Chapter 599: The Explosive News That Sets Hui Three Ablaze

After returning to Territory Twelve, Tang Huai stripped off his protective suit and collapsed onto the bed.

Tang Heng finished inspecting the farmland and came inside. Seeing his brother looking like he'd been beaten up by someone, he asked with concern, "Did you have a fight with Xia Qing?"

"She doesn't have the time to argue with me." Tang Huai rolled over and sighed. "They go there just to work. At noon, a whole crowd squeezes into the shabby little office converted from Xiong Dong, and they get just over half an hour for lunch and rest combined. Working like that for a whole day only earns them five points."

So that was why. Tang Heng poured his brother a glass of water and said with a smile, "The people in our territory work the same way."

Tang Huai grunted, downed the glass of water, lay back down, closed his eyes, and said nothing.

Today's shock had been too great for him. He'd always known Xia Qing and her people worked very hard, but he hadn't expected they'd gone beyond just working hard—they were working to the point of risking their lives.

Compared to them, Tang Huai felt that during all these years of natural disasters, he hadn't really suffered at all, yet he'd complained about this and that every day. No wonder Xia Qing couldn't be bothered with him. He really was pretty annoying...

That evening, after listening to the agricultural knowledge broadcast, when Xia Qing gathered people on the lord channel to go work at Mountain Fifty, Tang Huai stayed silent.

Xia Qing led people at Mountain Fifty for three busy days and finally finished the flood-control ditch in the danger zone of Mountain Fifty's Third Peak, and cleared away most of the accumulated snow above the mountain cracks. Now they could focus on farming within the territory.

While the lords of the Northern First District were working at full throttle, the Safe Zone had already descended into utter chaos.

The lords of the Eastern Territory, whose lands had been destroyed by the wolf pack, gathered outside the gates of the Lord Management Department, weeping and cursing, demanding compensation. The lords of the Southern, Western, and Northern First District territories, because the wolf pack that had triggered the beast tide hadn't yet been eliminated, also didn't dare return to their territories to farm. They surrounded the Administrative Hall, demanding that people be sent to kill the wolf pack and improve territorial security.

While the lords were in an uproar, the Red One Investigation Team publicly released the beast tide investigation results, using solid evidence to prove that Xue Jinchang's squad of the Dongyang Squad and the Silver Snake Squad of the Guisan Base had joined forces to brutally kill thirteen wolf cubs from the Western wolf pack, causing the wolves to launch a beast tide in revenge against humans. Along with this came a string of explosive revelations—including the news that on the night the beast tide occurred, Tang Zhengsu of the Sufeng Squad had sent people to invade other territories, killing and injuring dozens—incensing the public of Hui Three.

Immediately after, twelve officials within the Safe Zone jointly reported a series of shocking crimes: Tang Zhengrong abusing his power for personal gain, using his subordinate officials and the Sufeng Squad to eliminate and kill those who opposed him.

In an instant, when the wall falls, everyone pushes. The furious public immediately turned their spears toward the still-living "Good Mayor" Tang Zhengrong, demanding the base severely punish him. Some enraged residents of the Inner City even broke through layer after layer of defenses and set fire to the mansions of both the Tang Zhengrong and Tang Zhengsu families, burning them to the ground.

Tang Zhengrong, already suspended and under investigation, had no choice but to publicly apologize to the public on the base broadcast channel and resign from his position as Deputy Base Leader.

Tang Zhengrong's resignation did nothing to quell the public's anger. Seeing the situation about to spiral completely out of control, Base Leader Qi Zhongye personally gave a speech, announcing that the base had successfully cultivated X-2, a high-Yi-element green-light spinach seed with fifth-generation Shang-element stability and fourth-generation Yi-element stability. Before February 15th, they would distribute 100 seeds free to every lord returning to their territory for spring plowing, and 5 X-2 seeds to every Safe Zone resident.

If Safe Zone residents were afraid their seeds would be snatched or they couldn't grow them, they could choose not to claim the seeds and instead have them planted collectively by the Safe Zone Planting Center. These residents could, three months later, use their identity cards to purchase, at sixty percent of the price, a certain quantity of food processed by Hui Three Food Processing from high-Yi-element spinach.

Qi Zhongye's speech directly ignited the emotions of the Hui Three public.

What did a high-stability high-Yi-element spinach seed mean? It meant improved resistance, it meant a higher chance of evolution, it meant the common people at the bottom finally had a chance to improve their dire circumstances!

With an opportunity like this, who still had the mind to bother with Tang Zhengrong?

Throughout the Safe Zone's Inner City, Outer City, and the territories—anywhere there were people—the high-Yi-element spinach seeds were being hotly discussed.

Tang Huai was so excited he was howling on the lord channel, "Third Brother, you cultivated this seed, right? Besides you, no one has this ability!"

Zhang San snorted coldly, "Frog."

Tang Huai, the hearing-evolved person caught up in his excitement, didn't hear Zhang San clearly and hurriedly asked, "What? What did you say, Third Brother?"

Hu Zifeng pressed the button and chuckled, "Third Brother says you're a toad—the kind that lives at the bottom of a well."

Everyone...

Not Third Brother? Tang Huai continued speculating, "If it's not Third Brother, could it be that our base stole the high-Yi-element spinach seeds from Liehuo? No wonder Liehuo went crazy making trouble last winter and this spring."

"Third Brother was right—you really are a frog." Hu Zifeng continued chuckling. "Liehuo's spinach seed stability is far worse than what our base cultivated."

Tang Huai cursed, "Crazy Hu, cut the damn sarcasm. If you're not a frog, then tell me where these seeds came from!"

Hu Zifeng knew perfectly well in his heart that this spinach must have been turned in by Territory Three. But such major news, of course he couldn't reveal it. "I don't know, but that doesn't stop me from mocking you for being a frog."

Everyone...

Kuang Qingwei interrupted the two men's argument and asked excitedly, "I didn't hear wrong, did I? The Base Leader said that with this high-stability spinach seed, even open-field planting can guarantee that fifty percent of the plants maintain high-Yi-element green-light quality all the way to seed production?"

Fifty percent of the plants? Xia Qing, who was inside Territory Three making a blanket for the handsome giant wolf, curled up the corners of her mouth. It seemed that when planted in non-selenium-rich soil, the stability of the high-Yi-element spinach seeds dropped somewhat, but fifty percent high-Yi-element green-light quality was already remarkably outstanding.

"Brother Qing heard right, that's exactly what the Base Leader said." Shi Du was also so excited he was howling. "Third Brother, if my dad eats this spinach, his body can recover, right?"

Zhang San's voice was still listless, but everyone could tell he was in a good mood at the moment. "High-Yi-element spinach can boost immunity, but it can't repair immune deficiencies. Your dad still has to take his medicine on time if he eats high-Yi-element spinach, but his physical condition will definitely be much better than now. Is your Qi snake still alive?"

Shi Du hurriedly answered, "It's alive, we're raising the Qi snake in a greenhouse, treating it like an ancestor. Third Brother, when would you like us to send it over?"

Zhang San replied lazily, "No rush. Wait until the Qi snake lays eggs and the little ones hatch, then we'll talk."

After Zhang San finished speaking, Tan Junjie reminded everyone, "Once the temperature rises, we enter the animal breeding season. Personnel traveling between territories must be cautious. Even when moving within the territory, wear protective clothing to avoid being bitten by venomous insects."

After the reminder, Tan Junjie announced another piece of good news.