Chapter 1161: Raptors and Chinese Spot-Billed Ducks

"Qing-jie, are you back?"

At seven the next morning, twenty minutes after the Green Dragon Squad's helicopter landed on the Number Forty-Nine Mountain helipad, Tang Huai called Xia Qing on the lord channel.

Xia Qing is now a top-tier sniper blazingly famous across the entire internet, and the allies in the Territory Alliance are thrilled and excited along with her.

"I'm back." Inside Number Three Territory, Xia Qing, who was guarding the farmland, pressed the walkie-talkie button and replied.

Zhao Ze also came online immediately. "Qing-jie must be tired after working all night. Get some rest. I'm in the northern buffer forest. Call me anytime you need anything."

Last night, when good-neighbor Xia Qing went out on a mission, Zhao Ze didn't dare close his eyes for a second. Now that he heard Xia Qing's voice, his heart immediately settled.

Shi Du also spoke up to ask, "Qing-jie, do you have enough people looking after the territory? If not, I'll come over and help guard it for a day?"

The Shi family of three had just moved into their new territory. The corn, rice, and sunflowers they planted in July were all growing in greenhouses inside the Ninth Center, guarded by people sent by the Ninth Center, so Shi Du was able to spare time to help Xia Qing.

Xia Qing answered calmly, "Someone's looking after it. How's your brick kiln coming along?"

The people of Number Ten Territory are all hard workers; they haven't been idle these past few days either. Shi Zhong was clearing small stones from the new territory's farmland and composting, while Shi Du's mother and Shi Du were busy making adobe bricks and building a brick kiln. Once the bricks are fired, they plan to build new houses in the new territory.

A few days ago, Shi Du, Qi Fu, and Yu Shou rented a truck from the Ninth Center and made several trips to Number Fifty-One Mountain to haul back yellow clay, beginning preparations for building greenhouses and firing bricks.

Over this past year-plus, not only Xia Qing but all the allies in the Territory Alliance have been growing rapidly. Now hauling yellow clay no longer requires Xia Qing to lead the team. Shi Du, Yuan Yan, Tang Huai, Hearing Zhu Li, and Qi Fu already have enough ability and weapons and equipment to take on missions like this.

Shi Du answered, "The pit is almost dug. We'll build the arched roof after the migratory bird season passes."

Watching Huo Zhun also came online. "Du-ge, I'll come over in a bit and learn to dig pits and mold bricks from you. In a couple of days I'll haul a few loads of soil too, to build a greenhouse, fire bricks, and build a house."

The Huo family only entered Number Eleven Territory after this year's first killing rain, and they haven't built a greenhouse yet. Winters here are extremely cold; to grow vegetables, they have to build a greenhouse.

Wen Nengjie came online immediately. "Du-ge, I'll come over and take a look too. I keep feeling something's off about the pit I dug."

Number Seventeen lord Wen Nengjie has also been hauling yellow clay along with everyone else, adding to his greenhouse and firing bricks.

"Watching Huo Zhun, give me a shout when you go dig soil, I'll go with you." Tang Huai won't pass up any chance to team up and head out.

Qi Fu came online to remind everyone, "The temperature's climbed to 20 degrees. We should put the rain covers away."

To protect the farmland, the lords have been lowering the rain covers at night these past few days, then pulling them back up once the daytime temperature rises.

Actually, the lords wish the weather would stay a bit cooler these days so they could put off pulling up the rain covers longer. The rice, corn, and sunflowers in the fields have all set seed. Once the rain covers are lifted, those flocks of migratory birds flying overhead that feed mainly on seeds might well be attracted by these large tracts of farmland and come down to peck at them.

Once a flock of birds lands, just a few minutes is enough to destroy months of the lords' hard work. So the lords of Northern Zone One are all on edge, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Xia Qing checked the temperature and saw it had indeed risen to 20°C, so she began putting away the rain covers. The corn cobs growing on her Xia Bo corn in the fields had entered the mature stage, which was easier to manage. The rice, however, was in the important grain-filling stage, so she had to watch the temperature.

The grain-filling stage is the crucial period for rice grain formation and filling, and it has an important impact on rice yield and quality. During this period, the paddy field temperature must be kept between 17–35°C, with plenty of sunlight, so that the rice grains can fill out plump and full.

Xia Qing had just finished rolling up half the rain cover on the first greenhouse when she heard Tan Junjie's voice come through the walkie-talkie.

"Attention all lords, attention all lords: a flock of no fewer than 500 Chinese spot-billed ducks will arrive over the territory in twenty-five minutes."

Chinese spot-billed ducks, also called valley ducks, love rice grains most of all. Wen Nengjie immediately got nervous. "Qing-jie, what do we do now? Should we put the greenhouse rain covers back down?"

Tang Huai came online immediately. "Put them down, my ass! Qing-jie's in the territory. A few hundred ducks don't mean squat! Qing-jie, shall we shoot the flock down?"

Before Xia Qing could come online, Hu Zifeng spoke up. "The Green Dragon Squad will intercept this flock of Chinese spot-billed ducks. Lords, please take precautions as well."

Chinese spot-billed ducks are large birds, flying below 1,200 meters, which makes them suitable for hunting. But intercepting all of them is impossible; a few will definitely fly over the territory, with the possibility of landing and causing damage. Xia Qing reminded her allies, "Don't rush to put away the rain covers. Wait until the spot-billed duck flock has passed."

"Got it." Wen Nengjie replied immediately.

"Copy that." Hearing Zhu Li followed right after.

"Attention all lords, attention all lords: a giant raptor has taken off from the northern Evolution Forest to hunt the Chinese spot-billed ducks. The spot-billed duck flock has fallen into chaos. All territories, strengthen your defenses."

In the northern Evolution Forest of Hui Three, the raptors of Mountains Sixty-Eight through Eighty-Six had also taken a liking to this flock of spot-billed ducks and begun hunting. Their territory lay further north; once they moved in, the Green Dragon Squad wouldn't be able to catch these fat birds.

When the raptors attacked, the migrating Chinese spot-billed ducks, fighting for their lives, might plunge into dense woods or reeds, or might dive into the water to take cover.

The bird habitat north of Number Fifty-Two Mountain, and the reservoir inside Xia Qing's territory, could both become destinations where the spot-billed ducks flee to escape the raptors!

Xia Qing nimbly put the greenhouse rain covers back down. Although she and the few people in the territory all had guns, and were excellent shots, she was still afraid the Green Lantern rice in the fields would be damaged.

This is her staple food for the next half year!

Rolling up the rain covers requires manual labor; putting them down is relatively simple, because she had installed an automatic rain-cover-lowering device.

"Buzz—"

Before Xia Qing had run to one end of the greenhouse, the phone in her pocket rang. She answered while running. "Broken-Waist, what's up?"

Wolf Lao Er, who was following beside Xia Qing, heard the warning howl of the head wolf coming through the phone and immediately blocked Xia Qing's path, letting out a low growl as he began sniffing the surroundings with his nose, searching for the head wolf's scent.

"Da-da-da—"

Hearing Wolf Lao Er's call, Sheep Leader, who had been grazing, immediately charged over and reunited with his companions.

Xia Qing expressed her thanks to the large wolf nose filling her screen. "Broken-Waist, I heard the Queen's warning howl. The bird flock is coming. You need to protect your territory well, and I'll protect mine well too. Thanks for calling to let me know."

Broken-Waist Wolf bared a little fang tip, then used his nose to hang up the phone.

Unable to catch the head wolf's scent and hearing no more warning calls, Wolf Lao Er grew uneasy. Fearing he might run out at this moment and expose himself within the raptors' attack range, Xia Qing immediately wrapped her arms around his neck.