Chapter 600: Good News One After Another

When announcing the good news, Tan Junjie's voice even softened. "The reward policy was set personally by the Base Commander. Lords who stay in their territories to overwinter and farm, and whose reclaimed farmland exceeds four mu, will receive an additional reward of 50 Gao Yi Element spinach seeds, and may purchase three vials of Advanced Nutrient Solution produced by Huisan Food Processing at a 40% discount by the end of May."

Hmm? Farmland exceeding four mu?

Xia Qing, who had been holding a needle, paused and smiled. She didn't know about other places, but among the lords staying in Northern Zone One to overwinter, only one had farmland not exceeding four mu: Lord Fourteen, Yan Meng.

She really wanted to see what expression he was wearing right now…

After the reward policy was announced on the Northern Zone One Lords 11–18 channel, Lord Fourteen Yan Meng, who rarely spoke, asked, "Captain Zeng, what's the deadline for confirming four mu of farmland?"

Captain Ceng Quan of the Fourth Hazard Inspection Squad pressed the walkie-talkie button. "The deadline is before this year's first Deadly Rain. According to the weather forecast, the first Deadly Rain will appear around February 15."

"Less than a week left." Lord Seventeen Wen Nengjie picked up the thread. "Brother Yan, how much farmland have you reclaimed in your territory? Can you handle it? Do you need help?"

Yan Meng replied hoarsely, "I need help. Bring ten people over tomorrow. I'll pay 5 points per day per person."

"You got it! We'll be there at eight in the morning!" Wen Nengjie, who had just earned another fifty points, replied cheerfully. "Anyone else need hands?"

On the Lords 1–10 channel, Kuang Qingwei asked, "Captain Tan, can lords who returned to the Safe Zone after the beast tide still get the 150 spinach seeds? I remember several of our lords here ran back."

Xia Qing only knew Lord Eleven had gone back—who else had returned? She picked up her phone and checked the lords' group chat, and saw Lord Eleven and Lord Eighteen howling in the group, which was how she learned Lord Eighteen had also gone back.

Lord Eighteen is an ordinary person. His territory borders the Eastern Isolation Belt and was one of the territories that suffered relatively severe losses in the last incursion. Lord Eighteen was telling the group about his ordeal. His greenhouses and sunrooms in the territory were destroyed, with three dead and five injured. He returned to his territory to treat the wounded, not to shirk his lordly duties.

On the lord channel, Tan Junjie answered Kuang Qingwei's question: "The inspection squads haven't received specific notice yet. I don't know."

Tang Huai snorted. "Obviously not. If everyone just runs back, what's the point of giving out seeds?"

"Brother Huai's right." Kuang Qingwei asked again, "Captain Tan, are the spinach seeds we receive only for our own planting, or can we trade them?"

Tan Junjie repeated once more: "No specific notice."

No notice means trading is allowed, right? Kuang Qingwei asked Xia Qing, "Is Xia Qing here? What was the seed-setting rate like on the spinach you grew last year?"

Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie button and reported the seed-setting situation of the ordinary Green Lantern spinach seeds she had exchanged with Zhang San. "I planted ordinary Green Lantern spinach seeds. The germination rate was around sixty percent, female plants made up about fifty-five percent, and if they grow well, each female plant sets between seventy and a hundred and ten seeds."

Kuang Qingwei calculated quickly. "Let's use the ordinary spinach data to estimate the seed-setting rate of Gao Yi Element spinach. Barring any major disaster, by May each territory can harvest… around 4,000 second-generation Gao Yi Element spinach seeds. By then the price of spinach seeds will definitely be much lower than now. Let me go ask around and see how much one spinach seed sells for right now."

Wen Nengjie spoke up immediately. "You've gotta hand it to Brother Qing—his brain works way faster than my wooden block! Brother Qing, you gotta tell me when you find out. If the price is right, I'll sell some too. I'm desperate for points right now to buy wheat seed. Brother Qing, do you have a channel for buying seeds?"

Kuang Qingwei replied, "I have a channel, but we have to wait until the Territory Management Department sets the seed price before we can quote here. I'll let everyone know when I have news."

While everyone was excitedly discussing spinach seeds, Assistant Zhou Zhaoping of Territory Eight suddenly spoke up. "Captain Tan, are you there?"

Tan Junjie replied calmly, "I'm here."

Territory Eight's people never open their mouths without a reason. Everyone pricked up their ears, waiting to hear what Territory Eight had to say.

Zhou Zhaoping, in a mild and even tone, delivered the third piece of good news of the day: "Our lord's family learned about the incursion that happened here. Worried about the lord's safety, they've decided to build a 4.5-meter-tall iron mesh wall around Northern Zone One Territory One free of charge. Please report this to the Territory Management Department. If they permit it, the Chonglian Group will start using helicopters to transport materials and construction personnel here tomorrow."

"Holy shit! Holy shit, shit!" Before Tan Junjie could say anything, Tang Huai exploded. "Uncle Zhou, are you half asleep or is this for real? Chonglian is going to wall off the entire territory? Got so much money you don't know where to spend it?"

Tan Junjie replied calmly, "Received. Reporting immediately."

Qi Fu was overjoyed. "Something this good—the Territory Management Department will definitely approve."

Zhao Ze was thrilled too. "Our entire territory being walled off doesn't just make the territory safer, it also takes pressure off the inspection squads. This is a win-win-win for everyone. If the Territory Management Department doesn't agree, we'll go back and raise hell! Uncle Zhou, if you don't have enough construction hands, Territory Four can provide labor free of charge."

Other territories also chimed in one after another. Zhou Zhaoping's voice remained mild and steady. "The chairman of the Chonglian Group won't give everyone trouble during the spring planting season. He'll send enough construction personnel to complete the installation within a month. There will definitely be noise from construction, so please bear with us."

The only territory in this area that would be disturbed by construction noise was Tang Huai's Territory Twelve, where he liked digging for bugs. Tang Huai immediately declared, "Chairman Yu of Chonglian is generous! Uncle Zhou, don't worry—it's just a bit of noise, we'll definitely put up with it. Anyone who can't put up with it, just say so, and we'll wall them outside the perimeter."

Everyone…

That statement doesn't quite make sense. Territories on the edge can be walled outside the perimeter, but what about the territories in the middle?

Zhang San spoke up. "Once the construction schedule around Territory Seven is set, please have Assistant Zhou notify me. There are some noise-sensitive creatures in my territory that need advance protection."

Tang Huai, who had been howling just moments ago, immediately fell silent.

Zhou Zhaoping replied mildly, "Understood. Once we have the construction permit, I'll come over to discuss the construction schedule and noise control around Territory Seven with you. If necessary, we can skip machinery and have Strength Evolvers complete that section of the wall directly."

"It won't come to that." Zhang San Sheng, in a kindly voice, delivered the fourth piece of good news of the day: "Please pass along my thanks to the lord of Territory Eight. I've extracted a spectrum disinfectant from an evolved plant—it's mass-producible. If you're interested, come over and we can discuss co-production."

Without waiting for Zhou Zhaoping to relay the message, Xin Yu came online directly. "Thank you, Third Brother. Would ten o'clock tomorrow morning work for you?"