Chapter 59: I Would Choose to Kill Myself

With the serious matters settled, Xia Qing relaxed considerably. She took a sip of tea to moisten her dry lips and asked Luo Pei, "Luo-ge, should I come over in five days to learn how to use a gun from you?"

"Sure." Luo Pei smiled and discussed with Xia Qing, "Can I buy the vegetables from your land that you can't finish eating? That way Hu Zi Feng won't have to risk delivering vegetables over here. The transaction points can be paid on the spot, or recorded in the Qinglong Squad's account book."

Xia Qing nodded with a beaming smile. "Of course you can."

Yang Jin raised his wrist to check the time. "Do you have anything else you need to discuss?"

Xia Qing wanted to ask how he had discovered she was a three-ability evolver, but on second thought she decided it wasn't necessary. The Qinglong Squad's third-ranked fighter Luo Pei was already a dual-ability evolver—how could the top fighter Yang Jin possibly be single-ability?

So Xia Qing looked at Yang Jin seriously and asked a very practical question. "Captain Yang, are there edible evolved chickens, ducks, geese, or anything like that on Mountain Forty-Nine?"

You've led a team rummaging around the mountain for half a month—you should know exactly what animals are up there, right?

Yang Jin...

Luo Pei burst out laughing.

Yang Jin also laughed. "When I led the team up the mountain to survey water sources, I didn't pay attention to the animal species. But I think there are evolved pheasants. I didn't spot any ducks or geese."

Evolved pheasants are fine too—pheasants are still chickens, and any chicken can lay eggs! Just as Xia Qing was about to ask where on the mountain he'd spotted them and how many there were, the tightly shut door was knocked on.

Wei Chengdong walked in. "Yang-ge, Xu Pin, Tang Lu, and Tang Zheng have taken a helicopter into Territory Two."

Sure enough, wherever Yang Jin goes, Tang Lu follows. Xia Qing tactfully asked nothing and put on the expression of a melon-eating onlooker.

Yang Jin glanced at her and stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll head back first?"

"Nothing else." Xia Qing sincerely thanked him at the end. "Thank you very much, Captain Yang."

After Yang Jin left Territory Three through the underground passage, Xia Qing sincerely thanked Luo Pei. "Luo-ge, with the Qinglong Squad sending people to garrison Mountain Forty-Nine, the safety of my territory has improved a lot more. Thank you, Luo-ge."

Luo Pei reminded Xia Qing, "The Qinglong Squad only promised to block large, high-risk evolved beasts and prevent them from entering the territory range from Mountain Forty-Nine. The non-rental zones you've marked out yourself—you'll need to handle those yourself."

"That's enough." Xia Qing had never expected others to shield her from all risks. If she couldn't withstand or fend off even a little danger, she wouldn't have left the safe zone. "It's getting late, Luo-ge should rest early. I'll head back first."

"Xia Qing."

Xia Qing, who already had one leg over the doorstep, turned around and saw Luo Pei standing ramrod-straight by the table, looking at her with a solemn expression. Xia Qing couldn't help but straighten up as well and listened attentively.

"When I teach you, I'll give you everything I have. Besides marksmanship, as long as you want to learn reconnaissance, hunting, and demolition techniques, I can teach you all of them."

"I'll definitely study seriously. Thank you, Luo-ge." Xia Qing knew how rare such an opportunity was. She bowed to Luo Pei and then emphasized, "Even without my spring water, Captain Yang and Captain Xie would find a way to get spring water from somewhere else to save you."

Luo Pei answered calmly, "I know, but that would seriously weigh down the Qinglong Squad. I would choose to kill myself."

When Xia Qing walked out of the basement, she was still thinking about Luo Pei saying he would kill himself. Xia Qing believed he meant it. While shaken, Xia Qing also envied the bond of comrades-in-arms among the three leaders of the Qinglong Squad.

Fortunately, she now had Boss Sheep, or she would have been even more envious.

"Xia Qing." Wei Chengdong, who had walked her to the door of the broken-down house, reminded her, "Luo-ge is the most well-rounded and outstanding special forces instructor at our nation's number-one military academy. You need to learn from him properly. Don't be afraid of hard work—having more skills never weighs you down. Even if you don't want to join a squad, learning more abilities for self-protection is good. This world is still a long way from returning to peace and order."

Xia Qing nodded solemnly. Of course she would study seriously. It wasn't just for self-protection—she also had to kill Tang Zhengsu to avenge her father. Putting on her night-vision goggles, Xia Qing looked around and saw two dazzling white lights flare up in the direction of Territory Two.

How unafraid of attracting insects can you be?

The Tang family's eldest daughter Tang Lu flew over to chase Yang Jin—what about the Tang family's second daughter Tang Zheng? Xia Qing strolled back to her own house and shut the doors and windows tight.

The next morning while patrolling the mountain, Xia Qing learned Tang Zheng's purpose for coming—she had come for Mountain Forty-Nine.

Wearing a pale pink protective suit, her fair and delicate face tilted up, Tang Zheng—accompanied by a squad of well-equipped core members from the Sufeng Squad—politely negotiated with Hu Zi Feng, who was blocking her path. "I heard from Chen Dongyang that there are green-light bamboo shoots in this mountain. My grandmother is ill and has no appetite, so I want to go into the mountain to dig some. Captain Hu, please accommodate me."

Hu Zi Feng's face darkened. "I'll emphasize once more: this mountain has already been purchased by our Qinglong Squad as a training base. Non-Qinglong Squad members are not permitted to enter."

Not expecting Hu Zi Feng to give her no face at all, Tang Zheng's expression hardened. Her refined makeup and arched brows lifted, and an oppressive, piercing aura instantly rose. "What if I insist on going in?"

"It's not that Miss Tang can't go in."

Yang Jin, wearing a camouflage protective suit, stepped out of Buffer Forest One into the isolation belt and blocked in front of Hu Zi Feng. His face was deadly serious, as if standing before him weren't a group of people but a group of annoying evolved animals. "The Qinglong Squad bought the mountain not only to train members but also to do business. We just haven't had time to brief the brothers guarding the mountain yet. Anyone entering Mountain Forty-Nine as a guest must pay an entry ticket of two thousand points per person. Any materials guests harvest from the mountain must be paid for at market price in points to the Qinglong Squad."

In front of Yang Jin, the strong woman Tang Zheng turned into a soft one, her voice carrying an irrepressible tenderness. "Isn't Captain Yang being a bit excessive doing this?"

Yang Jin handled business impartially. "Can't be helped. I paid Vice Base Leader Tang one million one hundred thousand points to buy this mountain. The squad's coffers have been completely emptied out."

In the safe zone, everyone respected her father with the title "Mayor Tang." Now Yang Jin was addressing her father as "Vice Base Leader"—clearly his displeasure was already very high. Tang Zheng couldn't sway her father and second uncle's decisions. She gritted her teeth and nodded. "I'll pay!"

Yang Jin swept a stern glance at the squad behind Tang Zheng. "Thank you, Miss Tang, for patronizing the Qinglong Squad's business. Twenty of you—the total entry tickets come to forty thousand."

After the Tang family transferred the points to Hu Zi Feng, Yang Jin added a "kind" reminder. "There are two points I need to inform Miss Tang of in advance: First, this mountain is a training ground, and there are large numbers of high-risk evolved creatures on it. If Miss Tang and your people are injured or killed, the Qinglong Squad bears no responsibility. Second, all resources on the mountain belong to the Qinglong Squad. Miss Tang must not deliberately damage anything, or compensation will be charged at market price. If any one of the three green-light bamboo trees in the bamboo grove is damaged, Miss Tang will need to pay the Qinglong Squad five thousand points in compensation."

Tang Zheng, who had volunteered to come investigate why the Qinglong Squad had bought Mountain Forty-Nine, gritted her teeth and swallowed this loss. "Captain Yang really knows how to do business."

Yang Jin nodded and accepted her praise as his due, then instructed Hu Zi Feng, "Zifeng, Miss Tang is the first batch of guests at our training base. You guys show the guests around. Liangzi, go make a sign and write up the rules for Mountain Forty-Nine's business operations, so guests who come don't know how many points they should pay."

"Yes!" Hu Zi Feng and Qinglong Squad Level-Four Speed-Evolution Squad Leader Wang Liang responded loudly.

Truly worthy of being the Qinglong Squad's number one iron rooster—one word: brilliant!

Standing inside Buffer Forest Three, Xia Qing gave a thumbs-up and felt pleased for a few seconds—then felt the pain in her pocketbook. When she signed the mountain-leasing contract with Yang Jin, she hadn't expected the Qinglong Squad would also do business with outsiders.

This business income is quite considerable—can she get a share of this portion?

Is it still too late to sign a supplementary contract now...