Chapter 59: Business Deals and Mountain Rules

With business settled, Xia Qing felt much more at ease. She took a sip of tea to soothe her dry lips and asked Luo Pei, “Luo Ge, should I come back in five days to learn how to handle a gun from you?”

“Sure,” Luo Pei replied with a smile, then proposed, “Mind if I buy some of the extra vegetables from your fields? That way, Hu Zifeng wouldn’t have to risk bringing produce all the way here. I can pay you the points up front or just put it on Azure Dragon Unit’s tab.”

Xia Qing grinned and nodded. “Of course you can.”

Yang Jin glanced at his watch. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

Xia Qing almost asked how he’d figured out she was a triple-ability evolver, but then thought better of it. After all, if even Luo Pei—the third-ranking power in Azure Dragon Unit—was a dual-line evolver, there was no way Yang Jin, their top figure, would be only single-line.

So Xia Qing looked at Yang Jin and asked something much more practical. “Captain Yang, are there any edible evolved chickens, ducks, or geese up on Mountain 49?”

“You’ve been leading your squad patrolling that mountain for half a month. You must know what animals are up there, right?”

Yang Jin just stared for a moment…

Luo Pei burst out laughing.

Yang Jin chuckled too. “When we went up the mountain testing water sources I wasn’t really paying attention to animal species. But I think I saw evolved pheasants up there—no sign of ducks or geese, though.”

Evolved pheasants would work! A pheasant’s still a chicken, and chickens lay eggs. Xia Qing was about to ask where on the mountain he saw them and how many there were, when a knock sounded at the tightly shut door.

Wei Chengdong came in. “Yang Ge, Xu Pin, Tang Lu, and Tang Zheng just took a helicopter into Territory Two.”

So it’s true—wherever Yang Jin goes, Tang Lu follows. Xia Qing wisely kept quiet, just putting on her best gossiper expression.

Yang Jin shot her a look and stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out.”

“That’s all,” Xia Qing said sincerely. “Thank you, Captain Yang.”

After Yang Jin left Territory Three through the tunnel, Xia Qing gave Luo Pei a heartfelt thank you. “Luo Ge, with Azure Dragon Unit posting people on Mountain 49, my territory’s so much safer now. Really, thank you.”

Luo Pei reminded her, “Azure Dragon Unit only promised to block large, high-risk evolved beasts from coming through Mountain 49 into your territory. As for the no-rental area you set aside for yourself, you’re responsible for that.”

“That’s more than enough.” Xia Qing had never wanted anyone else to shoulder all the risk for her. If she couldn’t handle some danger, she wouldn’t even dare leave the Safe Zone. “It’s late, Luo Ge—get some rest. I’ll head back.”

“Xia Qing.”

Xia Qing had already stepped out the door but paused. She saw Luo Pei standing ramrod straight by the table, watching her with a grave look. That made her automatically stand a little straighter too, ready to listen.

“When I teach you, I’ll hold nothing back. Besides shooting, anything you want to learn—scouting, hunting, demolition—I’ll teach you all of it.”

“I’ll learn as hard as I can. Thank you, Luo Ge!” Xia Qing knew just how rare this chance was—she gave Luo Pei a deep bow, then added firmly, “Even without my spring water, Captain Yang and Captain Xie would’ve figured out a way to get some somewhere else to save you.”

Luo Pei’s reply was calm. “I know. But that would’ve dragged Azure Dragon Unit down badly. In that situation, I’d choose suicide.”

Even as Xia Qing left the basement, she couldn’t stop thinking about Luo Pei saying he’d rather die than burden his team. She completely believed him. The depth of loyalty between Azure Dragon Unit’s three leaders really struck her—she couldn’t help feeling a bit envious.

Luckily she had Boss Sheep now. Otherwise she’d be even more jealous.

“Xia Qing,” Wei Chengdong said as he walked her to her rundown house, “Luo Ge’s the top instructor at the nation’s number one military academy—the most skilled and versatile of all the special forces trainers. You’ve got to learn everything you can from him. Don’t be afraid of hard work. More skills never hurt. Even if you never join a squad, knowing more is the key to surviving these days. The world’s a long way from peace and order yet.”

Xia Qing nodded firmly. She’d learn everything she could—she wasn’t just out for her own survival, after all, but to kill Tang Sufeng and avenge her father. She put on her night vision goggles and scanned the area, spotting two blazing white lights coming from the direction of Territory Two.

That’s a bold way to attract bugs.

Tang Lu, the eldest Tang daughter, was clearly chasing after Yang Jin again—but why was the second daughter, Tang Zheng, here? Xia Qing wandered back home and locked up tight.

She found out the next morning while on her mountain patrol. Tang Zheng had her sights set on Mountain 49.

With a group of elite Sufeng Squad core members behind her, Tang Zheng—dressed in a pale pink protective suit, her fair pretty face turned up—approached Hu Zifeng with a polite smile. “I heard from Chen Dongyang there’s Greenlight Bamboo Shoots on this mountain. My grandmother’s ill and can’t eat much, so I came hoping to dig some up. Captain Hu, could you help me out?”

Hu Zifeng’s face darkened. “Let me say this one more time: Azure Dragon Unit bought this mountain as a training base. If you’re not a member, you can’t enter.”

Tang Zheng’s face fell—she hadn’t expected Hu Zifeng to deny her so bluntly. Lifting her delicately made-up brows, her tone suddenly turned sharp. “And if I insist on going in?”

“It’s not impossible for Miss Tang to enter.”

Yang Jin, clad in his camo protective suit, strode out from Buffer Forest One into the barrier and stepped in front of Hu Zifeng, his presence chilly. He looked like he was facing a pack of evolved beasts, not a bunch of people. “Azure Dragon Unit didn’t just buy this mountain to train our own—business is business, too. We just haven’t had a chance to let the sentries know. If you’re entering as guests, the entrance fee’s two thousand points per person, and anything you harvest from the mountain has to be paid for at market price.”

In front of Yang Jin, the famously tough Tang Zheng transformed into a gentle lady, her voice soft and sweet. “Captain Yang, don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

Yang Jin didn’t waver. “No choice. I spent a million and a hundred thousand points with Deputy Base Chief Tang to get this mountain. The unit’s basically broke now.”

Back in the Safe Zone, everyone called her father “Mayor Tang.” Now Yang Jin’s calling him “Deputy Base Chief,” which showed just how unhappy he was with the decision. Tang Zheng couldn’t change her father’s or uncle’s mind, so all she could do was grit her teeth and nod. “I’ll pay.”

Yang Jin eyed the squad behind her and said seriously, “Thank you for supporting Azure Dragon Unit’s business, Miss Tang. Twenty people in your party—that’s forty thousand points for tickets.”

Once the Tang family had wired the points to Hu Zifeng, Yang Jin added a “friendly” reminder. “There are two things to note: First, this is a training zone with many dangerous evolved lifeforms. If Miss Tang or any of yours get hurt or killed, Azure Dragon Unit takes no responsibility. Second, all mountain resources belong to Azure Dragon Unit. Please don’t damage them on purpose—otherwise, you’ll have to pay full price as compensation. There are three Greenlight Bamboo trees in the grove; if any are damaged, compensation is five thousand points each.”

Tang Zheng had come to investigate why Azure Dragon Unit had bought Mountain 49—and ended up swallowing her losses. “Captain Yang, you sure know how to do business.”

Yang Jin accepted the praise with a nod, looking utterly unbothered. Then he ordered Hu Zifeng, “Zifeng, Miss Tang’s group are our first guests—show them the way. Liangzi, make a sign listing all Mountain 49’s business rules and fees, so visitors know what to expect.”

“Yes!” responded Hu Zifeng and Wang Liang, the squad’s level-4 Speed Evolver.

No wonder they say Azure Dragon Unit’s leader is the ultimate penny pincher. Ruthless!

Standing in Buffer Forest Three, Xia Qing gave Yang Jin a big thumbs-up—she was honestly impressed for a moment, until her heart ached at the sight. When she’d signed her lease with Yang Jin, she hadn’t thought Azure Dragon Unit would also turn the mountain into a business.

That’s a lot of potential profit. Would she get a cut of it?

Maybe there’s still time to sign a supplemental contract…