Chapter 982: Unraveling Identities and Laying New Foundations

A child?

It took the Blazing Fire Squad leaders a few seconds to realize who the captain meant. The reason for his interest clicked—Dan Ying’s eyes lit up as well.

“Yes.”

Qu Fangzhou pulled up the info on Ye Yuliang and Ye Shiyi, projecting it onto the main screen and began to introduce them.

“Ye Yuliang, civilian, college education, works as an auditor for the Planning and Finance Division of Lan Five Safe Zone’s Civil Affairs Department. His wife, Fang Lan, was also a civilian and unemployed, passed away in last year’s third Devastation Rain. Daughter, Ye Shiyi, born at the Lan Five Outer City Hospital, now six years old, hasn’t yet undergone evolution ability testing—presumed to be an ordinary child. After Fang Lan died, Ye Yuliang would lock Ye Shiyi at home while he worked. In April this year, Ye Yuliang began working to enroll his daughter in Lan Five Inner City’s safest elementary school so she could stay in the student dorms.”

“Before Ye Shiyi could start school, in May this year, Ye Yuliang contracted Evolution Bacteria at work. The treatment cost was way beyond his means. On July 21, he posed as his old classmate from the same hometown—Ye Song—and used Hui Three’s Military Command to contact Ye Yang, the retired soldier who’d entered Territory Fifteen and is Ye Song’s younger brother. He asked Ye Yang to take guardianship of Ye Shiyi.”

Qu Fangzhou brought up Ye Yang’s profile. “Ye Yang, Squad Leader of Hui Three’s Combat Unit, dual-system evolutioner—stamina and vision. In Year Nine of the Calamity, he suffered a spinal injury during a mission to clear high-risk aggressive Devastation Evolution plants. After retiring, he followed former Captain Yue Haiying to live in Hui Three’s Territory Fifteen. Thanks to Zhang San’s care, he can now get around in a wheelchair. All these years, he’s been offering rewards to find his older brother Ye Song, who got separated in the second year of the Calamity.”

“After learning his brother and niece’s situation, Ye Yang realized that Lan Five had already entered the disaster elimination phase and couldn’t go right away. So, on July 24, he contacted Tang Heng in Hui Three’s Territory Twelve. Tang Heng then reached out to the Tang Family’s supplier in Lan Five, Zheng Jialin, and asked him to look after Ye Song and his daughter for a few days. After Ye Yuliang handed over his daughter, he passed away.”

Qu Fangzhou projected the photos Zheng Jialin sent to Tang Zhengbo—Ye Yuliang’s death and Ye Shiyi’s rescue—onto the big screen. “Ye Shiyi’s identity checks out. No suspicious points found. Right now, Ye Yang is building a new house in Territory Fifteen so he and Ye Shiyi can move out of the employee dorm. My guess is, he’s about to find out Ye Shiyi isn’t his real niece.”

Deng Yufeng said calmly, “Zoom in on Ye Shiyi’s face.”

When magnified, a one-centimeter scar just above Ye Shiyi’s left temple, visible beneath her protective mask, stood out clearly.

Dan Ying sounded disappointed. “That’s a scar from a sharp object cutting through her skin that wasn’t stitched up in time. Judging by the color, that injury is over a year old.”

A scar from an injury that old ruled out her being a Recovery Evolutionary.

But Deng Yufeng ordered, “Show close-ups of Shi Jiaran’s face as a child for a comparison analysis.”

Qu Fangzhou brought up childhood photos of Shi Jiaran, the Recovery Evolutionary who escaped Hui One, enlarged them to the same scale, and began a facial comparison with Ye Shiyi.

“Their eyes are completely different in shape. Captain, if Shi Jiaran really had a child and raised her, there’s almost no way she’d leave her with someone handicapped and unable to protect themselves.”

Almost no way—though not impossible.

Used to analyzing intelligence, Qu Fangzhou had a plan. “Lan Five’s hospital should have Ye Yuliang’s blood samples. Since Ye Shiyi is already six, Ye Yang will definitely enroll her in Ninth Center’s elementary school, which requires a blood test for infectious diseases. Once I get both Ye Yuliang and Ye Shiyi’s blood samples and run a test, I’ll report back to the captain.”

Deng Yufeng was pleased with Qu Fangzhou’s approach, nodding slightly and signaling to move on to the next topic.

In Section One of Hui Three’s Northern Territory Fifteen—an area now marked as a top concern by the Blazing Fire Squad—Xia Qing was using a rebar cutter, slicing through finger-thick steel rods with practiced ease.

Zhu Li, Tan Qi, and Jiang Ying were busy dragging the rebar Xia Qing had cut over to the construction site. Qi Fu, with Wen Nengjie and others, assembled wooden forms. Zhao Ze and Huo Zhun measured out additives from Territory Eight, mixing them into the concrete. Once Yu Shou, Shi Du, and the rest had prepared the ring beams and set up the molds, it would be time to pour the concrete.

Sitting in the shade, Ye Yang watched Little Shiyi trailing behind Tan Qi like a little tail. The kid seemed way more relaxed than when she’d first arrived.

As soon as Xia Qing finished cutting, Zhu Li handed her a disinfecting wipe. “Nice work, Sister Qing. Go take a break in the shade—it’s way too hot out here.”

“Alright.” Xia Qing didn’t insist on helping anymore. She strolled over to the shade, greeted Ye Yang, took off her gloves, wiped her hands, and picked out a pale yellow, fist-sized melon from the basket Ye Yang offered.

She took a bite and gave her verdict. “This is good—so sweet and sandy.”

Ye Yang smiled warmly. “That’s called a ‘Bumpy Yellow’. If you like it, Sister Qing, I can plant a few for you next year.”

Turns out she wasn’t the only fan. Old Goat, Crippled Wolf, and Goofball would also love this melon. Xia Qing nodded. “Ye Yang, can you save me ten Green Lantern seeds?”

“Save ten for me too!” Now that the noise had died down, Tang Huai limped over and took a seat under the tree.

Before long, all the lords gathered for a break. Honestly, it didn’t take this many people to build a house, but things had slowed down in the fields the past few days so everyone just liked hanging out together.

Kuang Qingwei cracked open a melon that looked extra sweet, sharing it with Tan Qi and Little Shiyi. Then he broke off a smaller one, ate the less sweet rind himself, and gave the sugary half to his wife. Only then did he ask, “Xia Qing, the house you’re living in now—wasn’t that built right before the Calamity?”

The old houses in Section Six were in terrible shape, so Kuang Qingwei and his wife had always lived in makeshift shelters. Now, seeing the construction in Territory Fifteen, he was tempted to build something new himself.

This year, he’d made some good credits by trading seeds and juicers—not only patching last year’s invasion losses, but ending up with over forty thousand credits left. A bit more work and a decent harvest, and by next spring he might have enough to build a sturdy, proper house like this.

But if he was the only one building a new house, it might attract too much attention. It’d be best if everyone did it together. And among their group, Xia Qing definitely had the best shot at putting up a new house.

Xia Qing paused her melon and answered calmly, “I’m living in a newly built house finished just before the Calamity—reinforced concrete. With a little maintenance, it’s good for another ten years.”

Wen Nengjie jumped in. “Sister Qing, you’ve got amazing luck!”

Tang Huai piped up, “Having somewhere to live and actually being comfortable—they’re not always the same thing.”

Xia Qing replied in her usual calm manner, “I’m perfectly comfortable right now.”

Tang Huai was left speechless.

Tan Qi giggled with her hands full of melon, and everyone else burst out laughing too.

Little Shiyi didn’t get the joke, but she could tell everyone was happy—so she laughed along as well.