Chapter 506: Secrets Beneath the Surface

The needle marks and bruises on Shi Jiaran’s arms hit Xia Qing harder than the videos of Shi Jiayi hurting herself ever did.

Because Shi Jiayi lost control from a brain overloaded by Devastation Element, leading her to self-harm, but Shi Jiaran’s injuries were the work of other people. Actually, those underground lab workers—they hardly count as people anymore.

Xia Qing took a deep breath. “Third Brother, I’ve got it. But do you really think she’s still alive?”

Zhang San nodded without hesitation. “She’s a Recovery Evolutionary. Her survival skills and will to live are impressive.”

Xia Qing went quiet. “But if she’s a Recovery Evolutionary, why do her arms and hands look like that? All those needle marks and bruises…”

“She fought against the experiments with everything she had. They sedated her with nerve drugs, which left her weak and slowed her recovery.” Zhang San paused before deciding to tell Xia Qing the rest. “She was four months pregnant at the time. If the baby survived, they’d be four years old now.”

Xia Qing froze. “So her child… was also…”

Zhang San nodded. “Part of the experiment. Once you walk out this door, forget everything you’ve learned. Just go about your life. But if you ever meet her again and you can help without endangering yourself, do it. The existence of Shi Jiaran and her child matters—no matter how you look at it, they’re of incredible value to humanity.”

Xia Qing couldn’t begin to describe how complicated she felt. “Third Brother, Recoveries are pretty rare, right?”

Since Zhang San had chosen to team up with her, he didn’t hide the truth. “It’s classified in research circles. In ten years since the Catastrophe, there’ve only been four: one’s dead, one became toxic, one’s missing, and another’s at Red One Base. If Shi Jiaran’s child is still alive, maybe that makes five. Of course, there might be others the world hasn’t found or revealed yet—but there can’t be many.”

“So… why didn’t you try to keep Shi Jiaran, let her cooperate with your research? You’re nothing like those monsters running underground labs—you could have studied her abilities without hurting her.”

Zhang San shot her a look. “You know my background by now, don’t you?”

She’d suspected since Yang Jin told her about the Hui One underground experiments, but now she was sure. “You’re the top surgeon at Huicheng Base, a leading botanist and pharmacist, and Deputy Director of the Hui One Base Research Institute—you’re the legendary Dr. Fu Tianfeng!”

Fu Tianfeng’s name popped up regularly on the Huicheng Base news.

He was one of the earliest experts studying the Evolution and Devastation Elements, a core developer of the Protective Mask filters, and created several key anti-evolution medicines…

And now, his achievements had grown—he was one of those who blew the whistle on the wicked underground labs at Hui One and now leads rehabilitation efforts for its victims.

With an idol like that, how could I not be proud?

I’m honored just to be in an alliance with him!

If my teammates found out who Zhang San really was, they’d probably run circles screaming for joy around this territory.

“Like you said, I’m just a lowly deputy director. I can’t control the Research Institute, let alone make decisions for the Base. I never earned Shi Jiaran’s trust, so I had no choice but to let her go.” Zhang San yawned, clearly done with the topic.

Suddenly Xia Qing remembered something. “Third Brother, back in early July when Zhong Tao and Zheng Kui passed through those ruined towns south of our territory, a woman carrying a child robbed them of supplies. Then, during the Crop Trade Fair in mid-July, Tang Huai and I heard a child crying in the ruins too.”

Zhang San instantly perked up. “Zhong Tao? Who’s that?”

Xia Qing was speechless.

“He’s the patrol team captain—you know, the guy who drives over now and then honking for us to trade supplies. The Captain Zhong we mention all the time on the Lords’ channel.”

Zhang San guessed, “So he probably never reported that robbery, or the Base would’ve sent people to sweep the ruins by now.”

Xia Qing had never asked Zhong Tao directly, but she was sure he’d stay quiet. “Neither Zhong Tao nor Zheng Kui are evolutionaries—they can’t afford to report it, or they’d lose their jobs.”

Zhang San nodded. “Don’t worry about it. Your main focus now is recovering your health, improving your strength, and farming diligently. Follow my Growing Manual, use a few Yi Stones to set up a small test field. Raise your spinach quality within three years. Your water is better than Fire Phoenix’s. If she can do it, so can you. And what she can’t do, you’ll manage it.”

Xia Qing had only been farming for a year—catching up with Dan Ying’s pro-level planting team in three years sounded impossible to her. But if her idol said she could do it, then she had to:

“I’ve got your own personally written Growing Manual and better water than anyone else! In three years, I’ll have spinach even better than theirs!”

After promising so passionately, Xia Qing softened her tone for a request. “But this winter, I didn’t plant any High-Evolution Spinach because I was afraid Fire Phoenix’s people would find out. Can we start counting the three years from next year? The alliance still isn’t strong enough. We can’t face Fire Phoenix Squad head-on.”

Zhang San nodded, kindly. “You did the right thing. These days, things are too chaotic—until the alliance is strong, we have to keep our heads down. Once we’re ready, we’ll build commercial greenhouses by the hot springs for developing stable grain varieties.” He added, “Every two weeks, test the soil from your field and send the results with your Hill Fifty delivery. You’ve got Yi Stones in your storage, right? Are you running low? If you need more, we’ll trade.”

No, no, no. Trading Yi Stones with Crippled Wolf—who loves beauty and has great taste—was a better deal than bartering with an idol. “I don’t have a ton, but I’ve got enough for a small test plot, don’t worry. Do you use Yi Stones for your territories’ greenhouses too, Third Brother?”

The greenhouses in Territory Seven were just like those at the Safe Zone Planting Center—sturdy metal frames, new glass materials, equipped with ventilation and air filtration to reduce airborne Devastation Element. Such huge structures…

Zhang San, looking tired, shared another closely guarded secret: “Actually, the greenhouses don’t use them. I’m allergic to Devastation Element, so until I develop a cure, I need to carry Yi Stone on me at all times.”

What?!

Xia Qing couldn’t even imagine how miserable it must be to be allergic to Devastation Element that was everywhere. No wonder her idol was so gaunt, even with seven commercial greenhouses.

As a die-hard fan, Xia Qing swallowed all her shock and sympathy and vowed, even more earnestly than she had about growing top-quality spinach, “Third Brother, I’m going to raise chickens and grow vegetables so you can eat better, I promise.”