Chapter 1627: Liang Wen, Who Studies Evolved Wolf Packs, and Martial Aunt Bai, Who Buys Local Specialties

Zhang Tang was in charge of leading the way and explaining to the experts how the hidden valley had been discovered. "On November 30th last year, Hui-1's Blaze Squad used gas bombs in this area to capture evolved wolves. Not only did it contaminate the soil and cause large numbers of animals to flee, it also triggered a beast tide…"

"…We stored the materials and equipment for treating the contaminated soil in the cave up above. Later, by accident, we discovered a man-made tunnel inside the cave, and this tunnel leads to a gorge formed by a crack in the mountain… Please watch your step, teachers, and be careful not to slip…"

A researcher walking at the rear of the inspection team quietly asked the fully geared-up Xia Qing behind him, "Director Xia, I heard the evolved wolf the Blaze Squad was trying to capture back then was one you found in the Evolution Forest and brought back to save?"

This researcher was named Liang Wen, the director of the Evolved Ferocious-Beast Defense Research Center at the Bai Liu Research Institute. On the name list Zhang San had provided to Xia Qing, this person's name was also bolded.

For the same reason that relations between humans and evolved macaques were tense at Hui-6 Base, relations between humans and the evolved wolves, tigers, and bears at Bai Liu Base were also very tense. Therefore, Bai Liu had specially set up a Ferocious-Beast Defense Center to study how to better control the beasts' numbers, maintaining ecological balance while maximizing the protection of human safety and interests.

After years of effort, Liang Wen's research team had achieved quite a few results, and Zhang San had also exchanged a special-effect potion he had formulated for a spray developed by this team.

Results proved that this potion had vastly different effects on different wolf packs: the wolves at Bai Liu would relax their vigilance and reduce hostility upon smelling it; the northern wolf packs at Hui-3 would become more alert upon smelling it and show malice toward humans entering the Evolution Forest.

Zhang San fed the results of the potion's use back to Liang Wen's team and suggested they test the efficacy further.

Liang Wen's team, which had been closely monitoring incidents of conflict between beasts and humans at bases across Hua Country, had long since noticed Territory One-North at Hui-3 Base—a territory that had been established for two years yet had never had any major conflicts with neighboring wolf packs.

To this end, Liang Wen's team had repeatedly submitted applications to Hui-3 Base and Professor Fu Tianfeng's research team, hoping to come over for a visit and inspection, to understand the reasons why humans and wolves could coexist peacefully here, and to draw experience from it. It was not until the beginning of this month that they finally received a call from Fu Tianfeng's team and gained the precious opportunity to come inspect.

So, unlike the other teams, Liang Wen had come for Territory Three's lord Xia Qing, the wolf-dogs in her territory, and the northern wolf packs at Hui-3. This was also the reason his name had been bolded by Zhang San.

Now that he had finally caught the chance to be in close proximity to Xia Qing, Liang Wen deliberately fell to the very back of the line to strike up a conversation with her first.

Many people knew there were wolf-dogs in Xia Qing's territory that had been picked up from the Evolution Forest, so when Liang Wen asked about this, Xia Qing did not hide it and simply nodded.

Before Liang Wen could say anything more, Xia Qing spoke up. "Director Liang, I'm currently carrying out a remote protection mission and can't be distracted. When there's a suitable opportunity in the future, shall we talk then?"

Xia Qing also wanted to chat with this researcher and learn about the situation with the tigers, wolves, and bears at Bai Liu.

This top sniper from Hui-3 was indeed just like the rumors—straightforward and never beating around the bush. Liang Wen liked dealing with people of such a direct temperament, and his tone grew much warmer. "Alright, alright, sorry to disturb you, Director Xia."

Hu Guangdong, who had been walking in front of Liang Wen, ready to cut in at any moment, also shut his mouth. He knew Xia Qing far better than Liang Wen did, knowing that this top sniper, who was reclusive by nature and clueless about social niceties, was a woman of her word—and also extremely good at amassing wealth.

How did Hu Guangdong know all this?

From the reports of his student Han Yanqian, and from the working style of the employees at Hui-3's Ninth Planting Center, which Xia Qing managed.

The Red-1 inspection team had stayed at the Ninth Center for three days, paying ninety thousand in lodging fees, forty-five hundred in meal fees, twenty-three thousand in fines, and the confiscated equipment was already worth three hundred and thirty thousand!

Before setting out, Hu Guangdong had planned to thoroughly inspect every inch of Hui-3's Territory Three, but now he was getting cold feet. Just based on Xia Qing's behavioral style, Hu Guangdong felt that if he entered Territory Three, let alone conducting tests and taking samples, even if he accidentally snapped a tree branch or knocked a pebble loose, he might get cut down twice by Xia Qing and fined tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of points!

Seeing that there was no way to communicate with Xia Qing for the time being, the leader of the Red-1 inspection team, Yao Yuanxing, turned his attention to Bai Jiangxia, who was walking ahead beside Zhang Tang, listening to his introduction of the valley's situation.

Yao Yuanxing slowly approached Bai Jiangxia and greeted her warmly. "Senior Sister…"

Bai Jiangxia glanced coldly at Yao Yuanxing through her protective visor, making him shut up, before continuing to walk forward.

This mountain path, paved into neat stone steps and leading to the halfway point of the mountain, would take members of the Territory Alliance less than five minutes to walk. But this group of experts, panting for breath, climbed for half an hour before reaching the entrance of the hidden valley. Four of them in airtight protective suits were simply too exhausted to walk any further and had been carried up by the guards for the second half.

When it came to carrying people, the special-ops soldiers' movements were very practiced; and when it came to being carried, these experts were also very accustomed to it.

Zhang Tang had spent a year on Mountain 50 with Zhang He, so his stamina was far better than that of these researchers who had stayed in the laboratory all year round. Standing at the cave entrance, face un-flushed and breathing un-labored, he used the walkie-talkie to explain the situation and reminded everyone once again:

"Teachers, this is the entrance to the gorge formed by the crack in the third peak of Mountain 50. Please follow me into the cave. We'll do disinfection and change clothes first, then enter the interior of the valley. I must stress again: the cave and the gorge are both fitted with cameras covering every angle, and are under full surveillance by the special operations team. If any teacher's behavior violates the inspection and visit agreement, their qualification to inspect will be revoked. Any losses caused to our research institute by your actions will be compensated at triple the value by the team you belong to."

No matter what these experts were thinking inside, their expressions were uniformly calm and mild, every inch the scholars.

Following Zhang Tang into the cave, passing through the disinfection corridor, taking off their heavy protective suits in the changing room and putting on white lab coats and shoe covers, the group walked in single file through the stone-walled corridor into the valley, unable to stop themselves from letting out one exclamation after another.

Idioms like "a masterpiece of nature," "a paradise on earth," "a fairyland on earth," and "a world of its own" kept drilling into Xia Qing's ears, reminding her of the scene she had seen the first time she entered this valley in the winter of two years ago.

"This is Teacher Zhang Xun from our valley laboratory, and these two are Teacher Zhang Xun's assistants, Zhang Xiaozhang and Zhang Xiaoli. Teachers may look around on your own, or you may chat with the people in the valley." After introducing the researchers in the valley to everyone, Zhang Tang gave a grand introduction of Zhang Wenshe:

"Any teacher who wishes to purchase our green-light aquatic products—hairy crabs, river snails, and shrimp—can go find Mr. Zhang Wenshe by the pond. They're caught fresh on the spot and sold absolutely fresh, with a free insulated bag. The small wooden cabin in the center of the valley is where the patients recuperating from injuries are staying. Please try not to go over and disturb them."

The crowd…

Xia Qing, wearing a one-way see-through protective mask, silently watched Zhang Tang and felt it was a waste for him to be a researcher.

Bai Jiangxia walked straight to the edge of the pool and stood ramrod-straight in front of Zhang Wenshe, who clearly looked like a former soldier. "How many hairy crabs do you have for sale in your pond? I'll take them all."

At this, not only Zhang Wenshe, but Xia Qing's eyes lit up as well: she must invite her martial aunt to Territory Three as soon as possible to purchase the local specialties there!