Chapter 905: Threads of Danger in the Safe Zone

This was the Safe Zone Inner City Hospital, guarded with layers of security. Entry and exit demanded a thorough manual and equipment scan, and it was this strict routine that gave people some sense of safety, allowing nerves to finally unclench.

But after getting used to the vast quiet of her Territory, Xia Qing never could relax in the crowd. So when she sensed an Evolutionary Synthetic Element, her face stayed blank as ever—she just paused with her pen, set it down and, without glancing aside, stood, walked through the checkpoint, and helped Xu Juan toward the hospital’s residential area.

As they moved, Xia Qing keenly realized the source releasing the Evolutionary Synthetic Element here was actually moving!

Of the 36 Evolutionary Synthetic Elements discovered or artificially created so far, most are used for clinical medicine. It was a hospital after all—could the field be coming from someone carrying a medicine containing a Synthetic Element?

Cautious by habit, Xia Qing instinctively sensed something was wrong. Outwardly though, she didn’t show a thing.

They looped around to the staff dorms tucked in a hospital corner. Xu Juan’s room was small but spotless. Xia Qing helped her sit on the bed then asked, “Security here is impressive, isn’t it?”

The south-facing room was stuffy and hot in the sun. Xu Juan switched on a small fan for Xia Qing and replied, “All medicine and medical gear are under heavy protection. Thanks to that, I actually get to sleep at night, and after more than a month healing up, I gained six pounds.”

Putting on weight was almost a luxury—a rare gift that meant comfort and security in the Calamity Years.

Xia Qing took the packet of compressed snacks Xu Juan handed over. “It’s quiet and safe in this building. No wonder everyone puts on some weight here. Are you in charge of transporting all those precious medicines and medical devices too?”

Back when she sensed the Evolution Element’s magnetic field, Xia Qing hadn’t seen any staff moving hospital supplies.

“Right, we split up into teams based on skills to move high-value goods, patrol inside, go out to rescue the wounded…” Xu Juan wasn’t sure why Xia Qing cared about security, but laid everything out anyway. Only when Xia Qing stopped asking did she bring up the kidnapping of a Liangqing Squad member.

“Chen Dongyang had a mole in the Liangqing Squad and tracked Lu Fangchun’s team perfectly. The kidnapping cost nine lives, seven wounded, and even drew the Western Wolf Pack’s attention. Chen Dongyang is done for. I went for a checkup yesterday and visited Lu Fangchun—overheard She Xing arguing with Chen Deng…”

She Xing and Chen Deng disagreed fiercely on how to handle the placement of kids like Lu Fangchun and Wang Bo.

Chen Deng wanted to use the chaos of Su Feng’s downfall and Qinglong’s rise to make the Liangqing name famous again—take on more missions, rack up squad contribution points. She Xing, though, just wanted to give the kids a few years to learn and grow before sending them out.

But Chen Deng was the captain. Even if She Xing protested, she had to follow orders. Now, with Lu Fangchun lying like a mummy in the hospital, there was no way she wouldn’t argue.

“Just to get her and her son food and decent supplies, She Xing has struggled for years—you have no idea how much she’s suffered.” Xu Juan sighed. “She even promised Chen Deng to have a child for him next year.”

Simply surviving had become a monumental task during the Calamity Years. When She Xing lost her husband, her son Lu Fangchun was only eight—life for her was even harder than most single women.

Xu Juan was used to Xia Qing’s silence. After chatting about She Xing and her son, she mentioned, “She Xing asked about you yesterday. I think she wants to take her boy to Section One of the North, hoping you can put in a word and ask the Senior Expert for help.”

Most ordinary folks were clueless, but nearly everyone in the Hui Three Officials and the squads now knew Zhang San’s real identity. Because the Senior Expert didn’t want attention, everyone pretended they knew nothing.

Xia Qing nodded. “There’s a chance, but no guarantees.”

No guarantee still meant hope. Xu Juan quickly shifted to another topic—her ‘old rival’ Yang Shanshan. “Yang Shanshan didn’t come back with Chen Dongyang to Hui Five. She must’ve found a better backer and ditched him. She may not be strong, but every time a disaster strikes she’s nowhere near it. Do you think she’s got Magnetic Sense—an Evolved ability to read emotions?”

Xia Qing shook her head. “If you had that ability and didn’t say, it was the best survival card. If you let it slip, you’d end up as someone’s walking radar. If Yang Shanshan really does have it, she’s not about to tell anyone.”

“Absolutely. If I had that skill, I’d tape my own mouth at night before bed.” Xu Juan suddenly remembered, “Did you hear? Of the two Magnetic Sense employees hired by the Safe Zone Planting Center, one disappeared last night.”

Xia Qing nodded. “It came up at the meeting earlier—no sign of them yet.”

“They should’ve never made panda-grade staff like that public knowledge,” Xu Juan sighed again. “Chances are, they’re lost for good.”

After leaving Xu Juan’s dorm and exiting the hospital, Xia Qing found that the magnetic field she’d sensed earlier was now gone.

In Xu Juan’s room, she’d contacted the Idol through her phone and verified: unless the dose was massive, medicines made from Evolutionary Synthetic Elements typically didn’t radiate a detectable magnetic field.

Which meant the fluctuation earlier boiled down to three possible sources:

First, someone carrying a huge dose of Pesticide. Second, someone holding a living plant that still generated the Synthetic Element. Third—and this one was wild—someone who could synthesize Evolutionary Synthetic Elements in their own body!

But honestly, figuring out which one it was, wasn’t Xia Qing’s problem—she was only here for a one-day meeting. She slipped out of the hospital, expression flat, heading for the Safe Zone Inner City’s largest mall.

Given the choice between a crowded bus or walking, Xia Qing picked walking. No way was she squeezing in with strangers.

She stepped into the four-story mall, cool with central air, and made her way floor by floor.

The fourth floor was all clothing. The moment Xia Qing spotted discounted cotton socks, she bought a huge bundle. She grabbed two sun hats as well. Passing through the kids’ section, she didn’t skip a beat.

She found some children’s clothes she liked, pulled out her phone, and got ready to snap a picture for Xin Yu—it’d be perfect as inspiration for a handmade outfit for Monkey.

“Miss…” A clerk approached as Xia Qing aimed her phone.

But once Xia Qing lowered her arm and her gold medal badge was visible, the yellow-badge clerk froze, body tense, face tight with nerves.

“No photos allowed here?” Xia Qing’s expression stayed dopey and calm, though inside she was anything but.

Because in that very moment, she had picked up the magnetic field of a Devastation Evolution plant—an offensive type—on this clerk!