Chapter 586: New Skin

Third Brother, I'm leaving the territory tonight and will be back at the fastest the day after tomorrow before dawn. If anyone tries to force their way into Territory Three looking for me during that time, please help me block them.

Zhang San, holding the strawberries, gave a quick glance, didn't ask what Xia Qing was going to do, only asked, "What do you want to trade for? Are your medicines still enough?"

Xia Qing nodded. "The good medicines I traded with you are all still here. I'll come find you again when they're used up."

After leaving Territory Three, Xia Qing distributed the last 32 jin of snake meat to her allies, and collected the New Year goods they had prepared for her.

Although Kuang Qingwei was ultimately never confirmed by Zhang San as having undergone brain evolution, Xia Qing gave Territory Six just as much snake meat as Territory Fifteen, because Kuang Qingwei and his wife were both injured and needed to continue supplementing high-quality energy. Of course, the most snake meat Xia Qing gave went to Territory Five. Yuan Yan and Qi Fu were alliance companions Xia Qing valued highly.

Finally, she went to Territory Eight to meet up with Seeing Xin Yu, before returning to Territory Three.

After eating a meal of bamboo rat meat with Hu Zifeng and Chang Li, Xia Qing shouldered her sniper rifle and very solemnly instructed Sheep Boss and Sick Wolf, "Boss, Wolf Lao Er, I'm going out for a bit. When the sun rises from over there, sets over here, then rises from here again, I'll be back. You two watch the house, wait for me to come back."

Although Sheep Boss was tsundere, had a violent temper, and would butt the sky and the ground when it had nothing to do, it was, after all, a grass-eating sheep — and a very insecure one at that.

This was no ordinary sheep. This was Xia Qing's first companion, and the main labor force for generating electricity, tilling fields, and watering crops in Territory Three. It ate grass, yet happily did the work of three or four strong laborers, making it Xia Qing's ultimate farming partner.

Moreover, its mind was simple — it would never be bought off with points, never be turned against her, never stab Xia Qing in the back. Not only that, when dangers arose in the territory that couldn't be handled, it would shake Wolf Lao Er, and would run off together with the others.

Such a good companion — Xia Qing naturally had to cherish and care for it well.

If Sheep Boss were the only evolved animal left in the territory, and Xia Qing didn't return at night, it would surely get anxious and cause a fuss. But with Sick Wolf in the territory keeping it company, it would feel very secure, quietly eat its meals, and wait for Xia Qing to come back.

Xia Qing reassuringly rubbed Sheep Boss's head, then carefully instructed Sick Wolf, "Wolf Lao Er, I'm leaving the fish at home to you to feed. The chickens, rabbits, and insects you don't need to worry about — I'll have Hu Zifeng cut grass to feed them. If Wolf Lao Er gets hungry, eat these jerky strips. I'll be back in a day. When I return, the two of us will go catch rabbits together, okay?"

Wolf Lao Er was also an important companion of Xia Qing's. It was smart, diligent, loved to work, and could stand guard at night. With it around, Xia Qing could sleep peacefully at night. But it belonged to a wolf pack, and once its stomach recovered enough to eat raw meat, it might leave Territory Three and return to Mountain Sixty.

Precisely because they might part, Xia Qing cherished the limited time together with it even more.

Sick Wolf, guarding the half-basket of jerky, liked catching rabbits, and wagged its tail happily.

"Boss." Xia Qing lowered her head and bumped heads with Sheep Boss. "Let me borrow your good luck — wish me success. I'm off now. I'm leaving the house to you."

"Meh." Sheep Boss was in a good mood, squinted its eyes, and responded.

After leaving home, Xia Qing said goodbye to Hu Zifeng and Chang Li. "Captain Hu, Sister Li, I'll be troubling you from here on out. If an emergency comes up, just say so on the Lord Channel — Third Brother, Captain Tan, and Seeing Xin Yu will all help out."

Hu Zifeng nodded.

Chang Li nodded solemnly. "Don't worry. Whatever the territory looks like now is what it'll look like when you get back."

Xia Qing strode out with firm steps, exited the North Gate, met up with Tan Junjie, and hurried through the night toward the regimental headquarters located to the northwest of Mountain Forty-Nine.

The 372nd Regiment was a mountain infantry regiment, stationed in this mountain region to protect the safety of the surrounding cities. After the disaster struck, most of its forces were dispatched for disaster relief and quelling unrest, leaving only a portion to garrison the headquarters.

The Northern District One Hazard Investigation Team that Tan Junjie belonged to was subordinate to the 372nd Regiment. Xia Qing had never traveled this road before, but Tan Junjie was extremely familiar with it. The patrol vehicle covered the distance in less than half an hour, dropping Xia Qing off not far from the regimental headquarters gate.

"Thank you, Captain Tan." Xia Qing, already changed into her gear, expressed her thanks. She pushed open the car door and was just about to get out when she heard Tan Junjie say in a low voice:

"You must come back safely."

The last time she'd heard those words, her father was still alive. Xia Qing's eyes instantly welled with tears. She responded softly, put on her protective mask properly, got out of the vehicle, walked toward the regimental headquarters gate, saluted the sentry and presented her credentials, accurately reported today's password, and entered the 372nd Regiment smoothly.

Following the route on the materials, Xia Qing, wearing a silicone mask, accurately found her quarters for the night.

She was not Xia Qing right now — she was Yan Ning, a female soldier from the Special Third Company of Hui Three, seconded from Red Eleven.

Tomorrow morning at seven, she had to travel back to the Safe Zone together with the other soldiers from the Special Third Company who were training here. Tonight, she had to rest well to prepare for the big battle tomorrow night.

Not long after Xia Qing turned off the light, she heard an extremely faint sound outside the door. She gripped her dagger, hid by the door, and listened intently.

"3241."

Hearing the password, Xia Qing froze, dagger in hand.

How did he get here? Xia Qing responded in a lowered voice, "0952."

Once the passwords matched, Yang Jin lightly knocked on the door. Xia Qing immediately opened it and let him in. After Yang Jin came in, he set up anti-eavesdropping equipment on the door, then asked in a low voice, "Everything go smoothly?"

"Smoothly." If she had shown herself directly wearing the silicone mask, she would certainly have been exposed. But she had also put on a protective mask with a certain degree of light-blocking properties — in the pitch dark, it was very hard to tell that someone had been swapped in.

Xia Qing took off her protective mask, pulled out a small stool from under the table. "Captain Yang, please sit."

Yang Jin sat by the table, took off his protective mask and placed it on the table, and said in a low voice to Xia Qing, "Yan Ning is my schoolmate — a soldier Instructor Tan previously led. When I learned the base commander wanted to borrow soldiers from Red Eleven, I got in touch with her and, using her name, slotted one of our squad's members into the Special Third Company. You said that day that if killing Tang Zhengsu counted, you wanted in too, so I added you. Your combat ability is higher than hers."

Xia Qing……

This son of a bitch started laying this out months ago……

Impressive!

But wait — does Blue Dragon have a female squad member with a build very similar to hers? Xia Qing certainly hadn't seen one.

Xia Qing asked in a low voice, "Tang Zhengsu is running tomorrow night?"

"The Red One investigation team has already captured Zhou Xun and several surviving invasion refugees. Zhou Xun has in his hands recordings of Tang Zhengsu commanding the refugees to invade. If he doesn't run, what awaits him is no less than ten years of imprisonment and forced labor."

Xia Qing asked in a low voice, "Can the recordings be used as evidence?

He could claim the voice was imitated by a vocal-cord evolver, framing and pinning it on him."

Yang Jin smiled. "His lawyer used exactly that argument to get him released on bail pending trial. Zhou Xun and Tang Zhengpo still have other evidence, but the timing isn't right yet, so they haven't brought it out."