Chapter 1693: The Boss Proposes to Trade for Her Blood

After returning to her territory, the first thing Xia Qing did was go home and cook for her companions. She had just led the boss and Wolf Lao Er through the gate when the plucking yellow weasel walked out of the sheep shed and placed a plucked little bird in front of her.

Receiving this long-missed gift—or more accurately, this "rent"—Xia Qing was especially nostalgic. "Plucker, did you catch this in the territory?"

The plucking yellow weasel trembled its little whiskers and looked toward the much quieter sparrows under Xia Qing's eaves.

"Mm, caught it at home. Plucker is really impressive. With you protecting little Bai Mao, she must feel very safe." Xia Qing pulled a small packet of dried mealworms from the side pocket of her protective suit and poured them into the little bowl inside the sheep shed. "Keep these as snacks. I'm going to cook for the boss and Lao Er."

Half an hour later, sitting between Sheep Boss and Wolf Dog Lao Er, Xia Qing called Zhang Shi and, after detailing Wu Chengyu's condition and the contents of the agreement Wu Chengyu had signed with herself and Zhang San, brought up the reason she was making this video call to Zhang Shi:

"To stabilize Wu Chengyu's condition and let him complete the medical equipment improvements within a month, we need to compound medicine with recovery factor. Territory Seven doesn't have enough recovery factor, and he's negotiating with Red One Base, but the maximum dose Red One can provide still can't meet Wu Chengyu's needs. So, I want to trade you two newly added territories in Northern Zone One for 200 milliliters of blood."

On the sixty-second day since she joined Territory Three as a dentist, her boss proposed for the first time to trade for her blood. Although Xia Qing spoke up later than Zhang Shi had estimated, and the price she offered exceeded Zhang Shi's expectations, Zhang Shi's feelings were still somewhat complicated.

When Zhang Shi took her daughter and left the Evolution Forest for a hidden valley, seeking a chance for her daughter to return to human society, the partner she chose was Zhang San—Professor Fu Tianfeng, the one who had let her leave Hui One Safe Zone. When she decided to send Shi Yi into a Northern Zone One territory, her partners were Zhang San and Xia Qing. Both times, she was the one who initiated the trade, and the other side provided them shelter.

After she took Ye Yiyi and left the hidden valley for the Territory Three basement, her partners became Xia Qing and Zhang San.

When she took Ye Yiyi on wolfback and left human territory for wolf territory, her partner was Xia Qing.

What she traded to Zhang San was her blood and the precious herbs she discovered in the Evolution Forest. What she traded to Xia Qing the first time was the green-light soybeans she found in the Evolution Forest. When she moved into Territory Three, she had already prepared herself to pay more premium crop seeds and blood.

But Xia Qing asked for nothing, and instead let her join Territory Three as a doctor, becoming a general veterinarian who traded her medical skills for a chance to survive.

Zhang Shi understood why Xia Qing trusted and chose her: first, because Zhang San needed recovery factor to treat his severe allergen-element allergy; second, because she was being hunted by all of humanity and would not reveal Xia Qing's secret cooperation with the wolves.

Zhang Shi worked hard, hoping that one day she could rely on her medical skills rather than the recovery factor in her body to earn her place to live.

Now, Xia Qing had spoken up to trade for her blood. Though Zhang Shi's feelings were complicated, she didn't have much resistance. Everyone wanted the recovery factor in her body, but only Xia Qing would propose a trade so directly and openly.

Zhang Shi calmed herself and asked seriously, "Sister Qing, is this your idea, or Third Brother's?"

"Mine."

Xia Qing knew what Zhang Shi was worried about. She looked straight at the phone screen and answered honestly, "Third Brother plans to trade with several other research institutions that have recovery factor, but the price they'll ask will definitely be very high and might threaten the safety of the Northern Zone One territories. So I proposed trading directly with you."

On the phone screen, Xia Qing's face was a colorful mess from Yanlong's beating, but her eyes were exceptionally clear and open.

"Right now, Sister Shi can't show herself in public, and Shi Yi and Yiyi—who's about to enter human territory for schooling—must keep a low profile. Becoming a lord right away is very unrealistic. But the conditions I'm offering aren't IOUs; they're notes of debt that I personally guarantee and will honor for life, backed by my personal reputation. We can sign a paper agreement and record video as proof. As long as I'm alive, Sister Shi can come to me to redeem them at any time. Before you choose to redeem them, these two territories will be developed by me, and forty percent of the profits from development will go to you."

The "video as proof" move was the tactic Xia Qing used when she lacked the strength to negotiate with the Azure Dragon Squad and spent 800,000 points to buy Hill Forty-Nine.

"Recovery-type evolvers are in a dangerous position because recovery factor currently can't be synthesized artificially. But just because it can't be synthesized now doesn't mean it won't be in the future, and it doesn't mean recovery factor will forever be irreplaceable."

Next, Xia Qing offered strong evidence: "Third Brother discovered a kind of snake with very high medicinal value. In the second half of last year, Territory Seven began artificially breeding this snake, and using extracts from it as the main ingredient, developed a new anti-allergy medicine whose efficacy is no weaker than anti-allergy drugs made with recovery factor. It's already in the late pharmacological research stage and will submit a clinical trial application no later than August this year."

"Third Brother also discovered a very useful symbiotic bacterium in a kind of evolved fish. A medicine made from this bacterium's metabolites can produce effects similar to recovery factor and can suppress cancer recurrence rates."

After giving two examples, Xia Qing listed data: "Currently, humanity's exploration and research progress on evolved creatures is less than 0.01%. What I mentioned are only Third Brother team's projects in development; other research institutions are also working hard. In another ten or twenty years, the attention paid to recovery-type evolvers definitely won't be as high as it is now. If Sister Shi doesn't want to trade, you can tell me directly; if you want to trade but feel my conditions aren't enough, I can add more."

Zhang Shi smiled. "Those two figures—0.01% and ten or twenty years—were they from Third Brother?"

Xia Qing replied, "The percentage was Third Brother's; the ten or twenty years is my estimate, I have no evidence. But I'm certain that, as long as no world-ending disaster occurs, in ten years the comprehensive strength of our Northern Zone One territories, and the territory alliance they form, will absolutely be many times stronger than now. By then, even if Third Brother still hasn't found a substitute for recovery factor, the three of you standing alongside the strong as allies will definitely be in a much better position than now."

Zhang Shi nodded. "200 milliliters of blood isn't equal in value to two Northern Zone One territories. Sister Qing can add more."

What do you call someone who pulls out their own feathers when they won't pull out a single one? Xia Qing reminded her, "Sister Shi, you just focus on treating patients. Leave the price negotiation to me, Broken-Waist, and Fourth."

Otherwise, we'd lose out badly.