Chapter 804: Bargaining Chips and Brainpower: Debts, Wolves, and Evolving Forests

This miracle medicine really doesn’t come cheap… No wonder the assistant in the operating room wanted to check with me about whether to save this squirrel or not.

Xia Qing sat up straight, not wasting a single word. “Of course, Third Brother. Thank you, Third Brother. Really appreciate it.”

For Xia Qing—who had just spent over 50,000 on summer clothes, 280,000 on comprehensive surveillance equipment for the territory, and 360,000 on a car—her finances were deeply in the red. So, 45,000 was definitely a hefty sum.

But still!

She had four Devastationweed plants growing beside her pure spring water. Snip off just a single leaf, and it could fetch 50,000 credits.

The Idol had agreed to buy six leaves at a 10% discount, and that made each leaf worth exactly 45,000. Plus, a few days ago, to help treat Wang Xin’s Devastation Explosion injury, Idol had already taken five leaves—still hadn’t paid for them.

So right now, it wasn’t Xia Qing owing Idol credits—it was the other way around. Not that Xia Qing dared to bring it up, nor was she about to ask about paying back the 80,000. She’d wait until Idol cooled off, then settle the score.

As if Zhang San, the top-tier Idol of Blue Star, wouldn’t catch Xia Qing’s little schemes. He snorted, pulled a stack of points cards from his drawer, picked out five, and said, “Five Devastationweed leaves in total credits. After deducting what you owe me, this is what’s left.”

Xia Qing took them in both hands and asked after Wang Xin, the well-known Hui Three surgeon who’d been sent to Territory Seven for treatment. “Thank you, Third Brother. Do you think Director Wang can recover fully from her injuries?”

At this moment, Wang Xin was probably still in the Section Three infirmary since she’d had brain surgery and couldn’t be transferred yet.

Zhang San slouched in his chair, sounding completely drained. “The damage caused by Devastation Explosion will heal, but as for how much she’ll recover after the removal of the intracranial cystic aneurysm, it’s too soon to tell.”

Xia Qing squashed the urge to praise Idol, instead asking, earnest and humble, “Third Brother, was Director Wang captured by Fire Phoenix people?”

She cared a lot about this. If Fire Phoenix had been involved, then Xu Juan, who rescued Wang Xin, might fall under suspicion too.

Zhang San shot Xia Qing a look and snapped back, “If Fire Phoenix had caught her, do you think they’d wait until Wang Xin got into the operating room at Territory Seven before planting Red Devastation Grass seeds all over Hill Fifty?”

“Nope. They would’ve taken action as soon as Director Wang boarded the plane. Dan Ying got inside information, took advantage of your time in the OR, acted fast, lured me out of the territory, and tried to get rid of me in the process.” Right now, Idol was like a fire-breathing dragon, so Xia Qing dared not ask anything else and just started edging toward the door.

But Zhang San had no intention of letting her leave so easily. He asked in that same tired tone, “What was up with the wolves howling last night?”

Xia Qing quickly gave a full report. “A wolf came to my territory last night. I asked if it’d seen the Territory Seven defector in the Evolved Forest. Turns out this wolf has zero patience and just called to its pack right there, identified the target, so Yang Jin and I followed it and brought the defector back.”

Came to visit?

Impatient?

Locked on the target using a howl?

Though Xia Qing only said a few sentences, there was a lot to process. Zhang San took a moment before finally asking, “Was the visitor the one with the torn ear or the one with the broken back?”

Xia Qing shook her head. “Neither. It was a giant silver-gray wolf—the same one that did missions with me and Huo Zhun after last winter’s beast tide. It used to belong to the Northern Wolf Pack. After the Western pack’s cubs were killed, this giant wolf stuck around the Western Wolf Pack’s territory, so I’m not sure which group it belongs to now.”

Zhang San started analyzing this wolf. “For it to precisely understand human language and use howls to transmit that information to its pack, it’s definitely a Brain Evolution wolf too.”

“If their howls can convey such complex info, it means the local Evolved Wolf packs have developed a deeper and more effective communication system than before the cataclysm. Their teamwork must be on a whole new level.”

Seeing Idol calm down, Xia Qing immediately put on her best humble face, eager to score some good points. “I agree, our Evolved Wolves are way smarter overall compared to those in that research report on Gui City’s Western Evolved Wolf Pack in last month’s Evolutionary Zoology Journal. Third Brother, why do you think that is? Does it have to do with the Divine Herb Plains?”

After the great evolution on Blue Star, the Divine Herb Plains became both dangerous and mysterious—one of the few evolved forests in Huaguo that humans found nearly impossible to explore. The people in Hui Three believed all the clever animals nearby came out of there.

Xia Qing had even read the latest Evolutionary Zoology Journal cover-to-cover, proving she was more than just a dedicated farmer; she’d become a diligent student too. Zhang San’s expression finally softened, and he patiently explained, “You’re right about the wolves’ high intelligence here, and there are two main reasons. The first is directly related to the Divine Herb Evolved Forest. Do you know its total area?”

Xia Qing nodded immediately, answering without hesitation. “The Divine Herb Evolved Forest is bordered by Hui Six Safe Zone to the west, Hui Three Safe Zone to the south, the ocean to the east, and Red Eleven Safe Zone to the north. Since the Divine Herb Plains are inside this area, the whole region is called the Divine Herb Evolved Forest, totaling 143 square kilometers.”

Zhang San’s face brightened as he nodded in approval.

“Ample food and fierce competition in evolved forests are both essential for wolves to survive and evolve. Though the Divine Herb Evolved Forest isn’t the largest forest in Huaguo, it’s the richest in species diversity and population. With endless food and territory, it’s the perfect place for wolves, leopards, tigers, and bears—any large predator really—to flourish.”

“Our wolf packs here have to fight rival packs and other predators for territory, so only the strongest survive. That’s why the fighting strength and evolutionary level of the Evolved Wolves here are generally higher than those in Gui City’s western forests. It all makes sense.”

Xia Qing nodded, fully agreeing with Idol’s point. But she also felt there was another key factor:

The three human bases adjoining the Divine Herb Evolved Forest just weren’t strong enough, which gave the beasts plenty of space and time to evolve.

If Hui One were here, just the Fire Phoenix’s craziness alone would’ve driven the Alpha and the pack deep into the forest to hide. With no top predators around, the whole ecosystem would tip out of balance, and super-evolved microorganisms would become a massive threat to all plants, animals, even humans.

Of course, bringing up Fire Phoenix would ruin Idol’s recently-improved mood, and Xia Qing wasn’t about to make that mistake.

So she carefully picked a question that would lift his spirits instead. “Did you build the lab here to study the evolved creatures and ecosystems of the Divine Herb Evolved Forest up close?”

Finally, a smile played on Zhang San’s face. “Of course! That’s the main reason. And so far, my decision’s been spot on.”

“You really have amazing foresight.” Xia Qing tossed in a quick compliment, then followed up, “I get the first reason now. Third Brother, what’s the second reason the wolves here have evolved so much further?”

Zhang San lounged back in his plush chair, his thick curls squished flatter than ever, and replied, “The second reason is… ‘because you think so.’”