Chapter 975: Race Against Disaster

“Captain Hu, are you there? It’s Ye Yang from Territory Fifteen.”

Xia Qing was having breakfast when he heard Ye Yang’s voice on the lord communicator for the first time.

The distance between the hidden valley on the Third Peak of Hill Fifty and their territory was far beyond the walkie-talkie’s normal range. That meant Ye Yang’s trip back to Territory Fifteen to bring in Little Shiyi couldn’t be kept secret anymore.

But picking someone up right now was even more difficult. When Zhang Shi made the plan, he never imagined Lan Five’s crisis would spiral so far out of control.

Old Goat paid no attention to the unfamiliar voice coming from the lord communicator, just kept his head down, eating. Beside him, Crippled Wolf looked up at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing introduced Ye Yang, “This is Ye Yang, a human from Territory Fifteen—he’s an evolved fighter with stamina and enhanced vision. Hurt his back, so now he can only get around by wheelchair.”

Elder Wolf, eating in the yard, heard Xia Qing and glanced at the window, then went back to eating the eggs he’d swapped insects for.

Crippled Wolf knew what a wheelchair was. He slowly walked to the wall and opened the small drawer with the topographic map of Section One with impressive precision.

Xia Qing walked over, took the map, spread it on the floor, and watched to see what Crippled Wolf wanted to say.

Crippled Wolf pressed his left paw on the territory marked 15, then looked up at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing just stared.

When did you learn to read, you little rascal?

“Yeah, Ye Yang’s in Territory Fifteen. Not bad, Crippled Wolf—you really are clever.”

Crippled Wolf lifted his big paw and pressed it on Territory Seven north of Fifteen.

Xia Qing understood. “You want to know why Ye Yang, after his back injury, didn’t go to Third Brother in Territory Seven for treatment?”

Crippled Wolf grinned, baring his pointed fangs.

Xia Qing gestured while he explained, “Third Brother is—well, he’s at the very top of the pyramid when it comes to doctors. He almost never treats injuries himself, and even if he did, you’d have to pay a fortune.”

“You just got lucky. The Queen sent you straight over, and since I’ve got a decent relationship with Third Brother, you got into Territory Seven for treatment in time. When Ye Yang got in touch with Third Brother through Yue Haiying, he’d already missed the best window for healing.”

Crippled Wolf stared at Xia Qing, mulling it over.

“You’re wondering why missing that window meant he couldn’t recover? Honestly, I don’t know either. Let’s finish breakfast.” Xia Qing rolled up the map and went to wash his hands—just as Hu Zifeng came online.

“This is Hu Zifeng. You needed me, Ye?”

Tang Huai jumped in, “Finally! We’ve been waiting ages for you!”

Ye Yang asked, “Captain Hu, will the Azure Dragon Squad’s helicopter be heading to Lan Five in the next few days?”

Last night, Lan Five announced the emergency disaster elimination protocol. Ye Yang wanted to get to Lan Five quickly to pick up Little Shiyi—catching a ride with Azure Dragon’s helicopter was the best option.

Hu Zifeng didn’t answer directly in the lords’ channel. “Ye, want to talk on the phone?”

As soon as Ye Yang agreed, Tang Huai huffed, “There’s new Devastation Synthetic Element in Lan Five’s atmosphere—news has been all over the internet and you’re still acting mysterious, Mad Hu?”

What? A new Devastation Synthetic Element? Another toxin?

Every lord still eating or working in the fields straightened up. Zhao Ze immediately asked, “Brother Huai, where did you see that news? Is it real?”

Tang Huai replied, “It’s the real deal. Lan Five has been burning the Evolved Forest on the edge of the Safe Zone, trying to create a barrier to stop the Super Evolution Fungus from invading. But the burn backfired—high-risk combustion caused the Super Evolution Fungus to release a gas that combined with Devastation Elements in the air and formed a new Devastation Synthetic Element. That’s why Lan Five had no choice but to activate the emergency disaster protocol across the whole base.”

Huo Zhun joined in, “Brother Huai, what’s this Devastation Synthetic Element that’s so dangerous Lan Five had to go all out?”

“Devastation 46. It’s an extremely hazardous Devastation Synthetic Element.”

Xia Qing and Idol said it at the same time—one online, one in person.

Yang Jin had brought back the atmospheric sample from Lan Five to Territory Seven, which contained this highly explosive Devastation Synthetic Element now named Devastation 46.

Devastation 46—now confirmed as Blue Star’s forty-sixth Devastation Synthetic Element.

Compared to Evolutionary Synthetic Elements, Devastation Synthetic Elements now outnumber them by ten. That’s mainly because more Devastation Synthetic Elements have been artificially created—twenty-one compared to just eight Evolutionary versions.

Devastation Synthetic Elements—every single one is toxic. So the higher-ups have given strict orders: all bases and research institutes are forbidden from further Devastation Synthesis research. If not for that, the count would have already topped fifty.

After revealing the new element’s name, Zhang San, still in bed, added, “Devastation 46 is highly unstable. Even outside of Devastation Rain period, contact with anything above seventy-nine degrees can trigger an explosion. The flight ban is for safety. We didn’t announce it to keep people from panicking.”

Kuang Qingwei immediately asked, “Third Brother, Devastation 46 isn’t heading our way—is it?”

All the lords held their breath. If it was, they’d never be able to cook with fire or use solar panels again. That would make this the deadliest kind of disaster.

Just thinking about it was enough to make anyone despair.

Zhang San replied lazily, “If Lan Five can clear all the Devastation 46 from the air before the third wave of Devastation Rain, then no, it won’t come your way.”

Could Lan Five pull it off? Everyone wanted to know, but no one dared ask—Zhang San’s voice was already agitated.

Crippled Wolf only caught the general idea before looking at Xia Qing with unexpected seriousness. He didn’t even want to eat anymore. Old Goat, on the other hand, had finished his meal and was licking the basin clean.

“There is a way to absorb Devastation 46, but it’s too expensive. The scientists are trying to find a cheaper solution.”

With that, Xia Qing finished off his bowl of Green Lantern rice and lean meat congee—a silent salute to Idol’s relentless hard work.

“Thanks, Third Brother, for trusting us with this intel. Don’t worry, we won’t breathe a word.” Wen Nengjie made sure to stand out, then tried to reassure Ye Yang, “Ye, you heard Third Brother. Unless it’s absolutely urgent, maybe wait until this is over before going to Lan Five.”

Yue Haiying chimed in, “Ye Yang’s own brother is in Lan Five. His condition is serious, and there’s a five-year-old kid at home.”

Hearing that, everyone went silent. In times like these, ‘serious illness’ meant someone could die at any moment. If the adult died, how long could a five-year-old survive disaster all alone?

A few minutes later Ye Yang spoke up again. “Third Brother, do you by any chance know the scope and density of Devastation 46 in Lan Five’s air?”

Zhang San replied lazily, “Planning on going to Lan Five? Pay me the medical bills you owe before you even think about it.”

With Zhang San annoyed, the channel went dead silent. Only Xia Qing understood what was really going on, quietly sipping his congee.

Ye Yang pleaded, “The kid’s been shut inside by my brother, never met anyone else. Things are complete chaos over there, and I don’t have anyone I can trust. You know as well as anyone that I’m crippled now. This child… he’s the last of the Ye bloodline.”

With Zhang San silent, Tang Heng spoke up, “Ye, my family has business partners in Lan Five. I’ll reach out and see if they can visit your brother’s place and help out.”