Chapter 134: The Melon-Munching Brigade

Xia Qing hadn't read much, so she didn't know exactly what hazardous chemicals included, but she clearly knew that Li Si's reasoning didn't hold up.

After the Great Biological Evolution of Blue Star, the chemically synthesized pesticides commonly used before the natural disasters would disrupt the balance of flora and fauna and raise the probability of Corruption Evolution. So the agricultural agents commonly used now, such as insecticides and dewormers, are also biological agents where one thing checks another.

Although these biological agents carry some toxicity, none of them are the kind of lethal poison that "silences everything that breathes."

Therefore, the "Class One hazardous chemicals" stored within Li Si's territory definitely weren't for cultivation research; they might be for self-defense or some other unspeakable purpose.

Was Territory Nine's sudden self-exposure of contraband accidental or deliberate? If they did it on purpose, what did Li Si hope to achieve through this move?

The more Xia Qing munched on this melon, the more confused she got.

Zhang San spoke up, his voice carrying no emotion, just as when he operated on the Brain Domain Evolution Wolf, "There are no contraband items whatsoever in Territory Seven."

If anyone else had said that, Xia Qing wouldn't have believed it, but since Zhang San said it, Xia Qing believed it, and so did the other lords; even Li Si fell silent.

Zhang San continued his offensive, "Captain Tan, once Class One hazardous chemicals leak, they will threaten all living creatures within at least twenty kilometers, and may provoke fierce resistance from Corrupted animals, triggering a beast tide. Therefore, specialized personnel must be dispatched immediately to clear, properly preserve, and turn over the materials. Specialist Zhang San requests to act jointly with the inspection team."

Tan Junjie replied, "Approved. The situation is urgent. Please have the Lord of Territory Seven arrive at Territory Nine's road sign within fifteen minutes. The situation has been reported, and the base has approved the inspection team to search Territory Nine. The Hazardous Inspection Team formally applies to Territory Nine for the second time—please, Lord of Territory Nine, consent to the inspection team's entry into your territory to search for hazardous materials."

Li Si flew into a rage, "Third Brother, you really have to make it this way? Don't you know what I came here for? Have you considered the consequences of offending the Fierce Flame Squad?"

Zhang San didn't reply; he had clearly gone to prepare for clearing the Class One hazardous chemicals in Territory Nine.

Xia Qing no longer cared at this moment how many pumpkins grew on a single vine; she only wanted to munch on this melon up close. Sprinting home, she threw on a hazmat suit and respirator, then bolted out the door, startling the two distinguished guests recuperating in the sheep shed.

Boss Sheep, thinking something had happened, also ran after Xia Qing. Xia Qing stopped, stuffed a pack of compressed rations into Boss Sheep's hands, and soothed him in a gentle voice, "Nothing dangerous is happening, Boss. Watch the house for me. I'm heading out for a bit and will be back soon."

Having gotten his rations, Boss Sheep followed her a bit further, then stopped when he saw Xia Qing leave Territory Three. Under Xia Qing's tutelage, Boss Sheep understood that danger lay beyond the territory and wouldn't casually step outside.

Xia Qing passed through the wild-grass wall at the southern edge of Territory Three and stopped beneath the road sign, gazing east.

Munching on the melon was important, but safety mattered more. Her eyesight and hearing were sharp; watching from here was enough. Running over for a close-up look was too dangerous and would earn her ill will.

"Sister Qing!" Dajiang, the Hearing Evolver, ran over from Territory One, "It's too far here to see anything clearly. Let's go over and take a look?"

One person was dangerous, but two made a difference. Without a moment's hesitation, Xia Qing followed Dajiang east.

The melon-munching duo had barely walked a few steps when the Tang brothers also ran out from Territory Two, "Dajiang, coming with us?"

"Hurry up, or you'll miss Third Brother and Captain Tan leading people into Territory Nine." With melons to munch, members of the Green Dragon Squad and Sufeng Squad could coexist peacefully.

By rights, Territory Two bordered Territory Nine, so Hearing Evolver Tang Huai, squatting inside his territory to eavesdrop, would get more information than running outside. But Tang Huai still chose to come out and join the fun, showing that his surveillance mission mainly targeted Territories One and Three, not Territory Nine.

Xia Qing saw through it but said nothing, and ran along with them to munch on the melon.

"You guys got here pretty fast." Seeing that people from Territories One, Two, and Three had come out, Zhao Ze, standing beneath the Territory Four road sign, also hobbled out.

Territory Four's south side was Territory Nine; the Territory Four road sign was only about twenty meters from Territory Nine's, making it the melon-munching front line. People from the four territories stood beneath the Territory Four road sign, gazing longingly east.

Seeing them cluster together, Qi Fu and his wife from Territory Five, Kuang Qingwei and his wife and the Shi mother-and-son from Territory Six, who had been poking their heads out of their respective territories, also gathered over.

It was Xia Qing's first time seeing Kuang Qingwei's wife Zhu Li. She looked even younger than Xia Qing herself; standing beside Kuang Qingwei, they didn't look like husband and wife, more like father and daughter.

"Everyone who could come except Territory Eight is here." Zhu Li was very excited and whispered to Xia Qing.

"Mm." Xia Qing responded. Everyone from Territories One through Ten who could come had come, clustering together to watch Territories Seven and Nine "go to war."

If given the choice, of course everyone hoped Zhang San would win, because no one wanted Territory Nine to keep hiding dangerous goods that could "silence" them at any moment.

Shi Du also sidled up to Xia Qing and whispered, "Does Sister Qing know what Class One hazardous chemicals means?"

Xia Qing was speechless. Look at me—do I look like I know?

Shi Du laughed and scratched his crew cut, then suddenly widened his eyes, "Sister Qing, your skin looks better. Did you change the medicine?"

To outsiders, Xia Qing claimed her red skin was from being poisoned, and she had been using medicine to keep the poison from spreading and worsening.

Her skin was now red naturally and evenly, certainly not because of any medicine, but because she had switched to the dye Zhang San gave her.

Xia Qing earnestly talked nonsense, "Didn't change the medicine. Probably because I'm eating better now, so my resistance has improved."

"That makes sense." Shi Mama, chatting idly with Yuan Yan and Zhu Li, split her attention to listen to Xia Qing and her son, "Qing, I think Third Brother is quite capable. When he's in a good mood, why don't you ask him to take a look? His medicines are all pretty effective; he should be able to cure your poison."

The lords nearby had all traded supplies with Territory Seven and knew that anything Zhang San put out was good stuff.

Xia Qing didn't brush off Shi Mama's kindness, "Mm, if I get the chance, I'll mention it to Third Brother."

"Look, they're coming!" Zhu Li excitedly alerted her melon-munching companions.

Everyone turned their heads east together and saw a procession of over twenty people in camouflage hazmat suits and pure-white fully sealed airtight hazmat suits marching over in great force.

Their identities were easy to distinguish: the sixteen in camouflage hazmat suits with weapons were soldiers; the five in pure-white fully sealed airtight suits carrying toolbox were technicians.

Xia Qing recognized Tan Junjie's squad at the very front, followed by Zhang San flanked left and right by Yan Long and Ji Li, and behind Zhang San were the two surgical assistants from Territory Seven she had seen at the operating room door.

The others, she hadn't seen.

Kuang Qingwei exclaimed, "Captain Tan only has six soldiers. The rest of these people are all from Third Brother's territory? Good lord!"

Qi Fu speculated, "They might also be from other inspection team squads."

Tang Huai got excited, "Wherever they're from, look at the weapons they're equipped with—they're even carrying light grenade launchers. Those are the new heavy firepower weapons distributed by the various bases in Huicheng. They're ready to flip Territory Nine at the slightest disagreement."

"They're all dressed up like that, how do we know which one is Third Brother?" Zhao Ze was very disappointed.

He had been in his territory for half a year and had seen all the other lords, but had never seen what Zhang San or the Lord of Territory Eight looked like.

Seeing the soldiers and technicians all geared up, Kuang Qingwei also took off the respirator hanging at his waist, "They're going in to clear hazardous materials, of course they have to dress like that. Huai-ge, shall we put our respirators on too?"