Chapter 685: A Triumphant Return Through the East Gate

As the mission squad entered through the east gate, Mrs. Tan jostled to the front, reaching out eagerly to take her granddaughter’s backpack.

Tan Qi sidestepped her, voice firm. “Grandma, the team hasn’t distributed the supplies yet. We can’t touch them right now.”

“Oh, you silly child! Of course I know the rules. I just didn’t want you wearing yourself out,” Mrs. Tan explained, her concern obvious.

Tan Junjie stepped in, blocking his mother’s stubborn hand. “Mom, no one outside the team can touch the supplies before they’re counted and divided. That’s the rule.”

Xia Qing pulled her gaze from the hands Mrs. Tan had hidden behind her back, gripping her knife and moving forward.

Incidents of people swarming and snatching supplies near the main gate had happened before after missions returned to the Safe Zone. As captain, getting the team’s hard-earned supplies safely into their territory was Xia Qing’s responsibility.

Every item brought back was earned by these ten, risking their lives and sweating for every piece. Xia Qing might not have carried supplies herself this time, but she bore the responsibility for seven teammates’ lives. Her exhaustion was mental, not physical.

If anyone dared reach for her squad’s supplies, let them try. If they were stronger, they’d get the loot; if not, they’d pay with their lives.

Letting her aura as an Advanced Evolutionary flare, Xia Qing stood near the gate, radiating menace. “Brother Yue in front, Liangzi in the middle, I’ll cover the rear. Move!”

The surrounding crowd immediately parted, hands darting behind their backs, terrified they’d accidentally brush against a team member and lose a hand to Xia Qing’s black blade. Even Mrs. Tan shrank behind her son, too rattled to say another word.

With Vice-Captain Yue Haiying leading, the squad slipped smoothly through the gate and crowd, entering Territory Fifteen. The Wild Grass Wall shielded them from prying eyes and blocked any outsiders. They were safe now.

Following them inside were only Mrs. Tan, Kuang Qingwei and his wife from Territory Six, Zhao Ze from Territory Four, and… Lord of Territory Twelve, Tang Huai, acting as agent for Territory Two.

The strength-based Evolutionaries staggered to the ground, worn out from carrying their loads. They plopped down, yanked off their Protective Masks, and gulped for breath, but every face was lit up with a smile.

They’d scored big today!

No one cheered louder than Tang Huai. “Come on, drop your packs! Let’s see how much we hauled in!”

Kuang Qingwei had already set up the scale. Yue Haiying, Liangzi, and Xia Qing hauled out the bags of bamboo shoots from their packs to weigh and tally. Even the residents of Territory Fifteen were stunned by the totals.

“Shi Du, 900 jin. Auntie Shi, 320. Brother Yu, 560. Qi, 420. Sister-in-law, 490. Uncle Huo, 530. Qi Qi, 58.” Kuang Qingwei rattled off the numbers, then broke down how many Yellow Lantern and Green Lantern shoots each brought back. “Grand total: 3,278 jin of shoots. Of that, 2,728 jin are Yellow Lantern, 550 jin Green Lantern.”

Finished, Kuang Qingwei looked to Xia Qing.

Xia Qing spoke up. “As we agreed, each bamboo shoot team member hands over half of what they brought back. Out of that, I take a quarter, then Brother Yue and Liangzi split what remains evenly.”

That meant Xia Qing got 682 jin of Yellow Lantern shoots and 137.5 jin of Green Lantern shoots—a haul she was more than satisfied with.

Watching Xia Qing walk away with such a hefty pile while her own granddaughter struggled home with just three shoots, Mrs. Tan could barely keep herself from staring a hole through that stack.

Zhao Ze noticed Huo Zhun brought back the most Green Lantern shoots and was already planning to trade for a small one to taste at home. He had no interest in Yellow Lantern shoots; he and his mother were trying to eat as many Green Lantern vegetables as possible, hoping to awaken evolution abilities and join Xia Qing’s expeditions into the Evolved Forest.

Seeing every team member standing guard over their pile, beaming, Xia Qing felt the satisfaction swell in her chest. She turned to the rest of the squad’s gains. “Besides bamboo shoots, we also hunted down 56 snakes and 8 bamboo rats.”

She pulled a big bag of snakes from her backpack for everyone to weigh and grade. Many hands made quick work, tallying up in no time. The results: 156 jin of snake meat—two Five-Step Vipers, 133 jin of other venomous snakes, with 70% being Red Lantern, 20% Yellow Lantern, 10% Green Lantern. The 8 bamboo rats were all Red Lantern type, weighing 73 jin in total.

Once everything was counted, Xia Qing quoted the prices and asked, “Following the allocation rules, I get 40% of the snakes, Brother Yue gets 10%, Liangzi gets 10%, and you seven split the remaining 40%. I want two Green Lantern snake-vegetables. Who else wants snake?”

“I’ll take two Green Lantern and one Yellow Lantern,” Huo Lei decided. He was craving snake meat for a treat.

Qi Fu spoke up. “I’ll take two smaller Green Lantern snakes.”

Brother Yue, whose territory had more mouths to feed, said, “I’ll need six Yellow Lantern snakes.”

Shi Du jumped in. “Those two Five-Step Vipers are mine—need ’em for my dad’s medicine.”

Watching the others divvy up the catch while her own granddaughter just stood there, Mrs. Tan frantically nudged her.

Tan Qi turned and explained, “Grandma, Dad’s Protective Mask is cracked. I want to use today’s mission credits to get him a new one.”

At that, Mrs. Tan immediately quieted down. After all, Tan Junjie was the pillar of their family—his safety came first.

Yue Haiying handed out the requested snakes, converting what everyone took into credits based on the Safe Zone’s mission hall prices, settling up the difference.

Huo Lei asked, “Any Hardness-Evolution snakes? I want the snakeskin.”

Yue Haiying had already checked. “None this time.”

“There’s a Hardness-Evolved bamboo stalk I cut in the grove,” Xia Qing offered, pulling a chunk from her pack and handing it to Uncle Huo. “If you can use it, I’ll drag the rest back next time and split half with you.”

This trip, Xia Qing was on defense duty and couldn’t carry much without losing speed, so she’d left the bamboo behind.

That stalk was perfect for Greenhouse supports. Xia Qing would have to make another trip soon to haul it back.

Uncle Huo tested the hardness, thoroughly satisfied. “I don’t need half—just enough for a carrying pole will do.”

Seeing the leftover snake and bamboo rat meat unclaimed, Kuang Qingwei stepped up. “If no one wants the rest, I’ll take it off your hands?”

Kuang Qingwei and his wife were ordinary folk and couldn’t join the missions, so with advance permission from Xia Qing and the allies, he had first pick of surplus team goods.

No one minded; anything not sold to Kuang Qingwei would’ve been sold to someone else anyway.

Kuang Qingwei bought the Red Lantern snakes at mission hall prices, grinning so wide his scar trembled. “Anyone selling their bamboo shoots? Seventeen credits per jin for Yellow Lantern, eighty-five for Green Lantern.”

The Safe Zone’s current price was fifteen credits for Yellow Lantern shoots, eighty for Green Lantern. Kuang Qingwei was offering above market—tempting and fair.

Xia Qing was the first to answer. “I’ll sell three hundred jin of Yellow Lantern shoots.”

She’d already arranged homes for her Green Lantern shoots. As for the Yellow Lantern ones, she’d keep a few hundred jin for Old Goat, let the rabbits and chickens at home have a taste, and sell the rest.