Chapter 1246: A Kiss Costs Points

"Yes, I asked Third Brother."

Such an important matter — Xia Qing had of course obtained her idol's consent in advance before inviting Xin Yu over. "One person's energy is limited. I never intended to take on this task myself from the start."

Xin Yu was surprised for a moment, then couldn't help laughing as she picked up a piece of dragon fruit and placed it in Xia Qing's bowl. "So when you proposed creating an organic fertilizer factory and contributing your technology as equity, you weren't relying on your own expertise, but on Third Brother's?"

Xia Qing only spoke after finishing her bite. "Third Brother lacks R&D funding."

Zhang San lacked R&D funding and didn't want various factions to invest and interfere with his research, so his main collaborator — Xia Qing — had to find ways to earn money for him.

After reaching a preliminary cooperation意向 with several other parties, she went to Territory Seven to discuss with her idol, hoping he would send a researcher to take charge of this task. Zhang San didn't object.

She hadn't expected that the moment he opened his mouth to say who should go, the ugly monkey that had already returned to the Evolution Forest video-called the bizarre human in front of him, showing off the small towel and phone-wiping cloth it had washed and hung on tree branches to dry.

Zhang San, who had pulled an all-nighter for his research project, was annoyed. He said coldly that all his researchers were busy with serious work and made Xia Qing take charge. He even used the tight funding as an excuse to make Xia Qing cover the communication fees for the three wolves and one monkey.

To placate her idol, Xia Qing, just as miserable, spent two and a half days learning chemistry alongside the equally miserable Zhang Xu. Finally catching him in a good mood, she proposed handing this task over to Xin Yu.

Of course, Xia Qing got another scolding and was chased out. "Third Brother knows I can't handle such an important task, and the researchers in Territory Seven are really too busy. So this task can only be taken on by a member of the Territory Alliance. You're the most suitable candidate."

Xin Yu hadn't finished junior high when the catastrophe began, so like Huo Zhun and Shi Du, she has no junior high diploma. But Xin Yu simply lacks the certificate — apart from the period after her parents passed, she has been continuously learning. That's why she can produce extremely powerful bombs and lead the Chonglian research group in their work.

Xia Qing flipped over and lay on her stomach on the sofa, propping her chin in both hands and looking up at her good friend, asking again, "So, what do you say? Do you want to go?"

Xin Yu put down her chopsticks, cupped Xia Qing's face in her hands, and gave her a hard kiss on the forehead. "Of course I'm going!"

Chemistry is her favorite subject, and purifying contaminated food and water sources is the area she's invested the most energy in. Limited by the Yu family and her own capability gaps, Xin Yu has been researching and exploring on her own these past few years. Now that she has a chance to learn marine biological purification processing technology from a top-tier expert, she couldn't ask for more.

Relieved of her burden and freshly kissed, Xia Qing flipped over and sprawled on the sofa, dazed for a while, then lazily demanded payment. "This top-tier sniper doesn't let people kiss her for free. Pay me in points, or hand over Guagua and let him work off the debt here."

Xin Yu was thoroughly amused by her state — the dimples she never usually shows even appeared — and played along with her nonsense. "How many points does Yang Jin pay for a kiss on you?"

Xia Qing……

Huh?!

Xin Yu keenly sensed the shift in Xia Qing's energy field, leaned in with sparkling eyes, and asked, "What's that reaction? Don't tell me you really took him but he didn't pay up — you got the short end of the stick?"

In front of a Class C brain-evolution user, there's really no hiding anything. Xia Qing confessed, "Do you remember this spring, when the big camphor tree in my territory released Yi Synthesis Elements?"

Xin Yu's eyes shone even brighter. "You got hit by it and slept with him, and he made you pay points — no way!"

"……No, we're just in a cooperative relationship. After I got hit, I dreamed that he demanded I pay points before he'd let me kiss him."

"Hahaha—" Xin Yu laughed herself flat on the sofa, head-to-head with Xia Qing. It took her a long time to ask, "And then?"

There was no "and then." "I woke up angry."

Xin Yu rubbed her sore cheeks from laughing. "Looks like you have quite the 'sensory interest' in him. You could consider making the sweet dream come true."

"I really don't have much interest in that area, and I'm already busy enough as it is. Better one less thing to worry about."

Xin Yu understood her good friend's concerns and bumped her head against hers. "Yang Jin definitely has feelings for you. Otherwise, someone as calculating as him wouldn't spend so much effort on you. If you doubt his true motives, I'll come to the next gathering too, and you can test him?"

Xia Qing shook her head. "It hasn't reached that point, and he's quite satisfied with the current cooperative relationship and how we get along. By the way, when you go to Territory Seven to study, check on the people around Third Brother on the side. If you find any problems, I'll have him clean them out as soon as possible. Of course, don't actively investigate — Territory Seven is full of sharp people, and one careless move will expose your abilities."

In another half year, once Wang Shunkang's health recovers, he'll be able to take on this task.

Xin Yu gazed at the few small insects on the ceiling instinctively circling the lightbulb, and slowly sobered her smile. "Everyone has negative emotions. If you don't actively investigate, you can't determine what events or people triggered them. For example, if I go to Territory Seven to study, it will make people who might have had a chance at this opportunity feel resentful, generating negative emotions."

"Class C magnetic-sense evolution users who spend long periods among people whose words and hearts don't match, if their own will isn't firm enough, easily develop mental issues. Xu Pin of the Sufeng Squad most likely became a madman precisely after evolving this kind of ability."

Xia Qing also bumped her head against her good friend's, using the gesture to offer comfort. "Birds of a feather flock together. Xu Pin had problems in his own character to begin with, and staying in a den of bad people only made him more twisted. Your situation is completely different from his."

Xin Yu, who had sunk into negative emotions, was pulled out by Xia Qing's warm energy field and words, and slowly smiled again.

The biggest difference between me and Xu Pin is that he didn't have a friend like you by his side. But Xin Yu couldn't bring herself to say something so cheesy out loud.

Rested enough, Xia Qing sprang up from the sofa, fully recharged. "Tomorrow morning at eight, enter through the north gate of Territory Seven. The guards will take you to Researcher Zhang Xu's lab. You two can work out the study method and schedule yourselves. He's also a brain-evolution user, so you'd better take a magnetic-sense pain-reduction pill before going over."

Taking the magnetic-sense pain-reduction tablets developed by Hong Yi doesn't affect a magnetic-sense evolution user's ability use, but it has certain side effects. If taken too often, the drug interferes with dopamine neurotransmission in the brain, causing abnormal muscle control — in medical terms, extrapyramidal reactions. That's why Xia Qing and Xin Yu never take this medication.

But Xin Yu was going tomorrow to a research institute guarded by special forces soldiers and full of brain-evolution users. The human energy fields there are extremely active and sharp. If she doesn't take the drug, she'll very likely show abnormalities from headaches and expose her abilities.

"Okay." Xin Yu stood up as well. "Are you going to the night training?"

"Mm. Brother Luo's training philosophy is: if the training doesn't kill you, train until it does. How about it — want to come experience it with me?" Over sixty core and secondary members of the Territory Alliance are participating in this Azure Dragon Squad training. In an era of catastrophe, every bit of combat power gained means a better chance of survival.

Not all participants are evolution users — most are ordinary people — so Xin Yu, who hides her evolution abilities, can also go.

Xin Yu immediately shook her head. "I'd like to keep my friendly impression of Captain Luo intact."

The last time Xin Yu and Luo Pei met was in a greenhouse in Territory Three. That time, Luo Pei got knocked into a tree by Boss Yang over a handful of grass.

Thinking of Brother Luo's exaggerated movements and expression at the time, Xia Qing deeply regretted it. "If only I'd recorded that scene back then — I could loop it on the training ground at Mountain Forty-Nine now."

Xin Yu……