Chapter 37: Deal

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Deal

During the Disaster Years, Hua Country still strictly prohibited its citizens from illegally owning firearms.

Of course, no one would care if you were carrying a rocket launcher outside a Safe Zone, but you had to undergo a strict inspection to enter one. That was why Xiaqing’s weapons had always been a machete and a slingshot.

After the Great Evolution of life on Blue Star, legally registered teams in the Safe Zones were permitted to own weapons to counter the lethal threat posed by Evolved Creatures. However, their use was strictly regulated. Any violation would result not only in the confiscation of the weapons but also in severe punishment.

Xiaqing was allowed to own weapons when she went to farm outside the Safe Zone, but she had neither the points nor a way to purchase them. That was why she came up with the idea of trading Pollution-free Spring Water with the Green Dragon Team.

Her goal was to trade for a sniper rifle and two hundred rounds of ammunition, but Yang Jin’s offer far exceeded her expectations.

Xiaqing steadied her violently pounding heart and looked directly into Yang Jin’s eyes across the firelight. "How many liters of spring water do you want for this equipment and these weapons?"

Xiaqing’s caution pleased Yang Jin. "In exchange for these supplies, could we increase the total amount of spring water from fifteen thousand liters to seventeen thousand five hundred? The extra two thousand five hundred liters would be for Brother Luo to drink during his treatment."

There was no definitive experimental data to prove that drinking Pollution-free Spring Water enhanced one’s constitution—not because the water wasn’t effective, but because there was never enough to conduct proper experiments. The benefit of the water to humans wasn’t a question of ’if,’ but of ’how much.’

Ten Evolved People from the Green Dragon Team acting as guards for a year, three sets of Top Level protective gear, three guns and nine hundred rounds of ammunition, plus personal instruction from the Sharpshooter Luo Pei—all in exchange for seventeen thousand five hundred liters of spring water over the next four months. To Xiaqing, this was an excellent deal.

Yang Jin was a notorious Iron Rooster who never made a losing deal. This transaction gave Xiaqing a tangible sense of her spring water’s true value.

When trading with someone of his stature, even though Xiaqing was so excited she felt like raising all four of Sheep Leader’s hooves in agreement, she had to maintain a powerful facade. She gave a calm nod. "Deal."

After adding two pieces of firewood to the fire, Yang Jin brought up another transaction. "I have one more proposal, if you’re interested."

Images of the supplies she desperately needed flashed through Xiaqing’s mind. She kept her expression inscrutable. "Go on."

Yang Jin laid out the proposal. "If Brother Luo stays in No.1 Territory while he recovers, the existence of your spring water will eventually be exposed, and your life will be disrupted by outsiders. So, I want Brother Luo to heal inside your territory. He will only bring four men, and they can stay in this house or anywhere you arrange. They will never step outside the boundaries you set, except to receive Brother Luo’s supplies or to collect water. Once he’s mobile again, he’ll start teaching you how to shoot. I guarantee they will all leave in four months. If you still haven’t mastered shooting by then, Brother Luo will move to No.1 Territory and continue teaching you until you have."

Seeing Xiaqing’s brow still furrowed, the amusement in Yang Jin’s eyes deepened as he stated the terms she couldn’t possibly refuse. "In exchange, we’ll provide two hundred liters of diesel and a small, tracked, multi-purpose tiller that can handle rotary tilling, trenching, ridging, backfilling, weeding, and pesticide spraying. We’ll also include two saplings each of apple, strawberry, jujube, and grape."

’A tiller, diesel, saplings... every single item was something she desperately needed. Was there even anything to discuss?’

Xiaqing couldn’t keep up the facade anymore and nodded immediately. "Deal. This village is Brother Luo’s to use for the next four months."

"For security purposes, can Brother Luo and his men come over now?"

"Yes."

"To ensure the secure transport of supplies and medicine from No.1 Territory to the Third Territory, can we dig a tunnel from Brother Luo’s residence to No.1 Territory? We’ll fill it in as soon as he leaves."

"...Yes."

Yang Jin smiled. "Good. If any other issues come up, you can negotiate directly with Brother Luo."

His smile was so handsome that Xiaqing almost asked him to stay for a late-night snack. Fortunately, her common sense prevailed, and she escorted Yang Jin out of her territory before dawn.

The Green Dragon Team was incredibly efficient. Half an hour later, Luo Pei was moved into the Third Territory with the utmost secrecy. Shortly after dawn, a small helicopter landed in No.1 Territory, stayed for twenty minutes, then took off and departed.

Two hours later, Tang Huai called Xu Pin, the vice-captain of the Su Feng Team. "...Yes, confirmed. Yang Jin picked up Luo Pei with a helicopter. No.1 Territory is undefended now. The people inside have started clearing weeds and tilling the soil... That’s right, we already sent someone to check, and we’ve confirmed Luo Pei is no longer in the territory... Yes, the helicopter flew west. Only one."

After hanging up, Tang Huai, in high spirits, called out to his younger brother, Tang Heng, "Let’s go! We’re going hunting. Barbecue and booze tonight!"

On the fourth day of Luo Pei’s stay, six tree saplings and two strawberry plants were secretly delivered to Xiaqing’s territory by the Green Dragon Team. Xiaqing planted all of them in a tilled patch of land and watered them thoroughly with mountain spring water.

To save up enough mountain spring water for the new plants, Xiaqing had been extremely frugal with her water use over the past few days, so much so that she couldn’t even bear to make porridge.

The tree saplings were one-year-old bare poles between one and two meters tall, and the strawberry plants had only five leaves each. Xiaqing couldn’t bear to pluck a single leaf or break a twig to test its sap, so she had no way of knowing if they were Green Light or Yellow Light.

To stop Sheep Leader from nibbling on the young plants, Xiaqing risked a trip into the Evolution Forest. She returned with branches from an evolved sour jujube tree, which were covered in sharp, palm-length thorns, and used them to build a protective fence.

Once the fence was up, Xiaqing was in a wonderful mood. She called Luo Pei’s new cell phone number and headed over to visit, carrying a basket of vegetables.

Luo Pei and his men had been living there for four days, and just as Yang Jin had promised, they stayed quietly in the village. They even fetched their water at night, ensuring they didn’t disturb Xiaqing’s life in the slightest.

The Third Territory contained three Deserted Villages arranged in a triangle. Xiaqing lived in the northern one, Luo Pei was staying in the southwestern one, and the southeastern village remained empty. Xiaqing planned to clear it out later to raise chickens, ducks, and geese, provided she could catch or trade for them.

Luo Pei was staying in the very courtyard where she had negotiated with Yang Jin. When Xiaqing went inside, she discovered that although nothing had changed on the surface, they had somehow dug out several basement rooms underneath. The entrance was right there in the house.

’When did they dig all this? And where did they dump the earth?’

The basement walls were not only damp-proofed and soundproofed but also fitted with electric lights and an array of sophisticated medical equipment that seemed utterly out of place in the wake of the Natural Disasters.

’When did they install all this? How did they even get it in here?’

Seeing Xiaqing’s baffled expression, Wei Chengdong grinned so wide his gums showed. A blindfolded Luo Pei called out to her, "Xiaqing, come have a seat."

After just five days of treatment with a sufficient supply of spring water, Luo Pei was already able to sit up straight. Xiaqing handed the vegetable basket to Wei Chengdong, a smile in her voice. "Looks like your treatment is going well, Brother Luo."

"It’s all thanks to you." Luo Pei offered a genuine smile. "The farm machinery is rather large, so we’ll have to find the right opportunity to bring it over without raising suspicion. The guns and ammunition are already here. Since you’re a Strength Evolver, I chose a submachine pistol, an automatic rifle, and a bolt-action sniper rifle."

Wei Chengdong opened the long wooden crate he had brought in, revealing three new guns that smelled of oil. Though Xiaqing was no expert, she recognized the sniper rifle instantly. It was identical to the one Luo Pei carried on his back during missions!

’This is definitely the real deal.’

Luo Pei continued, "For stealth, all three guns come with attachments to reduce their report, muzzle flash, and smoke. They’re all in the crate. Today, I’ll have Chengdong teach you the Handgun. You can carry that for self-defense for now. I’ll teach you the other two when my eyes have healed."

"Thank you, Brother Luo. And I’ll be in your hands, Brother Dong." Xiaqing didn’t mention that she had used a rifle once on a mission with the Dongyang Team, because that ancient, homemade gun was utterly incomparable to the three weapons before her now.