Chapter 770: Xu Juan Is Injured

When the thundercloud passed over North Sector Two and the Safe Zone, it triggered a Qi explosion, causing several thousand casualties and destroying large numbers of houses and farmland.

Zhong Tao, who was carrying out a rescue mission in the Safe Zone, took a moment to send Xia Qing a message, saying he had seen her good friend Xu Juan carried out by stretcher from the Qi explosion's central area in the West Outer City by the rescue team; her condition was unknown.

Xia Qing immediately wiped the water from her hands and called Xu Juan.

Xu Juan's voice was hoarse. "I was wearing a Grade Four protective suit and wasn't hit by the high-speed particle stream—I only had a leg broken by a collapsing building, and it's already been treated. How are things on your end? I heard your area was struck by dozens of thunderbolts."

It was precisely because Xia Qing's area had been struck by dozens of thunderbolts that Xu Juan hadn't dared contact her by phone, afraid of attracting lightning to her. By the time the thundercloud was blown by gale winds over the Safe Zone, the Qi concentration in the air had already risen, making it impossible to use shells to drive the thundercloud away, and a great disaster was triggered.

"My territory was struck by lightning four times, but no casualties were caused." Xia Qing briefly described the situation on her end, then asked, "Was someone attacking you during the Qi explosion?"

After eating several dozen jin of high-grade evolved Green Light Python, Xu Juan's hearing-evolution ability had risen from Grade Four-and-a-half to Grade Five-and-a-half. Along with the significant increase in her hearing-evolution ability, her physical fitness had also stepped up to a new level. If she hadn't been hindered in her hands and feet, given her alertness and reaction speed, she could not possibly have had her leg broken by falling debris.

Xu Juan explained, "I was saving someone."

"Mm. As long as you're not seriously hurt, that's good. If it's inconvenient on your end, you can come to my territory to recuperate." Xu Juan didn't say who she had saved, so Xia Qing didn't ask.

Being injured during a natural disaster is extremely dangerous. Even if lucky enough not to be infected by evolved microorganisms through a breach in the protective suit, during recuperation one is very likely to be robbed and lose all the supplies one has accumulated.

Therefore, the prerequisite for saving someone is being able to ensure one's own safety—unless the person is someone you would rather be injured yourself than fail to save.

Xu Juan, like Xia Qing, had lost all her family; the person she would risk herself to save must certainly not be a stranger or someone of little importance.

"The person I saved was Wang Xin, the chief surgeon of the Inner City Hospital's surgery department. Her physical injuries are manageable, but her protective suit and protective mask were damaged, and her head is bleeding—the Safe Zone's doctors can't save her. I heard the rescue team say she'll be sent to Territory Seven, to ask that big shot to step in."

Xia Qing didn't ask, but Xu Juan brought it up on her own. After introducing who she had saved, Xu Juan's tone relaxed considerably. "As long as the big shot is willing to step in, Chief Wang will definitely be fine. Once my wounds heal, I can also join the rescue squad of the Safe Zone Inner City Hospital and have a bed in the hospital dormitory building."

If Wang Xin were in danger, even Xia Qing would risk herself to save her. First, because Wang Xin is an extremely skilled surgeon in Hui Three; second, because saving a person of this level earns a very high contribution value.

Points and contribution value are the two major guarantees needed to live in the Safe Zone. Points can be used to exchange for supplies; contribution value can not only be exchanged for supplies but also redeemed for benefits in the Safe Zone.

Xia Qing offered Xu Juan congratulations, then asked, "Did a Qi explosion happen at the Inner City Hospital?"

Xu Juan lowered her voice. "It wasn't the Inner City Hospital, it was the West Outer City. I was on a mission in the West Outer City and saw Wang Xin being dragged into an alley by two people. I sensed something was wrong and followed them. Before I could take the next step, the thunderstorm and Qi explosion came. The walls on both sides collapsed, and I had no time to react—I could only use my body to shield her."

Chief Wang is a key protected talent—how could she have been caught and taken to the Outer City? Just as Xia Qing was about to continue asking, her idol's call came through.

"Xia Qing, is it convenient to talk?"

Zhang San's voice was calm. In the background of the call were the clatter of medical instruments and the rhythmic sounds of electronic equipment. Xia Qing judged that her idol was already inside surgery, and immediately replied, "I'm at home, just me and Boss Sheep, it's convenient. Go ahead."

Does Boss Sheep really need to be mentioned specifically? Zhang San paused, then asked, "Hui Three Safe Zone's best surgeon, Wang Xin, was injured in the Qi explosion, and Qi-Clearing Grass is needed to treat the trauma she sustained in the Qi explosion. Can you cut five leaves of Qi-Clearing Grass?"

Qi-Clearing Grass can not only counteract Qi-synthesis poison, but also has a positive therapeutic effect on the damage to human organs caused by Qi explosions.

Of the two large Qi-Clearing Grass plants in Xia Qing's territory, one was intact, and the other had had seven leaves cut from it—two used to treat the alpha wolf's Qi-snake venom, and five used to treat the injured evolved bear's Qi-snake venom. Treating Wang Xin's injuries from the Qi explosion would require five leaves, which showed just how seriously she was hurt.

Xia Qing answered quickly, "Third Brother, hold on a moment, let me discuss it with Captain Yang."

The Qi-Clearing Grass doesn't belong to Xia Qing alone.

After hanging up on her idol, Xia Qing directly called Yang Jin, and after obtaining his permission, sent her idol a reply message. Then she had Boss Sheep watch the house while she drove the micro-tiller to the low-slope greenhouse to cut Qi-Clearing Grass leaves.

The low-slope greenhouse is protected by Yishi stone, so even cutting Qi-Clearing Grass leaves during the Qi-rain period won't cause the plant to be affected by an excess of Qi elements.

What Xia Qing cut this time was from the Qi-Clearing Grass plant that hadn't yet had any leaves cut from it. She put the cut leaves into a dedicated herb freshness-preserving box, and together with a basket of Green Light vegetables, handed them all to Ji Li, who was waiting outside the North Gate.

Inside the greenhouse protected by Yishi stone, no surveillance cameras were installed, so when Xia Qing ducked into the spring-water mountain cave to cut Qi-Clearing Grass, she wouldn't be spotted by Hu Zifeng, the Grade Five visual-evolution ability user watching the surveillance screens.

As far as Hu Zifeng and the others could tell, it was simply the big shot Zhang San of Territory Seven, who had a picky palate, having Xia Qing pick some vegetables and deliver them to him.

In the northernmost territories of North Sector One, all have high-Yi-element soil plots, differing only in area. The high-Yi-element plots in Territory Three are on the hillside, so the crops planted in the terraced fields have higher nutritional value.

Territory Seven certainly also has high-Yi-element soil, but Zhang San used most of the plots for planting experiments, and the remaining plots don't grow many varieties of vegetables. So, when this big shot wants to improve his palate, he trades with other territories.

Passing through the reception room, Xia Qing gave Hu Zifeng and the others a few cucumbers and a few tomatoes. Only when she had returned home carrying the vegetable basket did she hear Tang Huai shouting in the Lord's Channel, "Captain Tan, what's going on? How can there be a helicopter coming over in this kind of weather?! They're not afraid of dying, but we are."

The concentration of Qi elements in the atmosphere is already extremely high, and it's still the intermission period of the Qi rain—the prime active period for Qi-evolved raptors.

A noisy helicopter flying over so conspicuously—if the raptors in the nearby evolved forest are provoked and start fighting the helicopter, it could easily trigger uncontrollable risks, such as a Qi explosion.

Tan Junjie came online to explain, "The situation is urgent. The helicopter is equipped with a top sniper; the situation is under control."

Tang Huai immediately asked, "A top sniper? Could it be Luo Pei on the helicopter?! What's the situation?"

Tan Junjie, as expected, did not answer. Xia Qing watched the helicopter land inside Territory Seven, then went back inside to continue cooking.

After the meal, the Lord's Channel was quiet.

At this moment it wasn't raining, and the Wild Phoenix Tree crisis could be considered past. Every territory was seizing this rare opportunity to stockpile physical strength and energy for the more than forty hours of Qi rain ahead—especially the red-grade Qi rain.

Xia Qing made contact with the Hidden Valley, confirmed everything inside the valley was normal, and then lay down to rest.

However, she had only rested for a little over an hour before she was woken by a call from Zhang He.