Chapter 290: Calling in Reinforcements to Collect Fish

Zhang San spoke up too, "Xia Qing, I'll take all the green-light fish, shrimp, and crabs you can't finish eating and want to trade."

Interrupted by Tang Huai and Zhang San, Xia Qing also recovered her composure. "Alright, once the thunderstorm stops I'll go run the tests."

Fortunately, she had long since fished out all the edible spring-water fish and kept them in a tank inside the house; otherwise, with one strike of lightning like that, they'd all be on the table.

Huh? And you can wait until the rain stops to do it? Tang Huai was like an emperor not worried while his eunuch was frantic. "Xia Qing, shrimp and crabs breed bacteria and produce toxins easily after death — they won't be edible after a while."

Li Si spoke up as well. "The voltage of the lightning that just struck the reservoir in Territory Three is conservatively estimated at no less than nine hundred million volts. It will instantly kill every aquatic organism in the reservoir — including microorganisms — causing devastating damage to the reservoir's ecosystem. Fish, shrimp, and crabs killed by electricity won't spoil and produce toxins within two hours."

Although Li Si had extended the time to two hours, the reservoir in Xia Qing's territory covered thirty mu. She alone certainly wouldn't have time to fish them out, test them, and seal them.

Therefore, she needed helpers. As for how many, it depended on how many aquatic creatures had been electrocuted in the reservoir. Because she wasn't short of meat, Xia Qing hadn't fished in months, and there were no egrets or other fish-and-shrimp-eating birds in her territory, so there should be plenty of fish.

Fishing wasn't urgent, but she had to block the waterway leading to Territory Four with a net as soon as possible; otherwise, the electrocuted fish would soon drift downstream to Territory Four.

Xia Qing checked her protective suit. Because she was afraid of getting electrocuted, she had even left her knife inside the house before braving the rain to rush to the narrow section east of the reservoir and block the waterway with a net.

Then she looked out at the reservoir, densely covered with floating fish, and casually scooped up two large electrocuted fish floating nearby, rushing back to the small hut by the farmland.

Seeing the two big fellows Xia Qing had carried back, Boss Sheep was so startled it leaped up and jumped aside.

"Boss, don't be afraid — these are already dead big fish." Xia Qing had expected plenty of fish, but hadn't expected them to be this big — each one weighed over a hundred jin!

However, the deepest part of the reservoir in Territory Three was over ten meters and reportedly had never dried up, so it wasn't strange for big fish to be hiding at the bottom. Now, with one bolt of lightning, the whole lot had been wiped out.

After testing them, Xia Qing discovered one of them was a yellow-light, and immediately began calling in people.

"Brother Ji, I caught an evolved fish over two meters long, I don't know what species, but unfortunately it's yellow-light. Will you ask Third Brother if he wants it?... Alright, come straight to the reservoir's edge once the rain stops to pick it up.... Right, a whole layer of fish got electrocuted — can you ask Brother Ya how many people he can bring over to help collect fish?..."

"Brother Qi, how's the situation on your end? Once the rain stops, can you bring a few people over to help fish? Good, please get in touch with Brother Qing and Shi Du for me — I'll pay them wages to help out... Right, no need to call Brother Zhao, a lot of fish drifted over to his side, he'll be busy for a while."

"Sister Li, didn't you say last time you wanted to eat crab? All the fish, shrimp, and crabs in my reservoir got electrocuted — if you're free once the rain stops, come over and pick some?"

"Xin Yu, lightning struck my fish pond and a lot of fish floated up — want to come get some to feed your eagle?"

"Captain Hu, will you guys be busy after the thunderstorm? If not, come help me collect fish — a whole layer got electrocuted." After inviting Beard Feng's squad, Xia Qing asked, "Does Captain Hu have Tang Huai's number? Ask him if he wants to come help — only him alone, don't let the people in Territory Nine hear."

Beard Feng was stunned for a moment before responding, "Alright, I'll ask."

After arranging the manpower, Xia Qing was sealing up the two big fish when she heard Zhao Ze asking over the walkie-talkie, "Xia Qing, a lot of electrocuted fish have drifted over to my side. I'll fish them up right away and bring them to you."

Zhao Ze meant well, but Xia Qing couldn't break the rules. "No need — whatever drifted over is yours, Brother Zhao. I've got plenty here."

"Alright." Even Zhao Ze's voice carried joy.

Tang Huai of Territory Two immediately ordered Zhou Xun, "Quick, go check if any fish are floating in the waterways of our territory. If there are, fish them up immediately."

"We're not downstream of Territory Three..."

Zhou Xun muttered softly, and was glared at by the sharp-eared Tang Huai. "Just go when I tell you to go, why so much nonsense!"

Zhou Xun put on night-vision goggles and headed outside, bumping face-to-face with Tang Heng coming in.

Tang Huai immediately kicked Zhou Xun out, pulled his brother inside, and asked impatiently, "Is he dead?"

Tang Heng shook his head regretfully. "He woke up — he probably won't die. But large areas of his skin are burned, and he has no feeling in his lower body."

Tang Huai's disappointment turned to delight. "So he's paralyzed then! That surnamed Kou is an elastic-evolution human — paralyzed means he's done for. Serves him right! Who told him to stand by the window making phone calls in a razor-blade protective suit — if the lightning wasn't going to strike him, who would it strike..."

Before Tang Huai could finish, his phone rang. Thinking it was Tang Lu and her father or Xu Pin calling again, he swore in annoyance, "Damn it, you're driving me crazy!"

Tang Heng pulled his brother further inside. "Brother, move back inside — don't answer the phone by the window."

After being pulled into the inner room by his brother, Tang Huai raised his hand to look and was stunned. "Crazy Hu? What do you want with me? Let me tell you, whatever Jiang Xiong's squad does has nothing to do with us Sufeng — go find whoever you should find... What? What did you say?"

Beard Feng held his phone away from his ear and cursed, "If you keep yelling like that, don't even think about..."

"I'm going, I'm setting off right now!" Tang Huai, afraid Beard Feng would change his mind, hung up the phone, grabbed his brother, and howled, "Xia Qing asked me to help her collect fish!!! The territory's yours, I'm off!"

"Brother!" Tang Heng grabbed his brother. "Hold on — Beard Feng wouldn't be tricking you into going over, would he?"

"No, if he wanted to grab me, he'd have plenty of ways — he absolutely wouldn't use Territory Three as an excuse and drag Xia Qing into it." The corners of Tang Huai's mouth were about to split to the back of his head. Collecting fish — he was going to collect fish!

Tang Heng held his brother back tightly. "Brother, don't rush off — let's call Dad first."

Tang Zhengpo was also monitoring the walkie-talkie and knew the reservoir in Territory Three had been struck by lightning. Hearing that Xia Qing had actually asked Beard Feng to invite his son over to help collect fish, Tang Zhengpo was stunned for a moment, then quickly made a decision. "Since Xia Qing doesn't want Territory Nine alerted, let Ah Huai have Zhou Xun and the others take you to the northern quarantine belt of Territory Three."

"Once you're there, don't get into arguments with people, and definitely don't wander around or look around. If Xia Qing collects too much fish and has nowhere to put it, buy it all from her. For good-quality fish, you can offer one to two more points per jin than the Safe Zone — but absolutely don't fight Zhang San for goods."

Tang Huai suspected he'd heard wrong. "Dad, the reservoir in Territory Three is thirty mu — there must be at least a thousand jin of fish. We're buying all of it?"

Tang Zhengpo answered with certainty, "All of it. Even if it's ten thousand jin, we take the lot. I'll contact Territory One right away to borrow their cold storage."

Tang Huai was completely baffled by his father. "Dad, wait until I've asked Xia Qing before borrowing — what if she won't sell?"

Tang Zhengpo laughed. "Don't worry — she'll definitely sell."

If she wouldn't sell, why would she ask you to come?