Chapter 186: Visitors to the Safe Zone

Walking back, Xia Qing messaged Ji Li, asking if he wanted the green-light rabbit; if so, he could meet her east of the Wild Boar Breeding Center. The Sufeng Squad's scouts were still patrolling the quarantine belt, so they couldn't trade there like before.

People from Territory Seven quickly arrived at the spot Xia Qing had designated and took one rabbit.

Having obtained her green-light prey, Xia Qing returned to her territory in high spirits and made processing the rabbit her first task.

The steaming-hot offal went straight to the wolf; the meat was sliced and placed in the dehydrator to dry slowly; the bones were tossed into a pot with seasonings for a long simmer. After tidying up, just as Xia Qing was about to go to sleep, she heard the wolf in the yard vomiting.

She came out with a flashlight and saw the sick wolf had thrown up the offal it had just eaten.

How could it vomit fresh, still-warm green-light offal? Isn't that a wolf's favorite food?

Looking at the sick wolf's teary eyes, Xia Qing had no choice but to go to the vegetable shed and pick thirty spinach leaves. Two leaves for Sheep Boss's care, the rest juiced and squirted into the sick wolf's mouth.

After waiting half an hour and seeing the sick wolf hadn't vomited, Xia Qing went back to the house and slept for two hours.

At six-thirty in the morning, Xia Qing got up and went downstairs.

The house was filled with the aroma of meat, the meat slices still drying, the chicks and goslings in the coop in the tool shed were cheeping away, the sick wolf in the sheep pen was still alive, and Sheep Boss was gone—probably off to eat.

After washing up, Xia Qing put a pot of rice on to steam, carried the chicken coop to the backyard to let the chickens out, then began patrolling her territory.

After finishing her patrol, Xia Qing was gnawing on a fragrant spicy rabbit head when she heard Tang Huai calling her on the lord channel, "Xia Qing, are you up yet?"

It's about to start.

Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie button. "Mm."

Tang Huai asked, "The truck hauling the solar equipment has already left the Safe Zone. Can you pick it up at the No. 3 road sign at ten-thirty?"

The ten-thirty timing was cleverly chosen—once Zhang Yong and Xu Juan helped her carry the solar panels in and install them, it would already be noon, and Xia Qing would have to invite them to stay for lunch, wouldn't she?

Chatting casually over a meal is perfectly normal, right?

Xia Qing pressed the button and replied calmly, "Okay."

After breakfast, Xia Qing gave the sick wolf its second dose of medicine for the day. Because she'd fed it spinach juice in the middle of the night, the sick wolf now had plenty of energy and probably didn't need to eat, so Xia Qing didn't feed it anything else.

At nine-fifty, three members of Beard Feng's squad arrived in Xia Qing's territory fully armed to stand guard.

At ten sharp, Xia Qing fed Sheep Boss the anesthetic. The dosage had been calculated by Chang Li—it wouldn't completely rob it of mobility, but would make it look as weak as its companion, perfectly fitting its "sick sheep" persona.

"Boss, you've worked hard. You and your friend rest up here while I go get our supplies. Once they finish installing them for us, you'll be free to move around again." Xia Qing ruffled Sheep Boss's fur, then smoothed the sick wolf's fur as well, before closing the thick door of the sheep pen and driving the micro-tiller to the road sign.

Tang Huai, already waiting at the edge of Territory Two, waved to Xia Qing from afar. "Xia Qing, you finally made it. I was just about to call you—the truck's almost here."

Xia Qing nodded.

Tang Huai was used to Xia Qing's foul temper and didn't get angry, continuing to ask, "Is your evolved sheep any better?"

"Mm." Xia Qing responded, watching the truck drive over from the east right on time.

Tang Huai snorted, folded his arms, leaned against the No. 2 road sign, and took credit. "If I hadn't put in a word for you, the squad definitely wouldn't have given you this many solar panels. How about it—I'm good enough, right?"

Xia Qing didn't know whether Tang Huai was in on the Sufeng Squad's plan, and only replied coldly, "I want the goods. Not a single screw can be missing."

Tang Huai...

Damn! Beard Feng's got quite the bite—how does he chew on such a foul-tempered, stubborn woman?

A battered box truck stopped at the No. 3 road sign. A middle-aged man in an ordinary protective suit pushed open the right-side door and hopped down, removing his protective mask to reveal a smiling square face.

Zhang Yong, appearing as the Sufeng Squad had requested. Xia Qing watched him with a perfectly calm expression.

A scar ran horizontally across Zhang Yong's swarthy face, making his smile look fierce.

He had gotten that scar during the fourth year of the Calamity, when the Safe Zone was suddenly attacked by a tide of insects surging up from underground. If Xia Qing's father hadn't carried him on his back while fleeing, Zhang Yong would have been gnawed to bare bone by the evolved insects long ago.

"Brother Huai, everything's been hauled over. Where do you want it put?" Zhang Yong greeted Tang Huai first, then smiled and greeted Xia Qing. "Xia Qing, your land is here too? No wonder."

Although she couldn't tell which metal clasp on Zhang Yong might be a camera or listening device, Xia Qing knew that from the moment Zhang Yong appeared, she was under their surveillance. She didn't remove her protective mask, nodded, and called out, "Brother Yong."

Not exactly cold, but definitely not warm either.

Tang Huai instructed, "First take the six solar panels, two voltage stabilizers, and three large batteries to Territory Three and install them for Xia Qing. They have to be 'brand new.'"

"You got it." Zhang Yong walked toward the cargo hold. He was long used to Xia Qing's coldness and went on explaining on his own, "There's been no work in the Safe Zone lately. To earn a living, I've had to take my brothers outside. There's another acquaintance of yours in the back of the truck."

Suspecting Xu Pin might be in the cargo hold, Xia Qing chased every thought out of her head, steadied her breathing and heartbeat, then followed Zhang Yong toward the back and asked casually, "Did your wife come along too?"

Zhang Yong nearly tripped over his own feet and muttered under his breath, "She's only tough at home—she wouldn't dare leave the Safe Zone."

As he spoke, Zhang Yong opened the back of the truck, and Xu Juan, dressed in a brand-new pink-purple protective suit, hopped down from the cargo hold.

That kind of brightly colored, form-fitting protective suit looked better than it was practical, and cost several hundred points more than an ordinary one—Xia Qing would absolutely never buy it, but that didn't stop her from admiring the eye-catching figure it showed off on a female evolver.

Xu Juan removed her pink-purple protective mask and greeted Xia Qing warmly. "I heard Zhang Yong say we were delivering supplies to the northern territories, so I wanted to come along and see you. With all that hail and evolved bird attacks recently, you didn't get hurt, did you?"

The moment these two saw her, they took off their protective masks—the surveillance equipment on them must be near the neck. Xia Qing didn't use her eyes to search for it, only replied calmly, "No."

After Zhang Yong called over two construction workers to unload the supplies Tang Huai had just mentioned, the truck drove straight into Territory Two.

Tang Huai had Zhang Yong open the crates for an on-site inspection, then told Xia Qing, "Brand new, not a single part missing. We're square. What happened last time was my fault—I guarantee it won't happen again."

Xia Qing kept a straight face. "We're square once it's installed and working."

What kind of person is this!

Tang Huai glared. "Then I'll have to follow you in and watch you install it—otherwise how would I know you won't deliberately snip a wire!"

Xia Qing stood calmly by the road sign, but her hand had moved to the knife hilt, making it clear that if Tang Huai set foot in Territory Three, she would act.

Zhang Yong quickly stepped out to smooth things over. "Brother Huai, how about this: I go in and install it for Xia Qing, make sure it's properly calibrated. If there are any problems, Brother Huai doesn't need to worry—the construction crew will be responsible for replacements until Xia Qing is satisfied."

Tang Huai gave a cold snort, indicating his agreement.

After calming Tang Huai down, Zhang Yong quickly gave Xia Qing a meaningful look, telling her not to clash head-on with Tang Huai. "You've got the strength—help carry two of them?"