Chapter 649: Strategic Deals and Unexpected Visitors

“Yeah, Yu Dongming called me earlier,” Zhang San drawled, sounding lazy. “I was busy at the time and missed it.”

Xia Qing, a diehard fan, nodded right away. “He really has terrible timing.”

“You’re not any better,” Zhang San yawned, giving Xia Qing a look that said, if you’ve got something to say, spit it out so I can enjoy my nutrient shake and get my nap.

Xia Qing got straight to the point. “Third Brother, what’s your plan when Yu Dongming shows up?”

“What plan? No plan,” Zhang San snorted, clearly annoyed. “Chonglian’s machines are irreplaceable right now. No way we’re putting them on the blacklist. Who knows what business he’s pretending to do, using ‘visiting me’ as an excuse.”

The higher-ups at the Base were stalling on investigating who secretly recorded the territory videos—probably waiting to negotiate with Chonglian. Ironically, the lords whose territories were violated had the least say, and that included Zhang San.

Because this time, the breach didn’t actually cause any real harm.

Seeing her idol wanted nothing to do with the mess, Xia Qing cut straight to the chase. “After the lottery for Territory Eleven, some people questioned whether it was fair. That’s why, even after all these days, Huo Lei still hasn’t received the land use certificate for Territory Eleven. When people from the Territory Management Department and Chonglian show up, could you mention it?”

The Huos were the lucky winners and became the new lords of Territory Eleven, but the other factions were sore losers. So instead of moving into the fields right away, Huo Lei was left waiting at the edge.

Huo Lei and his father were anxious but hadn’t bothered Xia Qing again since they knew she’d done all she could. She hadn’t planned to intervene anymore, but now that there was an opening, she didn’t want to miss it.

Zhang San frowned. “Any idea who’s holding things up?”

Hui Three and Hui One had a delicate relationship, so Boss Huo Zhun didn’t have much sway in Hui Three. If Zhang San hadn’t smoothed things over, the Huos wouldn’t have even made the lottery list.

Zhang San was too wrapped up in research and food. Huo Zhun hadn’t filled him in, so he had no clue the matter was still stuck.

Xia Qing explained, “The complaint came from a junior leader at the Planting Center, but he’s got the Food Processing Plant’s director, Cao Faxiang, backing him—and that guy answers to Tang Zhengrong. The Territory Management Department never expected the Huos to win, so they’re just stalling. Yu Dongming is coming to ‘apologize’ to you. If you bring this up while he and the Territory Management folks are around, he’ll definitely fix it for you. He’ll consider it a peace offering.”

Even though Xia Qing made sense, Zhang San couldn’t stand the hassle of dealing with people. The whole thing just annoyed him.

Reading the look on his face, Xia Qing quickly added, “Third Brother, you don’t even need to say it yourself. Just bring someone along and let them mention it—that works just as well.”

That did the trick; Zhang San relaxed back in his chair and lazily asked, “You really value the Huo family that much?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Huo Lei is one of the best in our Base at making cold weapons and protective gear. His smithy never grew bigger because of his temperament, not his skills. Huo Zhun has great combat ability and even earned the Northern Wolf Pack’s respect. If I can bring him along for teaming up, our alliance will get a big boost in gear and fighting power.”

If possible, Xia Qing would like to keep Yan Long around too and make her a lord. But so far, the timing hasn’t been right, and Yan Long doesn’t seem interested in staying.

Zhang San leaned in, curious. “How did the Wolf Pack come to respect Huo Zhun?”

Xia Qing guessed, “I think part of it’s because Huo Zhun’s really strong. Third Brother, the Wolf Pack must have a sharp sense for danger, right?”

Zhang San nodded. “Wild animals in the Evolved Forest live on the edge every day—they slip once, and it’s over. They’re way better at picking up on danger than people. And it’s not just about magnetic sense.”

Xia Qing continued, “So I figure the Wolf Pack only respects Huo Zhun ‘cause he doesn’t give off any threat to them.”

Her words sparked an idea in Zhang San’s mind. He stood there for a dozen seconds, then dashed into the lab.

When her idol still hadn’t come out after a few minutes, Xia Qing knew if she wanted to trade supplies today, she’d have to go find Ji Li.

She tiptoed out of the lab and tracked down Ji Li. “Ji, could I trade for a bottle of the external dewormer Third Brother made for cats and dogs? Do you still have any left?”

Knowing wolves as well as she did, Xia Qing figured Alpha would drop by to get dewormer soon, so she’d better be ready. If Alpha turned up with the whole pack, her half-full bottle would definitely not be enough.

Ji Li didn’t ask why she wasn’t going straight to the lord for the trade. He grabbed a bottle of dewormer from the dorm and handed it over, then made an offer of his own. “I have to make a trip back to Hui One in a few days. I’ll be gone half a month. Need me to bring anything back?”

Just like Yan Long, Ji Li was only on assignment in Territory Seven—he got breaks, too.

Hui One was Huicheng’s biggest base, packed with people and supplies. Xia Qing’s face lit up as she named what she wanted. “Could you bring me one of the advanced backpacks the Hui One Military developed for high-level strength evolvers?”

The backpack Xia Qing carried was still the one she’d brought from the Safe Zone. It was made for beginners; the straps were worn thin and about to give out.

A few days back, she saw the news on her phone—the Hui One Military’s research institute had just developed a new backpack for advanced strength evolvers. After checking the features, Xia Qing couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Coincidentally, Huo Zhun had asked for one, too. Ji Li nodded. “No problem. I’ll bring you one back.”

Xia Qing grinned. “Thanks, Ji. Is there anything you want for the trade?”

The animal dewormer trade used public credits in Territory Seven, but asking Ji to bring a backpack was a private favor, so she wanted the terms clear.

To Xia Qing’s surprise, Ji Li actually looked a bit embarrassed. “Could we swap for eight pounds of Green Lantern Wild Boar meat? I want to make some freeze-dried bites for the princess.”

After Xia Qing brought down a big Green Lantern Wild Boar, she’d shared the good news with her idol and traded him some of the meat—Ji Li was the one who’d picked it up, so he knew exactly what she had.

Once Xia Qing agreed, Ji Li eagerly walked her back to the Territory to pick up the meat.

As they walked, the workers building the Northern Barrier overheard two high-level evolvers chatting about jerky. The smell alone had them practically drooling.

“Ji, did Territory Seven just buy a new freeze-dryer?” Xia Qing knew freeze-dried food kept more nutrients than dried food and lasted much longer, but the machines cost more, too. Still, she wasn’t short on credits these days, so if the price was right, she was tempted.

She wanted to make extra freeze-dried food for Er and send it over to Hill Sixty—so even if he went hungry out there, he wouldn’t have to chew on scraps the other wolves left behind.

“One costs seventy thousand credits—and that’s with a shipping discount. No need to buy one yourself. If you want to freeze-dry anything, just bring it over.”

Seventy thousand credits was a lot, and Xia Qing gave up on buying her own. She brought out twenty pounds of pork from home and asked Ji Li to help make twelve pounds of freeze-dried meat.

Er had gifted her the wild boar, so Xia Qing didn’t mind using some of the meat to feed him later. “Ji, how should we figure out the processing fee?”

Ji Li didn’t offer to do it for free—he was honest. “The machine hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll check the power usage after it’s done, then we’ll know the processing cost.”

Wait, it’s not here yet?

Xia Qing blinked. Could the ‘shipping discount’ Ji Li mentioned mean they were hitching a ride on Chairman Yu Dongming’s helicopter?

She had a feeling she’d guessed right.

That afternoon, two Chonglian helicopters touched down inside Territory Eight. By evening, Ji Li was back with the freeze-dried meat. The wild boar Xia Qing sent over was solid—twelve pounds of fresh pork yielded four pounds of freeze-dried. The processing fee? Two credits per pound.

That price was honestly a steal.

Before bed, Xia Qing was still wondering when she’d get the freeze-dried food over to Er, but at three in the morning, Hu Zifeng called. “Xia Qing, Alpha just led six wolves into Section Six on Hill Forty-Nine. Looks like they’re headed for your territory. Should I stop them?”