Chapter 990: The Blood Sample Switch

Washing the vegetables, Zhang Shiyi said, “Before heading to Lan Five, Ye Yang gave me a list…”

Ye Yang’s older brother, Ye Song, was a graduate biology student at the start of the Calamity. After six months of acid rain, he followed his professor into the mountains for research and lost contact with his family.

After his parents both passed away in the first two years of the disaster, Ye Yang enlisted in the military. He searched for his brother while carrying out missions. Since his brother went missing in the Lan City area, Ye Yang searched every base big and small there through all sorts of channels, meeting many folks from his hometown. The list he gave Zhang Shi was a roster of fellow townspeople he discovered in Lan Five.

After going through the list, Zhang Shi chose Ye Yuliang as the first target.

Ye Yuliang’s household only had three members: his wife, who cared for their child at home, and a daughter a year older than Little Shiyi.

When Zhang Shi brought Little Shiyi into Lan Five Safe Zone, the outer city was already in chaos. Luckily, Ye Yuliang hadn’t moved. Disguised as a doctor, Zhang Shi finally met Ye Yuliang, only to learn his wife had passed away nearly a year ago.

When Zhang Shi saw Ye Yuliang, the man was barely hanging on; even his daughter was injured.

Things had gotten this bad because two people from his community knew he was sick. Taking advantage of the chaos, they smashed his front door and broke in to loot supplies. Although Ye Yuliang managed to shoot the intruders with a gun he’d hidden, he suffered critical injuries himself.

Zhang Shi urged Ye Yuliang to contact the Hui Three Military Command to look for Ye Yang, then promised Ye Yuliang she’d save his daughter, Ye Shiyi.

Three days later, Zheng Jialin’s people arrived at Ye Yuliang’s home. By then, he was already dead. They took Little Shiyi, who was pretending to be Ye Shiyi, with them.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Zhang Shi escaped with Ye Shiyi, using the tracker on the girl to find where Zheng Jialin’s group was hiding. Once Xia Qing had helped rescue the girl, Zhang Shi and Ye Shiyi lived inside the Evolved Forest until the Lan Five crisis was over. It was only when the Azure Dragon Squad sent a helicopter to collect supplies that she and Ye Shiyi returned.

Zhang Shi recounted everything calmly, never saying a word about the dangers she faced. Xia Qing only asked, “How did Yiyi get hurt?”

Yiyi was Ye Shiyi’s nickname. For clarity, Xia Qing used that name too to tell the two kids apart.

A child Yiyi’s age should know to hide somewhere safe as soon as they spot intruders.

Zhang Shi let out a quiet sigh. “After her mother’s death and her father’s illness, this kid’s lived in constant stress. She’s become so anxious and tense that her nerves are shot. Her reaction is slow, she has trouble speaking, and even a little scare sets her off—she vomits or shakes.”

During the Calamity Years, kids who couldn’t protect themselves and had weak resistance had it especially tough.

It had been a long time since Zhang Shi spoke this much. She paused before explaining her plan, “Tomorrow, Sister Qing will swap Yiyi’s blood sample with Shiyi’s. As long as the switch goes smoothly, Shiyi should stay safe for now.”

Xia Qing nodded. “Her mental health issues won’t show up in a blood test, right?”

Zhang Shi shook her head. “Mental health is diagnosed through clinical assessment and behavior observation. Blood tests only reveal she’s malnourished.”

Malnutrition is totally normal these days, so that actually makes things easier. Just as Xia Qing opened her mouth to speak, Zhang Shi flicked the water off her hands and said softly, “Yiyi’s awake. I’ll go take care of her. Sister Qing, you get some rest. I can handle things down here.”

Knowing that Yiyi was emotionally unstable, Xia Qing didn’t linger. She left the meeting room quietly, careful not to disturb anyone.

At three in the morning, Zhang Shi handed over Yiyi’s blood sample to Xia Qing, then took her and left Section Three, heading for Hidden Valley.

At eight a.m., Xia Qing went into the Ninth Center and looked for a chance to hand off the blood sample to He Hui.

Today, not only did the eight new students need medical exams, but all returning students about to start the next term at the Ninth Center needed a routine checkup as well. Altogether, there were thirty-eight kids.

The Ninth Center’s infirmary only had one doctor and two nurses. So He Hui, who’d worked in community care back in the Safe Zone, was brought in to help.

Xia Qing told He Hui that Ye Shiyi still had some health issues and was taking medicine prescribed by Zhang San for recovery. She’d need another half a month to fully heal.

This was a good enough excuse. Kids who missed the medical exam risked being shunned by the others. Zhang San’s reputation as a doctor was solid. If he said Ye Shiyi would recover, there was no doubt about it.

He Hui took the blood sample and quickly typed on her phone: “Don’t worry, Director. I promise to get it done.”

Xia Qing smiled. “Sister-in-law, since you’re a Speed Evolver, of course I can trust you.”

He Hui, now with only one leg, managed a smile. Her mental state was much better now than when she first discovered she was a Speed Evolver.

Losing a leg was just that—she still had her hands and she could still use her speed evolution skills.

At nine a.m., Tan Qi brought Little Shiyi to the Ninth Center to get in line for their checkup outside the infirmary. The infirmary wasn’t far from Xia Qing’s office, but she just peeked through the window before getting back to work.

After the exam, Tan Qi led the pint-sized Little Shiyi—who had to stand on tiptoe just to peek her head through the window—waving goodbye to Xia Qing.

Grabbing the folder from her desk, Xia Qing walked out of the office. “I need to head to Territory Seven anyway—I can take you two back on my way.”

Once she heard that, Tan Qi changed her mind instantly. “Sister Qing, let Shiyi head home with you. I need to discuss the competition with my classmates. Besides, Shiyi needs to help Uncle Ye water the house when she gets back.”

Proper watering is crucial for curing concrete, making it strong and durable. A freshly poured reinforced concrete house has to be covered with straw mats and continually moistened. Before the Calamity, concrete was usually cured for seven days. Now, with specialized material mixed in after the Calamity, they needed to keep the concrete walls damp for twenty days.

Xia Qing had already overheard Tan Qi and her classmates chattering about the competition in the office earlier, so she took Little Shiyi with her in the off-roader and drove out of the Ninth Center.

Xia Qing didn’t mention to Little Shiyi that Zhang Shi had come back. Technically, Zhang Shi could’ve hidden in Xia Qing’s car today, so she and her daughter could see each other on the way back after the exam.

But Zhang Shi never asked. She probably worried her daughter would get too worked up and slip up when getting out of the car. At a crucial time like this, Xia Qing wouldn’t risk shaking Little Shiyi’s nerves either.

While Xia Qing kept perfectly calm, Little Shiyi was scared sitting in the backseat. She pulled out paper and a pen from her new backpack, wrote a line of pinyin, and handed the note to Aunt Qing.

While driving, Xia Qing glanced down and saw Little Shiyi had written: “Aunt Qing, the lady in the infirmary with really big eyes kept staring at her. She’s super nervous.”

Little Shiyi knew her blood was different from everyone else’s. When she saw that strange behavior in the infirmary, she got nervous, too. The only person she could ask for help was Aunt Qing.

Seeing this, Xia Qing just calmly nodded. She let go of the steering wheel, reached back, and squeezed Little Shiyi’s cold hand to let her know she’d be okay.