Chapter 424: Where is the Team?

Chapter 424: Chapter 424: Where is the Team?

To her surprise, Xin Yu also came online. Xiaqing immediately replied, "I don’t have much left after my trade with Brother San. I raided a few squirrel nests a few days ago, and my luck wasn’t half bad. I managed to get over forty jin of Yellow Light Pine Nuts. Do you want them?"

"I’ll take them. And I’ll take some Fragrant Nut Fruit as well, to round out the number," Xin Yu replied. "I’m sending someone over to pick it all up now."

"Alright." ’Rounding out the number meant a hundred jin. Just like Brother San, Xin Yu was here to back her up.’

Zhou Xun was forced to go online again. "Xiaqing, how much Fragrant Nut Fruit do you have left? How many points per jin?"

Xiaqing politely refused, "I’m all out. I’m truly sorry."

Hearing Xiaqing’s uncharacteristically polite tone, Zhou Xun felt a shiver run down his spine. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this woman was about to make a move.

Xiaqing weighed out one hundred jin of Python meat, packed it into a large basket, and carried it on her back to the South Gate of her territory. The toughness of the meat was beyond what she had imagined, which only heightened her expectations.

People say you are what you eat. Xiaqing hoped that after eating several hundred jin of the Python meat, it would help harden her own muscles and bones.

Hardness Evolution combined with Strength Evolution was a perfect match. If it worked, her combat power would instantly double.

After rounding the Wild Grass Wall and opening the iron gate, Xiaqing was surprised to see an electric car that looked almost new parked outside the South Gate.

The car door opened. A man with short, salt-and-pepper hair, standing only about 1.6 meters tall, stepped out. He was dressed in a pristine suit that looked utterly out of place in the territory. He bowed to Xiaqing. Behind him stood two bodyguards in Protective Suits, armed with guns, who towered over him.

"Miss Xia, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Zhou Zhaoping, an assistant from No. 8 Territory. Our Lord sent me to retrieve the supplies for your exchange."

’Xiaqing hadn’t expected Xin Yu to give her so much face.’ She quickened her pace, taking a few steps forward. "Uncle Zhou, a pleasure to meet you."

From within the Wild Grass Wall of the Second Territory, Xu Pin saw the lower half of Xiaqing’s face behind her protective mask, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

’That woman, Xiaqing, has actually gotten prettier. Good.’

Xiaqing set the large basket, filled with opaque packages, on the ground. "The pine nuts and Fragrant Nut Fruit are in here. Please inspect the goods first, and then I can put them in the trunk for you. It’s quite heavy."

"I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Miss Xia." Zhou Zhaoping had a bodyguard load the large basket into the car’s trunk, then handed her a blank points card.

’Inspect the goods? There’s no need.’

Xiaqing accepted it with both hands, thanking him.

"You are too kind, Miss Xia. It is I who should be thanking you," Zhou Zhaoping said with utmost sincerity. "You are the first friend our Lord has been able to connect with. When you are not busy, please feel free to visit No. 8 Territory."

Hearing Zhou Zhaoping’s words, Xu Pin’s expression soured, and he shot a look at Zhou Xun beside him.

Zhou Xun lowered his head, wishing he could jump into the pit Tang Huai had dug and bury himself.

’I’m just a goddamn Visual Evolver! How the hell am I supposed to know how two women who never even leave their territories became friends!’

Since Xin Yu was backing her so strongly, Xiaqing certainly wasn’t going to tear down her own stage. "Uncle Zhou, just call me Xiaqing. I’ve been busy putting up a fence and building a greenhouse lately. I’ll come visit once my vegetables are planted."

When Xiaqing mentioned the fence, Zhou Zhaoping smiled. "That day, our supply aircraft was about to take off when our Lord suddenly called, saying we needed to add a shipment of iron mesh. I told her the helicopter was completely full, but our Lord just called the chairman directly. She added another helicopter and a construction crew, and even specifically requested Lu Yuhui’s team. I was puzzled at the time. I only realized after arriving here that it was all to build a fence for you."

Zhou Zhaoping was so sincere that forget Xu Pin in the Second Territory—even Xiaqing herself started to believe that she and Xin Yu were genuinely the best of friends. Their conversation grew more and more pleasant.

Only when the people from Territory Land No. 7 approached did Zhou Zhaoping raise a hand to greet them from a distance before getting in his car and driving away.

Xu Pin saw Zhou Zhaoping wave, and when he turned his head, he was stunned to see Yan Long approaching. He instinctively straightened up and held his breath.

Yan Long’s Insight was incredibly sharp. Her gaze, as precise as a Bullet, locked onto Xu Pin standing within the Wild Grass Wall of the Second Territory.

As an Evolver with Super Sensory Perception, Xu Pin felt a piercing malice. ’Yan Long wants to kill me!’

Xu Pin immediately leaped into the pit Tang Huai had dug, and two bodyguards instantly shielded him with their bodies. Though Zhou Xun had no idea what was happening, he didn’t hesitate to jump in after them, covering his head and curling into a ball.

"Sister Yan, Brother Huo, Brother Ya."

Xiaqing had, of course, seen the murderous intent in Yan Long’s eyes and heard the commotion from inside the Second Territory. She raised her hand and warmly invited them into her own territory.

’My idol is really giving me face, sending Sister Yan herself to back me up!’

Da Ya chuckled and explained why so many of them had come. "Brother San said there have been a lot of mad dogs around lately. He was afraid I’d get bitten, so he had Brother Huo come along with me."

Huo Zhun greeted Xiaqing enthusiastically, eager to meet the members of her team.

’To be able to hunt an Evolved Python, Xiaqing’s team must have some serious strength and equipment.’

The moment Yan Long spoke, the aura of an instructor enveloped her. "I’m here to test your physical condition and develop a specialized training regimen for you."

"Alright." Xiaqing had already agreed to train with Tan Qi under Yan Long’s guidance. She originally thought she’d just be tagging along, but she never expected Yan Long to tailor a plan specifically for her. This filled Xiaqing with anticipation for the special training.

Even after the iron mesh gate of the Third Territory closed, Xu Pin didn’t dare peek out of the pit. He could still feel Yan Long’s biting malice lingering.

Only when the malice finally vanished—indicating that Yan Long was now more than two hundred meters away—did Xu Pin climb out of the pit, his expression terrifyingly foul.

’I’ve never offended Yan Long or the Hui Yi Military,’ he thought, ’nor have I done anything to harm Zhang San. So why does she want to kill me?’

’Is it because of Xiaqing? Did Zhang San order it? Are Xiaqing and Zhang San already that close? Isn’t she Hu Zifeng’s mistress?’

’And why would Xin Yu send Zhou Zhaoping to back Xiaqing? Why would that Iron Rooster, Yang Jin, get involved too?’

"Heh."

Hearing the dirt-caked Deputy Xu let out a sudden, cold sneer, Zhou Xun, still in the pit, wished he could just grab a handful of earth and bury himself for good.

A member of the reconnaissance team inside the Wild Grass Wall removed his headset, shook his head, and rubbed his ears. "Captain Xu, the Third Territory has finished installing anti-bugging equipment. They’ve activated a signal jammer, so our devices are useless now."

"Pull the equipment. Get an Auditory Evolver over here. I want you to keep an eye on that woman in the Third Territory until she comes out begging for mercy." Brushing the dirt from his clothes, Xu Pin walked away from the Wild Grass Wall with a sneer.

’That Xiaqing woman isn’t bad-looking, but she’s an idiot. Does she really think that taking out a few jin of dried nuts and having these people parade around is enough to scare me?’

’Fool.’

’Unless she can cough up some precious resource worth millions of points, there’s no way these people will stick their necks out for her when I make my move.’

’A Strength Evolution woman who came out here to farm, with no family to speak of—what kind of precious resources could she possibly have!’

"Th-th-this..."

Huo Zhun pointed at the Giant Python in Xiaqing’s yard, which was covered by a netted canopy, his heart racing with excitement.

’A Python this big must have at least a thousand jin of meat! If Xiaqing lets me eat my fill, I’ll retire on the spot and join her team!’

’What’s her team’s name? Where are the other members?’