Chapter 1598: Cross-Civilization Individual

Xia Qing was the type to solve a problem the moment she spotted one, so the moment she returned to her territory, she dialed Zhang Shi's number.

Employee No. 004, Zhang Shi, called Xia Qing to report the clinic's intake over the past few days, then asked for instructions. "Sister Qing, we only have three days' worth of cleaning and disinfectant supplies left. We need to stock up."

Xia Qing, the owner of the Evolution Forest General Clinic, agreed readily. "Make a list of the categories and quantities you need restocked and send it to me. I'll have Lao Si bring them over tomorrow, along with a fresh batch of vegetables and eggs. Do you need any personal supplies?"

"I need salt and soy sauce. Sorry to trouble you, Sister Qing, but please bring me three packs of sanitary pads too. Just deduct the points from my wages." As an employee of Territory Three, Zhang Shi and Ye Yiyi's food was provided by Territory Three, but her personal living supplies had to be paid for out of pocket, with the lord acting as purchasing agent.

Because she was an employee, Xia Qing didn't charge her a purchasing fee. It was only after Zhang Shi moved into the Wolf Pack territory that she learned any humans who purchased supplies through Xia Qing had to pay Xia Qing a 10% purchasing fee.

Zhang Shi's respect for Xia Qing only grew.

Xia Qing agreed, then brought up the real reason for today's call. "Yesterday the base issued an official document. Territory Two has been merged into the Ninth Center. The number of employees to be hired and the qualification requirements will be submitted to the Agriculture Department today. Once the Agriculture Department approves, recruitment will be opened to the public. Has Shi-jie contacted Zheng Kui yet?"

Zhong Tao was doing extremely well at the Ninth Center. The only one who could make him wear that expression was his old partner from before discharge, Yang Laoda.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhang Shi answered, "Four days ago, I planned to take Ye Yiyi to the town ruins south of our territory for initial contact with Zheng Kui. But Yiyi refused to go. She wanted to stay in the Evolution Forest and live with the little wolves. Because her condition had just improved, forcing her to go meet Zheng Kui might cause a relapse, so I canceled the operation."

Xia Qing replied, "Ye Yiyi's condition really has eased a lot being with the little wolves."

Zhang Shi made a request. "Sister Qing, I've redrafted Yiyi's treatment plan. This plan is a bit more difficult, but I think it's more reasonable. I'll send the plan over. Can you and Third Brother take a look and see if it works?"

An hour later, Xia Qing finished her business in the territory, put on a one-way-transparent protective mask, and walked with steady steps into Territory Seven. The moment she pushed open her idol's door, she stopped forcing herself to keep up appearances and limped inside.

Zhang San frowned. "How many more days of training?"

Xia Qing answered, "Twenty-two days. Third Brother, my bones aren't broken, it's just a sprain in my left ankle and I can't put weight on it. With a small injury like this, a night's sleep and I'll be right as rain by tomorrow morning."

Thanks to the idol standing at the top of the pyramid, after completing the full-course medicinal bath that healed bodily injuries, any muscle or bone damage Xia Qing suffered now healed extremely quickly.

Zhang San rolled his eyes in annoyance at the New Human sitting across the desk, her face covered in bruises and her head full of nonsense. "All better? Ready to keep getting beaten up?"

Xia Qing grinned. "It's not just getting beaten up, it's getting stronger through real combat. Every time I spar with Yan-jie, I gain something."

If it made her stronger, Xia Qing was happy to take a beating.

Zhang San lost patience. "Where's the thing?"

"I'll forward it to you." Xia Qing immediately forwarded the draft treatment plan Zhang Shi had sent over to her idol, asking for his expert opinion.

After scanning through it at ten lines a glance on his laptop, Zhang San leaned back in his soft chair and began analyzing the reasons behind the changes in the treatment plan. "Ye Yiyi's choosing the wolf pack isn't a rational social preference—it's avoidance behavior driven by trauma. To her, human society is a world full of danger and fear; the wolf pack, on the other hand, is a world with simple, clear rules and no traumatic human memories."

"In the short term, her contact with the wolf pack is beneficial to her treatment. But in the long run, complete avoidance will solidify the trauma and prevent her from developing the necessary skills and resilience to handle human relationships. Seven is an explosive period for social, linguistic, and emotional-cognitive development. After a brief period of avoiding human society to treat her psychological trauma, she must, in a safe environment, interact with more people and learn how to survive in human society. That was the core of Yiyi's original treatment plan, formulated on the basis of humanity's established medical knowledge and ethics."

Xia Qing nodded. "Blue Star has evolved. Humans are no longer the only advanced civilization."

Zhang San looked at the New Human across from him who, though she didn't like using her brain, always managed to seize the key point at once. "Exactly. Blue Star has evolved. Anthropocentrism no longer applies. Other advanced civilizations have appeared on Blue Star."

The wolf pack had a stable social order. The brain-domain evolvers within the pack could communicate with humans without barriers using written language, and they had made a promise to Xia Qing not to harm Zhang Shi and Ye Yiyi—and had earnestly kept that promise. This marked the wolf pack's entry into the category of intelligent cultural beings.

After witnessing the wolf pack's level of civilization, Zhang Shi—who had promised Ye Yiyi's father she would look after the girl—would, when Yiyi resisted returning to human society, responsibly reexamine Yiyi's treatment plan.

Because forcing a child who had suffered severe psychological trauma in human society to leave an intelligent community that had already accepted her and regarded her as a companion would inflict secondary harm on her.

Zhang Shi's new plan was to wait until Yiyi's condition stabilized before enrolling her in the Ninth Center elementary school. She would attend school in the human territory Monday through Friday, and spend Saturdays and Sundays with the wolf pack, learning their knowledge, survival skills, and social rules.

"If Zhang Shi's plan can be implemented, then Yiyi will be able to grow into a 'cross-civilization individual' like you—someone who can move freely between these two advanced civilizations, human and wolf pack." Zhang San raised a hand to press his brow. "What do you think?"

Xia Qing answered, "Yiyi thinks the wolf pack is good because she's been protected by the pack's leader and has only interacted with brain-domain evolved wolves. She hasn't seen the cruelty of the evolved wolves' living environment and competition. The wolf pack has a strict hierarchy. Wolf cubs begin hunting training at six months old, and once they're a year old, they have to get their own food."

Zhang San nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

Xia Qing was unusually calm. "The wolf pack protects Yiyi not because they recognize her as a companion, but because Lao Si made a promise to me, and because she's the dentist Zhang Shi's 'accessory.' Without those two things, if Yiyi appeared alone in the Evolution Forest, the wolf pack would only see her as 'prey.' To walk between two civilizations, she must rely on her own abilities. That's riskier and requires more to learn than surviving in human society alone. Because…"

Xia Qing raised her head. "Surviving across civilizations isn't just enjoying the benefits of two civilizations—it also means bearing double the risks and rules."

Just like herself: inside the territory she was human and followed human rules; but when she operated with the northern wolf pack, she was a pack member and had to obey the pack's rules. If the alpha wolf ordered her into battle, no matter how dangerous, she had to step up.

Zhang San nodded, gesturing for Xia Qing to continue.

Xia Qing raised her bruised face and laid out her own plan. "Let Yiyi see the cruel side of wolf pack society, understand the price of surviving within it, and then give her one more chance to choose."

Zhang San strongly agreed with Xia Qing's view. "Draft a detailed treatment plan and send it to me before five this afternoon."

Xia Qing……

Idol, care to guess why I came limping over here to discuss this with you?