Chapter 775: The Dispute at Blaze Mountain

After hearing the other party's request, Tan Junjie's voice was as grave as ever. "Hold on. Northern Sector One is currently in an emergency disaster-control phase. I need to consult the commander."

The other party was very displeased. "Who is the commander? Relief work can't be delayed for even a moment. You're the inspection captain of Northern Sector One—can you not even make this decision yourself?!"

Tan Junjie hung up directly and contacted the commander. "Commander Zhang, the team of Assistant Researcher Chai Shuling from the Northern Sector Three Territory Management Department is requesting permission to provide emergency disaster-relief assistance to Northern Sector One. Do we grant passage?"

Zhang San, who was in the middle of excising a cystic intracranial aneurysm on a wounded person, replied in an icy voice, "Northern Sector One has sufficient disaster-control personnel and resources. No external support is needed. From now until the disaster-control operation ends, no one is permitted to enter or leave Northern Sector One's territory, to prevent the disaster from spreading. Anyone who disobeys orders will be treated as an invader threatening territorial security and eliminated on sight."

"Copy that."

After being refused, Chai Shuling, who was already seated in the vehicle and ready to depart, let out a breath of relief and sent a message to her handler: The person from Territory Seven has already taken up the post of disaster-control commander and refuses anyone from entering or leaving Northern Sector One's territory. Anyone who forces their way in will be treated as an invader and killed.

Deputy Captain of Blaze, Shan Ying, saw the message and her brow furrowed into a deep frown. "In Professor Fu Tianfeng's eyes, Xia Qing's life is worth more than Wang Xin's!!!"

The Fire Phoenix, legs crossed, cast a casual glance at the murderous Shan Ying. "If he could be held back by a mere surgery, he wouldn't be Fu Tianfeng. You burned through a hidden asset worth a hundred times more than that idiot Shan Xiang's, and still couldn't get rid of Xia Qing. There's no need to provoke Fu Tianfeng any further."

No matter how unwilling she was, Shan Ying could only reply: Operation cancelled.

After replying "Copy that," Chai Shuling, who was wearing a sealed protective suit, slowly leaned back against the seat and stared blankly at the grey sky outside the car window, envying Li Si, who had already completely escaped her torment.

Li Chang, seeing Chai Shuling motionless, spoke up to ask, "Sister Ling, what do we do now?"

Chai Shuling pulled herself together. "Northern Sector One doesn't need support. We continue with our original mission."

Hui-One Base, Blaze Mountain.

Liao Wen, the deputy captain in charge of business operations for the Blaze Squad, poured two cups of hot tea and pushed them in front of the Fire Phoenix and Shan Ying, then analyzed the current situation.

"X-2 was most likely cultivated from the high-quality spinach discovered within Xia Qing's territory. Fu Tianfeng and the Azure Dragon Squad, through a supply exchange, discovered the superior quality of the spinach from Territory Three. Then, Xia Qing reached a cooperation with them: after the Azure Dragon Squad and Fu Tianfeng successfully cultivated the spinach seeds, they would be exchanged to Hui-Three Base Commander Qi Zhongye for promotion."

"Through this transaction, Qi Zhongye earned plenty of goodwill with his superiors and seized control of Hui-Three Base; the Azure Dragon Squad toppled Sufeng and became the top squad at Hui-Three Base; judging from Fu Tianfeng's recent attitude, he also gained more autonomy for his research; Xia Qing, in turn, gained the protection of Fu Tianfeng and the Azure Dragon Squad, as well as the opportunity to learn sniping techniques from Luo Pei."

After analyzing the situation, Liao Wen concluded, "Due to the limits of her identity and abilities, Xia Qing did not maximize the value of the high-quality spinach in Territory Three, but her choice was correct. She is a person who knows what to prioritize and what to let go of, and is very clear about what she wants."

Shan Ying gave a cold snort. The Fire Phoenix picked up the tea on the table with her fiery-red hand, brought it to her bright-red lips, and blew on it without speaking. But Liao Wen could tell they were both listening carefully, so he continued:

"A dual-system advanced Evolver, who would rather haul bricks and carry cement in the safe zone than join any squad, and who, as soon as the territory policy was issued, left the safe zone and claimed the most distant border territory from it—it's clear her goal is very specific: she wants to rely on her own abilities to survive in solitude."

"She must have suffered serious harm from her own kind during the catastrophes, so she has lost trust in them. She would rather keep a bad-tempered strength-type Evolved Sheep to work for her than let any of her own kind live in her territory. Her 'boyfriend' Hu Zifeng is most likely a bodyguard she exchanged spinach seeds for with the Azure Dragon Squad. When she asked Zhang San for help, she must have paid a considerable price—saving a wolf that was certain to die—and she holds high expectations for that wolf, hoping to tame it into a companion."

After analyzing Xia Qing's character, Liao Wen shifted the topic to the conflict between Xia Qing and Blaze. "That's why, when Deputy Captain Shan proposed exchanging the sick wolf for twenty thousand credits, she refused and resisted fiercely. Although Shan Xiang was killed by Xia Qing, what led to his death was Deputy Captain Shan issuing the beast-catching order in haste without a proper investigation."

Shan Ying's brow instantly tightened, and she glared furiously at Liao Wen.

As a fellow deputy captain of Blaze, Liao Wen was not afraid of Shan Ying, and continued, "Your wrong decisions and orders not only led to the deaths of ten members of the beast-catching team, but also caused us to lose Territory Nine and pay 2.5 million credits in compensation. Your brother is dead, and you want revenge. The captain didn't stop you. But after failing to exact revenge even after using three hidden assets, you should have stopped."

The Fire Phoenix also nodded. "Xia Qing's goal is to hold her territory and survive. She is not in competition with us. The real business is what matters; there's no need to waste more energy on her. If you still want revenge, go do it yourself. You can no longer use the squad's resources."

Liao Wen also advised, "Deputy Captain Shan, a gentleman can wait ten years for revenge. Once Fu Tianfeng leaves Hui-Three, killing Xia Qing will be just a matter of a few packets of poison, won't it? There's no need to fight her to the death right now."

Shan Ying, who had stood atop the mountain for eleven years of catastrophe looking down on all living things, had never suffered such a great loss. She couldn't swallow this. "Setting aside personal grudges, Xia Qing has also ruined our most profitable business. If we don't make an example by killing one, we'll lose more business. Without sufficient research funding, how are our experimental projects supposed to move forward?"

Seeing that the Fire Phoenix's attitude was also wavering somewhat, Shan Ying continued to remind her not to forget another matter. "Within the nine territories near Forty-Nine Mountain in Northern Sector One of Hui-Three, high-Yi element soil has been detected. This indicates that there is very likely an unpolluted spring there, and it may very well be within Territory Three. Even if we don't kill Xia Qing, we must find a way to blast Territory Three into ruins, to cut off the problem at its root."

Liao Wen frowned and reminded Shan Ying not to bring up old matters. "Chai Shuling has already brought professional equipment into Territory Three for a full survey. There are less than two mu of high-Yi element soil there, and no unpolluted water source."

After saying this, Liao Wen stood up and stared at Shan Ying—who had used the only brain she had on research and was useless in every other respect—and questioned her relentlessly. "Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Territory Three really does have an unpolluted water source. So what? Does it affect the quality of our spring water? Does it affect your research? If you keep fighting Xia Qing without any bottom line, you'll very likely anger Fu Tianfeng. I don't need to remind you how petty he is, do I, Deputy Captain Shan?"

Shan Ying also sprang to her feet. "How is there no impact? There's a huge impact!"

The ringtone of a melodious and simple piano tune sounded. The Fire Phoenix glanced at her phone, put down her crossed leg and stood up. Shan Ying and Liao Wen immediately fell silent.

After answering the phone, the Fire Phoenix was all smiles, her voice as warm as a spring breeze. "Third Brother."

"Deng Yufeng, what is the selling price of the new skin-damage treatment drug you are launching next month?" Zhang San, wearing a blood-soaked surgical gown, asked in a lazy voice.