Chapter 955: A Deal for the Future: Entry into Human Society

She meets the requirements for enrollment, but school’s about to let out for summer break. I’m not sure if there’ll be a new beginner’s class when it starts up again. If not, Little Shiyi will have to join the current class.

Before Zhang Shi even moved into the Hidden Valley, Zhang San had made it clear to Xia Qing that both Zhang Shi and her child were free to do as they pleased. So when Zhang Shi said she hoped Zhang Shiyi could attend the Ninth Planting Center School, Xia Qing had no objections.

Before the disaster, only kids who were seven could start first grade. Now the rules have loosened. Even kids as young as five can enroll if they want.

Thanks to the Great Evolution on Blue Star, humans now have double the physical ability compared to before the disaster. Even regular folks these days are stronger than people used to be. On top of that, surviving in this harsh environment means a five-year-old now has better survival skills than a ten-year-old before everything changed.

Out of all the kids Xia Qing’s seen, only ten-year-old Tan Qi, seven-year-old Wang Shunkang and six-year-old Liu Anqi have close survival ability. But none of them are as tough as Little Shiyi, who grew up in the Evolved Forest. So there’s no need to worry that she’ll get bullied over her age after enrolling.

What’s more, the school at the Ninth Planting Center has responsible teachers, security staff and cameras everywhere. Since it opened, there hasn’t been a single violent incident.

Knowing her daughter could enroll, Zhang Shi was thrilled. “That’s not a problem. She already knows pinyin, can add and subtract under a hundred, and recognizes over two hundred characters. I think she’ll keep up with the beginners. Is there a health check to enroll?”

Xia Qing answered right away, “The school clinic at the Ninth Planting Center does the checkup. They mostly want to see if the child has any infectious diseases and check their Devastation Element content.”

Kids who have infectious diseases or a Devastation Element content higher than 20‰ pose a direct or potential risk to others. They can only attend once they’ve recovered and their levels fall below the threshold. The same goes for staff joining the Ninth Planting Center—the main things checked are these two.

To run these tests, they need blood, saliva and stool samples from the kid and a look at their back skin. Xia Qing could guess what Zhang Shi was worrying about, but she didn’t bring it up, so neither did Xia Qing.

Zhang Shi took out her phone and typed a message for Xia Qing to see: You know about my ability and identity, right?

Zhang San had asked Xia Qing to pretend not to know about Zhang Shi’s ability, but it was obvious now. Pretending ignorance would be pointless. So Xia Qing pulled out her phone and replied: I know. Recovery Evolution.

Zhang Shi typed back sincerely: Thank you for burying my family’s remains and returning their belongings to me. My daughter’s ability is still weak, but she does have the same power. Is there any way for her to skip the body fluid tests?

Xia Qing thought for a moment, then replied: A speed evolver can swap her blood sample on the spot. But for the other kids’ safety, I’ve got to confirm she doesn’t have any infectious diseases and that her Devastation Element level is within limits. As long as she meets those, she can enroll and have the same rights as the other kids.

In other words, Zhang Shiyi’s test could be handled by Zhang Shi or Xia Qing, but Xia Qing had to make sure she really qualified for enrollment. She sympathized with Zhang Shi and her daughter, but she didn’t have the ability or obligation to offer them special protection.

Zhang Shi’s expression softened with gratitude: If she can go to school like the other kids, I’ll be satisfied. I know where there’s at least ten square meters of high-quality Green Lantern Soybean ready for harvest. I want to trade this crop for your help switching Little Shiyi’s blood sample. The sample we switch out will be yours for testing—you or Zhang San can check it. Deal?

Just as Xia Qing typed out that she had no use for Little Shiyi’s blood, Zhang Shi showed her another line: The Recovery Factor is a miracle medicine for Devastation Element allergy.

Xia Qing immediately hit delete and changed her reply to: Deal.

The idol had been suffering horribly from Devastation Element allergy—down to just a frail shell—desperate for a cure.

Zhang Shi smiled and typed another line: I’d like to trade a vial of my blood for a chance to quietly take Little Shiyi on the Azure Dragon Squad’s helicopter to Lan Five.

Without waiting for Xia Qing to ask, Zhang Shi explained her reasons.

There’s panic outside the Safe Zone from high-grade Evolution Bacteria appearing. Many Lan Five residents want to leave the Safe Zone and move to other Bases, so things there are chaotic. Zhang Shi plans to take Zhang Shiyi and get an ID card for her in Lan Five’s Outer City, then use the identity of the dying Ye Yang to contact Hui Three Military and search for Ye Yang. Once they get in touch, Ye Yang will come and pick up Little Shiyi.

After this, Zhang Shiyi will officially be Ye Yang’s niece and live with him in Territory Fifteen, while Zhang Shi continues to live in the Hidden Valley.

As she put it, only by separating from her daughter can she keep her girl truly safe.

It’s actually a solid plan. Because of the disaster, many families have been split up. Even now, eleven years on, the websites and mission boards at all the Bases are still full of missing person notices.

The reason Ye Yang agreed to take this risk is because regular injections of Recovery Factor are the only thing that keep his body functioning; otherwise, he’d have no sensation in his lower half. Zhang Shiyi is too young and weak, so Ye Yang needs Zhang Shi’s blood.

In short, Zhang Shi is trading her own blood for a shot at her daughter rejoining human society.

After learning Zhang Shi’s plan, Xia Qing calmly typed: Why trade with me?

Zhang Shi revealed another secret: First, Zhang San has too many eyes on him—if he helped Little Shiyi enroll, she’d only be in more danger. Second, my daughter and I have another ability nobody knows about: C-Class Magnetic Sense Evolution. After four months of observing, you and Ye Yang are the best options I can reach.

C-Class Magnetic Sense Evolution, just like Xin Yu, lets Zhang Shi and Zhang Shiyi sense the magnetic fields of animals and detect changes in their emotions.

Recovery plus C-Class Magnetic Sense is how Zhang Shi managed to escape Hui One, give birth alone in the Evolved Forest, and survive this long.

When Xia Qing and Little Shiyi were catching evolved insects, it wasn’t hearing or sight that let Little Shiyi sense Lame Wolf nearby—it was magnetic sense.

Still, as Zhang Shi pointed out, Little Shiyi is young and her ability is weak. That’s why she couldn’t detect a predator like Lame Wolf unless it came within twenty meters.

Suddenly, Xia Qing realized that Zhang Shi probably moved into Hidden Valley just to give her daughter a chance at returning to human society. In the four months since, except for Xia Qing and a handful of injured soldiers living in the valley, no one else—not even workers from the Lords’ Alliance fetching water—had ever seen Little Shiyi.

Xia Qing typed: C-Class Magnetic Sense evolved fighters get headaches when they’re around crowds.

C-Class Magnetic Sense may be a defensive ability, but it’s painful too. Researchers at Red One Base have already published its side effects. Five-year-old Little Shiyi would struggle badly in crowds.

It’s not that Zhang Shi doesn’t care—she must. But as she said: My daughter’s ability is weak. Besides, Territory Fifteen is full of retired soldiers, and the school is just kids. Those are the safest places, magnetically speaking. She’s human, not a beast. She needs to learn basic skills to survive and make her own choices. If possible, I hope she becomes a farming lord like you.

This kind of life—within human society, but still somewhat apart—is perfect for someone with C-Class Magnetic Sense evolution.

Seeing that Zhang Shi had considered everything so carefully, Xia Qing typed: If I didn’t think it could put Little Shiyi in danger, I’d want Ye Yang in my territory just to be our cook.

Ye Yang’s cooking is seriously amazing. Zhang San helped Zhang Shi escape, and Xia Qing is one of Zhang San’s most trusted people. If another person suddenly appeared in Xia Qing’s circle with a young child, anyone secretly searching for Zhang Shi might suspect the kid belonged to her.

Zhang Shi smiled when she read this.

If you have any other candidate, I can help you pick the one with the least negative emotions. Please keep our ability secret, from everyone—including Zhang San. As a bonus, you can use my ability for free whenever you need it.