Chapter 1304: Territory Seven's Zhang Han

What Zhang Shunzhou said might be true, but it was only his truth, not Wang Zhanxi's. After Xia Qing had Tang Huai invite Zhang Shunzhou out, she continued walking toward Wang Zhanxi.

Wang Zhanxi clearly knew Xia Qing wouldn't dare do anything to him, but Xia Qing's killing intent was too heavy, and Zhang Song's two eyes were like searchlights, leaving him unable to think or make a sound. At this moment, he had already lost control of his body, as if… tied to an operating table as a test subject.

Xia Qing reached out, grabbed Wang Zhanxi's protective suit, lifted him from beside his beehive, and set him down against the earthen wall of the greenhouse. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but clear enough for him to hear: "Although Blazing Fire Mountain collapsed in the explosion, the Blazing Fire Squad's data wasn't completely destroyed."

Wang Zhanxi's pupils contracted sharply. Two beads of sweat slid down from his forehead, running along the corners of his eyes. His body trembled uncontrollably.

Seeing him like this, Xia Qing knew she had guessed right. "Go back and tell Qu Fangzhou that I and Blazing Fire Well mind our own business. If she comes looking for death again, I can find the time to fill in that well of hers."

Wang Zhanxi's back, leaning against the fire wall, was completely soaked. His eyes couldn't focus, his mind filled with the buzzing of bees. His lips trembled, unable to speak.

In the end, this guy was helped out of Territory Three by Zhang Shunzhou supporting him.

After they got in the car and left, Zhang Song sighed. "These people who've stayed in the safe-zone inner-city research institute the whole time and never looked up to see what's changed outside—there's no difference between their outlook and a frog at the bottom of a well. How did Sister Qing know Qu Fangzhou sent him over?"

"Deduced it." Xia Qing answered calmly. "Right now, the ones urgently searching for uncontaminated water sources are only Blazing Fire, whose spring eye was destroyed."

Whether breeding, conducting experiments, or maintaining the body of that Phoenix—like a poison vault—from collapsing, Blazing Fire needs large amounts of uncontaminated spring water. But after they moved back to the safe zone, Hui-1's official spring eye couldn't let them use it freely, so they urgently need to find a new water source.

They sent someone to probe here. If they confirm there's a water source, Blazing Fire will find a way to gradually break away from Hui-1 and move over—to a territory that both has a water source and is close to Territory Seven—or find a way to coerce me into providing them with spring water.

Zhang Song sighed. "They're at the end of their rope, not letting any possibility slip by."

"A bunch of brain-dead idiots! Our plot is right next to the military camp. In the past ten years, who knows how many times the army and squads have screened it. If there were an uncontaminated water source, it would've been cordoned off long ago. When would it ever be our turn—people without backgrounds—to occupy it for farming!" After cursing, Tang Huai very sincerely offered Xia Qing advice. "Sister Qing, your territory has too few people, which is why they get suspicious and think you have some secret here. If Sister Qing recruits a few more people, there won't be any problem. How about me? I can cook, catch insects, feed sheep. Sister Qing just needs to pay me 5 points a day."

Xia Qing…

Zhang Song teased, "The identity of Territory Twelve's lord and Territory Two's acting agent can no longer satisfy Little Tang Dong. You want to also serve as Territory Three's acting agent?"

Tang Huai grinned. "Isn't this just wanting to help Sister Qing share her worries and labor?"

Zhang Song also actively applied. "Better that I move in. Although I can't cook, I can take care of those two monk-faced monkeys, and I can be in charge of checking the soil conditions in the territory every day, and have Territory Seven's cafeteria deliver meals daily."

Territory Three is so big, there's no need for internal competition. Tang Huai put forward a new suggestion. "We two can move in together, each handling our own duties."

Xia Qing? She chose neither, and directly closed and locked the door.

Zhang Song regretfully shook his head and led Zhang Han toward the Territory Seven shuttle bus parked outside the door. Tang Huai came over to cozy up. "Song Ge, when do you have time? I'll come find you and mooch a meal at Territory Seven's cafeteria on the way."

Zhang Song was also cheerful. "I'm free anytime. Little Tang Dong just needs to get permission from our lord."

Tang Huai…

After settling steadily into the seat on the bus, Zhang Song took off his protective mask, rolled his somewhat sore cervical spine, and asked Zhang Han beside him, "Did you spot any bee-aphid flies today?"

Zhang Han handed over the observation sheet she had just recorded. "No. Sister Qing truly lives up to being a visual evolver—she caught all the bee-aphid flies."

Both Zhang Song and Tang Huai just now called Xia Qing "Sister," so Zhang Han, who had just joined Territory Seven, followed local custom and called her that too.

Zhang Song responded, "She's very dedicated to the territory's planting and breeding."

Zhang Han nodded. "You can tell. Although there's only one person in her territory, she manages the greenhouse, the shed, and the fish pond very well."

This opportunity was too rare. Zhang Han opened her mouth to inquire, "Teacher Song, why doesn't Sister Qing let people live in her territory?"

Zhang Song turned to look at Zhang Han, and only spoke when her facial expression began to stiffen. "That question crosses the line."

Zhang Han didn't avoid Zhang Song's gaze and answered seriously, "I know, but Teacher Fu asked me to join the evolved bee-aphid fly research project. I'll still need to go in and out of Territory Three in the future, so I want to learn more about Territory Three's lord's situation, to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings."

Zhang Song nodded. "I read your personal résumé. From the first year of the catastrophe until before you came for your internship, you've been in school the whole time, only leaving the safe-zone inner city twice to participate in course practice in the Evolution Forest. Do you understand the living conditions of the lower-class residents in the outer city?"

Zhang Han answered conservatively, "When I was an undergraduate, there were two classmates in my class who had gotten in from the outer city. From what I saw, there wasn't much difference between them and the classmates who got in from the inner city."

"Those who could still continue studying after the catastrophe don't have poor family conditions." Zhang Song answered. "Lower-class residents in the outer city are in a prolonged state of high alert—'fight or flight'—and are abnormally sensitive to external stimuli like noise, crowds, and sudden movements. So they prefer solitude and try to keep as much distance from others as possible."

Zhang Han understood. "Post-traumatic stress disorder?"

"Right. When Xia Qing was in the safe-zone outer city, she relied on physical labor for years to exchange for survival supplies. Her living conditions and environment were extremely harsh, so her symptoms are more severe than other lords'." Zhang Song reminded Zhang Han, "When you enter Territory Three in the future, you must strictly abide by the relevant regulations. Once your behavior causes Xia Qing unease, she will immediately drive you out and refuse you entry again."

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Song." Zhang Han immediately took out her notebook and recorded the key points Zhang Song had just said.

A brain-domain evolver with evolved memory actually using a notebook to record information—is this a habit she developed during her student days, or is she using this action to cover up her psychological activity?

Zhang Song only glanced once, then handed the observation sheet back, and calmly gazed at the overgrown weed wall of Territory Six sliding past outside the window. Zhang Han put away the observation sheet and quietly let out a breath of relief.