Chapter 112: The Second Text Message

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: The Second Text Message

Xiaqing chose Feng Wen as a roommate for two reasons. First, Feng Wen wasn’t unattractive, and Xiaqing couldn’t be bothered with anyone she considered less attractive than herself. Second, Feng Wen was an Olfactory Evolver, so she wouldn’t easily detect Xiaqing’s hidden Auditory and Visual abilities.

Feng Wen was eight years younger than her brother, Feng Teng. She had been spoiled rotten while their parents were alive, and after they died, her brother supported her. Feng Teng was a Speed Evolver and earned enough points for the two siblings to survive. Feng Wen wanted a stable, relaxed, and respectable official job within the Safe Zone, but such opportunities were not easy to come by. So, for all these years, aside from using her Olfactory Evolutionary ability to participate in simple missions within the Safe Zone, she had mostly been idle. Consequently, Feng Wen was not as street-smart as Xiaqing. Even if she had any malicious intentions, she wouldn’t be able to get the upper hand with Xiaqing.

’Still, no need to explain all this to Xu Juan.’

Xiaqing had always been a woman of few words, something Xu Juan was long used to. After a few bites of meat, she continued to ask, "You’re not actually with Hu Zifeng, are you?"

During the second Harmful Rain, when the Second Territory released Evolutionary Rats to determine if Luo Pei was in the No. 1 Territory, they also released many rats into the surrounding territories. Hu Zifeng’s immediate action of sending both of his team’s Olfactory Evolvers into the Third Territory to catch rats attracted the attention of the Second Territory. To conceal the truth, Hu Zifeng began to feign a pursuit of Xiaqing.

Because the Green Dragon Team had bought Mountain No. 49, their third-in-command, Luo Pei, remained in the No. 1 Territory after being successfully cured of poison, and Tang Zhengpo had also gone to Territory No. 12. Furthermore, that area also had capable individuals like Zhang San and Li Si. Therefore, the Safe Zone would naturally keep an eye on the developments in that region. Xiaqing was not at all surprised that they knew Hu Zifeng was "pursuing" her.

She answered vaguely, "Not yet."

"Not yet" implied that Xiaqing was a little tempted but hadn’t yet agreed. This was the stage where the pursuer would be lavishing the other with attention. Hu Zifeng’s "attentiveness" would only stop once the Security Team’s mission was over.

Xu Juan stared at Xiaqing for a moment, then sighed. "You call Feng Wen brainless, but you’re not much better. If you really want to find a man, you should choose Mr. Luo. He’s a Level 10 Visual Evolver and the best Sharpshooter in our base."

Xiaqing gnawed on a chicken wing and reminded Xu Juan, "That’s enough, Sister Juan. It’ll be trouble if anyone from the Green Dragon Team overhears you."

Although this was a private room, the thin walls couldn’t possibly block the ears of an Auditory Evolver.

Xu Juan shot Xiaqing an exasperated look and lowered her voice to continue persuading her. "You saved my life, so I genuinely want you to have a good life. Luo Pei is a good man, and I’m sure he’s interested in you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken you on missions so many times."

Xiaqing was speechless. She picked up a chicken leg and placed it on Xu Juan’s plate. "Plenty of female Evolvers have gone on missions with Mr. Luo multiple times. Is he interested in every single one of them? Hurry and eat, Sister Juan. I’m about to finish all the meat."

Xu Juan picked up the chicken leg and took a vicious bite. "Fine, we won’t talk about it. You’re still all alone in your territory, right? That’s too lonely. You might as well recruit a couple of people to work for you while you’re here."

Xiaqing shook her head. "I don’t need to. I’m a Strength Evolver, so farming a few acres is a piece of cake."

Xu Juan laughed. "You’re definitely a great farmer, but there has to be more to life than just farming, right?"

Xiaqing actually did think of something she needed. "When things get a bit better, I’d like to hire a good cook. But someone like that is pretty hard to find."

’Instead of hiring a cook, I might as well ask Brother San. He might even have a robot that can cook.’

Xu Juan nodded. "That’s true. It’s easy to find laborers, but a cook handles food. You have to find someone you can trust one hundred percent."

After the meal, Xiaqing turned down Xu Juan’s invitation to go party at a bar. As she left the restaurant, intending to find Zhao Jie’s group to settle a score, she heard a car horn. She sidestepped toward the wall, her hand immediately going to the hilt of her new dagger.

’If anyone dared to make a move on her, she would take this opportunity to test just how sharp her new blade was.’

The car pulled up beside her and the window rolled down. Feng Wen waved from inside. "I’ve been waiting ages for you. Quick, get in."

Xiaqing couldn’t be bothered with her and kept walking.

Feng Wen had the driver stop the car. She hurried after Xiaqing in her high heels and blocked her path. "Come with me to see Young Master Tang. It’s for a good reason."

Xiaqing stared at Feng Wen icily. Feng Wen didn’t dare cross a woman of such brute strength and stated her purpose directly. "It’s about the territory. Let’s go, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I’m not interested." Xiaqing continued walking.

Feng Wen didn’t dare to block her again, instead trotting beside her in her high heels and explaining in a low voice, "Young Master Tang wants to discuss a cooperative development of the territory with you. Don’t worry, with me there, I won’t let you be taken advantage of."

Xiaqing kept walking forward.

Feng Wen couldn’t help but complain, "You’ve been away for six months and you still have that same rotten temper. What’s the big deal about going? It’s not like it’ll kill you."

Xiaqing stopped and stared directly into Feng Wen’s eyes. "Does Young Master Tang want to see me, or do *you* want to take me to see Young Master Tang?"

The Tang Family had never given up investigating why the Green Dragon Team bought Mountain No. 49, or how Luo Pei’s injuries had been healed. Xiaqing was very close with the people of No. 1 Territory, and both Tang Zhengpo and Tang Huai had tried to probe her for information several times, only to be politely but firmly rebuffed and forced to give up.

Even if Tang Rui wanted to contact the Lords near Mountain No. 49, he would choose people like Zhao Ze and Kuang Qingwei, not her. Therefore, Xiaqing guessed that it was Feng Wen, eager to make a good impression, who had taken it upon herself to bring her to see Tang Rui.

One question, and the truth was revealed.

Feng Wen took a step closer to grab Xiaqing’s hand, but Xiaqing stepped back and unsheathed her dagger. The blade was dark and menacingly cold. The Tang Family’s driver, who was driving for Feng Wen, merely glanced in their direction without moving a muscle.

Feng Wen froze, then pleaded in a low voice, "Xiaqing, just help me this one time. When I marry into the Tang Family, I’ll never forget you."

’You’d better forget me immediately.’ Before Xiaqing could say it out loud, she heard Shi Du shouting, "Sister Qing! What a coincidence! Heading back to the hotel together?"

Seeing Xiaqing being blocked, Shi Du yelled and ran over, followed by two armed guards.

"Whatever you want, earn it with your own abilities. Stop bothering me, or I’ll send you to reunite with your brother with a single cut of my blade." Xiaqing sheathed her dagger, walked a short distance with Shi Du to get away from Feng Wen, then told him to go on without her. "You go on ahead. I still have some business to take care of."

Shi Du said, "Oh," and cheerfully rejoined his friends, playfully shoving each other as they walked away.

Xiaqing hadn’t gone much further when she heard Sun Zhe call her name, and she stopped again.

Inside a black car parked by the road, Xie Yu, who had just put on his mask and was about to get out, stopped and sighed. He pulled out his phone and sent a message:

If you want to win her over, you need to learn to cook, and fast.

Three armored vehicles were parked by the sea at Gui San Base. A small submarine that had entered the water two days ago had yet to surface, and the people in the armored vehicles were growing increasingly anxious.

"Someone’s coming up!" an Auditory Evolver on watch by the sea suddenly shouted. A dozen people immediately rushed forward.

The calm surface of the sea rippled, and Yang Jin leaped out of the water. He then used an octopus tentacle thicker than his own waist to drag two unconscious members of the Fiery Fire Team toward the shore.

The Fiery Fire Team’s doctor, who was waiting on the shore, immediately took the injured away for treatment.

Yang Jin climbed into the Green Dragon Team’s armored vehicle and took off his diving suit.

Wang Liang handed Yang Jin his phone. "Boss, where are the other members of the Fiery Fire Team?"

"One of their submarines was attacked by a giant octopus. Fire Phoenix took some people to chase after it." Yang Jin drank a pouch of Special Level Nutrient Liquid to recover his strength before turning on his phone.

Seeing Xie Yu’s message, he remembered that today was the first day of the Hui San Base agricultural trade fair. He typed out a reply:

Don’t talk nonsense in front of her.

Xie Yu: Heh. As if I had the chance.

Yang Jin raised an eyebrow. ’From the sound of it, Xiaqing is very busy. What’s she busy with?’

BUZZ. BUZZ.

Feeling her phone vibrate twice in her pocket, Xiaqing said to Sun Zhe, "I still have something to take care of. We can talk in detail later, back at the hotel."

After Sun Zhe left, Xiaqing confirmed there were no cameras around and that no one could see her screen from above. Only then did she take out an old phone. Sure enough, she found that both of her phone numbers had received the exact same message from the same number at almost the same time.