Chapter 393: Paving the Way

Chapter 393: Chapter 393: Paving the Way

After Yu Shou left, Zhao Ze continued to push forward with the micro-tiller, and Qi Fu followed behind the vehicle to clear the road. Xiaqing was solely in charge of guard duty.

"Miss Xia, can you hear me?" Five minutes later, Yu Shou, who had gone to negotiate with Territory No. 17, called out to Xiaqing on his walkie-talkie.

"I can."

Yu Shou reported the situation. "Lord No. 17 Wen Nengjie is here with thirteen people from his territory, and they’re using chainsaws, saws, and axes to cut down thorn wood. In addition to the lumber, they also want to collect the yellow clay from the area they clear."

’Wen Chengjie scouted the Thorny Wood Forest yesterday, and now he’s shown up before six in the morning with all these people. His intention to claim territory and snatch resources is perfectly clear.’

Since the two sides hadn’t started fighting after Yu Shou went over, it meant there was room to negotiate. Xiaqing asked, "How large of an area do they need to clear and excavate?"

"Over fifty evolutionary thorn wood trees and more than three hundred square meters. They need to collect over three hundred cubic meters of yellow clay in total. The construction vehicle they rented will arrive in four days, so they’re here early to clear the site. Lord No. 17 has agreed to let our micro-tiller and transport vehicle pass through the area they’ve already cleared before they start collecting the clay."

The area Wen Nengjie chose was right on the path Xiaqing’s team planned to take to collect the clay. A detour would mean clearing over five hundred more meters of road, but passing through their claimed area would only require clearing a little over fifty more meters.

This was a pleasant surprise.

Xiaqing told Yu Shou to return to the team, and the four of them continued clearing a path forward with the micro-tiller.

Twenty minutes later, the small road-clearing team reached the edge of the area Wen Nengjie’s group had cleared, and the two parties came face to face.

There were no surveillance cameras or law enforcement teams in the Evolution Forest. Running into a group of strangers here was even more dangerous than encountering Evolutionary Animals.

The people from Territory No. 17 were fully armed. Some stared at the micro-tiller, while others were sizing up Xiaqing, who was standing on the vehicle’s roof. Xiaqing, in turn, quickly scanned the crew cutting down trees.

’There are fourteen of them in total, with four crude homemade firearms and four chainsaws. Everyone has a sharp machete and an axe. Judging by their tools, even if they have a Strength Evolver, they can’t be above Level 3. Their stances are just like guys who get into gang fights in the Safe Zone. The one in the very center is a middle-aged man, a little over 1.6 meters tall, with a stout, broad build. Judging by the shape of the side pocket on his Protective Suit, he’s probably carrying a small Handgun. This guy with the Handgun must be Lord No. 17, Wen Nengjie, the one nicknamed Dead Renjie.’

"Miss Xia, the one walking over in the tan camouflage is Lord No. 17, Wen Nengjie," Yu Shou whispered over the walkie-talkie. He stowed his weapon and went to meet him, raising his voice in greeting. "Brother Jie."

If you’re going to ask for passage, you have to look the part.

Xiaqing leaped down from the top of the two-meter-high protective shield, landing steadily. She clipped her sniper handgun to her belt and, with a calm expression, followed Yu Shou toward Wen Nengjie.

The people from Territory No. 17 had seen that this was just a four-person team, and in a micro-tiller of all things. But on top of it stood a woman with high-end weapons and a Level 3 protective suit. They were green with envy and itching with greed. However, when they saw Xiaqing stow her weapon, leap down from the vehicle, and walk toward them, they immediately straightened up.

Why?

The woman’s movements as she jumped from the vehicle were incredibly fluid. One look was enough to tell she was a trained fighter—a real badass. If they tried to rob someone like her, not only would they fail to get rich, they’d likely leave their own lives behind in this Evolution Forest.

Lord No. 17, Wen Nengjie, had of course also seen Xiaqing’s equipment and her movements. He hurried forward to greet them and introduce himself. "Old Yu, this must be Lord No. 3, Miss Xiaqing, right? I’ve heard so much about Miss Xia. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Lord No. 17, Wen Nengjie."

"You’re too kind, Brother Jie. Just call me Xiaqing. Thank you for letting us pass." Xiaqing stopped three meters away from Wen Nengjie and gave a slight nod of thanks.

Before the Natural Disasters, the safe distance for meeting a stranger or asking for directions was about 1.5 meters. After the Natural Disasters, humanity evolved. The distance for a first greeting between strangers stretched to three meters or more. Getting any closer would make both parties feel uneasy and threatened.

Although Xiaqing could now smile naturally when interacting with the animals in her territory, she couldn’t bring herself to make cheerful small talk with strangers after leaving her land and entering the Evolution Forest. She remained expressionless.

Of course, Wen Nengjie wasn’t upset by Xiaqing’s stone-faced expression. Quite the opposite, he found her attitude much better than he’d anticipated. He had long since asked around and knew that Lord No. 3 was a violent and reclusive person, a tough character who disliked dealing with others. After settling into her territory, she’d gotten in with Hu Zifeng, a squad leader from the Green Dragon Team, and was living quite comfortably.

’This was not someone Wen Nengjie could afford to provoke.’

’For her to be so polite during their first meeting was a show of respect, and of course he had to accept it graciously.’

Wen Chengjie’s face was wreathed in smiles as he took a step forward. "We’re neighbors out here, we should be helping each other and fighting against the Natural Disasters together. I heard from Old Yu that you’re headed to the riverbank up ahead for clay? I was over there yesterday, and the yellow clay isn’t as good as what we have here. You’d be better off digging some from this spot."

No one would take such pleasantries at face value. Xiaqing glanced at the ground. "The soil here is indeed better than on the riverbank. But there are six territories involved, and we need to haul away nearly three thousand cubic meters of soil. Our vehicle rental is only for two days, so it’s still more practical for us to dig over by the riverbank."

Hearing that six territories were working together, Wen Nengjie’s expression didn’t change, but an idea was already forming in his mind. His attitude became even more solicitous. "It’s still a bit of a way to the riverbank from here. How about I have my men help you clear it first, and then we’ll get back to cutting down trees."

Xiaqing, leading the combat-inexperienced Qi Fu and Zhao Ze, had no intention of teaming up with strangers she’d just met. "We couldn’t possibly trouble you, Brother Jie. We still have plenty of time. If we really get into a bind, we’ll be sure to ask for your help."

Wen Nengjie didn’t press the issue. He had his people clear a path and get back to cutting down trees and clearing roots.

Xiaqing consulted with Yu Shou. "We can’t just push through up ahead with the micro-tiller. I’ll go clear the path. The rain cover can block their weapon fire, so Brother Yu, just focus on keeping Brother Qi safe."

"Understood."

Xiaqing was the leader of this mission; Yu Shou would carry out whatever orders she gave. It was a sense of obedience that had been drilled into him over many years of military service, and was now part of his very being.

After confirming the area Wen Nengjie intended to clear and excavate, the micro-tiller pushed forward another forty-plus meters along the edge of the section he had cleared.

The dense Evolution Forest lay just ahead, a thicket of thorn wood, shrubs, and overgrown weeds. They were still more than fifty meters from the riverbank where they would collect the clay, so they needed to clear a path as quickly as possible.

Xiaqing chose a path forward and gave orders over the walkie-talkie. "Brother Qi, Brother Yu, detach the tiller’s plow blade and install the weeding wheels from the hopper. I’ll go on ahead to clear the large shrubs. Brother Qi, clear away any large rocks so we don’t chip the blades. Brother Zhao, use the micro-tiller to mow the grass. As for the three thorn wood trees blocking the path, we’ll take care of them with the chainsaw and a shovel in a bit."

"Roger."

After receiving their confirmations, Xiaqing reached up, drew the long black blade from her back, and walked toward the thicket of shrubs.

Her action took everyone by surprise.