Chapter 623: Year Eleven of the Calamity: The First Killing Rain

"Attention all lords, attention all lords. The meteorological station has issued an emergency notice: this year's first Killing Rain will arrive two days early, possibly this afternoon. The predicted duration is no less than 52 hours, with red Killing Rain lasting no less than two waves. Please all lords reply upon receipt."

Xia Qing, who was sending the message, paused and raised her head to look at the cloudless sky.

"Territory One, received." Hu Zi Feng replied.

Tang Huai's voice rang out smugly beside Territory Two. "Agent Tang Huai of Territory Two, received."

Following right behind Tang Huai, Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie button. "Territory Three, received."

After replying, Xia Qing ignored the bickering between Hu Zi Feng and Tang Huai and immediately contacted the Yuehai Battalion stationed at Xiong Dong. The Killing Rain was arriving two days early, so the Yi Stones meant to protect the crops in the hidden valley—originally scheduled to be delivered tomorrow—had to be sent over right away.

When Xiao Jiang and Dajiang from Hu Zi Feng's squad arrived at the north gate of Territory Three, they asked, "Sister Qing, what other jobs are there in the territory that need doing?"

Xia Qing shook her head. "It's all done. You guys just rest. I'll definitely be back before noon."

After Xia Qing left, Guan Tong entered Xia Qing's territory. He gazed at the newly built five connected greenhouses with their drainage ditches all dug, then looked at the Gao Po planting greenhouse in front of him, where even the soil had been turned.

Xiao Jiang sighed. "Sister Qing really is so capable."

If only Sheep Boss and Sick Wolf could talk—otherwise Xia Qing wouldn't even need them to come help guard the territory.

The very capable Xia Qing skipped over the already-excavated foundation for the iron-mesh wall of the northern isolation belt and went straight into Zone 3 of Mountain 49, heading north at speed along Valley 1.

When Xia Qing led alliance members to the Third Peak of Mountain 50, they always went from the mountain exit at the northeast corner of Territory Seven, heading north along the valley. Now she was in a rush—after delivering the Yi Stones she still had to come back to prepare for the incoming Killing Rain—so she took a shortcut.

By the pond not far from the wolf den in Zone 3, two large wild boars were leading a dozen or so melon-rind-striped piglets, snorting and grunting as they rooted in the dirt with their snouts looking for food.

This scene was just like when Xia Qing first entered her territory last year and ventured out to explore the Evolution Forest and discovered the piglets—but Xia Qing's feelings about it were completely different now.

Last year, when she saw a group of piglets, her eyes lit up; now, seeing a group of piglets, Xia Qing only wanted to take a photo and send it to Head Wolf and Broken-Waist Wolf, to tell them the wild boars had farrowed and it was time to throw a feast.

Last year she had been fearless out of ignorance, which was why she dared to catch wild boars. And it was lucky she had traded all the wild boars to Tan Junjie—otherwise, when Head Wolf came to catch pigs, the slaughter wouldn't have been limited to the pigs at the Wild Boar Breeding Center; he would have entered her territory, killed the pigs she was raising, and held a grudge against her into the bargain.

Seeing Xia Qing appear, the two big wild boars in the valley only grunted a few times and didn't run off with the piglets. Because during the winter just past, Xia Qing had often appeared here and had never harmed this group of wild boars. She was either training on the mountain or coming to collect pig manure…

Xia Qing ran northeast along the path she had worn down herself. Just as she was about to leave Zone 3, she stopped and looked down the slope at the bare chestnut grove.

The chestnut trees hadn't sprouted yet, but the snow under them had already melted, and sparse little grasses were poking through the ground covered in dead leaves. Looking closely, one would notice there were no signs of wild boars rooting around under the trees.

Just as she had guessed, the thick-skinned wild boars hadn't entered the chestnut grove, because this was the territory of a colony of evolved hornets living in the rock crevices.

As she was about to resume running, Xia Qing glanced at a big tree not far outside the chestnut grove, where a red squirrel was perched, showing only a tiny bit of fiery-red fur.

Ever since the red squirrel had snatched the frog meat that the plucked-fur weasel had brought Xia Qing, and Xia Qing had punched the big tree until it broke and driven the little creature out of Territory Three, it had no longer dared to come to the windowsill to drink water or beg for food.

It was probably hanging around here, waiting to take advantage of the hornets not paying attention and dig through the fallen chestnuts from last winter under the trees. Since it was hiding, Xia Qing pretended not to see it and kept running.

The red squirrel clung to the big tree with its little claws, poked out its small head to watch Xia Qing's retreating back for a while, then chased after her.

"Boss, Sister Qing is here." Chen Cheng in the mountain surveillance room saw Xia Qing appear on the monitor screen and called out to Hu Zi Feng, who was arguing on and off with Tang Huai, telling him to look at the monitor.

Hu Zi Feng had already received Xia Qing's report and knew she was going to the Third Peak of Mountain 50 to check on things. So he only glanced at the screen, then scooped up the tabby cat Little Old Five that was crouching in front of the screen, and while stroking it, kept on bickering with Tang Huai. "Frogs also like to dig for worms and eat worms."

Little Old Five broke free from Hu Zi Feng's grip and ran back to the screen to keep watching.

Chen Cheng wanted to pet the cat, but Little Old Five quickly dodged him. He laughed and asked, "Little Five likes Sister Qing? Should I take you to Territory Three to play someday?"

Shortly after Xia Qing passed by, a fiery-red figure darted quickly across the screen. Little Old Five's slit-like pupils instantly went round, and it jumped off the table and ran out.

"Little Five!" His cat had run off—how could Hu Zi Feng still have the mind to bicker with Tang Huai? He immediately chased after it.

Xia Qing, who was running fast through Zone 6 of Mountain 49, suddenly heard a rustling sound—the sound a small animal makes when running quickly through dense grass.

There were surveillance cameras here, and Xia Qing didn't want to reveal her evolved hearing. She pretended not to hear it and kept running. But when she saw the agile tabby cat in white boots dart out from the wild grass, she immediately couldn't run anymore.

Litt…le Old Five!!!

A whole year—I've finally seen a real cat!!!

Xia Qing immediately reached into her pocket. Finding she hadn't brought any jerky, she could have slapped herself twice. She stretched out her hand. "Kitty…"

Before Xia Qing could finish speaking, Little Old Five ran past her without looking sideways, its brownish-gray body with fishbone-shaped markings vanishing into the bushes.

Kitty. Xia Qing closed her mouth and kept running.

"Squeak—"

Hearing the familiar startled cry from some distance behind her, Xia Qing's foot slowed for a step, then she kept running forward.

The red squirrel that had been in the chestnut grove earlier must have followed her. Little Old Five's sudden appearance had startled the red squirrel, but judging by Little Old Five's running speed just now, there was no way it could catch the speed-evolved red squirrel.

So the red squirrel only squeaked once and then went silent—nothing to worry about.

Xia Qing ran out of Zone 6 of Mountain 49 in one breath, crossed the valley, and arrived at the foot of the Third Peak of Mountain 50. She waved at the solar-powered camera on the rock.

The surveillance for Mountain 49, except for the area near Xiong Dong, had been merged into the Territory Seven surveillance room, under Territory Seven's responsibility. Hearing the alert tone from the surveillance, Yan Long, standing in the surveillance room, kept a blank expression and continued doing lateral raises with dumbbells to train his arm strength. Huo Zhun, sitting by the table, smiled and continued texting his old man with his head lowered.

Xia Qing followed the Yuehai Battalion through the passage inside Xiong Dong into the hidden valley. Seeing the lush green rice seedlings in the fields, her breathing eased.