Chapter 707: Can We Still Get In On It?

Tang Heng handed his brother a snow-white steamed bun and began analyzing Territory Fourteen's intentions. "You bicker with Beard Feng in the lord channel every day, and on top of that there's the old grudge between Sufeng and Green Dragon, so you and Xia Qing were never on good terms to begin with — there's no need to stir things up. He said you leaked Xia Qing's information in other lords' groups; the point is probably to show Xia Qing his stance: Territory Fourteen stands with Xia Qing, just like Territories Four, Five, and Six, no matter what happens."

Tang Huai glared at his younger brother. "Isn't that just stepping on me!"

Tang Heng didn't argue with his brother and went along with him. "You could put it that way too: he wants to step on you to curry favor with Xia Qing and Beard Feng, and in exchange get better survival conditions in this territory. Bro, Dad called today and said he's coming the day after tomorrow — guess what he's coming for?"

Tang Huai took a sip of the sweet mung bean soup. "To get better survival conditions."

Tang Heng smiled. "A pharmaceutical factory is being built inside the safe zone, and the one overseeing the construction is someone sent by the base authorities. Our sister guesses our base has reached a cooperation with Third Brother — building a factory to produce the medicines Third Brother and the base research institute have developed. It's a sure-profit business. Our sister wants to buy in, but she can't find an opening in the safe zone, so Dad is coming to the territory to figure something out."

After speaking, Tang Heng's lips curved in a smile, his eyes lit up, and his voice dropped low and steady. "Bro, in your opinion, who is that opening on?"

Tang Huai looked at his little brother, whose expression was looking more and more like their dad's, and rolled his eyes. "Since it's a sure-profit business, the fact that construction has started means the profit-sharing is already settled. We've missed the best window — we can't squeeze in. Dad coming over definitely isn't just about this one thing."

After speaking, Tang Huai rolled his shoulders, looking fierce, and asked, "When Dad comes and asks what I've been busy with lately, you know what to say, right?"

Tang Heng snickered. "Should I not mention you going hunting in the Evolution Forest, or you arguing with Beard Feng every day, or going to Territory Nine to dig bugs and look for rats?"

"I think you're asking for a beating!" Tang Huai downed the mung bean soup and stood up to head out.

Tang Heng chased after him. "Bro, where are you going this late?"

"To give Xia Qing a call."

"……"

Giving Xia Qing a call and he still has to hide it from him? Tang Heng was increasingly convinced his brother's attitude was off.

"Xia Qing!"

Xia Qing, who had just sat down and was about to eat, picked up the phone and immediately heard Tang Huai's furious interrogation. She set her phone on the table, switched to speaker, and said calmly, "Go ahead."

Tang Huai fumed. "Have you been bad-mouthing me in front of Ram Boss every day? That's why it gets so worked up the moment it sees me, right?"

Xia Qing glanced at the thoroughly disgruntled Ram Boss and answered briefly, "It's territorial."

She had no spare time to bad-mouth Tang Huai in front of her companions. The reason Ram Boss and Sick Wolf disliked Tang Huai — besides being territorial — was another important one: Tang Huai had always provoked her in the lord channel.

That reason, of course, Xia Qing wouldn't tell Tang Huai. Because it would mean Ram Boss had fairly high intelligence, could understand a few words of human speech, and could even tell different people's voices apart.

That meant it was smarter than the average ram — its brain had evolved — and that could attract human research interest. Attracting interest meant danger. Xia Qing didn't want to change Ram Boss's "brute-force evolution maniac" image.

Tang Huai didn't believe it and asked again, fuming, "It even hates Beard Feng?"

Tang Huai had heard that Ram Boss had chased Beard Feng's squad all over Territory Three, but he hadn't heard of Ram Boss chasing Beard Feng himself.

Xia Qing didn't answer directly but stressed, "It doesn't like anyone except me."

So that meant it hated him! Imagining the scene of Beard Feng getting chased and beaten by that crazy ram, Tang Huai's anger instantly evaporated. "See, even Ram Boss thinks you and Beard Feng aren't a good match. Break up with him while you still can."

Xia Qing……

"Let me ask you something." Tang Huai leaned back in his office chair and propped one leg up. "The pharmaceutical factory being built in our safe zone — can my family still get in on it? Don't tell me you don't know!"

When the factory was being planned, Xia Qing had actually compared Tang Zhengpo and Zhou Zhaoping, and after weighing everything, she chose Zhou Zhaoping. She answered calmly, "Right now, definitely not."

Tang Huai asked, "If the factory expands in scale, will we have a chance?"

Xia Qing felt that Tang Huai's bug-digging-obsessed brain was actually pretty useful. "That's a matter for later."

"Got it." After clarifying the factory business, Tang Huai asked about the grudge between Xia Qing and Territory Fourteen. "What are you planning to do about Territory Fourteen?"

The Sufeng squad had investigated Xia Qing before, so Xia Qing wasn't surprised Tang Huai knew what kind of grudge she had with Yan Meng. "That depends on what Yan Meng is planning. Do you know how Yan Meng's body got better?"

Tang Huai shook his head. "Don't know. He rarely talks in the lord channel, just like Xin Yu, and doesn't interact with other territories. I'll find a way to dig around on this and let you know when I hear something."

"Thanks." That was exactly what Xia Qing had in mind.

Yan Meng's spinach seeds were sold to someone from Wantong Company, so Xia Qing guessed the medicine he used to treat his body was also bought from Wantong Company. Tang Zhengpo had been in business for years — he should have a way to dig up inside information on Wantong Company.

What Xia Qing most wanted to know was whether the person who sold the medicine to Yan Meng through Wantong Company was Liehuo or Chonglian.

If it was Liehuo, then this move was aimed at her and Zhang San; if it was Chonglian, it was aimed at Xin Yu.

Hearing Xia Qing say thanks, Tang Huai wasn't quite used to it. He immediately seized the chance to make a request. "Xia Qing, we didn't get along before — that was all the Sufeng people stirring things up. Now we're good neighbors with no conflicting interests, right? How about I join the organization you guys have set up across a few territories?"

"Territories One through Ten have been hanging out in one group for over a year now. You lead them around and leave me out on my own — that's really not cool!"

"I'll talk it over with the other lords and get back to you." Xia Qing had long been waiting for Tang Zhengpo to come talk cooperation with her, but Tang Zhengpo had been busy, so the matter had dragged on until now.

The day after Xia Qing finished her call with Tang Huai, she received a call from Tang Zhengpo.

After a very pleasant chat of over twenty minutes, Tang Zhengpo proposed to bring his "kids" over to pay a visit.

He wasn't visiting Xia Qing alone — he was visiting the territory alliance Xia Qing had founded.

So Xia Qing called a special meeting of the alliance members and required Zhou Zhaoping, the agent for Territory Eight, to attend.

On the third day, when Tang Zhengpo arrived at Territory Three with Tang Ning, Tang Huai, and Tang Heng, he met not only Xia Qing but also two important members of the territory alliance: Kuang Qingwei, lord of Territory Six, and Zhou Zhaoping, agent of Territory Eight.