After seeing Tan Junjie off, Xia Qing climbed the hillside and sat down next to the sheep guarding the spring. She took out her phone and dialed Luo Pei's number. "Team Leader Luo, I found some spinach in the field. I wanted to bring you some to try. No need, I'll come over myself, it's just a short walk."
Xia Qing didn't have the Qinglong team members come to pick it up, nor did she have the search team deliver it. Carrying her basket, she crossed the safety barrier and greeted Wei Chengdong, who was waiting for her outside the buffer zone of Plot 1. "Brother Dong."
Wei Chengdong was a member of Luo Pei's team responsible for external liaison and calculating mission points. Xia Qing often accompanied Luo Pei's team on missions, so the two naturally knew each other.
"We can't leave our posts without permission, so we'll have to trouble you to deliver the supplies." Wei Chengdong looked noticeably more haggard than before, his smile forced. He gave Xia Qing a wink and continued, "These vegetable leaves need to be inspected before we can hand over the supplies to you. Will you come with me?"
It seemed someone was eavesdropping. Xia Qing nodded, her voice calm, "Sure, but only this once. From now on, trade will be done directly in the buffer zone; otherwise, the trade will be canceled."
Plot No. 1 contained 2,000 mu of buffer forest, over 1,900 mu of arable land, and two abandoned villages. A small river, over three meters wide, flowed in from the west, passing through the arable land between the two villages, and flowing south to Plot No. 8.
It was obvious that the people in Plot No. 1 had no interest in farming. Except for the two or three mu planted with grain, which looked somewhat presentable, the rest was overgrown with weeds taller than a person. But as soon as Xia Qing entered the village, she noticed something different.
They had cleaned the village very thoroughly. With her excellent hearing, Xia Qing detected several slow, deep breaths hidden behind the courtyard walls and in the trees as she passed. This meant that the Azure Dragon Team hadn't given up on Luo Pei after all, and her deal was feasible.
The courtyard where Luo Pei lived was paved with smooth red bricks and was empty, presumably to facilitate Luo Pei's movements given her impaired vision.
After inviting Xia Qing into the courtyard, Wei Chengdong explained in a low voice, "There are hearing-evolved individuals listening in on Plot Two, so it's inconvenient to talk in the buffer forest, but it's fine in the village. I apologize that Captain Luo can't come out to greet you."
Xia Qing nodded and followed Wei Chengdong into the living room, which had whitewashed walls and simple furniture. She froze when she saw the person sitting in the recliner.
The person's eyes were covered with white gauze, his lips were dark purple, and his exposed skin, like Xia Qing's, was a dark red from poisoning. His face and hands were so thin they were almost unrecognizable.
Was this really Luo Pei?
Luo Pei, sitting in the recliner, slightly raised his head and asked with a smile, "Xia Qing is here?"
His voice was as calm as it had been heard over the walkie-talkie. Even though he had seen countless life-and-death situations over the years and was long since numb to them, Xia Qing still couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
This was Luo Pei, the third strongest member of the Azure Dragon Team and a top marksman at the Hui San Base. It was Luo Pei, the man whose silhouette carrying a sniper rifle always gave Xia Qing a sense of security during missions.
Xia Qing clenched his fist and calmly replied, "Captain Luo, it's me, Xia Qing. I didn't know you were so badly injured. I'm sorry to have bothered you while you were recovering."
"Come sit down." Despite being so severely injured by the synthetic poison that he couldn't even stand, Luo Pei still had the mind to joke. "How do I look? Does my complexion look better?"
Luo Pei was proud and didn't want anyone to pity him. Xia Qing, whose skin tone was the same as his, nodded. "Yeah, at least it looks better than purple and green."
Luo Pei's laughter grew louder, and Xia Qing could clearly hear his weakness. "Luckily it's not green, otherwise I'd be laughed at to death. By the way, the perilla and toon sprouts you brought last time tasted really good. I was just thinking of exchanging some more with you, and you just happened to come by. Did you find spinach in your field again?"
"I just found it these past two days. The elemental content is three per thousand. Because there wasn't much, I just picked some leaves."
After Xia Qing finished speaking, Wei Chengdong, carrying a basket, asked with a smile, "Xia Qing, is this bottle filled with wine? It's such a big bottle, it must be about 1.5 liters."
Luo Pei had been ambushed and injured, so the Azure Dragon Team naturally wanted to thoroughly investigate anyone and anything that came near him.
Xia Qing didn't speak, but instead took out a piece of paper with writing on it:
Uncontaminated water.
Wei Chengdong's eyes widened, and he whispered something in Luo Pei's ear.
Luo Pei slowly sat up, using his thin, fleshless hands to support himself in the chair. He gestured for Xia Qing to enter, allowing Wei Chengdong and the team members who had been standing beside him to carry him into the adjacent room.
This room was a converted soundproof room; not only did it lack windows, but soundproofing panels were also installed on the walls, ceiling, and floor.
After the door closed, Wei Chengdong eagerly asked, "Xia Qing, where did you get this water from…?"
"Chengdong," Luo Pei interrupted Wei Chengdong, his smile fading as he solemnly addressed Xia Qing, "My injury can't be healed by a few kilograms of water. I appreciate your kindness, but please take the water back and keep it for yourself. It will be more effective for you than for me."
Wei Chengdong, carrying the water bottle, went from surprise to reluctance, but still carefully placed the bottle back in the basket. The team members standing beside Luo Pei silently observed Xia Qing, as if trying to see right through her.
Xia Qing ignored his gaze and said softly, "Captain Luo, have someone test the water quality first. I only have an elemental analyzer, so I don't know if this water is suitable."
Seeing Xia Qing's insistence, Luo Pei finally asked Wei Chengdong to test the water quality. A short while later, Wei Chengdong returned, his voice trembling with excitement, "Captain Luo, the water quality is excellent. Xia Qing, how much of this water do you have, and how do you plan to use it?"
Xia Qing countered, "How much will it take to heal Captain Luo's injuries?"
Luo Pei answered directly, "Besides IV drips and cleaning the wounds, I also need medicinal baths, once a day for at least four months. The bath water needs to be changed daily and cannot be reused; at least 15,000 liters of unpolluted spring water are needed."
As far as Xia Qing knew, the four springs already discovered at the Hui San base didn't have much more water volume than those in Xia Qing's territory. It was impossible for them to pump 15,000 liters of water for Luo Pei; no wonder Luo Pei's health had deteriorated to this state.
Xia Qing calculated her spring water volume before nodding, "Fifteen thousand liters over four months, that's 125 liters per day, I can trade."
This time, not only Wei Chengdong, but even Luo Pei was excited. He slowly removed the gauze covering his eyes, staring at Xia Qing with his bloodshot eyes, his voice hoarse, "Why did you save me?"
Luo Pei's evolutionary energy was mainly concentrated in his eyes, so after being poisoned, his eyes were the most severely damaged. After staring at Xia Qing for only a few seconds, physiological tears streamed down his face.
Xia Qing calmly looked back, "It's not about saving me, I have conditions. I want to learn shooting from Captain Luo, and I also want weapons. Furthermore, Captain Luo must guarantee that he will not reveal the source of the water without my permission."
These small things hardly qualify as conditions. Luo Pei closed his eyes, which ached like needles, tears streaming down his face, "Including Yang Jin and Xie Yu?"