Chapter 223: Dereliction of Duty by the Management Department

Xia Qing wasn't just paying lip service—she really did it.

After witnessing the explosive power of spinach seeds and hearing Li Si say sunflowers might shoot out sunflower seeds, Xia Qing added a response plan to her checklist.

Because she and Yuan Yan had cleared the sunflower field before the Calamity Rain, the sunflowers in her field hadn't undergone dangerous Calamity Evolution since the rain started. The situation in Territory Five was probably the same, but Xia Qing didn't regret taking precautions at all.

Li Si's calm voice came through the lord channel. "It's best to fence them all in. During red-level Calamity Rain or the upcoming orange-level Calamity Rain, oil sunflowers still have a very high chance of undergoing dangerous Calamity Evolution."

Kuang Qingwei demanded furiously, voicing everyone's confusion. "Fourth Sister, why did the Safe Zone give us such dangerous seeds? What exactly are they up to?"

"Shi Du, how thick was the iron plate used in Territory Ten? Did the sunflower seeds pierce through it?" Li Si remained calm. Listening to her voice, Xia Qing felt it was much better than the hoarse state when she'd first returned.

Shi Du answered, "One millimeter. The sunflower seeds grew rapidly, but they weren't very hard—they couldn't pierce the iron plate. At most they got stuck in it."

After receiving Shi Du's reply, Li Si answered Kuang Qingwei's question. "During the red-level Calamity Rain of Year Eight of the Catastrophe, shooting sunflower seeds could pierce two-millimeter-thick iron plates. After at least four generations of cultivation over these two years, the seeds have weakened to the point they can't even pierce one millimeter. According to the relevant regulations, oil sunflowers have met the minimum standard for widespread planting. As long as planters wear protective clothing as required, they won't be injured by the seeds."

Xia Qing nodded, agreeing with Li Si's words.

Both the farming broadcasts and the materials issued by the Safe Zone repeatedly mentioned that during Calamity Rain, farming personnel must wear protective clothing and protective masks. The people in Territory Four either hadn't worn protective clothing, or had panicked after discovering dangerous Calamity Evolution, which led to accidental injuries.

Besides the sunflowers, more than half a greenhouse of mung beans was ruined by the sunflower seeds turning into machine guns under the Calamity Rain. How could Kuang Qingwei swallow this anger? He pressed on. "When the Safe Zone distributed the seeds, why didn't they mention the seeds might undergo dangerous Calamity Evolution, so we could prepare in advance? Are our lives as lords really worth so little?"

Li Si countered, "Dangerous Calamity Evolution in crops is the combined result of multiple factors—soil conditions, greenhouse technology, cultivation techniques, and so on. If every possible dangerous situation for every crop were disclosed in advance, would the lords still dare to plant?"

It's like how before surgery, when doctors describe the situation as very serious, the patient's family trembles while signing the consent form. The humans who survived Year Ten of the Catastrophe are all extremely cautious and unwilling to take risks—they would definitely choose crops that aren't dangerous to plant.

However, under extreme conditions, any crop may undergo dangerous Calamity Evolution.

Li Si's voice grew stern. "In Year Ten of the Catastrophe, the nation's grain reserves were exhausted. Current grain production can't meet the minimum demand. If we don't expand the planting area of crops, how many more rounds of Calamity Rain or crises can ordinary people—who survive on compressed rations made from grass—live through? If things hadn't reached a critical point, how could the nation have spent enormous manpower, material, and financial resources to fully promote the lord system? If the base didn't value the lords' safety, would it station troops, distribute pesticides for free, and sell seeds for free or at a discount?"

Under Li Si's calm, relentless questioning, Kuang Qingwei's voice dropped and his momentum weakened:

"I know everything Fourth Sister says makes sense. Even if the Management Department can't explicitly state the dangers of every crop, they should at least clearly explain how to take proper precautions, right? If I'd fenced in the sunflowers in advance, half a greenhouse of green lantern mung beans wouldn't have been soaked by the Calamity Rain. I've been serving this plot like the Cihouzu Sect for the past two months, relying entirely on these mung beans to have a good New Year."

Li Si replied calmly, "You have a point. This is dereliction of duty by the relevant management departments of Hui No. 3 Base. You can file a complaint with Hui City Main Base or Red City Main Base."

This time, Kuang Qingwei was completely at a loss for words, because he didn't dare.

Tang Huai snorted. "After the Great Biological Evolution, even taking a dump could get you bitten to death by a poisonous bug. Coming out to farm is already far more dangerous than selling your labor in the Safe Zone, so you have to be careful everywhere. Everyone else could think to fence in the sunflowers—why couldn't you?"

Kuang Qingwei didn't dare talk back to Tang Huai and politely asked, "Brother Huai, did anything happen with the sunflowers in Territory Two? I remember you bought seeds too."

Tang Huai replied indifferently, "Bought them. Didn't plant them."

Kuang Qingwei……

You're awesome!

I'll endure it!

Suddenly, Tan Junjie's serious warning voice came through the lord channel. "According to regulations, seeds purchased or received by lords from the Lord Management Department must be planted that season. Violators will be severely punished."

Tang Huai immediately changed his tune. "Captain Tan, my walkie-talkie was on the fritz just now, I didn't finish speaking. What I meant was: bought them, didn't manage to grow them."

Everyone……

Tang Huai's little commotion actually helped everyone relax their taut nerves.

Kuang Qingwei continued, "Thank you, Fourth Sister, for helping me clear up my doubts. After hearing what you said, I feel much better. Xiao Zhao, is everything handled on your end?"

After a long pause, Zhao Ze finally replied, "It's handled. Two workers were frightened by the sunflowers' dangerous Calamity Evolution and stepped on iron rakes while fleeing, getting injured. The inspection team has already helped me clear the scene. Thank you for your hard work, Captain Tan."

Tan Junjie reminded everyone, "All lords, please store your farming tools properly. When encountering emergencies, stay calm. Only call the inspection team when you're certain you can't handle the danger."

The iron rakes used for farming have rust and mud on them. Getting stabbed by an iron rake could easily lead to infection by evolved bacteria, and cause excess Calamity Elements in the air to enter the bloodstream directly. Those two injured people probably can't be saved.

Xia Qing immediately sent a reminder through the headset-type walkie-talkie inside her protective mask. "Everyone, please check and confirm the placement of farming tools in all the greenhouses and small rooms. They must be put in safe places, with the bladed side facing inward."

"Copy that." Hu Zifeng responded. "Xia Qing, go home and check first. Do you need someone to go back with you?"

"I can handle it myself. Please keep an eye on the greenhouses. Once it's light, we'll patrol and clear the territory." The wave of crop Calamity Evolution brought by the second round of red-level Calamity Rain had been dealt with. Xia Qing still had livestock at home—sheep and wolves, poultry—chickens and geese, and a bucket of fish. She needed to go home and check on them.

Outdoors after two rounds of red-level Calamity Rain, even within the repeatedly cleared territory, danger lurked everywhere.

The Calamity grass on the road she'd cleared with the microtiller just yesterday afternoon had already grown back to knee height. The Calamity grass on both sides of the road, which hadn't been cleared, had already exceeded two meters in height.

Walking through Calamity grass at night, the chance of encountering danger was far higher than the probability of being bitten by a poisonous bug while taking a dump.

After carefully checking her personal equipment, Xia Qing gripped her machete and swept the Calamity grass on the road aside as she walked forward cautiously.

Small animals hiding in the Calamity grass—snakes, centipedes, leeches, grasshoppers, mantises, scorpions, and so on—mostly fled in panic when startled, but a small fraction went berserk, lost their senses, and attacked Xia Qing. They were all taken out by Xia Qing in her protective clothing.

"Clang!"

As she neared the village entrance, her machete struck something hard that shouldn't have been on the road. A black shadow suddenly shot up from the Calamity grass and whipped toward Xia Qing.