Chapter 348: Pretty Good Luck

Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Pretty Good Luck

The first time Xiaqing saw Huo Zhun, a famous saying came to mind: Like father, like son.

Genetics were a powerful thing. Besides having fewer wrinkles than his old man, Huo Zhun was his spitting image in every way—the same square face, puffy eyes, and broad, stocky build.

So, the moment Huo Zhun took off his Protective Mask, Xiaqing didn’t need to wait for a password. She took off her own Protective Mask and greeted him, "Brother Huo, I’m Xiaqing. Thanks for making the trip."

"No trouble at all." This was the first time Xiaqing had met Huo Zhun, but he had already seen her several times on the surveillance monitors of Territory No. 7. Every time he saw the Black Blade Xiaqing wore, Huo Zhun would mutter about his old man siding with an outsider.

Watching Huo Zhun take the bags of pecans and Python Skin with a smile, holding them with ease, Xiaqing realized she had been wrong about one thing and had overlooked another:

One thing was different from his father: Huo Zhun was an easy smiler, and the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes were even deeper than his old man’s.

And one thing was the same as his father: he was also a Strength Evolver. The way he held the bags was identical to Xiaqing’s.

’Uncle Huo wanted two sets of Snake Skin Armor; one of them must be for Huo Zhun.’

Huo Zhun and Xiaqing exchanged phone numbers. Then he instructed, "I’ll send you a form in a bit. Follow the instructions on it to get your precise measurements and send them to my dad so he can start preparing the components according to your size. Make sure they’re accurate, or the Protective Equipment won’t provide the best protection."

After receiving the form, Xiaqing realized some measurements required assistance from another person. So, she turned and headed for Territory No.5 to ask her ally, Yuan Yan, for help.

She would also take the opportunity to ask the Strength Evolver Qi Fu and Yuan Yan if they needed to trade for any Protective Equipment.

When Yuan Yan heard it was about taking measurements, she immediately and happily agreed.

Once inside, Xiaqing took off her Protective Suit, leaving on only her quick-dry shirt and pants, and had Yuan Yan help measure her body data while she was exerting her Strength.

When Xiaqing clenched her fist and flexed her biceps, Yuan Yan’s eyes filled with awe. After measuring the specific circumferences of Xiaqing’s shoulders, fists, forearms, waist, thighs, and calves while flexed, Yuan Yan’s face was a picture of pure amazement.

Strength isn’t necessarily proportional to muscle size. Although Xiaqing was a High Level Strength Evolver, her body didn’t have exaggerated, bulging muscles when relaxed. Even when she flexed, her muscles weren’t as large as Qi Fu’s, but they were tight and well-defined. They radiated explosive power and strength at a glance—it was simply beautiful and gave off an incredible sense of security. No wonder she could run through the Evolution Forest carrying four to five hundred pounds of supplies.

Yuan Yan was so envious of Xiaqing’s physique. If they weren’t still getting to know each other, she really would have wanted to reach out and feel her muscles.

There was another thing: Xiaqing frequently went into the Evolution Forest on missions, yet she had no obvious scars on her body.

’What does that mean? It means Xiaqing is incredibly strong!’

Yuan Yan secretly encouraged herself. ’I have to work hard, too, and become as strong as Xiaqing.’

After the measurements were done, Xiaqing immediately thanked her and put on her Protective Suit.

Over the years, Xiaqing had grown accustomed to keeping a safe distance from others. She had been far too close to Yuan Yan just now. Even though she knew Yuan Yan wouldn’t harm her, Xiaqing still felt a little tense.

It wasn’t just Xiaqing; most of humanity was like this now.

The Natural Disasters, the lack of survival resources, and the collapse of order had driven trust between people to an all-time low, creating vast distances between them.

Keeping oneself out of another person’s attack range at all times had become an instinct for most people.

After putting on her Protective Suit, Xiaqing asked, "Yuan Yan, I got my hands on some hardened Evolved Python Skin. Do you and Brother Qi want to get a couple sets of Protective Equipment made? You don’t have to give me the points now; we can settle up after next year’s summer harvest."

Specialized Protective Equipment for a Strength Evolver could protect key muscles and bones when exerting force, reducing injuries from overexertion. Who could refuse such a great offer?

Yuan Yan immediately agreed and thanked Xiaqing sincerely.

Xiaqing sent the form to Qi Fu, telling the couple to measure each other, send her the data, and then she would forward it all to Uncle Huo to have him craft the Protective Equipment to their sizes.

Uncle Huo seemed to be waiting by his phone. The moment Xiaqing sent the measurements, she received a reply: What do you want to do with the remaining Python Skin?

Xiaqing replied: Use the measurements from data set 1 and make it all into gloves and shoulder guards.

In Xiaqing’s experience, those two pieces of Protective Equipment wore out the fastest.

With the matter of the Protective Equipment settled, Xiaqing went back to work on the protective covers for her Green Light Spinach.

The seeds of the Green Light Spinach were about to mature and had to be enclosed in sheet metal covers. Otherwise, when the spinach seeds matured and exploded, they wouldn’t just destroy the greenhouse frame and the rainproof cloth; the seeds would scatter everywhere, and collecting them would take a massive amount of time.

These weren’t ordinary Green Light vegetable seeds; they were High Yi Element spinach seeds, each worth 100 points. Every last one had to be collected.

Before she could even finish one cover, Xiaqing got a call from Zhang San.

Zhang San’s voice was lazy, but Xiaqing could tell he was in a good mood. "Xiaqing, I can concoct a medicine to soak the Python Skin you sent over. It will improve the skin’s toughness, corrosion resistance, and breathability, making the Protective Equipment much more comfortable to wear."

’Her idol didn’t just call to offer freebies.’ Xiaqing took the hint and asked, "Thank you, Brother San. How many pecans will that medicine cost me?"

Zhang San happily quoted the price, "Ten kilograms."

’Anything from Zhang San was guaranteed to be top-quality, and the price was just as stunning.’ With over three hundred and fifty kilograms of pecans, Xiaqing agreed. "Okay."

After securing the delicious pecans, Zhang San, the foodie, began sharing his expertise with Xiaqing. "The pecans you collected have thin shells and thick meat, and the texture isn’t bad, but they’re still a bit astringent. For the ones you don’t plan to keep for seeding, you can soak and wash them in fresh water or light saltwater to remove the astringency. Change the water once a day. After three days, take them out to air-dry, and the astringency will be gone."

Xiaqing immediately took note. "Brother San, can these pecans be pressed for oil? They seem to have a high oil content."

"You can. But they’re most nutritious when eaten directly. Nuts like these are good for the brain, but don’t eat more than four a day." After answering Xiaqing’s question, Zhang San asked one of his own. "The Green Light evolved pecan trees discovered before were all highly aggressive. What type of attack does the one you found use?"

Hearing no response from Xiaqing, Zhang San thought she didn’t know how to answer and elaborated, "Is it a physical attack, a poison gas attack, or does it have a symbiotic relationship with a certain animal or plant? If it’s one of the latter two, I’d like to collect a sample for research."

Xiaqing told him the truth. "Brother San, I don’t know which type it is. When I found it, the main trunk of the pecan tree was broken. The crown was completely detached from the trunk and had fallen to the ground. The area was a battleground for wolves, bears, and snakes—there were quite a few corpses of all three types of animals. I didn’t find any insects in a symbiotic relationship with the tree, and there was no poison gas in the air. But I’m not sure if the gas had already dissipated or if the tree just doesn’t release any."

"I see..."

Zhang San let out a lazy yawn. "You’ve got good luck."

Xiaqing replied with great sincerity, "Brother San, everyone who has survived to the tenth year of the Natural Disasters has had multiple narrow escapes from death."

’The unlucky ones died long ago.’