Chapter 255: Evolution of the Dopey Roe Deer

Xia Qing didn't hear any movement, which once again confirmed that the sick wolf's hearing had evolved better than hers — a normal phenomenon, since wolves' and dogs' hearing is naturally superior to humans'.

Xia Qing pretended not to see the red squirrel and kept picking cotton. Once the sick wolf determined the red squirrel posed no threat, it lay back down to warm its belly.

Seeing that Xia Qing and the wolf were ignoring it, the red squirrel inched forward little by little onto the roof and stared at the cotton.

Here to freeload cotton again?

Xia Qing stood up. "Lao Er, stay here and guard the cotton — don't let that red squirrel steal it. I'm going to grab something."

Xia Qing quickly brought up two peanuts and two chestnuts, then sat down and continued picking cotton. Seeing that neither Xia Qing nor the sick wolf was paying it any attention, the red squirrel crept to a spot three meters from them and stopped, not moving any closer. At that distance, even if Xia Qing and the sick wolf suddenly lunged, they couldn't catch it.

Feeling the moment was right, Xia Qing placed a pale yellow cotton boll beside her. "This one's for you."

Lure it first — let the red squirrel learn the benefit of cotton, then move on to the next step of the exchange.

The red squirrel squatted in place, motionless. Xia Qing assumed it was afraid she might grab it, so she scooted forward a few steps — then realized the red squirrel had nearly reached the pale yellow cotton boll, yet was still eyeing the cotton in her hand longingly.

Now Xia Qing understood: this little pest didn't want the pale yellow, fishy-smelling cotton!

Xia Qing simply picked a pure white one and set it beside her, telling the red squirrel: "This one's for you."

The sick wolf thought Xia Qing was talking to it, got up and walked over to the cotton, pressed the boll down with its big paw, then lay back down to warm its belly. Xia Qing said nothing, picked another pure white cotton boll, set it on the other side, pointed at the red squirrel, then pointed at the cotton. "Red squirrel, this white cotton boll is for you."

After Xia Qing shifted her position again, the red squirrel, which had been hiding, stared at the pure white cotton for a while, then darted over, grabbed the boll, and ran.

After the red squirrel ran off, Xia Qing began counting silently: one, two, three…

Not even a minute later, the little fellow came back, swishing its fluffy big tail, rubbing its tiny paws together, and continuing to eye the snow-white cotton in Xia Qing's hands.

Want to keep freeloading? You don't want the smelly stuff, but you still want the white, odorless kind? No way — no matter how pretty that tail looks when you wag it!

The wolf using a yi stone as medical fees is recuperating in her territory, and still has to hand over edible meat every day. Xia Qing picked a pure white cotton boll, then took out a peanut still in its rough shell. "Want this cotton? If you do, trade me with peanuts."

Xia Qing noticed that once she brought out the peanut, the red squirrel switched its gaze to the peanut. Xia Qing simply cracked the peanut open, ate the kernel, and tossed the shell onto the roof.

Seeing Xia Qing eat the peanut, the red squirrel hopped around in fury for a while, then ran off.

Xia Qing finished picking the cotton with a smile, fastened the insect-proof netting cover back in place, and went downstairs with the sick wolf. Even after she returned to her room, the red squirrel didn't reappear.

Not being able to trade cotton for peanuts meant today's exchange had failed, but Xia Qing didn't feel disappointed. Not every animal could become extremely intelligent after evolving — otherwise there really wouldn't be any room left for humans on Blue Star.

It didn't matter that the red squirrel hadn't brought peanuts; Xia Qing planned to check its burrow every day, and once she found peanuts stored inside, she'd follow it to collect them.

As long as she had a locator, the red squirrel would become her grain-finding rodent.

Xia Qing took out the yellow-grade rabbit she'd received that morning from the fridge, cut half of it into chunks, put them in a pot to stew with pollution-free spring water, then sent Yang Jin a message: Captain Yang, do you have time recently? I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with you.

Since Yang Jin came out of the Evolution Forest, he hadn't shown himself.

"Reply." An extremely faint water-drop notification sounded inside a snow-white tent, seven thousand li north of Hui-3 Base, north of Bai Qi Base, blanketed in endless white snow.

Yang Jin took his phone from his inner pocket, a smile appearing on his scruffy face. After drinking a few sips of boiled snowmelt, he dialed Xia Qing directly. "Xia Qing, have you made any new discoveries recently?"

On Yang Jin's end there was the sound of wind slapping the tent canvas — he was probably in an outdoor tent. Wind that loud meant Yang Jin wasn't at Hui-3 Base. But since he'd called her, it meant he could talk now. Xia Qing answered briefly, "I discovered a green-grade chestnut tree. The qiang element content is a little over two parts per thousand, and the taste is excellent. Third Brother from Territory Seven says it can sell for at least four hundred points per jin. I want to cooperate with you to cultivate green-grade chestnut tree saplings."

Yang Jin understood. "The chestnut tree was discovered in Area Three of Mountain Forty-Nine?"

Xia Qing nodded. "Right. The leaves of this edible chestnut tree have evolved to be extremely sticky — they can trap insects, forming a symbiotic relationship with evolved hornets. A mature chestnut tree can produce about a hundred jin of chestnuts a year."

Yang Jin, who had explored Mountain Forty-Nine before, recalled that grove of hornet-filled trees in the valley. At the time his goal had been to find pollution-free spring water, so he hadn't noticed those were chestnut trees.

Were there chestnuts hanging on them back then? Yang Jin gripped his yi stone protective case, a smile in his weary eyes. "Once this kind of tree is planted, it can provide food and also serve as a protective wall. How many seeds do you have?"

How many seeds? Heh.

Xia Qing pressed down the corners of her mouth and answered calmly, "These evolved chestnuts are more than twice the size of pre-catastrophe ones — thirty-something make a jin. I currently have twenty-five jin of green-grade and over six hundred fifty jin of yellow-grade."

Yang Jin laughed. His voice was slightly husky, and his laugh was very pleasant to hear. "This one deal alone will earn back the points you spent buying the mountain."

More than that — she'd also traded for eighty-thousand-worth of medicine to treat her body's injuries. Xia Qing was in a wonderful mood. "So, does that mean you agree to cooperate with me?"

Hearing her use "you" formally again, Yang Jin gripped his yi stone protective case tightly. "Of course. Once I'm back, we'll discuss the details. This matter can't involve the combat team — it has to be done through Territory One, otherwise the Alliance will definitely want to stick their fingers in."

Xia Qing was delighted. "Then you go ahead with your work. I'll talk with Brother Luo."

Luo Pei was the lord of Territory One.

Yang Jin disagreed. "Brother Luo shouldn't be troubled with work right now. Wait until I'm back."

"Alright." Xia Qing asked again, "If you still need to gather herbs for treatment, you can send me pictures and I'll negotiate with the wolf pack."

"Just one last herb and I'll have them all. The wolf pack can't reach that area." Yang Jin didn't hide it from her. "This herb grows deep in the Evolution Forest north of Bai Qi Base. I'll bring it back in a few days."

Bai… Bai Qi?! Yang Jin is currently deep in the Evolution Forest north of the northernmost base safe zone in Hua Country?!

Xia Qing was shocked. "I remember the broadcast said that area is the territory of evolved tigers and evolved brown bears."

Yang Jin laughed. "Mm, not just tigers and bears — there are also snow wolves, snow foxes, and roe deer. Roe deer are still dopey after evolving. Right now there's one standing outside my tent, tilting its head to watch the excitement."

Inside the tent, Wang Liang glanced at the evolved "dopey" roe deer outside — taller than a person and bristling with menace — then looked at his boss grinning like a fool, and stared speechlessly at the tent ceiling.

Xia Qing thought of the dopey roe deer and couldn't help smiling even after hanging up the phone.