Chapter 756: Cub Zhang Shiyi

Zhang Shi gripped her daughter's little hand tightly, telling her not to be nervous. "Miss Xia, this is my daughter Shiyi. She follows me around on projects, hasn't seen much of the world, and isn't very good with words. Please bear with her, Miss Xia."

The name Shiyi is really... quite imposing!

Xia Qing bent down, smiling as she greeted little Shiyi. "Hello, Shiyi. I'm Xia Qing."

Although both mother and daughter were very thin, the skin visible behind their masks was in excellent condition, without a single scar. Maintaining such a state while living in the Evolution Forest showed that their survival abilities were strong, and also showed how heaven-defying a recovery-type evolution ability was.

When Xia Qing bent down, even though there was more than two meters between them, Zhang Shiyi immediately retreated and pressed against her mother's leg. The way she looked at Xia Qing was exactly like the wolf with a broken leg that had been brought into Territory Three last July after being injured.

Xia Qing suspected that the little mouth hidden behind Zhang Shiyi's protective mask was open, silently growling, warning her not to come any closer.

But soon, this tiny little girl seemed to remember her mother's teachings and instructions. Her fierce gaze softened a little, though she remained extremely wary.

Xia Qing knew this mother and daughter were very nervous, so she didn't stare at them directly. After greeting them, stating her identity, and showing goodwill, she led them up the mountain.

Turning one's back to the other party is the greatest show of goodwill.

But in fact, Xia Qing had specifically worn a snakeskin garment under her protective suit today. To her, this mother and daughter were strangers, and she had to protect herself.

"Third Brother notified me that you've just finished your previous experimental project and will be moving into Peak Three to conduct crop variety improvement research. Because the existence of the valley is a top-level secret, and to stay out of the sight of other research groups in the experimental zone and the Qinglong Squad at Mountain Forty-Nine, we can only go up the mountain from this side. Tenth Sister, Shiyi, watch your step, don't slip."

"Okay."

Zhang Shi, who had been tense the whole time, responded. Only when Xia Qing turned and began leading the way up the mountain did she finally let out a breath of relief and give her daughter a hug.

After getting in touch with Zhang San, Zhang Shi had been keeping an eye on Northern Territory One, so she knew that Xia Qing was someone Professor Fu Tianfeng trusted deeply, a high-level strength-evolution sniper, and very formidable.

Therefore, facing Xia Qing, she was instinctively nervous. Nervous because her combat ability was inferior.

Shiyi immediately hugged her mother's leg back, cautiously watching the surroundings.

Although she was wearing a protective mask, Zhang Shi's breathing rhythm changed so obviously that Xia Qing, a level-seven hearing-evolution user, heard it all clearly.

Xia Qing said nothing more, slowly leading the way ahead.

The three of them circled around to the entrance of the crevice on the east side of the hidden valley, and Xia Qing contacted the personnel stationed inside.

After the stone door at the entrance opened, Xia Qing sensed Zhang Shi's nervousness again.

A person who had been deeply hurt by her own kind, who had fled the base while pregnant, and who had returned to human society for the sake of her child—she must have gone through a very difficult psychological journey.

Now, she was about to enter an enclosed valley with only one entrance and exit. That required great courage.

Xia Qing smiled lightly as usual, pretending she hadn't heard or seen anything, treating the other as an ordinary researcher sent from Territory Seven. "Tenth Sister, Shiyi, this is Hu Ningsheng from Territory Fifteen."

Hu Ningsheng, who wasn't wearing a protective mask, saw that the researcher sent from Territory Seven had even brought a small child, but didn't show much surprise. He smiled and greeted them. "Tenth Sister, Shiyi, come on in. If we keep the door open, we'll let bugs from outside come in and damage the crops in the valley."

Zhang Shi was so nervous that the muscles in her face had gone stiff, but she still tightly gripped her daughter's little hand and led her daughter into the valley where her loved ones had once lived.

After the valley's stone door closed, Xia Qing took off her protective mask, beckoned them to follow, and introduced the situation inside the valley. "I don't know how much information Third Brother gave you, so let me briefly introduce it. To protect this hot spring with its very good water quality, this valley is kept secret from the outside. There's another exit at the west end of the valley, leading to the office at the North Gate of the mountain. There are people inside, so you can't make too much noise here..."

When Xia Qing led the mother and daughter past the simple houses built beside the hot spring, she found that the doors were all open, and the five wounded inside were neatly dressed, sitting in wheelchairs or propped up on sickbeds.

Xia Qing stopped and introduced them to Zhang Shi. "They are also wounded from Territory Fifteen. This is Ye Yang..."

After the introductions, Xia Qing led the mother and daughter continuing westward, arriving at her own one-mu plot beside two newly built wooden cabins.

"You'll be living here. The supplies you used in Territory Seven, I've already brought over. If you need anything else, Tenth Sister, contact the people from Territory Seven directly, or you can tell me." Xia Qing pushed open the door, gesturing for them to look inside. The cooking utensils in the outer room, the wooden bed and wooden table in the inner room—all had just been made. But because good, dry wood was used, the rooms weren't damp at all, and carried the pleasant scent of raw timber.

Bedding, grain, and other essential supplies were still packed in bags, unopened.

"We're not lacking anything. This is already very good." Zhang Shi forced herself to sound calm.

Xia Qing then took them to see the experimental fields. "The one-mu or so of peanuts on the left is what I planted. The small plot next to the peanut field is newly opened up. Tenth Sister, please make do with it for now."

When Li Kai and Zhang Hongda lived in the valley, they had nothing to do in their spare time, so they would tidy up the rubble piled in the corners of the valley. After the rubble on the west and north sides of Xia Qing's one-mu plot was cleared away and covered with planting-layer soil, an extra corner field of more than twenty square meters appeared in the valley. This field happened to be just right for Zhang Shi to use.

Zhang Shi nodded calmly. "Thank you."

Seeing that Zhang Shi had nothing to ask, Xia Qing told them to go back to the room and settle in, while she walked to the crevice in the rock and began calling out to the weasel family living there, like a monk chanting sutras.

"Plucker, are you there? Little Bai Mao, are you there? Plucker, Little Bai Mao, are you there..."

About two minutes later, a round, tawny little head poked out tremulously, its shiny black eyes looking at Xia Qing.

"Plucker, long time no see." Xia Qing greeted the Plucker weasel.

Hu Ningsheng, who had been silently watching the scene, muttered to himself: Didn't we just see her here the day before yesterday when building the wooden cabins...

Xia Qing continued talking to the Plucker weasel. "Plucker, two more humans have moved into the valley."

After saying that, Xia Qing turned and pointed toward the west side of the valley, just in time to see a little head flash by the window of a stone house and disappear.

"Right over there. They won't hurt your cubs, and from now on I'll trouble you to look after them as well." After the introduction, Xia Qing placed a few freeze-dried treats at the mouth of the crevice. The Plucker weasel immediately snatched them up, scratching and biting as it dragged the freeze-dried treats into the burrow.

After entrusting the valley's guardian weasel, Xia Qing went to greet the wounded from Territory Fifteen, then returned to the wooden cabin on the west side. After confirming that the mother and daughter were not short on supplies, she took her leave.

It was getting late; she had to return to the territory as soon as possible.

Zhang Shi came out. "Miss Xia, would it be convenient to exchange contact information?"

"Of course."

Xia Qing and Zhang Shi exchanged contact information. After leaving the valley, she hadn't gone far when she heard her phone ring. She took out her phone and saw that Zhang Shi had sent her a message containing only two words:

Thank you.