Chapter 306: Oil Press

Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Oil Press

At nine in the morning, the sun climbed higher, and the humidity in the Evolution Forest began to drop. Xiaqing met up with the people from Territory Land No. 7, and they headed for the Evolution Forest together.

Two people had come from Territory Land No. 7: Ji Li and a female doctor, Zhang He. Zhang He was the assistant when Zhang San operated on the Broken Waist Wolf, and she was also the lead surgeon for the Sick Wolf’s eye surgery.

Because several researchers in Territory Land No. 7 shared the surname Zhang, calling them by their last names was confusing, so Xiaqing called Zhang He "Sister He."

In this territory, impressive individuals were addressed as "Brother" or "Sister" regardless of their age. Even Yuan Yan and Zhu Li were often called "Sister" by others.

Seeing that Zhang He was wearing a top-grade, airtight Protective Suit, Xiaqing knew she wasn’t a combat-type Evolver. She deliberately slowed their pace, and the three-person team only reached the top of the Green Light Fir Tree slope after an hour.

Ji Li went down first, using a climbing rope to scout the situation and clear the path. Xiaqing had just cleared this route yesterday, so there was only one remaining danger.

Standing at the top of the slope to protect Zhang He, Xiaqing warned Ji Li, "Brother Ji, the vine with pale purple leaves two meters to your left is an aggressive plant. Don’t touch it, or it will entangle you and drag you down."

"Got it," Ji Li responded, rapidly descending the rope.

Zhang He, who was preparing the medicine and containers for capturing the Evolution Ants, looked up and asked, "Miss Xia, may I collect a Purple Leaf Vine plant?"

Xiaqing nodded. "You can, but I don’t know where the vine’s roots are or how long the tendrils are. It would be best to wait until after you’ve collected the Evolution Ants to dig up the Purple Leaf Vine."

Once Ji Li had scouted the path, Zhang He shouldered the toolbox for capturing Evolution Ants and followed him down the slope. Xiaqing was responsible for securing the rope and sniping any aerial threats—birds.

Xiaqing had just taken out a flock of birds yesterday, so no Evolution Bird Group came to attack them today. Instead, a few small squirrels stood on distant branches, watching them.

Xiaqing scanned the area carefully but didn’t see the Red Squirrel.

"Xiaqing, watch for any movement from the bird flocks. We’re starting to use the trapping agent to lure the Evolution Ants out of their nest," Ji Li reported to Xiaqing via his headset radio, updating her on their progress.

"Understood. If you see the Red Squirrel, Brother Ji, please don’t harm it." Xiaqing chambered a Bullet, gripping her rifle as she scanned the sky.

Xiaqing wasn’t an Olfactory Evolver and was wearing a standard Protective Mask, so she couldn’t smell the trapping agent. However, she soon spotted Evolutionary Birds with her own eyes, flying from all directions in the Evolution Forest and converging on the Fir Tree. The trees on the slope were also vibrating. Small animals in the forest were also gathering towards the Fir Tree, a testament to how strong the scent was and how powerfully it attracted animals.

BANG!

The first shot was a warning shot; Xiaqing used the sound to disperse the birds. About a third of them slowed or changed direction and flew away at the sound of the gunshot, but the rest continued to charge forward.

Xiaqing picked off the thirty-plus birds that kept charging forward, one by one. Gunshots also echoed from the valley slope; Ji Li was taking out other approaching animals in the forest.

About ten minutes later, Zhang He’s voice came through Xiaqing’s headset. "Capture complete. We’ve sprayed the Deodorant."

Five minutes after the Deodorant was sprayed, the birds and other animals began to retreat. After Ji Li helped Zhang He climb back up the slope with the rope, he went down again to dig up the Purple Leaf Vine.

A single Purple Leaf Vine with only the ability to entangle was no match for Ji Li, but the combat strength of a large patch of them was not to be underestimated.

But Ji Li, a Level 7 Speed Evolver, cleanly sliced through the vines attacking him, quickly found the root system, and dug up a plant before returning to the top of the slope. He didn’t need a rope for support, moving swiftly across the steep, slippery incline with an extremely stable center of gravity. His hand and footwork were precise, with no wasted movements.

Xiaqing had only ever seen such skill in Luo Pei.

With the collection mission complete, the three-person team began to withdraw.

On the way there, Xiaqing had taken point while Ji Li covered the rear. On the return trip, Ji Li was at the front and Xiaqing covered the rear, with the non-combatant Zhang He still protected in the middle.

This area wasn’t particularly dangerous, so Xiaqing chatted quietly with Zhang He. "Sister He, will the trapping agent you just used leave a scent on me? I’m raising a sheep and a few chickens, and I’m afraid of alarming them."

Besides the sheep and chickens, Xiaqing also had a wolf and a flock of swallows, but there was no need to mention them.

Zhang He explained, "That’s used to attract carnivorous animals. Sheep are herbivores, so it won’t have any effect on them."

Xiaqing asked in a low voice, "Would it work on wolves?"

"Wolves are large carnivorous predators. They have a higher degree of evolution and greater intelligence, so their resistance to this type of medicine is stronger than that of smaller animals." Recalling Xiaqing’s close relationship with the Evolutionary Wolves, Zhang He added, "Medicine capable of luring large predators is difficult to compound, and ordinary people can’t get their hands on the raw materials."

’Ordinary people can’t, but extraordinary people can.’ Xiaqing asked quietly, "If—and I’m just saying if—a predator wore a full-coverage Protective Mask to block external smells, it wouldn’t be affected by the medicine, right?"

Zhang He nodded. "Correct. During the third Harmful Rain this year, a Monkey Group wearing Protective Masks and carrying firearms attacked the fruit Planting Area of the Hui Liu Base."

Huh?

Xiaqing was stunned. The monkeys from Hui Liu Base were famous even before the Natural Disasters; after the disasters, it seemed they had evolved into masterminds. ’Thank goodness there aren’t many monkeys near our territory.’

Walking in the middle, Zhang He sighed, her voice full of worry. "Monkeys and apes have adapted to Blue Star’s post-evolution ecosystem faster than humans. Their populations are breeding rapidly."

Meanwhile, the human population was being decimated by one Natural Disaster after another. Furthermore, food with low Harmful Element content that humans could eat was becoming scarcer in the Evolution Forest. Without enough food, the population would decline even faster, which was why the country was so vigorously promoting the territory policy.

Xiaqing scraped the thick mud from the soles of her boots on a nearby rock. "Even if monkeys have evolved, their average intelligence must still be far below that of humans. You guys focus on your research, we’ll focus on farming. With food and medicine, humanity won’t go extinct."

Up ahead, Zhang He also shook the heavy mud from her feet. "Right. As long as humans reduce internal conflict and everyone does their part, we won’t go extinct."

Everyone doing their part was true enough, but Ji Li felt Xiaqing was capable of a more important role than just farming. "Xiaqing, you’re improving very quickly. With professional training, you could definitely become a top-tier sniper."

Xiaqing had a very clear understanding of her own position. "Brother Ji, I’ve spent the last six months training with Brother Luo and Hu Zifeng. Brother Luo is our base’s top sniper. I’m only improving so fast because my teachers are amazing and I started from a low point. I wouldn’t dare to dream of being a top-tier sniper. I’ll be content just being able to shoot any animal that sneaks into the territory to steal our food."

Zhang He smiled, and Ji Li didn’t bring up the subject again. When they reached the Northern Isolation Zone and parted ways, Ji Li finalized the payment for the mission with Xiaqing before escorting Zhang He back to Territory Land No. 7.

This time, Xiaqing wasn’t just a guide; she had also been responsible for sniping the birds from the air during the Evolution Ant trapping. The points for the Bullets she used were also to be covered by Territory Land No. 7, as they had initiated the team-up. Moreover, the collection site was within the section of the Evolution Forest that Xiaqing leased. With all these factors combined, Xiaqing’s reward for this mission was quite generous:

A small oil press.