Chapter 1030: The Wind Rises

"Plucker, are you there?"

"Little Whitey, are you there?"

"Plucker…"

After leaving the hidden valley, Xia Qing circled around to the weasel family's burrow and called out to Little Whitey and Plucker the weasel.

Because Xia Qing always brought food whenever she came, less than a minute after she called, rustling sounds came from inside the burrow, and Little Whitey, with its round little ears, poked its head out and looked at Xia Qing with its shiny black eyes.

Xia Qing pulled six Green Lantern eggs from her backpack and set them at the weasel family's door. "Little Whitey, the Harmful Rain is about to start. Keep this food stored away, and don't come out to hunt during the Harmful Rain period—it's too dangerous."

Xia Qing, who raised several dozen chickens, was never short on eggs. Giving a few eggs to this albino weasel that had already helped her find six kinds of herbs, to help it safely get through the Harmful Rain period, was well worth it.

Little Whitey's whiskers trembled as it sniffed, then it crawled out of the burrow and pushed the eggs inside.

Eggs were a favorite food of the weasel family. To store the eggs inside the burrow, the weasel family had smoothed out the ground at the burrow entrance, making it quite level so the eggs could be rolled in.

Xia Qing, whose vision had evolved, saw an albino kit inside the burrow using its little paws to scratch the egg its mother had pushed in further.

Xia Qing didn't hurry off either. She chatted with Little Whitey, reminding them not to forget to help her guard the valley. "Please help me, you and Plucker, watch over the valley. Don't let strangers or fierce beasts get close. These eggs are your payment."

After Little Whitey and the albino kit had rolled all six eggs inside, Xia Qing stood up and was just about to leave when she saw Plucker the weasel returning with a kit the same color as itself, carrying prey in its mouth.

The Harmful Rain period was approaching, and the weasel family was actively preparing. Plucker the weasel carried two rats in its mouth, and the kit behind it carried two plump evolved insects of some unknown species.

Seeing Xia Qing, the kit didn't dare advance. Plucker the weasel ran over and tremblingly offered Xia Qing a small rat.

"Thanks. Plucker, try some of the pork freeze-dried meat I just made." Xia Qing accepted its prey, gave it a pack of freeze-dried meat, and asked it to watch over the valley.

Xia Qing took a couple of steps downhill carrying the dead rat when she saw the kit that had gone hunting with Plucker the weasel run past her carrying a plump insect in its mouth, with another smaller insect placed on a rock.

Perhaps this little weasel didn't know why it should give prey to Xia Qing, but seeing its father do it, it followed suit.

Xia Qing put the small rat and the small meat insect into a plastic bag, gave this weasel kit a few pieces of freeze-dried meat, and hurried down the mountain back to her territory.

She still had to patrol the Ninth Center once before noon.

Seeing Xia Qing arrive, the four staff members in the Ninth Center's office, including Director Yan Yue, all stood up. "Director."

Xia Qing nodded, told everyone to continue working, then asked Yan Yue, "Does your leg still hurt?"

Yan Yue had lost her foot and lower leg during the Insect Tide, but her knee remained. After being fitted with a prosthetic and practicing for two days, she could maintain her balance on flat ground without crutches.

Standing again, Yan Yue smiled. "I can only walk a little over a hundred meters. I still need more practice."

Xia Qing nodded, sat down, and listened to Yan Yue's report on the progress of the various tasks assigned the day before.

When Yan Yue reported on the investigation progress of the attack on Ninth Center staff that occurred the day before, Nurse Chen Xia from the medical room happened to walk past outside the window carrying a medical kit. Xia Qing and Yan Yue, who already knew her true identity, showed no sign of anything unusual.

"Two territories in the northern third district are involved. The relevant personnel have been taken into custody and are being interrogated…"

After reporting the investigation situation, Yan Yue began introducing the arrangements for the families of the fallen. "The compensation has been paid in full to the families. They want to continue staying in the Ninth Center dormitory. Director Yue handled the meal discount cards for them according to the relevant regulations."

"Among the six criminals captured at Mountain Forty-Seven, there's a Class B Magnetic Sense Evolver, Ma Xiaoyin, who went missing from the Safe Zone a few days ago."

Xia Qing raised an eyebrow. "Did he leave with this group voluntarily?"

In the video filmed from the air by Seeing Xin Yu's reconnaissance bird, none of the fleeing ten-person squad was being dragged or carried.

"Yes. This group contacted him privately and offered very generous payment, so Ma Xiaoyin disguised himself and left the Safe Zone with them." Yan Yue continued. "This morning, Captain Lu Ying of our base's Criminal Investigation Team One called our center's landline to ask whether the four staff members of our Magnetic Sense Group had had any contact with these people. Of the four, only Lü Ziqiang received a probing message. He had already reported this situation before. Here is the record from that time."

The Magnetic Sense Group's Wu Xinlian, Geng Min, and Wang Jun all moved into the Ninth Center with their families and were hard to poach. Although Lü Ziqiang was a lone wolf, he had been caught once and was thoroughly scared. Now he just wanted to stay tucked inside the Ninth Center's turtle shell and go nowhere.

Xia Qing nodded. "Did the Criminal Investigation Team mention the identities of these criminals?"

"No."

After listening to Yan Yue's report on the main contents of the six documents issued to the Ninth Center by various base departments that morning, Xia Qing also checked the preparation status of the Ninth Center's various tasks before returning to her own territory.

There were still twelve hours until the forecasted start of the Harmful Rain, but clouds had already covered the sun, the wind was turning cold, and several dozen evolved crows circled and cawed above the territory, making people quicken their pace involuntarily.

"This rain probably won't wait until one in the morning. Everyone prepare ahead of time." Shi Zhong of Territory Ten sent a reminder on the lord channel.

Zhao Ze asked, "Uncle Shi, are your joints starting to hurt?"

Shi Zhong, who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, replied, "They've started. The first wave of rain is sure to be heavy."

"Then it's really close. No worries, the sooner it starts, the sooner it ends." Qi Fu reminded everyone, "Everyone must keep an eye on the growth and spread of the bamboo roots transplanted into the territories. Don't let any dangerous situations arise."

Hardness-Evolved Bamboo was a good thing, but it was also an aggressive Harmful evolved plant. According to regulations, since they had voluntarily planted dangerous plants within their territories, even if dangerous situations arose, the inspection team was not responsible for clearing them.

Xia Qing returned to her territory amid the cawing of crows, first fed the chickens already caged in the coop, then climbed up to Old Wolf's territory.

"Woof—"

Old Wolf let out a growl, warning her not to come any closer.

Xia Qing wasn't afraid of it. She shook the rainproof cloth in her hand and walked up. "It's going to rain. I'm putting a rainproof cloth over your royal cell for you."

Xia Qing firmly secured the royal cell with large wooden wedges, then built a simple shed frame over it using Hardness-Evolved Bamboo boards, covered it with the rainproof cloth and tied it down with rope. "There, as long as it doesn't rain knives, this rain shelter won't have any problems. When it rains, stay put inside. Getting caught in the Harmful Rain is no joke."

After saying this, Xia Qing pulled a Yishi necklace from her pocket and swiftly hung it around Old Four's neck. "This is a Yishi that will help you safely get through the Harmful Rain period. Rent is one thousand points per day. After the Harmful Rain, you catch four Green Lantern wild ducks for me."

Wearing a Yishi for the first time, Old Wolf shook its neck, finding it uncomfortable.

Not just Old Wolf—the chickens in Territory Three, the Green Lantern mealworms, the Green Lantern fish, the breeding Sheds 1 and 2, the Shed 3 planted with fig cuttings, the planting greenhouse full of flowering plants, the aquaculture greenhouse planted with Green Lantern sweet potatoes, the Shed 9 and half of Shed 8 planted with Green Lantern corn, the Shed 11 planted with Green Lantern rice and Green Lantern sweet potatoes, and Sheep Boss's forage shed were all protected by Xia Qing with Yishi.

As the lord of Territory Three, Xia Qing, along with Sheep Boss and the territory's Employee No. 001, Little Feimao, had been wearing Yishi all along and didn't need to hastily add equipment.

After installing the Yishi and checking the supplies once more, Xia Qing sat in the small hut by the farmland drinking tea and resting, preparing to face the 50-hour Harmful Rain, when she saw an evolved wolf with a chunk missing from its left ear appear outside her window.

Xia Qing's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately stood up.