Chapter 715: Negotiations, Dog Food, and the Dark Side of Evolution

As soon as the call connected, Tang Huai cut straight to the chase. “Ally, was it you and Xin Yu behind those eighty-nine explosions on Hill Fifty-Two?”

Xia Qing paused for a moment…

“That’s seriously not cool! Something this big and you kept me in the dark? Forget what you did before—what about now? Xin Yu and I are both your allies, so why’d you take her but not me? Wait, is she a Strength-Based Evolution too?”

Xia Qing gripped her machete and replied calmly, “Just say what you mean.”

Tang Huai, knowing Xia Qing’s no-nonsense style, laughed awkwardly and dropped the pretense. “Look, I want to trade for Xin Yu’s meteorite alloy so I can get a set of those black blades you have. Could you ask her if she’ll make a deal? No matter what she says, I’ll give you the recipe I have for healthy dog food. I promise the formula’s solid—I used to have a German Shepherd myself.”

“Alright, I’ll ask her for you.” Er was a German Shepherd too, and even though he was no longer in the Territory, Xia Qing could make dog food as a gift for him when she visited Hill Sixty.

Hearing Xia Qing agree, Tang Huai—sounding happier than ever—pressed on. “And those explosions on Mountain 51…that you guys again?”

Xia Qing reminded Tang Huai to mind the line. “We’re farming allies, not a combat team.”

“Got it, loud and clear. Next time you’re heading out and need someone with auditory evolution, can you take me along?” Tang Huai’s voice was dripping with fake misery, as if Xia Qing had wronged him somehow.

Xia Qing stayed unruffled. “You’re not strong enough for a fighter’s role. If you join, it’ll have to be as logistics support.”

“Any role is fine by me. I’m working hard on my combat skills—just let me know next time you put a team together, yeah?” Tang Huai honestly didn’t care about how many Credits he’d earn. He just wanted to tag along and join in the action.

After nightfall, Xin Yu drove into Section Three with her Green Lantern haul. While she went to deliver it, Tang Huai crouched in Territory Two looking happier than anyone.

While grilling meat together, Xia Qing brought up the meteorite alloy and shot her friend a playful wink. “Tang Huai said he’d give me his dog food recipe as long as I asked you about it.”

Grilling outdoors was too risky, and Xia Qing didn’t own an oven, so she went with her tried-and-true method: she lit the fireplace and roasted the meat inside.

The cabin filled with the scent of burning pine and a gentle warmth. Xin Yu was completely at ease, using a metal hook to poke at the burning logs in the fireplace. She asked, “How many pounds does he want?”

Xia Qing was handy at smithing herself and knew roughly how much metal it took to forge a non-strength-evolved black blade. “Thirty-five pounds would be more than enough.”

“Deal.” Xin Yu agreed without hesitation. “Have him trade living Green Lantern Breadworms and pay in installments.”

In the early days of the Catastrophe, cosmic rays punched holes in the atmosphere above Blue Star’s Ruins Continent, and a flood of meteorites came down. Under the combined effect of space radiation and the Qiangyi-2 element, both meteors and many local materials underwent dramatic changes—new materials were formed.

Those who risked their lives scouring the Ruins Continent for new materials to haul back for sale became known as “Catastrophe Prospectors.”

Because Blue Star’s mutant marine life made long-distance shipping impossible, prospectors had to make costly, overland trips from Huaguo’s continental plate to the Ruins Continent—their finds always sold for high prices.

The new materials came in all kinds, with their uses still being explored. Sometimes a new find looked worthless, but a year or two later, a researcher would discover its value and prices would skyrocket. So these high-stake purchases from prospectors were jokingly called “stone gambling.”

Gambling on new materials was still a playground for the rich, even in Catastrophe years.

Back when Huo Lei bought the meteorite alloy for Xia Qing’s black blade, it wasn’t worth much. Now that he’d turned it into a top-tier weapon, that whole batch of alloy had soared in value.

Xin Yu had bought up plenty of the same alloy—she stood to make a killing.

Bird lovers who earned Credits wanted only the best for their feathered friends. Xin Yu also chose installments so her birds could always enjoy fresh food.

Xia Qing checked, “Want to handle the trade yourself with Tang Huai?”

“No need. If he agrees to the deal, Uncle Ping will reach out to him.” Xin Yu preferred not to socialize here. Besides the always-calm Xia Qing, she didn’t want to talk to anyone—including Zhang San.

It was Zhang San’s hyperactive mind—just being near him made Xin Yu uncomfortable.

After enjoying a hearty barbecue, Xin Yu sent Xia Qing her carefully organized Wild Tung Tree data. Rather than rushing home, Xin Yu relaxed on a lounge chair, chatting with Xia Qing about the latest big happenings.

“Remember when I told you Yu Wenfei had a miscarriage?”

“Yeah.” Back in January, Xin Yu’s cousin Yu Wenfei lost her baby at seven months—an “accident.” At the time, Xin Yu suspected it was induced labor, the fetus used as a catalyst for triggering the Yu family’s evolution ability.

Staring vacantly at the soot-blackened ceiling, Xin Yu’s eyes held no focus. “Last time Yu Dongming dropped by, I asked about Yu Wenfei while he was in a rare good mood. His face was sadness itself, but his emotional energy was actually buzzing with excitement and thrill.”

Lying on the sofa, Xia Qing turned to look at Xin Yu.

Xia Qing’s steady mood always brought Xin Yu a sense of relief. “Yesterday, I got the latest intel from Hui Two’s agent: Chonglian’s Life Sciences Lab made a major breakthrough. You know what umbilical cord blood is, right?”

Months of hard study paid off—Xia Qing didn’t waste her time. “Umbilical cord blood has hematopoietic stem cells that can rebuild the body’s blood and immune systems. A transplant could treat all sorts of blood diseases. But can it really trigger evolution? I have my doubts.”

“The chance of cord blood sparking evolution is far higher than eating a relative’s flesh or transfusing their blood.” Xin Yu’s voice was grave. “Just this month, Chonglian’s been putting on their polished face and encouraging women in their group to get married and have kids. They’ve got a policy—it covers all medical expenses for female evolved fighters in the group, from prenatal checks to delivery.”

Xia Qing saw where this was going. “So the catch is, they have to get checked and give birth at Chonglian Hospital? That way the Life Sciences Lab gets access to placentas and umbilical cord blood. Are they betting that even non-relatives’ cord blood can trigger evolution?”

“It’s still experimental. They’ll need a lot of human trials. Next, plenty of women—whether evolved or just regular folks—who aren’t strong enough to resist or don’t have factions to protect them, will be treated as living sources for cord blood. And if they succeed? The evolution-inducing agent made from cord blood will sell for an unimaginable price.”

A regular woman paired with a male evolved fighter could have a child with evolutionary powers—but that chance was much lower than for two evolved parents.

Xin Yu turned to Xia Qing, a rare look of vulnerability and confusion showing on her face. “Xia Qing, is this progress for humanity—or disaster? Does Third Brother know? Where does he stand on all this?”