Chapter 901: If You're Bad, Practice More

"Viviparous animals obtain nutrients from the mother through the placenta, while ovoviviparous animals obtain nutrients through their own yolk sac. When ovoviviparous animals mature, they don't develop directly into small fish inside the mother, but are born in water." After giving the standard explanation, Tang Huai complained, "How about you three just skip the exam this year and try again next year? Maybe next year the elementary school near us will become an exam site, and you won't have to travel back and forth."

Shi Du had a very good attitude. "We've already paid the points and the test papers are printed. It'd be a waste not to go. What if the questions are simple and we can guess our way through? Huai-ge, do sharks count as fish with parental care? You know, where the big fish look after the hatched fry?"

Finally catching a question he knew, Huo Zhun immediately pressed the button. "Most sharks don't, but brain-evolved sharks do! I've personally seen brain-evolved great white sharks ally with orcas to establish a shared territory."

"Huo-ge is still the best, thanks." Shi Du asked, "Li-jie, Huo-ge, which one of us three should contact Kui-ge? See if he's coming to deliver goods tomorrow?"

The junior high graduation exam is set for the day after tomorrow. The three of them plan to take Zheng Kui's patrol vehicle there.

Xia Qing pressed the button. "Luo-ge, what time are you returning to the Safe Zone the day after tomorrow? I also need to go to the Safe Zone the day after tomorrow for a meeting."

"I plan to fly the helicopter back in the morning. What time is your meeting?" Luo Pei understood Xia Qing's good intentions. He had flown the helicopter here, and Xia Qing wanted him to take the helicopter back so he wouldn't be jostled on the road.

"Eight-thirty."

"Let's go together. Depart at six?"

Land in the Safe Zone is worth its weight in gold. After a helicopter enters the Safe Zone, it must land and park at an approved location. Xia Qing's helicopter is registered under the Azure Dragon Squad, so unless there are special circumstances, it can only land on the helipad at the Azure Dragon Squad's Safe Zone station. It takes Xia Qing half an hour to get from the Azure Dragon Squad station to the Territory Management Department, and with an extra hour of buffer time, that's enough.

Xia Qing replied, "Okay, thanks, Luo-ge."

Hearing that Xia Qing was taking the helicopter back to the Safe Zone, Tang Huai was the first to jump in. "Luo-ge, I also have business in the Safe Zone. Can I take your helicopter? I'll pay the fare."

Wen Nengjie followed closely. "Luo-ge, I need to go to the Safe Zone to handle some matters. Can I take your helicopter? I'll also pay the fee at the standard price."

Whether or not he actually had business didn't matter. What mattered was that he took the Azure Dragon Squad's helicopter and made this trip with Luo Pei, Xia Qing, and Tang Huai, letting people know he had good relations with these big shots, which could boost his territory's security.

Zhu Li, Shi Du, and Huo Zhun immediately changed their plans. "Luo-ge, can the three of us take your helicopter? We'll pay the fee too."

Since Xia Qing had raised the question in the Lord Channel, she wasn't opposed to giving allies a ride. Luo Pei agreed amiably and quoted a reasonable price. "Sure, 60 points per person."

A free ride was impossible. This helicopter was something Xia Qing had risked her life to get after being bombarded with over 20 shells. And flying a helicopter burns fuel, so of course other passengers had to pay.

Recalling how Xia Qing had looked headache-ridden while picking up shell casings after target practice during the day, Luo Pei found it funny. His disciple's current assets, just counting what Luo Pei knew about, were close to twenty million, yet she could feel that heartache over spending a few tens of thousands of points on shooting practice.

When it came to only taking in and not spending, Xia Qing was truly identical to Yang Jin.

Hearing this price, Jiang Ying, who had originally planned to take the helicopter back to visit her mother, immediately gave up.

Qi Fu pressed the button. "Luo-ge, when does the helicopter return to the territory?"

Luo Pei replied, "It'll return before dark the day after tomorrow, because the helicopter still has to carry out the mission of patrolling the Evolution Forest."

Regularly patrolling the western and northern Evolution Forests and providing emergency rescue to military or squads on missions within these forests was the stated reason the Azure Dragon Squad kept the helicopter in the Northern Zone One territory.

Therefore, the tight-fisted Yang Jin had also applied for a monthly fuel subsidy of 30,000 points for this helicopter, as well as a helicopter maintenance subsidy. Xia Qing was very satisfied with this. As always: the feeling of standing on the same side as Yang Jin during negotiations was simply too satisfying.

Hearing that they could return the same day, Qi Fu replied, "Luo-ge, my wife also wants to go back for a trip. Are there still seats on the helicopter?"

"Yes."

"A round trip costs 120 points..." Yuan Yan, sitting beside him cracking sunflower seeds, felt the pain.

Qi Fu persuaded her, "It's been almost two years since we left, and you haven't gone back yet. Tomorrow the pharmaceutical factory is releasing another batch of Scar Remover. Go over and take a look. If you manage to draw a number, you'll make back the helicopter fare in one go."

Yuan Yan used to love smiling before the catastrophe. It was only after their child passed away and she was left with a scar on her face that she stopped smiling. Seeing how much more naturally Kuang Qingwei smiled after using Scar Remover, Qi Fu also wanted to buy one for his wife to use.

But this medicine was too in demand.

The pharmaceutical factory's next batch of medicine goes on sale the day after tomorrow. Going to the pharmaceutical factory's medicine sales hall in person that day to draw a number and participate in the lottery to purchase the 200 doses the factory sells directly is the only chance they have to buy the medicine at the original price.

While the Lord Channel was enthusiastically discussing the helicopter ride, Xia Qing went into the bathroom. "Handsome Wolf-ge, time to come out."

Handsome Giant Wolf kept its eyes closed, motionless.

Xia Qing tried again to persuade it. "Handsome Wolf-ge, you can only soak for this long. Any longer and it'll hurt your body."

Handsome Giant Wolf still didn't move.

Xia Qing was speechless and called over her companion. "Wolf Lao Er, make it come out. Soaking too long will make it sick."

Wolf Lao Er went over and licked Handsome Giant Wolf's wet head, nudged it, and then a miracle happened. Handsome Giant Wolf stood up shakily, shook the medicinal liquid off its body vigorously, almost falling over, then it struggled to walk out of the tub, splish-splash left Xia Qing's room, and lay down under the eaves.

It seemed this medicine also caused pain.

Xia Qing poured some more warm water into the tub and soaked the Boss, Wolf Lao Er, Little Feimao, and Does Daigua all at once.

Because the medicine's effect was diluted, the pain wasn't obvious. Of the four animals, only Little Feimao struggled desperately in Xia Qing's palm, trying to escape.

Xia Qing, wearing gloves, held it in one hand—after washing the Boss, she washed Wolf Lao Er; after Wolf Lao Er, the monkey; and finally gave the little squirrel a scrub too. Then she scooped it out, rubbed it down with an old towel, and finally blow-dried it with a hair dryer before tucking it into her pocket.

Why wear gloves? Because this is animal-specific, and Xia Qing was afraid that without gloves, her hand would grow a coat of fur.

By the time she had gotten the other three out of the tub and tidied them up, Handsome Giant Wolf was already asleep under the eaves.

When Xia Qing fell asleep, Handsome Giant Wolf, its body recovered and feeling itself grow stronger, stood up, stretched hugely, left Territory Three and entered Mountain Forty-Nine Zone Three. After catching a wild boar and eating its fill, it headed straight for Mountain Fifty-Five, stood on the mountaintop, threw back its head, and let out a long howl:

"Awoo—oooooo—"

Hearing Handsome Giant Wolf's challenging cry, the alpha wolf inside the mountain cave opened its glittering gold eyes, stood up, and walked out of the cave.

The two wolves stared at each other for a few seconds, then charged forward simultaneously and clashed.