even palm-sized, and it still cost over 20,000 credits’ worth of supplies. If Dan Ying had seen Alpha, the starting price would be 200,000 credits at least.”

Xiao Jiang finally relaxed, muttering, “You ever get the feeling Dan Ying’s stare is just… creepy?”

Hu Zifeng let out a cold laugh. “Oh, I remember that look all too well. Know why it creeps you out? Because she doesn’t see you as a person, just a ‘test subject’—something she can dissect or tamper with as she pleases.”

“Damn! You don’t think Dan Ying’s one of those people who crawled out from those underground labs, do you? Alpha, don’t freak me out!”

Xiao Jiang was only twenty-two, and he’d joined the Azure Dragon Squad at Hui Three Base. But he’d heard plenty from the old-timers about the Hui One underground experiments. Every story left him with chills.

Hu Zifeng saw Xia Qing’s calm expression and knew she was familiar with the Hui One Base rumors. He gave the group a serious warning: “Whatever happens, none of you should ever be alone with someone like Dan Ying. She might not be strong, but she’s more dangerous than most high-level evolvers. People like her have plenty of tricks up their sleeve. Xia Qing, should I report this to the captain? Maybe get more people stationed in Section Three?”

Xia Qing shook her head, still composed. “No need. I can handle her.”

“Alright then. Here’s the first batch of earthworm castings from our greenhouse—keep it for your crops, and let me know if you need more.” Satisfied that Xia Qing hadn’t been rattled by the run-in with Dan Ying, Hu Zifeng led his squad out through the northern gate.

After Hu Zifeng’s squad was gone, Er Gou came out from the greenhouse where he’d been feeding the fish. He nudged against Xia Qing’s leg, showing some affection.

Xia Qing reached down, gently rubbing the thickening fur around Er Gou’s neck. “Hey, Er, did the fish get enough to eat?”

Hearing her ask about the fish, Er Gou tilted his head up and let out a hearty laugh, clearly in a great mood. Xia Qing took off her protective mask, leaned over, and touched foreheads with the wolf whose clear gaze showed only trust. “Go on, have some fun. I’ll get back to digging the frost trench.”

The moment Er Gou heard her say that, he scrambled onto the rotary tiller, settling comfortably into his usual spot.

After Xia Qing had dug a couple more trenches with the rotary tiller, Old Goat descended from the hillside too, ducking into the cab to ruminate in his own corner.

Sitting between a wolf and a goat, Xia Qing finished the last frost trench in the wheat field—filling it with leaves and packing it down. Only then did she head into the growing greenhouse, pull off her protective gear, wipe the sweat from her face, and call Zhang San.