Chapter 672: Hidden Currents in the Valley

“I’ll send two people over right away. Help them move the rocks and find the underground stream.” Zhang San’s voice was still rough from being woken up, but as soon as Xia Qing brought up something important, the Disaster Mitigation Commander snapped into focus and started giving orders.

Even though there were no more Devastation Snakes in the area, the reason behind their sudden surge was still unknown. As the Disaster Mitigation Commander, Zhang San had the responsibility to track down the cause and put measures in place to prevent the snakes from returning.

Xia Qing only had to wait fifteen minutes before Yan Long appeared, carrying a huge backpack and slinging a researcher in an airtight protective suit over her shoulder.

Zhang Song, still catching his breath after landing in that airtight suit, took a moment before he explained why he’d come.

“Third Brother suspects the appearance of the Devastation Snakes is connected to the river. He asked me to come and look for any underground streams here. Miss Xia, I’ll need your help.”

Zhang San had never told anyone that Xia Qing was an Auditory Evolutionary. Yan Long, having guessed it from Xia Qing’s performance during special training, chose to play dumb and keep that to herself.

Digging holes and moving rocks needs brute strength, which makes Strength-Based Evolutionaries perfect for the job. Following Zhang Song’s instructions, Xia Qing quickly widened and deepened the pit until the hidden stream below was revealed.

After snapping a few photos and taking water samples, Zhang Song studied the flow before making an initial call. “This is an underground river formed by rain or melting snow. It flows through the crevice at a slow pace and doesn’t have much volume. Yan, could you grab the sonic detector from the bag? We’ll need it to figure out which way the current is going.”

Watching Yan Long pull another gadget from her pack, Xia Qing couldn’t help thinking: Territory Seven sure has a lot of nice toys.

Once he used the detector to trace the underground river and mark it on a printed map, Zhang Song turned to ask, “Miss Xia, can I check out the spot where the three sick wolves stayed last night?”

“Sure,” Xia Qing said, leading the way without hesitation.

Zhang Song stuck to her side, half afraid Yan Long would just toss him over her shoulder again if he lagged behind.

As they walked, Xia Qing asked, “Brother Song, if there’s an underground stream, why did the Devastation Snakes still come up through the dirt and head for Hill Fifty-Five via the river?”

If the snakes moved underground, they’d hardly ever be found by people. That would make things a lot safer for them.

Zhang Song thought about it. “It’s probably the temperature. Snakes are cold-blooded. In a chilly underground river, they’d slow down a lot and couldn’t dodge danger quickly. But on the surface, where the sun heats up the water, they’d get more agile.”

When they reached the ground over the Wolf Den, Xia Qing pointed below. “The wolves stayed right over there. The slope’s way too steep here, so it’s safest to jump down directly. Brother Song, want me to help you get down?”

To keep wild boars in the valley, Xia Qing had blocked off both the exit and the gentler slopes with spiked logs. Getting in and out wasn’t exactly a breeze now.

Of course, ‘not easy’ is all relative. For people and wolves who often ventured into the Evolved Forest, it just meant a bit of jumping. But for a brain-evolution weakling like Zhang Song, well, it was a real chore.

He was honest about it. “Please and thank you.”

Even though Xia Qing had already thoroughly disinfected the valley, Zhang Song still took out his instruments and did a careful sweep for any remaining advanced evolutionary fungus. This was the second reason he’d come today.

Yan Long went to check the mess the wild boars had made around the pond, then came back to the Wolf Den and asked, “Did you make this wooden door?”

“Yeah.” Xia Qing nodded, not mentioning she’d traded it to the wolves.

Yan Long tested the door’s sturdiness and looked satisfied. “Nice work. This will come in handy the next time we explore the Evolved Forest.”

Xia Qing had already thought of that. “Right, I could build a strong wooden frame so we can set up our tent inside it. That would double our safety.”

When they finished checking everything, Yan Long carried Zhang Song out of the valley again. Once they were on level ground, Zhang Song made a polite suggestion. “Yan, we’re not in a hurry today. Is it okay if I walk back on my own?”

Yan Long nodded. “Fine. You take the lead.”

“Great, great!” Zhang Song answered right away, then parted ways with Xia Qing and headed east along the Barrier.

“Miss Deng, our chairman is taking the helicopter back to Hui Two this afternoon. He’d like to invite you to lunch at Territory Eight at eleven forty-five so you two can catch up.”

Hearing voices drifting from the north of Territory Four, Xia Qing, who was already under the Toon Tree in Section Three, stopped and listened quietly.

Yan Long turned them down flat. “I’m on duty. No time, and nothing to ‘catch up’ about.”

The reply was still polite, but the words made Xia Qing bristle. “Understood. Our chairman welcomes you and your family to visit Hui Two for a vacation whenever you’d like. Just let us know, and we’ll send a helicopter over to pick you up.”

Yan Long’s voice was just as calm. “I don’t have any family, and I don’t have time for vacations.”

The other person’s laugh was smug. “Isn’t Tan Qi, who lives in the Inspection Team’s dorm, your goddaughter? Miss Tan is at an age to have some fun. You should take her around and show her the world instead of letting her pull weeds all day in the Territory. That would only hold her back. I’m sure you want something brighter for her future, right?”

Xia Qing’s anger flared, but Yan Long kept her cool—though her words were cold and deadly. “Go tell Yu Dongming this. If anyone in the Yu family tries anything with Tan Qi, I’ll wipe them all out.”

Zhang Song unzipped the face shield on his airtight suit and asked in an official tone, “You’re with Chonglian Security, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Tan Qi is the lord of Territory Fifteen under Hui Three Base, protected by the ‘Lord’s Law.’ Just now, under the chairman’s name, you tried to threaten and pressure security personnel from Territory Seven by using Tan Qi. I’ve recorded the entire conversation. If anything happens to Lord Fifteen, I’ll submit this video to the Territory Management Department to have Chonglian Group investigated by law.”

The Chonglian Security Team member lost his temper. “Don’t talk nonsense!”

Zhang Song stayed cool. “Don’t change the subject or gloss over the facts. Which part of what I said is nonsense? Be specific.”

“Our chairman never meant that!”

Now Zhang Song understood. “So it’s you, a member of Chonglian Security, pretending to act under the chairman’s orders…”

The man jumped in, flustered. “I was just being polite! I wasn’t threatening anyone!”

Zhang Song looked up. “You don’t trust the judgment of a high-level Brain Evolutionary like me? Based on your tone and micro-expressions, I know exactly what you meant. That’s fine, it’s right to question things. Feel free to let Chairman Yu challenge my judgment, and submit this video to the Red One Brain Research Institute so the experts can weigh in.”

“Why so nervous? Gripping your gun—are you thinking about using force to shut me up?”

Once the Chonglian Security Team had been chased off, Yan Long thanked Zhang Song. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, we’re both from Territory Seven. Helping each other is simply the right thing to do.” Zhang Song kept it polite, then chuckled. “Sister Yan, next time we get sent out on a mission together, could you not carry me like a dead pig?”

Xia Qing…

Yan Long asked with a straight face, “How do you want to be carried, then?”

“…Princess style? That’s definitely more comfortable.”

“No way. I have to keep one arm free for defense. If you want to stop getting hauled around on missions, you’d better start training so you can run on your own.”

“I’d rather be carried.”

Xia Qing…