Chapter 1647: The Inspection Team Enters Territory Three

After Yao Yuanxing was driven out of Northern Zone One and moved into a tent on the empty ground at the south side of the territory, his tent was over thirty meters away from Huang Wanmao's tent from Bai Yi University.

The next day, standing inside his own tent and watching gloomily as Huang Wanmao entered the south gate of Northern Zone One's territory to continue participating in the inspection activities, Yao Yuanxing finally took out his binoculars and looked toward the No. 49 mountain range to the north.

Yao Yuanxing lost his inspection qualification; the inspection team still had 41 experts remaining.

One person fewer made no difference to the Ninth Planting Center or the other territories — they carried on receiving visitors exactly as before. But for Xia Qing, the difference was considerable.

Yao Yuanxing was one of the experts whose name Zhang San had bolded on the list, telling Xia Qing to watch out for him. Now that her idol had driven him out, Huang Wanmao of Bai Yi University had shifted his focus to Tang Huai, so today Xia Qing only needed to concentrate on dealing with Guo Qingbin, Hu Guangdong, and Jiang Cheng of Red Yi University, and Liang Wen of Bai Liu.

The first two harbored ulterior motives, the third was the key to whether the spring water within her territory had been exposed, and the fourth had come for Wolf Lao Er.

Xia Qing, who had not attended special training that morning, first received this batch of experts at the Ninth Center together with Yue Haiying and Yan Yue. Once the experts left the Ninth Center and headed for Territory One, Xia Qing also returned to her own territory.

The four members of Beard Feng's squad, who stood guard over Territory Three with live weapons, immediately felt reassured when they saw Xia Qing had returned.

Territory One had the largest resident population and the most reclaimed farmland of all Hui-3's territories. However, Territory One's success was not the success of Hui-3's flagship "1+N Territory Construction New Model," but rather the success of the "Territory Squad" model. The experts were no strangers to the latter, so they did not linger long inside Territory One before moving on to the third stop of the visit — Territory Three.

Originally, Xia Qing's territory was not on the tour itinerary. But several experts submitted requests to Zhang Song, hoping to enter Territory Three for inspection. Zhang Song "had no choice" but to communicate with Xia Qing and add her territory to the tour.

Territory Three and Territory Seven were the two most mysterious and alluring of all Hui-3's territories. When the experts, under the protection of Territory Seven's guards and screening team, emerged from Territory One — which had reclaimed 1,458 mu of cultivated land and a resident population approaching three hundred — and entered the south gate of Territory Three, they were all very excited.

But when they passed through the wild-grass wall and looked from south to north in one glance, then from west to east in another, their gazes finally settled on Territory Three's lord, Xia Qing, standing inside the territory along with three employees in protective suits, and for a moment they did not know what to say.

Zhang Song, who was personally leading the group, introduced them warmly. "Experts, this is Territory Three. The territory has a total area of 7,080 mu, with 4,500 mu of buffer forest and 2,400 mu of cultivable land; the area currently reclaimed is 18.6 mu. The farmland now has 5 mu planted with overwintering wheat and 0.25 mu of vegetables. You've all met the lord — she is Director Xia Qing of the Ninth Center. If there's anything you'd like to know or see about Territory Three, you can speak directly with Director Xia."

Bai Jiangxia spoke first. "Xia Qing, are all the greenhouses in your territory built with hard bamboo and timber structures?"

Xia Qing replied, "Yes, last year I replaced all the greenhouse supports with hard bamboo and timber. The two hothouses have steel-structured supports."

Bai Jiangxia nodded, affirming Xia Qing's territory reclamation achievements. "You manage two experimental zones and the Ninth Planting Center with over a thousand people, yet you still managed to exceed your own territory reclamation quota by two times. Excellent work."

Everyone……

Bai Jiangxia's words were indeed faultless. According to national territory policy, in the first five years after a lord receives land, the lord meets the standard if the effectively reclaimed farmland each year is no less than 2 mu. This is the third year of the territory policy's implementation, and Xia Qing has reclaimed 18.6 mu of cultivated land — truly exceeding the quota by two times.

Without waiting for Xia Qing to respond, Bai Jiangxia continued asking, "This area has been cleared too?"

"Yes. After the thaw I plan to plant forage grass here. The main purpose is to raise the livestock and poultry within the territory, and the secondary purpose is to screen out highly stable forage grass varieties that can adapt to local climate conditions and be grown in the open."

After Xia Qing finished speaking, she raised her voice to remind them, "This area has already undergone soil improvement. Experts, please walk along the pedestrian path and do not step on the improved area."

Hu Guangdong, who had already lifted one foot and was about to step into the soil improvement area, quickly pulled it back. Having lived in Territory Nine for nine days, he had thoroughly figured out Xia Qing's way of doing things. If he dared to set even one footprint in the "soil improvement area," he would owe Xia Qing at least 2,000 credits in compensation!

After walking north along the pedestrian path for over three hundred meters, almost reaching the cultivation area, Liang Wen pointed at the "soil improvement area" and asked, "Director Xia, those are wolf-dog tracks, aren't they?"

The experts immediately stopped. Some looked in the direction Liang Wen was pointing; others took the opportunity to observe Xia Qing's and her employees' expressions and body language, hoping to read valuable information from them.

Xia Qing, wearing a protective mask that left only half a face still presentable, answered expressionlessly, "Yes."

Liang Wen, who was engaged in research on the defense against evolved beasts, grew excited. "Director Xia, may I meet the wolf-dog in your territory?"

Xia Qing refused outright. "That wolf-dog has not been fully tamed and is quite aggressive. For everyone's safety, I sent it to No. 49 Mountain."

Liang Wen nodded in disappointment. A livestock breeding expert from Red Three Base asked, "Is the strength-evolved sheep in your territory here?"

This one, too, was an expert whose name Zhang San had bolded — someone Xia Qing needed to watch.

"The sheep and the cattle are both tied up at home; it's not convenient to lead them out." After refusing, Xia Qing directed the experts to the areas of her territory that could be shown. "Experts, what's planted in this shed is J-2 Green-Light wheat."

Several experts engaged in crop research entered the shed to inspect the crops' growth. Most people stayed outside the shed, looking around.

After everyone had visited the fig saplings, the breeding hothouse, and the beekeeping hothouse, Jiang Cheng spoke up. "Director Xia, where is the Gao Yi element soil area within your territory?"

The question was entirely superfluous, because Hui-3 had sent people into the territories the year before last specifically to sample and test the Gao Yi element soil areas in each territory, and those survey records were publicly available.

Xia Qing understood why Jiang Cheng had asked. Her emotions did not waver in the slightest as she pointed toward the northern buffer forest. "In the two terraced fields on the hillside."

All the experts looked toward the northern buffer forest. Jiang Cheng, as a matter of course, made the next request. "May I go up and have a look?"

Xia Qing nodded. "Yes, but please watch your step and don't slip. The paths in the northern buffer forest don't have railings. Most of the saplings, shrubs, and herbs along both sides of the path are edible."

Hu Guangdong added silently: if you slip and injure yourself, that's your own responsibility; damaging plants in Territory Three requires triple compensation.

"All right. Thank you for the reminder, Director Xia." Jiang Cheng, who often entered evolved forests for inspection in search of unpolluted spring water, had fairly nimble footsteps. He stepped first across the icy little bridge — which had only a single stone slab — and set foot in Territory Three's northern buffer forest, asking, "Director Xia, are there any surface streams within your territory's buffer forest?"

Xia Qing pointed to the east side. "There's a small stream between Territory Three and Territory Four. There is no surface water in other areas."

Jiang Cheng nodded. "How did you discover the Gao Yi element soil area within your territory?"