Chapter 316: Precious Plants

Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Precious Plants

「Half an hour later.」

In the Northern Isolation Zone, Xiaqing saw Yang Jin walking out of Zone Three of Mountain 49, and she couldn’t stop a surprised expression from appearing on her usually placid face.

When she heard from Chen Zheng that Xie Yu had "finally" gotten in touch with Yang Jin, Xiaqing knew he must have run into considerable danger on his medicine-gathering trip. Still, she never expected him to be in such a sorry state.

’Damn! Such a handsome man, and he’s actually been disfigured!’

Upon noticing Xiaqing, Yang Jin’s face broke into a smile. The evening sun filtered through the leaves, dappling his smiling, wounded face. That smile was still dazzling enough to captivate anyone.

Hmm...

’It’s not really disfigurement. More of a battle-damaged look. He can still use the honey trap.’

He had just crossed the Evolution Forest without a Protective Mask, yet Xiaqing, standing safely within her own territory, kept hers on, only raising a hand in a silent greeting.

This was because she had started using a Body Injury Healing Potion and couldn’t take any other medication. It was imperative that she avoid any injuries, so caution was paramount.

As Yang Jin drew closer, Xiaqing saw that it wasn’t just his face; both of his palms were wrapped in bandages, and his body was likely covered in wounds, too. For him to insist on coming over in this condition meant he must have something very important to discuss.

Upon entering the Third Territory, Yang Jin immediately spotted the camera on the Big Chuntun Tree up on the High Slope. "New materials?"

His voice was hoarse, too, but it wasn’t the strained rasp of someone injured like Tang Huai. His was the scratchy hoarseness that came from a clear lack of rest.

Xiaqing replied, "Yes. I traded for it with Brother San from Territory Land No. 7. Twenty thousand points each."

"Not expensive." Yang Jin was clearly impressed with this camera model. He examined it carefully for another moment before saying to Xiaqing, "The position is good, but it’s too conspicuous. You should paint it with a layer of invisibility coating. The new-material nano-invisibility coating not only provides visual Invisibility but also reduces the chance of the camera being detected and tracked by radar, infrared, and laser systems."

"Our Hui San Base doesn’t have this new coating yet. I happened to acquire a few barrels on my trip back."

Xiaqing...

’Fantastic. They hadn’t even gone inside, she hadn’t even presented her bill, and this Iron Rooster had already found a new trade item, plotting to rapidly decrease the amount he owed her.’

Xiaqing raised a hand. "Captain Yang, please, let’s discuss this in the conference room."

"Conference room?" Yang Jin’s eyes brightened slightly.

Following Xiaqing across the stone slab bridge and through the farmland, Yang Jin saw the wooden sign with the words "Conference Room" hanging on the door of a small hut at the edge of the fields. He fell silent.

"Captain Yang, please." Xiaqing, walking in front, pushed open the door, took off her Protective Mask, and invited Yang Jin inside.

Yang Jin nodded and followed Xiaqing into the "conference room," only to discover that the small tool shed didn’t just have a new sign on it; the interior had been upgraded with new furniture as well.

In the center of the room stood a rectangular table with a stool on each side. Both the table and stools were made of solid wood—not that there were many other building materials available these days—and had been coated with a clear varnish.

Yang Jin praised, "The grain of this wood is beautiful."

"This is Evolutionary Pine. If you like it, Captain Yang, I can make a table for you—labor and materials included." Having successfully found a new project, Xiaqing was in a good mood. She poured him a cup of tea. "This is Chrysanthemum Tea. It helps reduce internal heat."

The fresh fragrance of the chrysanthemum spread through the room, its soothing scent relaxing the body and mind. Yang Jin took two sips and felt his throat ease. "I don’t need a table for now," he said. "I brought back two medicinal herbs from White Seven Base. They can only be planted beside a source of Pollution-free Spring Water, or their medicinal properties will rapidly dissipate."

With that, Yang Jin carefully retrieved a twenty-centimeter-square box from his backpack. "If we plant these herbs beside your spring, they won’t affect the water quality. Once they’re established, we can split the profits fifty-fifty. What do you think?"

Xiaqing recognized the box. It was an oxygenated, temperature-controlled planter used specifically for precious herbs. Any plant that warranted such a container was, without exception, incredibly valuable.

Xiaqing’s first reaction was excitement. Her second was the thought that the bill she had just tallied up was about to become a list of her own debts. "A fifty-fifty split is fine, but I can’t guarantee I can keep them alive."

’Better make it clear upfront,’ she thought. ’If they die, I’m not paying compensation.’

Yang Jin smiled. "I didn’t bring them back with any guarantee they would live. If they die, it won’t be your responsibility, and you won’t owe me any compensation. These herbs don’t need light and aren’t picky about temperature or humidity. Do you have a hollow rock or a pit near your spring where we could plant them? A spot that can hold a couple handfuls of soil is all we need. The sooner they’re in the ground, the better."

If no compensation was required, that made things easy. Xiaqing immediately stood up. "I do. Shall we go now?"

Yang Jin reminded her, "Just in case, you should turn off the camera before we go over."

Although the camera was encrypted, there was no guarantee it was completely failsafe.

As Xiaqing pulled out her phone to disable the camera, Yang Jin, who was already on his feet, lowered his gaze to quietly watch her short, messy hair, disheveled from the pressure of her Protective Mask.

Her hair, like her, was unruly, with every strand refusing to lie flat, yet it was bursting with Life Force.

In truth, the herbs could have waited until tomorrow. But Yang Jin had simply wanted to come over to see her.

Four years ago, the first time Yang Jin had walked through the gates of Hui San Base, his eyes had landed on Xiaqing. Her head was tilted as she shouldered a large stone slab. Her clothes were as filthy as everyone else’s, but her eyes were strikingly clear, her gaze calm and resolute. Those eyes, brimming with a vigorous Life Force, had struck him straight in the heart.

To a man who had just endured an exceptionally brutal battle, a gaze like that was precious beyond measure. In that single moment, Yang Jin saw hope—the hope that things would get better if he just kept fighting to survive. He felt a sense of purpose he had never experienced before. From that day on, whenever he returned from a mission, he would go to where Xiaqing worked, just to catch a glimpse of her from afar.

Now that she had left the Safe Zone, it had actually become more difficult for Yang Jin to see her.

"All set." Xiaqing finished disabling all the cameras and reached for the planter box on the table. "Your hands are injured. Should I carry this?"

Naturally, Yang Jin didn’t object. He picked up his tea and drained the cup, then followed Xiaqing. Just as they were about to leave the conference room, he saw an Evolutionary Wolf with a notched ear standing nearby through the window.

Xiaqing, already at the door, waved and called out enthusiastically, "Queen!"

The Head Wolf glanced once at Yang Jin, then stared intently at Xiaqing. Xiaqing, somehow understanding its message, said, "Go on home first, Queen. I’ll get the rabbits ready as soon as I’m back. I promise you’ll be eating them tonight."

Satisfied, the Head Wolf turned and went home.

"This way, Captain Yang." After coaxing the Head Wolf into leaving, Xiaqing returned to her usual calm and composed self. She put her Protective Mask back on and led the way for Yang Jin.

They entered the greenhouse on the low slope and walked over to the Spring Cave. "For security, I expanded the greenhouse to cover the spring and these grapevines," Xiaqing explained. "These are the two vines I got from you back in March. Look how well they’re growing! They’re sure to produce grapes next year."

The vines had only been a meter long when she received them. Now, they had sprouted several offshoots and were sparsely climbing the trellis Xiaqing had built. They were indeed doing very well.

Yang Jin nodded. "This evolved variety is highly cold-resistant, but when the temperature drops below negative fifteen degrees Celsius, it’s best to insulate the roots."

Xiaqing was surprised that Yang Jin knew about this and seized the opportunity to ask, "Do you know which method of insulation works best?"

Of course he knew; he had studied the topic diligently. "The plantations in the Safe Zone use adobe bricks to build troughs," he explained. "After the winter pruning, the vines are bundled and laid inside. A frame of wooden poles is erected over the top, then covered with two layers of straw mats. On top of that goes a fifty-centimeter layer of leaves or hay. They leave a few air vents near the ground, which are sealed once the temperature drops to zero. That way, the soil around the roots doesn’t freeze, preventing damage. Come spring, you just uncover them, and they’ll resume growing."

After finishing his explanation, Yang Jin moved to lift the stone that blocked the entrance to the cave.

Xiaqing quickly stepped forward. "Captain Yang, that stone is heavy. Let me."

Yang Jin didn’t mention that he could move it too. He just obediently stepped back.