Chapter 1363: Plastic Surgery

In the basement, Zhang Shi, who was writing the treatment plan, saw through the camera that Xia Qing was working in the fields. She glanced at little Ye Yiyi, who was fast asleep, and decided to stay in the basement rather than go out and get in Xia Qing's way.

Because whether it was strength or skill, she couldn't keep up with the speed of that one person, one sheep, and one wolf.

By the time Zhang Shi finished writing the treatment plan, Xia Qing had already led one wolf and one sheep to fill over a hundred bags of chopped grass into the cold-proof ditch, then pressed old rainproof cloth over it and shoveled soil to cover it.

After taking cold-proof measures for the crops and the animals in the sheds, Xia Qing took bamboo strips and thermal film into Shed No. 3 next to the beekeeping greenhouse, building an inner shed over the plot where the fig branches were growing, to keep the already sprouted fig branches from being damaged by the big temperature drop.

After finishing the inner shed, Xia Qing went to the chicken greenhouse to tend the few vegetable beds she had planted inside. Weeding where weeding was needed, setting up trellises where trellises were needed.

While Xia Qing was weeding, Sheep Boss ate grass nearby, and the wolf-dog Wolf Lao Er carried the grass Sheep Boss had left over into the chicken pen inside the shed to feed the chickens. Whenever it found an egg, it carried it out and put it in the basket. The one person, one sheep, and one wolf worked together in perfect harmony.

The chickens in the chicken pen seemed to have already gotten used to having a wolf wandering around them. Apart from the black-feathered rooster that tried to attack Wolf Lao Er to show off its leadership of the flock, the other chickens—including the few migratory birds Xia Qing had clipped the wings of to raise as chickens—showed no unusual reaction to the wolf entering the chicken pen.

After finishing the vegetable beds, the one person, one sheep, and one wolf sat by the field to rest. Zhang Shi was deeply moved by this scene that defied common sense yet was extraordinarily harmonious.

This was the daily life of Xia Qing, the dual-system evolution sniper everyone was curious about—busy yet fulfilling. Her busyness was worth it, because she could harvest grain, vegetables, and eggs.

Food and safety, things that humans battered by the years of natural disasters dreamed of, Xia Qing had them all. Zhang Shi didn't dare hope to have such a life herself, but she hoped that through effort, she could let her daughter live such days.

Thinking of her daughter, she looked again at little Ye Yiyi curled up in a ball asleep on the bed, and silently sighed.

"Beep."

The phone chimed softly. Zhang Shi picked it up and saw that Xia Qing had sent her a message.

Having finished the farm work in the territory, Xia Qing was about to leave the territory to handle work at the Ninth Center, and also to check the construction progress of Mountain No. 50. She wouldn't be back until after dark. Two members of Beard Feng's squad would come over during this time to help her guard the territory.

This meant that for the rest of the time, Zhang Shi and Ye Yiyi's outdoor activities would be restricted. It was best not to go outside.

After Zhang Shi replied that she received the message, she turned her attention back to work. Tomorrow Zhang San was coming to Territory No. 3 to perform surgery on Ye Yiyi. She had to seize this chance to finalize the treatment plan for Patient No. 1 with him.

The next morning at eight o'clock, Zhang San, wearing the special forces protective suit of Hui Three, was escorted by Zhang Jingwu's squad to the north gate of Territory No. 3. Then Zhang Jingwu's squad drove away from the Northern Zone One territory, protecting a female squad member disguised as Zhang San, to inspect the wrap-up work of the Mountain No. 50 experimental project.

The route for this trip had already been finalized by Xia Qing with Zhang He yesterday. Once "Zhang San" reached Mountain No. 50, she would stay in the laboratory there and take a vehicle back at the appointed time, not encountering any outsiders along the way.

Xia Qing carried two heavy cases of instruments, sent her idol into the operating room Zhang Shi had already prepared, and then went on to tidy up the two rooms that had already been built.

The walls had only been laid three days ago. Even though Xia Qing was using an industrial dehumidifier borrowed from Territory No. 8 to speed up the drying of the bricks and cement mortar in the walls, the plastering of the inner and outer walls couldn't be done until tomorrow.

There was no rushing it. If the walls weren't thoroughly dry, hollowing and cracking would appear after plastering, and it would have to be redone.

So this morning, Xia Qing's work was to lay tiles on the bathroom floor and make furniture.

At twelve-thirty in the afternoon, when Zhang San came out of the laboratory, Xia Qing, who had already prepared lunch, immediately called him in to eat. "Third Brother, I made hand-rolled noodles with tomato and egg gravy. Would you like a bowl?"

Where? In that living room full of sheep, wolves, monkeys, and rats, eating a mouthful of fur?

Zhang San, who had lost all appetite, shook his head. "I'll go back to eat."

Xia Qing naturally knew what her idol was thinking, and cheerfully continued to invite him. "Captain Zhang and the others still need some time before they can return. Why don't you come inside and sit for a while?"

That was fine.

Zhang San followed Xia Qing into the neatly tidied courtyard. Under the eaves, which were covered with insect-proof netting and had not a single splatter of bird droppings, he changed into new straw sandals, then entered the clean and tidy living room—free of sheep, monkeys, wolves, and rats.

He took off his protective suit mask and protective gloves. Smelling that there was no weasel stink in the house either, Zhang San's expression improved considerably. He wiped his hands with disinfectant wipes and sat down on the soft sofa cushion.

Xia Qing boiled a pot of pollution-free spring water, brewed some dried green-light honeysuckle, brought it into the living room, poured a cup for her idol, and asked, "Third Brother, did the surgery go smoothly?"

Zhang San took the clean white porcelain teacup and replied, "Zhang Shi can recover the day after tomorrow. That child needs some time."

Zhang Shi's current face had been seen by many people in the hidden valley, so she needed to change her appearance to continue staying hidden. She also had to undergo plastic surgery. Xia Qing asked, "Do you need me to go to the basement to look after them?"

"No need, Zhang Shi is already awake." Zhang San sniffed the fragrance of the honeysuckle, and told Xia Qing about the follow-up to the Zhang Han incident. "The original intention of Red One sending Zhang Han over was to find out what I was doing here and your basic situation. That's why she came with no ill will toward you, and her mindset was very calm. A few days after she entered Territory No. 7, she received a new mission to investigate whether there was pollution-free spring water and Gao Yi element plants in your territory."

Xia Qing asked, "Who gave her this mission? Someone connected to Liehuo?"

Zhang San took a sip of tea. "The explanation from Red One University is that a vocal-cord evolver impersonated Zhang Han's mentor to issue her the mission. As for who this person is, they're still investigating."

This was very likely an excuse Red One University came up with to protect Zhang Han's mentor! Xia Qing asked, "Third Brother, does Zhang Han use an encrypted phone?"

"She doesn't have the clearance for that." Zhang San pulled paper and pen from his pocket, set the contact code phrases for the next ten days, and handed them to Xia Qing. "In the future, try to discuss confidential matters face to face. If you can't, call to confirm the code phrase first, then speak."

"Understood!" Xia Qing took the slip of paper and asked, "Then can Old Fourth and the others still video call me?"

Zhang San shot her a look. "You taught them to send text messages on a phone?"

"... No."

Zhang San took a sip of tea. "The phones you all have are of the highest secrecy grade. Suspicious personnel can't get access to these phones, so they can't install eavesdropping software."

In other words, there was a suspicious person around Third Brother? Xia Qing had just furrowed her brow when she heard her idol say, "I know who it is. I still need to use this person to pass along false intelligence and divert their attention from your territory. Just pretend you don't know, and keep your own cover well-hidden."