Chapter 898: Yi-3

"Good, very good!"

Zhang San took the Yi synthetic element plant samples that Xia Qing had risked her life to obtain, more excited than if he'd gotten his hands on an untasted Green Lantern delicacy, and turned to head straight into the inner laboratory.

Xia Qing sat obediently in the chair, head down, fiddling with her new phone. This phone from the Lacking-Virtue Wolf was the same model as the one that had just broken on her, so she didn't need to figure out the functions—she only had to set it to the mode she liked.

Although this phone had been traded away and its sovereignty transferred, it was still being kept within her territory, and she also had the right to use it—no point wasting it.

Zhang San didn't keep Xia Qing waiting long. After a preliminary examination, he walked out and said, "Both the evolved red bean tree and the mistletoe contain the Yi synthetic element. To determine which plant synthesizes this element, further testing and experiments are needed."

Xia Qing asked, "Third Brother, is the Yi synthetic element discovered this time a new element?"

Zhang San shook his head. "It's Yi-3. The Yi-3 content in the sample is at least 15 percentage points higher than in the previous three plants. That should be why you were able to sense it."

Mm…

Xia Qing quickly searched through the materials she had studied for information on the element Yi-3. "It's the Yi synthetic element that boosts the body's resistance to the Qiang element? Third Brother, I remember you're the one who discovered and named this element!"

Zhang San poured Xia Qing a cup of tea and answered affably, "Correct. Yi-3 was the first Yi synthetic element I discovered. To date, I've discovered and named two Yi synthetic elements, and there's another one—Yi-28—that you discovered and I named."

Xia Qing's eyes shimmered with the light of a "fervent fan." She forcibly suppressed her boundless admiration and asked, "Third Brother, so only twenty-eight Yi synthetic elements have been discovered in total so far?"

Zhang San patiently explained, "These 28 are natural Yi synthetic elements; there are also 2 artificially synthesized Yi synthetic elements. Before the Catastrophe, Blue Star had 118 confirmed elements in total—94 natural and 14 artificially synthesized. At the time, scientists generally believed that beyond Blue Star, the universe also contained only 94 natural elements. But the Great Evolution of Blue Star suddenly produced the two elements Qiang and Yi, along with the violent chain reactions they triggered, overturning humanity's previous assumptions and once again giving humans a profound appreciation of Blue Star's depth—and of how shallow our understanding of it truly is."

Xia Qing nodded and asked earnestly, "Third Brother, there's one thing I can't quite figure out: when the Yi element combines with other elements, shouldn't the result be a compound? Why is it called a 'synthetic element'?"

The fact that Xia Qing could raise this question proved she was genuinely and solidly learning. Zhang San was very gratified. "Qiang and Yi are both particles, so calling them elements is technically a naming error. But by the time this was discovered, the two names had already become widely known, so they were kept as they were."

"Particles are the basic building blocks of matter. Including the Qiang and Yi particles, the particles discovered on Blue Star so far—plus the graviton, which theoretically exists but hasn't yet been found—come to 64 in total."

Now she understood—when her idol was in a good mood, he really was a great teacher! Xia Qing's face lit up with sudden clarity. "So that's how it is. Thank you, Third Brother, for clearing that up for me."

Zhang San's gaze was kind. "The emergence of magnetic-sense evolutionary ability will greatly enhance humanity's understanding, research, and use of Yi synthetic elements. Xia Qing, your ability is extremely important, and you've done an excellent job."

Her idol didn't care for false modesty, so Xia Qing got straight to the point. "My magnetic-sense level is too low—I can only detect abnormal magnetic field fluctuations within a dozen or so meters around me. The Evolution Forest is too dangerous, so in these five months I haven't been able to cover much ground. The reason I found that anomalous area last night was because of a giant wolf…"

After Xia Qing finished speaking, she gazed at Zhang San with eager, pleading eyes. "Third Brother, that giant wolf is very likely to come again tonight. If I still don't let it soak in a medicinal bath, it'll get angry and cut ties with me, and then we'll lose the best way to quickly survey the Evolution Forest."

Zhang San was silent for a full ten seconds before he snorted. "How much does this stubborn wolf weigh? Male or female? How old?"

Xia Qing answered immediately, "Male. I don't know how old. Its shoulder height is 1.6 meters; I don't know its weight."

Zhang San turned and went into the laboratory. Half an hour later, he walked out from inside and tossed Xia Qing five packets of pale-blue medicinal solution. "Soak it in this—one packet per use, at most once a day. It not only repairs bone and skin damage, it also prevents shedding and repels insects."

"Thank you, Third Brother! With this medicinal solution, things will be much easier!" Having achieved her goal, Xia Qing didn't wait for her idol to chase her out—she stood up with great tact. "Third Brother, my phone was smashed by a leopard. Can I go find Brother Ya and ask him to help me export the data inside?"

Zhang San nodded. "When you leave, have Da Ya pull you a pair of the new night-vision goggles developed by the Red One Research Institute from the storeroom. For your own use—you can't give them away."

"Yes, thank you, Third Brother!"

What does it mean to be a top-quality idol standing at the pinnacle of the universe's pyramid? This is it!

The moment he heard that her poor night-vision goggles had caused her to miss her sniping target, he immediately gave her the latest model from Hua Nation's top research institute!

Xia Qing left her idol's office in high spirits. By the time she reached Zheng Chen, who was waiting at the end of the corridor, she had already resumed her goofy expression. "Captain Zheng, Third Brother told me to go find Brother Ya."

Zheng Chen nodded, gestured for her to lead the way, and went with Xia Qing.

After meeting Da Ya, Xia Qing didn't hide anything from Zheng Chen. She pulled out her phone and handed it over. "Brother Ya, I ran into an evolved leopard in the Evolution Forest today and my phone got stomped on. Do you think you can still export the data inside?"

Looking at the cracked and warped phone, Da Ya felt the pain for Xia Qing. "This is Red Two's newest model—you haven't even had it for two months, right?"

"No." Xia Qing's heart ached terribly too, but her expression and tone didn't change at all.

Zheng Chen, who had been about to speak, saw Xia Qing pull yet another brand-new pink phone from her pocket, and closed his mouth again.

Da Ya laughed. "Not bad, Sister Qing. From now on, when I need a new phone, I'll come to you!"

Xia Qing replied, "It's not that I'm capable—it's that I have a few very capable friends. If Brother Ya needs anything, just tell me, and I'll ask around for you."

After Zheng Chen left, Da Ya finally asked, "It's pretty badly damaged. I'll give it a try. What data do you want exported?"

After spending half an hour at Da Ya's place, Xia Qing finally left Territory Seven with her pack on her back.

Zheng Chen inspected her supplies as required. Seeing the new Red One Research Institute night-vision goggles and the unknown medicinal solution that had appeared in her backpack, he once again refreshed his understanding of the relationship between Xia Qing and Zhang San.

Zheng Chen could understand why Zhang San did this: Xia Qing, a dual-system advanced evolver with powerful resilience and vitality, was a very suitable candidate for an ally.

She was just like her name—full of life and hope.

Xia Qing noticed Zheng Chen following her and made it very clear that he didn't need to escort her. "No need to trouble Captain Zheng. I can get back on my own."

Zheng Chen nodded and stood in place, watching Xia Qing leave.