Chapter 1210: Strange Signs in the Farmland

Seeing Xia Qing standing in the dense forest, alone with a blade guarding over a dozen bags of supplies, the members of Yang Jin's squad were all a bit dumbfounded. Yang Jin also pretended to be stunned for a moment before asking with a smile, "Sister Qing, this is the 'few bags' of supplies you mentioned?"

Xia Qing nodded. "Yesterday I led a team on a gathering mission at Mountain No. 22. Near there I found a few southern wild jujubes, wild hawthorns, and chestnuts, so I stayed an extra day. Besides the wild fruits, I also collected a few bags of animal dung and green-light tree leaves to take back for composting."

What Xia Qing said wasn't entirely untrue. Earlier today, seizing the rare opportunity to penetrate deep into the southern wolves' core territory, she had made a circuit of the evolved forest at No. 22 and found quite a lot of wild fruits and animal dung. To avoid anyone discovering that she had raided Liehuo's supplies the night before, Xia Qing had packed last night's haul into the bags as well.

The crates? She'd taken them apart into boards and stuffed them into her backpack.

Yang Jin picked up the bag Xia Qing had indicated with her eyes. Finding it weighed only about 100 jin, he casually slung it over his shoulder, then grabbed another bag beside it, and chatted with Xia Qing. "Southern wild jujubes and hawthorns are too sour to eat raw. Made into jujube cakes and hawthorn cakes they're especially appetizing. I remember there's only one bag of white sugar left in the kitchen?"

"There's still one bag at home. When I get back I'll trade two more bags with Third Brother." Xia Qing replied, casually picking up two bags of ore and walking toward the helicopter.

Making both kinds of food requires large amounts of sugar. The main sugar crop—sugarcane—evolved after the Catastrophe into a qiang-element-sensitive plant, and can only be grown inside standardized planting sheds that isolate qiang elements. That's why the price of sugar has always been a good deal higher than other foods.

Although Territory No. 7 has cultivated a high-quality variety with fast growth and high yield, sugar is still a scarce resource, and the market price hasn't dropped much. But Xia Qing isn't short on points now, so trading with Territory No. 7 for premium green-light sugar doesn't pain her.

The four bags Xia Qing and Yang Jin were carrying held ore harvested from a tree hollow. Each bag weighed about 120 jin, with the ore mixed together with a small amount of animal dung and a large amount of tree leaves. Even if someone didn't mind the filth and felt the bags, they wouldn't be able to tell anything.

In the years of the Catastrophe, one can never be too cautious.

The team members, who had been force-fed dog food, hopped down with grins and helped Xia Qing carry the remaining bags into the cabin. The helicopter lifted off again and continued its patrol.

The old wolf in the dense forest stared at the helicopter's bare landing gear for a while before leading the pack back to their territory.

After confirming that the hyena clan's unusual activity was due to members fighting over the position of alpha rather than an invasion by outsiders, Yang Jin had the team report the situation and ordered the helicopter to fly directly to the northern Zone 1 territory.

Yang Jin going to the northern Zone 1 territory wouldn't arouse anyone's suspicion, because his "girlfriend" was over there. The helicopter had just landed on the helipad of Mountain No. 49 when Agriculture Department Director Yang Benming called Xia Qing.

"Xiao Xia, I just received a report from the Territory Management Department. A number of potato vines in the southern territory have suddenly undergone aggressive qiang-evolution. What's the situation on your end?"

Xia Qing replied calmly, "Center Nine hasn't reported any anomalies. I'll head over to patrol right away."

Yang Benming urged, "Thank you for your hard work. Report any anomalies immediately, and stay safe."

"Understood, don't worry." After hanging up, Xia Qing looked at Yang Jin.

Without her needing to speak, Yang Jin understood. "I'll take you back first, then bring the supplies. Wang Liang, you carry Xia Qing's backpack and follow."

"Thanks." Time was tight, so Xia Qing didn't stand on ceremony with Yang Jin. She handed her backpack straight to Wang Liang and hopped onto Yang Jin's back. Wang Liang, a Level 4 Speed and Level 6 Elasticity Evolver, took Xia Qing's backpack and nearly collapsed on the spot.

Worthy of a Strength Evolver—carrying three or four hundred jin of supplies like it was nothing...

Yang Jin carried Xia Qing on his back and activated his top speed, entering Territory No. 3 through the north gate, and set her down right beside the off-road vehicle by the farmland.

Wolf Lao Er, who was patrolling the territory, spotted Xia Qing returning and immediately rushed over. Little Feimao, who had been foraging for food in the territory, ran over and burrowed into her coat pocket.

Xia Qing patted the little bulge in her coat pocket, scratched Wolf Lao Er's neck and told him to guard the house, then drove off toward the south gate.

Passing through the wild-grass wall, Xia Qing saw Yang Jin had already opened the south gate. She rolled down the window, exchanged a greeting with him, and sped straight out.

"Brother Jin!"

Yang Jin had been about to lock the gate when he saw Tang Huai running out from Territory No. 2. When Tang Huai drew near, Yang Jin asked casually, "Patrolling the territory?"

If you weren't patrolling the territory, how would you have rushed out the moment anything stirred on Xia Qing's side?

Tang Huai caught Yang Jin's meaning. He tugged at the chin strap of his protective mask that he hadn't yet fastened and explained with a grin, "I just got word about the potato vines' aggressive qiang-evolution, so I figured Sister Qing would definitely head to Center Nine. That's why I ran out, but I was still a step too late. Brother Jin, potatoes are a medium-risk aggressive qiang-evolution plant. Center Nine has four sheds of potatoes growing—aren't you going to go with Sister Qing and check it out?"

That way I can go with you.

Yang Jin refused outright. "Center Nine is a quasi-military management department. I don't have clearance to enter."

Seeing he had no chance, Tang Huai didn't dawdle. He ducked straight back into Territory No. 2 and ran toward Center Nine's west wall.

This brick wall, four and a half meters high with iron spikes mounted along the top, had only just been built. With this wall in place, the security of Center Nine and Territory No. 2 had risen another notch, but it also blocked Tang Huai's melon-eating view.

Xia Qing drove straight to Greenhouse No. 3 at Center Nine before stopping. She hurried inside and found the interior brightly lit, with the Magnetic Sense Evolution Squad, the Planting Group, and the Security Group already at their posts, the entire staff on high alert.

The potato vines growing inside the greenhouse, now half a person's height, were perfectly still, showing no signs of aggressive qiang-evolution. Everything inside the greenhouse appeared normal.

Yan Yue, wearing a prosthetic limb, came over. "Director, none of the potato vines in the four sheds have shown qiang-evolution so far, but the qiang-element density in the air has risen by 1 point compared to twenty minutes ago. The Technical Department has already taken soil and air samples and is running tests."

"Good." Xia Qing nodded.

Wu Xinlian, a Class B Magnetic Sense Evolution employee who was patrolling this potato greenhouse, also came over. "Director, the magnetic fields of the potato vines are all normal at the moment. No unusual activity detected."

"Good. Stay safe while patrolling—don't enter the potato vines' attack range." Xia Qing gave the instruction, then turned to Mao Chuntai, head of Center Nine's Planting Department. "Minister Mao, execute Potato Shed No. 1 Emergency Plan. Prioritize personnel safety."

The first stage of potato aggressive qiang-evolution is that the potato vines begin to grow rapidly, trembling slightly in still air. After trembling for ten-odd seconds, the potato vines begin to sway, with an amplitude exceeding five centimeters. If subjected to external stimulation at this stage, the potato vines will enter indiscriminate attack mode. Once aggressive qiang-evolution occurs, the hardness and flexibility of the potato vines surge dramatically, and ordinary blades can't cut through them at all.

When nearby normal potato vines are whipped, or when the root systems of normal plants are seized by the root systems of aggressively qiang-evolved potato vines, aggressive qiang-evolution is highly likely to occur.

That's why this kind of potato is classified as a medium-risk plant. Of course, when Center Nine planted potatoes, it had conducted disaster-prevention drills in advance and formulated disaster-response plans.

Mao Chuntai, head of Center Nine's Planting Department, answered crisply, "Yes! Personnel have already been arranged and deployed according to the plan. Please rest assured, Director."

Xia Qing nodded and continued her inspection with Yan Yue. As they entered Greenhouse No. 5, Yue Haiying, who was guarding the greenhouse, reminded her, "Director, Third Brother is calling you on the Overlord channel."

?? Thanks to reader 0989 for the tip, thanks to reader 6455 for the tips for Third Brother and Boss Yang, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions, votes, and comments.

? (End of chapter)