Chapter 607: Troubled Waters Within the Alliance

Yue Haiying, worried that the others still didn’t grasp the severity of the situation, continued,

“Everyone here, aside from Xia Qing, finds their greatest sense of security in the title they were given—Lord. Killing or stealing from a Lord should bring swift and harsh punishment by law. But right now, the nation is too busy fighting natural disasters to keep the law truly enforced. Last time, when outsiders broke in, it made one thing clear—so long as there’s enough profit to tempt them, some people see defenseless Lords as easy prey.”

The gathered Lords fell silent. Yue Haiying’s words had exposed a brutal reality they’d just lived through.

“The unique nature of Magnetic Sense has certainly piqued the interest of the researchers. If you’re a Magnetic Sense Evolver within a powerful organization, you’ll likely be ‘invited’ to participate in some research projects—ones that won’t harm you physically.”

Yue Haiying’s voice dropped, “But for those without backing, being exposed as a Magnetic Sense Evolver is dangerous. You and your close relatives could simply ‘disappear,’ used as lab specimens. Like chimps or monkeys taken for testing.”

Zhao Ze turned pale with fright. Shi Du, still confused, asked, “Brother Yue, when they target the relatives of Magnetic Sense Evolvers, is it to study how evolution abilities can be triggered?”

“Exactly. Individual evolution is tied to genetics. For experiments, close relatives of Evolvers under 35 are the best subjects to try to activate this power.” Yue Haiying gave an example. “The younger brother of Shen Yongdong, our base’s earliest Three-Element Evolver, died on an operating table for just that reason.”

Yue Haiying knew about the secret underground experiments at Hui One Research Institute. That didn’t surprise Xia Qing, but she hadn’t expected Yue Haiying to share that truth with their allies.

Clearly, Hui Three’s officials had lowered the secrecy level of this information. Hui Three’s relationship with Hui One was quietly shifting.

Under the table, Qi Fu’s rough hand gripped his wife’s cold fingers.

Kuang Qingwei murmured, “The Shen brothers used to live in the West Outer City. When Shen Yongdong was found to be a Three-Element Evolver and moved with his brother to Hui One, everyone back home was so envious… Brother Yue, is Shen Yongdong also dead?”

Yue Haiying wasn’t sure about Shen Yongdong’s fate. “He was among the first publicly known Three-Element Evolvers. The lab wouldn’t dare touch him directly. After his brother’s death, he was sent to Red One Base—he should still be alive.”

Zhao Ze shuddered. “I always thought most of those rumors about human experiments were just stories… Thank goodness nobody in my family became an Evolver.”

Xia Qing seized the chance to ask, “Brother Yue, what about the other Three-Element Evolver who was outed alongside Shen Yongdong—the one working for Military Command? Is he still at Hui Three?”

Yue Haiying gave a slight nod.

Realizing Yue Haiying didn’t want to dwell on the topic, Xia Qing brought the conversation back to their agenda.

“Magnetic Sense and Brain Evolution are both rare abilities, but that doesn’t mean Chonglian’s construction team doesn’t have anyone with Magnetic Sense. So, if someone tries to cozy up to you, or promises some benefit in exchange for watching Territory Eight, just refuse. Best to steer clear of the construction team and avoid unnecessary trouble.”

After a decade of apocalyptic hardships, no one at the table needed it spelled out—people are dangerous. Xia Qing’s warning was enough.

Xin Yu has gone through plenty herself.

Zhao Ze let out a sigh. “If things weren’t so bad at Hui Two, Xin Yu would never have come to this empty territory to try her luck with farming.”

Yue Haiying raised a practical point. “Zhou Zhaoping—did Chonglian send him to keep an eye on Xin Yu?”

Xia Qing explained, “No, Zhou Zhaoping is with Xin Yu’s group. He’ll represent Territory Eight at the alliance meetings, so there’s no need to watch what you say around him.”

Yue Haiying nodded. “Good to know.”

With that, they moved on to the final item for today: confirming the list of people who would head to the Hidden Valley on Hill Fifty to tend to the seedlings and handle lighting, drainage and water supply.

Now that spring was here, the dangers in the Evolved Forest had ramped up. The area below Third Peak, once blanketed with poison gas bombs, might still see mutated microbes during the Devastation Rain season.

Regular people with slow reflexes or weak resistance just weren’t suited for field missions anymore.

Xia Qing started naming people. “Me, Qi, Yan, Auntie Shi, Shi Du, Brother Yue, Yu Shou, Cheng Ping, and Hu Ningsheng. That’s everyone in our alliance fit for outside work. I want to have someone stationed at the Bear Cave in the name of guarding the high-risk area below Third Peak…”

Before she finished, Yue Haiying volunteered, “Xia Qing, let me take two people to guard the valley. I’m the best choice for the job whichever way you look at it.”

“First, I’ve got experience and know how to handle trouble. Second, Section Fifteen is big enough that my absence won’t hold up spring planting. Third…”

Yue Haiying paused a moment before continuing, her voice heavy. “You asked earlier about the Military’s Three-Element Evolver. His name’s Zhang Hongda, and right now, he’s in Territory Fifteen.”

Yue Haiying’s reveal hit the alliance like a bombshell—everyone was stunned speechless.

Zhao Ze could barely get the words out. “B-Brother Yue, so Brother Zhang is also retired from injuries?”

Yue Haiying explained, “Last December, during a mission, he got hit by Devastation-evolved plant toxins—Synthetic Toxin, which severely damaged his skin and crippled his evolution powers. I didn’t mention it before because his whereabouts are classified, and besides, he can’t fight anymore. Third Brother thinks soaking in the valley’s hot spring with medicinal baths should help his recovery.”

After discovering the benefits of the spring, most of the water Territory Fifteen brought back from Hill Fifty was used to treat Zhang Hongda.

More Synthetic Toxin. Xia Qing asked, “Did Third Brother say how to detoxify it?”

“Everybody just calls him Dazhi. He’s 27—a Three-Element Evolver with speed, vision, and elasticity. He’s been in my squad for three years,” Yue Haiying said, a hint of a smile breaking through. “He’s only alive because he’s lucky—Third Brother actually found the main ingredient for detoxifying him. If we can get three rare evolution herbs and keep treating him with the spring water for another month or so, we’ll rid him of the poison. Then, he’ll be the alliance’s second strongest fighter, after Xia Qing.”

No way!

Xia Qing laughed and corrected him, “Dazhi’s combat strength is way higher than mine. Won’t he go back to the Military when he recovers?”

Yue Haiying shook her head. “He’s a Three-Element Evolver, but all at levels four or five. Even after detoxifying, he won’t reach peak strength. As long as you keep your distance, you could take him out within three shots; so honestly, he can’t match you. He’s already retired—he won’t return. And about those three herbs, I’ve used every connection I have for a month and haven’t found a single one.”

That’s a relief. Xia Qing decided to mobilize her wolf network for Zhang Hongda’s sake. “Brother Yue, send me the herb names and pictures—I’ll help search too.”