Chapter 34: A Deal with Luo Pei

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: A Deal with Luo Pei

After seeing Tan Junjie off, Xiaqing climbed the slope and sat down beside Sheep Leader, who was guarding the spring. She took out her phone and dialed Luo Pei’s number. "Captain Luo, I found some spinach in my fields and wanted to bring some fresh ones over for you to try. No, no, I’ll come to you. It’s not far at all."

Xiaqing didn’t have the Green Dragon Team members come get the produce, nor did she ask a patrol team to pass it along. Carrying a basket of vegetables, she crossed the quarantine zone and greeted Wei Chengdong, who was waiting to welcome her outside the Buffer Forest of No.1 Territory. "Brother Dong."

Wei Chengdong was the member of Luo Pei’s squad responsible for external liaison and calculating mission points. Since Xiaqing often went on missions with Captain Luo’s squad, the two knew each other.

"We can’t leave our posts without authorization, so we had to trouble you to deliver the supplies." Wei Chengdong was clearly much more haggard than before, and his smile was forced. He gave Xiaqing a meaningful look and continued, "These greens have to be inspected before we can make the exchange. Would you mind coming with me?"

’Looks like someone’s eavesdropping here.’ Xiaqing nodded, her voice calm. "Fine. But this is a one-time thing. From now on, we trade directly at the quarantine line, or the deal is off."

No.1 Territory had a two-thousand-acre Buffer Forest, over nineteen hundred acres of farmland, and two Deserted Villages. A small river, over three meters wide, flowed in from the west, cut through the farmland between the two villages, and ran south toward No. 8 Territory.

It was obvious the people in No.1 Territory had no heart for farming. Aside from the two or three acres planted with grain, which looked decent, the rest of the land was covered in weeds taller than a person. But as soon as she entered the village, Xiaqing noticed things were different.

They had cleaned the village meticulously. With her exceptional hearing, Xiaqing detected the slow, deep breaths of several people hidden behind the courtyard walls she passed and up in the large trees. This meant the Green Dragon Team hadn’t given up on Luo Pei after all. Her trade was viable.

The courtyard of the house where Luo Pei was staying was paved with flat red bricks and was completely empty. This was probably to make it easier for the visually impaired Luo Pei to get around.

Only after ushering Xiaqing into the courtyard did Wei Chengdong explain in a low voice, "There’s an Auditory Evolver from No. 2 Territory listening in. It’s not safe to talk in the Buffer Forest, but we’re fine in the village. Captain Luo can’t come out to greet you, please forgive him."

Xiaqing nodded and followed Wei Chengdong into a living room with snow-white walls and simple furniture. When she saw the person sitting in a lounge chair, she froze.

The man’s eyes were covered with white gauze. His lips were a dark purple, and his exposed skin, like Xiaqing’s own, had the dark red hue of poisoning. His face and hands were so thin he was almost unrecognizable.

’Is this person... really Luo Pei?’

Luo Pei, still in the lounge chair, lifted his head slightly and asked with a smile, "Is that you, Xiaqing?"

His voice was just as calm as she remembered it from the radio. Even though she had seen so much death over the years and had grown numb, Xiaqing couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart.

’This was the third-strongest member of the Green Dragon Team, Hui San Base’s top marksman, Luo Pei. This was the same Luo Pei whose back, with a sniper rifle slung over it, had always been enough to put her at ease on missions.’

Xiaqing clenched her fists and answered calmly, "Captain Luo, it’s Xiaqing. I didn’t realize you were so badly injured. I’m sorry to disturb your recovery."

"Come, have a seat." Luo Pei, so ravaged by the Qiang Synthesized Poison that he couldn’t even stand, somehow still had the heart to joke. "So, what do you think? My complexion is pretty easy on the eyes, right?"

Luo Pei was a proud man; he didn’t want pity. Xiaqing, whose skin was the same color as his, nodded. "Mhm, at least it’s much better than purple or green."

Luo Pei’s laughter grew a little louder, but Xiaqing could clearly hear the weakness in it. "Good thing it’s not green, or I’d be laughed to death. By the way, that Perilla and Asparagus Chrysanthemum you brought last time tasted amazing. I was just thinking about trading for some more, and what a coincidence, here you are. You found spinach in your fields now?"

"I just found it in the last couple of days. The Harmful Element content is 0.3%. There isn’t much, so I just picked some of the leaves."

After Xiaqing finished speaking, Wei Chengdong, who was holding the basket, asked with a smile, "Xiaqing, is this wine in this bottle? It’s a big one, must be 1.5 liters." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Luo Pei had been injured in a sneak attack, so of course the Green Dragon Team had to strictly inspect anyone and anything that came near him.

Xiaqing didn’t speak. Instead, she took out a piece of paper with words written on it:

Unpolluted water.

Wei Chengdong’s eyes widened. He leaned in and whispered something in Luo Pei’s ear.

Luo Pei propped himself up slowly with his bony hands, made an inviting gesture in Xiaqing’s direction, and then had Wei Chengdong and the team member standing beside him carry him into the adjacent room.

This room was a converted soundproof room. Not only did it have no windows, but the walls, ceiling, and floor were also covered with sound-dampening panels.

Once the door was shut, Wei Chengdong asked impatiently, "Xiaqing, this water, where did you..."

"Chengdong," Luo Pei interrupted, his smile vanishing as he spoke to Xiaqing with gravity. "My injuries can’t be cured by a few liters of water. I appreciate the gesture, but you should take this water back and keep it for yourself. It’ll be of more use to you than to me."

The delight on Wei Chengdong’s face, who was holding the water bottle, turned to reluctance. Still, he carefully placed the bottle back in the basket. The team member standing beside Luo Pei watched Xiaqing quietly, as if trying to see right through her.

Xiaqing ignored his gaze and said in a low voice, "Captain Luo, have someone test the water quality first. I only have a Harmful Element Detector, so I don’t know if this water is suitable or not."

Seeing Xiaqing’s insistence, Luo Pei finally had Wei Chengdong go test the water quality. A short while later, Wei Chengdong returned, his voice trembling with excitement. "Captain Luo, the quality of this water is excellent! Xiaqing, how much of this water do you have, and what do you want in exchange?"

Xiaqing countered, "How much would it take to heal Captain Luo’s injuries?"

Luo Pei answered directly, "The poison I have requires medicinal baths in addition to IV drips and cleaning the wounds. I need one bath a day for at least four months. The bathwater has to be changed daily and can’t be reused. It will require at least 15,000 liters of Pollution-free Spring Water."

As far as Xiaqing knew, the four springs discovered so far in Hui San Base didn’t produce much more water than the one in her own territory. It would be impossible to draw 15,000 liters for Luo Pei’s use. No wonder his condition had deteriorated to this point.

Xiaqing mentally calculated her spring’s output, then nodded. "Fifteen thousand liters in four months, which is 125 liters a day. I can make that trade."

This time, it wasn’t just Wei Chengdong who was excited—even Luo Pei was moved. He raised his hands and slowly unwrapped the gauze from his eyes. He stared at Xiaqing with blood-red eyes, his voice hoarse. "Why are you saving me?"

The energy from Luo Pei’s Yi Evolution was primarily concentrated in his eyes, which was why they were the most severely damaged by the Qiang Synthesized Poison. After staring at Xiaqing for only a few seconds, involuntary tears began to stream from them.

Xiaqing met his gaze calmly. "I’m not saving you. I have conditions. I want to learn how to shoot from you, Captain Luo. I also want weapons. Additionally, you must guarantee that you won’t reveal the source of the water without my permission."

’These are hardly conditions at all.’ Luo Pei closed his eyes, which felt like they were being pierced by needles, and the tears continued to flow unabated. "Does that include Yang Jin and Xie Yu?"