Chapter 408: The Injured Red Squirrel

Chapter 408: Chapter 408: The Injured Red Squirrel

Inside Second Territory, Xu Pin grabbed Tang Heng, who was trying to snatch the walkie-talkie. Tang Huai was still wracked with violent, hacking coughs. Blood from his leg had soaked through the bandages and was starting to pool on the floor, a clear sign his wound had reopened.

Tang Zhengsu’s expression was terrifyingly grim as he advanced on Tang Huai, one step at a time.

Pinned down by Xu Pin, Tang Heng roared, "Tang Zhengsu, if anything happens to my brother, I’ll make your entire family pay with their lives!"

Just as Tang Zhengsu started to turn, Tang Huai began to laugh.

"Ha, ha—*cough, cough*—ha—PTUI!"

Tang Huai struggled to sit up. He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and glared at Tang Zhengsu with contempt in his bloodshot eyes. His voice was hoarse. "Tang the Second, you’re still a spineless coward even after evolving. Go on, if you have the guts, kill me! If you have the guts, kick me again right here!"

"Brother..." Tang Heng was frantic, terrified that if Tang Huai kept provoking him, Tang Zhengsu would actually deliver the killing blow.

"Come on—*cough, cough*—if you have the guts, you—*cough*—" Tang Huai coughed, trying to stop Tang Zhengsu from harming his brother.

As Tang Zhengsu took another step toward Tang Huai, the voice of Zhou Zhaoping, the board secretary of the Original Reunion Group, came through the walkie-talkie. "Chairman Tang, can No. 8 Territory trade for your purple sweet potatoes?"

Tang Zhengpo responded in a gentle tone, "I don’t have many purple sweet potatoes, but if Brother Zhou wishes to trade, then of course. However, I can only spare three pounds at most."

Zhou Zhaoping smiled. "Thank you. I have half a stalk of Green Light Evolved Ginseng here. Please take it for young Mr. Tang to help replenish his blood."

Tang Zhengsu froze, his expression darkening.

"Ha—*cough, cough, cough*..." Tang Huai coughed and laughed, mocking Tang Zhengsu for being a coward.

Yang Jin also spoke up. "Chairman Tang, can No.1 Territory trade Green Light danggui for your purple sweet potatoes?"

Tang Zhengpo remained gentle, his voice calm and unhurried. "You may, but I can only trade three pounds at most."

Yang Jin replied, "Thank you."

Li Si also came on the line. "Territory No. 12, what is the stability and Qiang Evolution rate of your Green Light Purple Sweet Potato?"

"If planted in the open, based on the Harmful Element concentration and duration of this year’s second Harmful Rain, the rate of aggressive Qiang Evolution is thirty-five percent," Tang Zhengpo replied.

Hearing that percentage, all the ordinary territory leaders gave up on the idea of trading.

Li Si proposed a trade. "Can No. 9 Territory trade for three pounds of purple sweet potatoes? I’m offering two vials of the Fiery Fire Team’s Special Blood Replenishing Agent."

"You may." Holding the walkie-talkie, Tang Zhengpo looked at Tang Zhengsu by the window, his voice still calm and unhurried. It was as if he couldn’t hear his eldest son’s coughing or see the murderous aura on Tang Zhengsu’s face.

"Brother San, Brother Zhou, Captain Yang, Fourth Sister, thank you for coming to my aid when Tang Huai was injured. I, Tang Zhengpo, will engrave this kindness in my heart and will certainly repay it in the future."

Carrying a bundle of C-shaped steel frames on her shoulder, Xiaqing turned her head slightly. Liangzi, the Level 6 Hearing Evolver from Hu Zifeng’s team, spoke up. "Did you guys hear that? While Tang Zhengpo was talking, someone was coughing over the radio. They sounded injured."

"Our ears aren’t as sharp as yours," Chen Cheng said, then called out warmly to Xiaqing, "Sister Qing, the sweet potatoes are done!"

"Great."

Xiaqing set the C-shaped steel frames on the ground, dusted the dirt from her Protective Suit, and told everyone to have some roasted sweet potato before getting back to work.

Liangzi and Chen Zheng split a steaming, fragrant roasted sweet potato and continued talking. "There has to be a reason Tang Zhengpo chose this exact moment to bring out the Green Light Purple Sweet Potato."

Xiaqing, peeling her sweet potato, nodded. She hadn’t just heard someone coughing; she had recognized the coughs as Tang Huai’s. She was certain because she’d met him once before when his voice had the exact same hoarseness caused by a physical injury.

’Tang Zhengpo must be bringing out the Green Light Purple Sweet Potato now to strengthen his bargaining position against Tang Zhengsu in Second Territory.’

’And those were some heavy bargaining chips.’

Little Jiang, eating a fragrant sweet potato, asked, "Why is everyone so interested in a Green Light Purple Sweet Potato with a thirty-five percent aggressive Qiang Evolution rate?"

The members of Hu Zifeng’s team all looked at Xiaqing. They were all combatants. Despite accepting the mission to protect Third Territory, their agricultural knowledge was nothing compared to Xiaqing’s, a dedicated farmer.

Xiaqing, who diligently listened to the daily agricultural broadcast, explained, "Purple sweet potatoes, like carrots and cabbage, are Harmful Element-susceptible plants. If susceptible plants aren’t grown in an environment shielded from the Harmful Element, the probability of aggressive Qiang Evolution is around seventy percent. So Territory No. 12’s purple sweet potatoes are already performing exceptionally well for a susceptible plant."

Da Jiang took a bite of his delicious sweet potato. "Are purple sweet potatoes that different from regular ones? Why waste so much energy researching them?"

Eryong, whose father was a chef, had the answer. "Purple sweet potatoes have an extremely high anthocyanin content. Natural anthocyanins can help balance metabolism, slow down aging, and enhance visual sensitivity. You tell me, isn’t that worth researching?"

Hearing that purple sweet potatoes could enhance visual sensitivity, Xiaqing, a Level 9 Visual Evolver, felt her interest peak.

After they finished installing the steel frame, plastic sheeting, and straw mats for the second greenhouse, Hu Zifeng’s team left Third Territory. Xiaqing immediately sent a message to Yang Jin:

Captain Yang, once you’ve cultivated purple sweet potato seedlings next year, can I trade 40 of my Green Light Sweet Potato Seedlings for 10 of yours?

About half an hour later, Xiaqing received a reply from Yang Jin:

You can. Tang Huai was injured by Tang Zhengsu and has been taken to Territory Land No. 7. Xu Pin is leaving by helicopter tomorrow morning for the lake to the North of Mountain No.60.

’That lake is home to a Giant Python and Injuring Snakes. Xu Pin leading a team there must have something to do with the snakes. And if Xu Pin is going, Yang Jin is sure to go too.’

’If a fight breaks out, it’s bound to disturb the Wolf Group on Mountain No.60 and the Bear Group on Mountain No.61. There’s no telling what kind of chain reaction that might trigger.’

Xiaqing took a deep breath. After replying with a single word, "Received," she was about to put her phone away when a notification popped up from the locator app tracking the Red Squirrel.

The Red Squirrel had left Zone Three of Mountain 49.

Forgetting all about cleaning the debris in the greenhouse, Xiaqing rushed home, grabbed her gear, and hurried to Zone Three of Mountain 49 to wait for the Red Squirrel to return.

Forty minutes later, the red dot representing the Red Squirrel appeared on Xiaqing’s locator app. Soon after, she spotted a flash of red on a tall pine tree over twenty meters away. Its cheeks were bulging, and its little, mud-stained paws were clutching two peanuts!

After dropping the peanuts, the Red Squirrel took off again, running quickly to the east. Even with her own greatly increased speed, Xiaqing was quickly left in the dust.

Xiaqing wasn’t worried. She waited patiently at the spot where she’d lost it. Fifty minutes later, the Red Squirrel returned.

This time, it didn’t just bring back peanuts. It also brought back an injury.

The pure white fur on its belly was stained red with blood. ’If an injury this severe isn’t treated promptly, all the food it painstakingly collected for its six pantries will have been for nothing.’

After the Red Squirrel stumbled into its hollow, Xiaqing tossed a dose of inhalant anesthetic inside and quickly blocked the entrance.

Once the anesthetic had taken effect, Xiaqing carefully pulled the little creature out of the hollow to examine the wound on its abdomen.