Chapter 852: Yan Long Departs

Xia Qing planted the 100 green-light yellow-flesh sweet potatoes she had traded for, putting 50 in the cultivation greenhouse and 50 in the sweet potato terraces; the 50 planted in the terraces were for optimized breeding.

Then, from the 110 sweet potatoes planted in spring on the terraces, Xia Qing cut 1,360 sections of sweet potato vine to use for cutting propagation and grow even more sweet potatoes.

Xia Qing didn't plant all these sweet potato vines in the cultivation greenhouse. Because the greenhouse needed to leave enough space for the mealworms and the green-light chickens that would be moved in during October. The remaining 660 sweet potato vines, Xia Qing planted in shed number eleven, where the overwintering rapeseed had already been harvested.

As long as no major natural disasters struck in the coming months, the sweet potatoes harvested in October would be enough for her and Wolf Lao Er to eat.

Compared to sweet potatoes, the herbivorous animal Sheep Leader much preferred eating sweet potato vines. So of these sweet potatoes in the field, Xia Qing would occasionally pluck some leaves to cook as a dish, and the remaining sweet potato leaves and vines were all feed for the leader.

After planting the sweet potatoes, Sheep Leader stepped on Xia Qing's brand-new self-fetching water cart that she had just traded with Jiang Ying, and watered the sweet potato vines with a root-setting soak. Then, Xia Qing had her two companions watch the house, stuffed the Daigua monkey—who had finished his IV drip and been bathed—into the car, and headed to Territory Seven to get scolded.

Her idol was very busy, and Xia Qing didn't want to bother him over a single Daigua monkey. But the idol wanted her to bother him; otherwise he could have simply handed the Daigua monkey's treatment to Zhang Song and had Xia Qing contact Zhang Song directly.

The reason the idol did this was to find someone from his past to chat with and give his hyperactive brain a rest.

Xia Qing, who was hypnotizing herself, carried the Daigua monkey that Ji Li had put in a cage, and followed him into Territory Seven.

Zhang San first checked on Xia Qing's hearing recovery before telling her, "Go see Yan Long. She's leaving today at noon."

She hadn't expected the parting to come so quickly. Xia Qing silently followed Ji Li to the confinement room in Territory Seven, and saw Yan Long—who looked no different from usual, but was sitting in a chair and hadn't stood up.

Her movements must have been restricted. Xia Qing struggled to suppress the fury rising in her heart and walked in with an expressionless face.

Yan Long tilted her chin up, gesturing for Xia Qing to sit across the table, then looked up at Ji Li.

Ji Li silently withdrew and gently closed the door.

The light coming through that tiny window in the confinement room wasn't enough to illuminate the whole room. Since returning by helicopter yesterday, Yan Long and Huo Zhun had been locked in a room like this?!

Xia Qing said shamefully, "Sister Yan, I…"

"My being locked in here has nothing to do with you, not a single point." Yan Long's gaze was still sharp, her voice still cold and deep. "You don't need to give Tan Qi special treatment on my account. She has to rely on her own strength to fight for her own survival space. I called you here for only one thing."

Xia Qing nodded. "Go ahead, I'll do it."

Yan Long spoke solemnly, "Professor Fu Tianfeng and his researchers are an important force for Hua Country in dealing with natural disasters—more important than you think. Please protect them and treat them well, as much as you can."

Although Yan Long said "Professor Fu Tianfeng and his researchers," Xia Qing understood in her heart that the "researchers" she referred to specifically meant Zhang Shi and her daughter living in Xiong Dong.

The ones to protect were Zhang San; the ones to treat well were Zhang Shi and her daughter.

Xia Qing gave a solemn promise. "Don't worry, Sister Yan. Third Brother's medicines are an important guarantee for my survival. I will do everything in my power to protect them and treat them well."

"I'll remember what you said. If you can't do it, I'll come back for you." Yan Long tilted her chin up, signaling that Xia Qing could leave.

Xia Qing stood up, looked at this immensely powerful female warrior who was confined in darkness, and sincerely extended an invitation. "Sister Yan, if one day you want to farm and live a peaceful life, just come back. We'll farm together, hunt together."

Yan Long's fierce brows relaxed, and she showed a rare smile. "Farming is too boring, it doesn't suit me. If one day I'm carried back while I still have breath in me, and if all my parts are still intact, please help me gather some medicinal herbs. If I'm missing arms or legs, tell Third Brother and Tan Qi not to waste energy and medicine saving me. I don't want to stay alive and waste food."

"Okay, I'll remember."

When Xia Qing walked out of the confinement room, her face was calm.

In a year of natural disasters, everyone had their own way of living. She liked farming and stockpiling food; Yan Long liked fighting; Xu Juan liked a comfortable life. As long as they didn't hurt others, how they wanted to live was each person's own choice, and had nothing to do with anyone else.

"Sister Qing!!!"

The moment Ji Li locked the door, Xia Qing saw Huo Zhun, who was carrying his marching bedding roll, waving at her excitedly. "Sister Qing, how did you get here?"

"Drove."

"Can you give me a ride later? I've been discharged and have to leave Territory Seven within half an hour. My personal belongings are quite a lot, I can't carry them all by myself."

Xia Qing…

If you want a ride just say so. You're a level-seven strength evolver, how could you possibly not be able to carry your luggage?

"Huo Zhun is Yan Long's soldier. He was only following superior orders, so Hui Yi's punishment for him wasn't heavy. Hui Yi wanted to transfer him back for other missions, but Huo Zhun insisted on accepting severe punishment and voluntarily applied for discharge." Zhang San handed the Daigua monkey and four newly prescribed medicines to Xia Qing. "The anesthetic damaged the ugly monkey's gastrointestinal function. Follow the instructions for the medication. After this course of treatment, he should be about right. What did Yan Long say to you?"

Xia Qing repeated the last thing Yan Long had said. Zhang San snorted. "I'm busy, I don't have time to treat her."

Xia Qing grinned and didn't take the bait. She mentioned the helicopter to make her idol happy, then explained, "The Cloud-Piercer Mark III isn't bad either. If Third Brother wants to go somewhere in the future, or wants to send someone to fetch something, we can just use our own helicopter."

Zhang San's expression softened as expected. "When Huo Zhun has time, have him teach you to fly a helicopter. You'll definitely need it in the future."

"Don't worry, Third Brother, I'll learn as soon as possible." This was a year of natural disasters; no one cared about certificates for the job. Whether driving or flying a helicopter, nobody was going to stop you and check your license.

The ones who stopped you were eyeing your supplies and wanted to rob you.

Xia Qing continued asking about business. "Third Brother, I'm going to fill in the python pool on Mountain Fifty-Five this afternoon. Where are those two qiang snakes with tracking rings? They won't get crushed by the rocks, will they?"

This March, a batch of qiang snakes suddenly appeared in the evolved forests across the north. He had Zhang Song put tracking rings on the two qiang snakes found in Zone Three of Mountain Forty-Nine.

After holding a video seminar with domestic snake experts, Zhang San decided to conduct a year-long field tracking and research program on these qiang snakes. It was only yesterday, when Xia Jingwei saw the qiang snakes coiled around the giant python, that she remembered this.

After understanding why Xia Qing wanted to fill in the pool, Zhang San was speechless for a moment. "Fill it in however you like. If they can be crushed to death by rocks, these snakes don't have much research value."

"Okay." Xia Qing agreed, then brought up a topic her idol was interested in to keep chatting with him. "Third Brother, were the herbs I sent back yesterday effective?"

Mentioning this matter improved Zhang San's mood. "The effect was very good. Based on the soil analysis, they should have been dug up from the Mountain Sixty-Nine area. I've already sent someone to deliver them to Red Eleven Base. I used these three herbs to trade for a batch of new guards. The team coming to replace Yan Long is a special operations squad from Red Eleven. The company commander seems to be called Zheng Chen. He was on a mission in our safe zone last winter for a period of time, and Qi Zhongye's evaluation of him was pretty good."

Xia Qing smiled. "Zheng Chen, company commander of the Third Special Company at Red Eleven Base, a dual-system evolver with level-seven speed and level-five vision. Not only is his combat power high, he's also quite handsome. His popularity in our base safe zone is only slightly less than Yang Jin's."

Zhang San frowned. "You go on with your work. I'll talk to Red Eleven and have them send someone who's both ugly and unpopular."

Xia Qing…

Idol, is it too late for me to take back what I just said?