At the agreed time, Xia Qing confirmed that no one was watching within a 200-meter radius before carrying the 100-liter water tank into the western buffer forest. Her mountain spring yielded about 300 liters of water daily, and over the next four months, Luo Pei would use nearly half of that water—the largest exchange she had made since leaving her territory.
Handing the life-saving water tank to Wei Chengdong, Xia Qing lowered her voice, "Same time tomorrow."
"Thank you for your hard work." Wei Chengdong now practically worshipped Xia Qing, taking the water tank cautiously and asking, "Our Captain Yang wants to discuss treating Brother Luo's injuries with you, is that alright?"
After seeing the plane land at Site One after dark, Xia Qing guessed it was probably Yang Jin, and also guessed he would definitely see her, calmly nodding, "Sure."
Seeing Xia Qing about to return to Site One with him, Wei Chengdong quickly added, "It's the middle of the night, how can I let you make another trip? Captain Yang is waiting over there."
After saying that, Wei Chengdong turned around and gestured, whispering, "Boss."
Xia Qing had already heard human breathing sounds in the buffer forest of Site One, assuming it was someone coming to fetch water, but she didn't expect it to be Yang Jin, the leader of the Azure Dragon Team.
Watching Yang Jin, the leader of the Azure Dragon team, emerge from the buffer forest under the moonlight—his physique was undeniably superb even in camouflage—only one thought crossed Xia Qing's mind:
His boss and her boss were truly two completely different species.
"Our boss may not be talkative, but he's a really good person," Wei Chengdong emphasized, afraid Xia Qing would be intimidated by his boss's cold demeanor, before carrying the water tank away.
Yang Jin was indeed good. If he hadn't led the Azure Dragon team to Hui San Base, the already dominant Su Feng team would have been even more arrogant, and Xia Qing's life would have been even more difficult.
Yang Jin was a top performer at Hui San Base, while Xia Qing was just an unknown nobody. Although she held the upper hand in this transaction, she had her own objectives, not to bestow favors, so she couldn't act arrogantly in front of the big shot. Therefore, after Yang Jin approached, Xia Qing took the initiative to introduce herself, "Captain Yang, I am a Level 4 Power Evolved Human, the lord of Land Number Three, Xia Qing."
This was the first time Xia Qing had spoken to the big shot who had led his team into Hui San Base over five years ago. The incident where Yang Jin and Tan Junjie went to the territory to clear the large, evolved trees in the western buffer forest and witnessed her fighting with Boss Yang had been deliberately erased from Xia Qing's memory.
Wearing night-vision goggles, Yang Jin gave Xia Qing a deep look before removing them and introducing himself like her, "I'm Yang Jin, captain of the Azure Dragon Team. May I come into your territory to talk? Brother Luo needs treatment; there's no place to talk in Territory Number One."
She genuinely disliked others entering her territory, but since she was negotiating a deal with the Azure Dragon Team, safety was paramount.
"Sure, Captain Yang, this way please. The mountain path is difficult; please wear your goggles." Xia Qing couldn't afford high-end equipment like night-vision goggles; she only had ordinary handheld night-vision devices. However, in the faint moonlight at three in the morning, Xia Qing, with her excellent visual evolution, didn't need any aids to walk at night.
Talking at home was out of the question. Xia Qing led Yang Jin to a relatively well-preserved room in a deserted village at the foot of the western buffer forest.
"Relatively intact" meant the room still had walls and a roof. Xia Qing had sealed the windows, intending it as one of her hiding places in case of danger.
She invited Yang Jin inside, then boarded up the narrow, low doorway that was barely wide enough for one person to pass through. After lighting a fire, she was about to invite Yang Jin to sit on the only seat-like log beside the fire when she turned to find him already sitting on a stone on the other side.
His face was even more handsome in the firelight than in the sunlight, and what was even more remarkable was the sky-like tranquility he exuded. This kind of tranquility was extremely rare amidst the chaotic social order and crises following the great evolution of life on Blue Star. No wonder the usually arrogant Tang Lu relentlessly pursued him.
Not only Tang Lu and many women at the Hui San Base were attracted to Yang Jin, but Deng Yufeng, the renowned female leader of the Blazing Fire Squad at the Hui City headquarters—the Hui Yi Base—also had her eye on him.
When the Fire Phoenix came to the Hui San Base, Tang Lu recklessly went to provoke them, only to be trampled and verbally abused by the female boss—a source of amusement for everyone at Hui San Base.
Xia Qing sat on a wooden stake, explaining to Yang Jin why they were talking here, "I have a very territorial evolved sheep. If I take you home to talk, it will cause a huge commotion."
Yang Jin didn't feel anything when others addressed him respectfully as "you," but when Xia Qing addressed him that way, he wanted to grab that character and tear it apart, so she could never pick it up again or use it.
Despite his many thoughts, Yang Jin remained expressionless and cut to the chase, "What kind of weapon do you want?"
Because she didn't know much about weapons, Xia Qing humbly sought Yang Jin's advice. "My goal is to protect myself and my territory. What weapon do you think would be suitable? My territory comprises 7,500 mu, of which 3,000 mu are farmland, three villages, and a reservoir, and the remaining 4,500 mu are buffer forests on the western and northern slopes. There's only me and one evolved sheep in the territory, and I don't plan to add any more people."
Hearing that she didn't plan to add more people, Yang Jin wasn't surprised. He calmly looked at her through the fire, "How strong is your sheep? Can it communicate with people and carry out their orders?"
Xia Qing felt a little guilty. "It's a power-evolved animal, its evolutionary level is no weaker than a level five power-evolved human. It's quite intelligent when it comes to food-related matters; it can understand simple commands, but whether it executes them depends on its mood."
An evolved animal that needs food to get things done can't stand alone.
Yang Jin decisively offered three options for protecting the territory: First, enclose the entire territory with an iron mesh wall and electrify it; second, I will send a ten-man medium-sized squad from the Azure Dragon Team to guard the perimeter of Territory Three, intercepting all dangers; third, station a ten-man medium-sized squad at Territory One, ready to answer your commands at any time. We will be responsible for the equipment and installation for the first option, while the latter two options will provide protection for one year.
Installing an electrified iron mesh wall was tempting, but the subsequent maintenance costs were too high, and it was too conspicuous. Xia Qing immediately made her choice, "I choose option three."
As expected, Yang Jin continued to offer the most suitable option for her, "To protect your safety, we will provide you with a pistol, an automatic rifle, and a long-range sniper rifle, with 300 rounds of each type of ammunition. In addition, there are three sets of the best protective gear—two for you, one for the evolved dog, and one for the sheep."
The sheep's protective gear was added by Yang Jin at the last minute because Xia Qing cared deeply for her sheep. Regardless of whether evolving sheep would be useful, what she wanted was a companion, one she wouldn't have to worry about betraying her and turning against her own kind.
Yang Jin understood Xia Qing's reason for choosing an evolved animal rather than a human as a companion. Because no matter how much animals evolved, their minds were never as complex or difficult to understand as humans'.