Chapter 298: Breaking Up Hu Zifeng and Xia Qing

Tang Huai nodded. "The loudspeakers the lords of this area bought have a problem with the wolf howls recorded on them—the wolves in Territory Three were startled and fled. Does Captain Xu know who made that recording? Are the wolves still alive?"

"That's none of your concern." After confirming Tang Huai wasn't lying, Xu Pin asked again, "Luo Pei hasn't shown up once in the past half month?"

Tang Huai cursed inwardly a few times before answering, "Hasn't shown up. The people in Territory One never talk about Luo Pei—probably a gag order. But Wei Chengdong and Hu Zifeng have been in the territory the whole time, so Luo Pei should be there too."

Wei Chengdong and Hu Zifeng are both Luo Pei's dogs. If they're there, Luo Pei should be there too. Looks like Luo Pei really can't hold on any longer, hiding in his room waiting for Yang Jin to bring back medicine for him. Heh, he won't be waiting long.

The corner of Xu Pin's mouth lifted. "Keep monitoring Territory One, drive a wedge between Territory One and Territories Seven and Nine to improve relations, and also, break up Hu Zifeng and Xia Qing—make Xia Qing our asset."

Holy sh— Tang Huai cursed inwardly. Only when he saw Xu Pin raise his head and stare at him did he swallow the profanity back down. "... Yes."

Xu Pin waved Tang Huai out, then lowered his head to send a message to someone unknown.

Inside Territory Three, Xia Qing, who had gotten her emotions under control, wiped her face and found over a dozen strands of wool stuck to her hand. She couldn't help complaining, "Boss, you've been shedding a lot lately."

Sheep Boss's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he began pawing at the pebbles with his hooves.

Xia Qing immediately rubbed his head. "Come on, let's go clear out the washed-out river channel. Once it's done, we'll have corn for lunch."

Sheep Boss's narrowed eyes immediately flew open. He trotted after Xia Qing, even more eager than she was.

Under the road sign at the north of Territory Twelve, Tang Zhengpo held up the water bag containing the green-light large green prawns for Ji Li to inspect. "Right now only these two jin have grown to size. If Third Brother likes a sweet-and-sour flavor, we can make tomato green prawns—that'll suppress the fishy taste of the residual qiang element in the prawns."

Green-light food doesn't mean it contains no qiang element, just that it contains very little. After confirming the prawns were still jumping about alive, Ji Li asked, "What does Lord Tang want to trade for them?"

Tang Zhengpo asked, "Can I trade for soil insecticide?"

"Sure, I'll have ten jin of soil insecticide sent over to you in a bit." One jin of live green-light animal trades for five jin of soil insecticide; if it's dead, only four jin—that's the publicly posted exchange rate in Territory Seven.

After Ji Li took the prawns, Tang Zhengpo raised his hand to introduce Tang Zhengsu to him. "This is Tang Zhengsu, captain of the Sufeng Squad at Hui-Three Base."

Tang Zhengpo only mentioned Tang Zhengsu's captain identity, not his relationship to him—clearly drawing a line between Territory Twelve and the Sufeng Squad. Tang Zhengsu was displeased inside, but he couldn't show it in front of Ji Li.

He stepped forward and, in a posture he considered proper but was actually overly attentive and fawning, tried to build rapport with Ji Li. "Captain Ji, long time no see. I went to the Hui-One Base military headquarters with my brother—the vice base commander of Hui-Three Base. Do you remember, Captain Ji?"

What does Tang Zhengpo count for now? His brother Tang Zhengrong is vice base commander of Hui-Three, and he's the captain of the strongest combat squad in Hui-Three. Let's see who dares look down on the two of them brothers!

Ji Li responded coolly, "Is there something you need, Captain Tang?"

The smile on Tang Zhengsu's face stiffened a little. He could only get straight to the point. "One of our squad members was struck by lightning last night. A large area of his back was burned, and he lost all sensation below the waist. The squad medic says it's ultra-high-voltage electrical damage to the lumbar nerves—even if we sent him to a safe-zone hospital they couldn't treat it. Only Lord Zhang can work a miracle. Please pass a message to Lord Zhang for me, Captain Ji—as long as he's willing to save my brother, I'll agree to any condition."

Ji Li nodded. "I'll report it to the lord when I get back."

"Thank you, thank you!" Tang Zhengsu fawningly thanked Ji Li.

Ji Li gave Tang Zhengpo a slight nod, turned, and left.

After Ji Li had walked far away, Tang Zhengsu ground a pebble into the dirt with his right foot, sneering half in mockery, half in threat. "Looks like Big Brother is doing pretty well around here—has he forgotten that in this disaster year, it's ability that talks now?"

Tang Zhengpo remained composed. "Disaster-year days are hard, which is exactly why I treasure grain all the more. Thanks to the state's good policies, and thanks to your help too—it's given me such a large territory where I can grow food. No matter how the family's doing, at least we don't have to go hungry."

Because of his own clever scheming—when his brother wasn't at the base, he'd driven Tang Zhengpo out of the safe zone—Tang Zhengsu had already been scolded by his brother many times. And Tang Zhengpo actually dared to talk to him in that snide way. Tang Zhengsu was so angry he wanted to curse someone's mother.

Ji Li quickly returned. After handing that bag of soil insecticide to Tang Zhengpo, he said to Tang Zhengsu, "Captain Tang, our lord is very busy—he can't spare the time."

Busy my ass! Tang Zhengsu was anxious and furious. He turned to look at Tang Zhengpo, just like in the days before the disaster when he ran into difficulties while working at the Tang Group.

Nothing to be done. Zhang San dislikes Xu Pin, and nobody else has the standing—only Tang Zhengsu could go. But he couldn't get a read on the people in Territory Seven, so he could only have Tang Zhengpo step out and smooth things over for him.

Tang Zhengpo had long anticipated that Zhang San wouldn't treat Kou Fanming. He politely asked, "Brother Ji, does Territory Seven have any medication for treating electrical burns?"

This was ordinary medication—Ji Li had the authority to decide whether to trade it. "Yes."

Tang Zhengpo discussed with Tang Zhengsu, "Since Third Brother is busy lately, why doesn't Captain Tang trade for some medication instead and treat Fanming's external wounds first."

Right! Treat what we can for now. Zhang San's busy now, but there'll come a time when he's free—who'd turn down points? Tang Zhengsu immediately nodded and asked eagerly, "Good, let's do that! Brother Ji, how do we trade for the wound medication?"

Ji Li answered, "Six hundred points per gram, or equivalent value in green-light food."

Hearing such an outrageously high price, the veins on Tang Zhengsu's forehead nearly burst. He looked at Tang Zhengpo again, hoping Tang Zhengpo would bargain him down—or that Tang Zhengpo would be more tactful and just put up the points or supplies himself to trade for the medication.

But Tang Zhengpo had already gone off to instruct Tang Heng about preparing lunch, paying no attention to what was happening here at all!

Tang Zhengsu could only grit his teeth and force a smile. "I'll trade for ten grams first, to test the efficacy."

While Ji Li deducted the points and went back to fetch the medication, Tang Zhengsu walked into Territory Twelve with a dark face, itching to kick that old slippery eel Tang Zhengpo flying.

Xia Qing, hidden in a tall pine tree in Section Three of Mountain Forty-Nine, quietly watched Tang Zhengsu being escorted front and back by six bodyguards as he returned from Territory Twelve to Territory Two.

Twenty minutes later, Tang Zhengsu took Kou Fanming and flew back to the safe zone by helicopter.

Throughout the entire process, Tang Zhengsu was protected airtight—long-range ambush and sniping was impossible. Close-range assassination was also impossible, because the humanoid danger early-warning device Xu Pin stayed by Tang Zhengsu's side the whole time, acting as a bodyguard.

No rush, take it slow—sooner or later I'll kill him!

After the helicopter flew off into the distance, Xia Qing climbed down from the tree and hurried toward Valley One.