Chapter 76: Dancing Potato Seedling

"I haven't heard Third Brother mention it, but a litter of kittens should have at least two or three, right?" Mentioning the kittens, Xia Qing was also full of anticipation. If she had an evolved cat right now, how could rats possibly have bitten through the solar panel at home?

"Two or more would be great. When we go back, let's dig a fish pond and raise some fish first, so once we bring the kittens back, we won't have to worry about not having meat to feed them." Dajiang was also hoping for two or more. Zhang San had promised that if his evolved cat had two kittens, Territory One would get one. If there was only one kitten, their squad leader would have to make his cat have another one—Dajiang really hadn't evolved that function.

After chatting a few more sentences, Xia Qing and Chen Zheng had to go inspect the rain shelters again.

According to the division of labor, Chen Zheng inspected the wheat, mung bean, and cotton shelters, while Xia Qing inspected the vegetable shelters. After the inspection, the two returned to the cabin. Chen Zheng reported the results to Xia Qing: "Only eight plants have undergone harmful evolution in the two shelters on the east side of the road, and twenty in the three shelters on the west side."

The "road" Chen Zheng mentioned was the one Xia Qing had built, leading from home to the vegetable shelters on the hillside. The mung beans and cotton in the east-side shelters were soaked in spring water by Xia Qing; the mung beans and cotton in the west-side shelters were soaked in filtered water, and the wheat was split half and half, but all planted in the west-side shelters.

Beard Feng's squad had no idea whether there was uncontaminated spring water in Territory Three, and aside from Beard Feng, none of them knew that Luo Pei was receiving treatment in the basement of Territory Three.

They had come carrying a mission personally assigned by their brigade commander, and only knew that Xia Qing had helped Luo Pei, making her a benefactor of their Azure Dragon battle team.

So the reason Xia Qing gave at this moment was very simple: "Maybe the soil quality and drainage on the east-side fields are better than the west side, so the crops were less affected by the harmful rain."

Chen Zheng nodded, finding it very reasonable.

By four in the morning, the harmful rain had been falling on and off for forty-two hours. According to the weather forecast, it would end in another six hours.

Just when everyone felt they saw the dawn of victory, they successively felt an irritable mood, and Ram Boss also began pawing the ground.

Without needing to speak, everyone knew the red-level harmful rain was coming.

Before Xia Qing could give the order, Chen Zheng stood up. "Dajiang, A-Cheng, narrow the patrol range, only guard the area around the rain shelters, don't let rodents and toxic evolved insects get close to or damage the shelters. A-Cheng and I will handle the inside of the shelters. Keep the walkie-talkies open, report any situation immediately."

Xia Qing picked up a protective mask and added, "If you encounter danger you can't handle, protect yourselves first and then report. Grain can be replanted if lost, as long as people are fine."

Facing the unknown risks the red harmful rain might bring, Xia Qing's words greatly eased the mood of the three members of Beard Feng's squad.

"Understood."

"Don't worry, Sister Qing."

"If we can't handle it, we'll call for backup. We need to ensure both personal safety and protect the fields."

"Right, we also have the danger investigation team on standby at all times." Xia Qing rubbed Ram Boss's head. Without asking, she knew it would insist on following her. After putting a protective mask on Ram Boss, the two of them—one person, one ram—headed for the potato, sweet potato, and pumpkin shelters.

Just after entering the shelter, raindrops began to smack loudly against the rainproof cloth, a sound that felt especially irritating.

Xia Qing took a deep breath through her protective mask and, illuminated by the strong flashlight on her head, began the inspection.

After clearing one harmfully evolved green-light sweet potato, two harmfully evolved flowering yellow-light potatoes, and using a wooden stick to fork out a harmfully evolved cucumber-pumpkin vine, Xia Qing took Ram Boss and headed for the planting zone.

After the red-level harmful rain had lasted half an hour, the vegetables in the planting zone remained stable except for the newly transplanted sweet potato vines, which greatly reassured Xia Qing.

After one round of inspection, Xia Qing let Ram Boss drink some spring water before leading it down the mountain. After slapping dead two evolved leeches that leapt out of the water to attack, the two of them—one person, one ram—didn't return to the cabin but went straight back to the sweet potato, potato, and pumpkin shelters.

The rain falling now was the highest-danger red-level harmful rain. Among the three vegetable shelters, this one was the most prone to producing harmfully evolved plants.

Having walked only a few steps into the shelter, Xia Qing spotted a potato seedling that had shot up to twice its height, with stems and leaves turned purple-red, dancing a seaweed dance on its own with no wind.

As a potato seedling, you damn thing don't honestly bloom and grow potatoes, yet you've harmfully evolved animal characteristics!

Xia Qing grabbed a shovel and was about to charge, but was stopped by Ram Boss.

"Baa!!!"

Ram Boss's voice was loud, the tone very stern.

Xia Qing nodded. "I know this potato seedling is very powerful, I'll be careful…"

"Smack!" Before Xia Qing finished speaking, the dancing potato seedling suddenly accelerated and whipped a normal potato seedling next to it flying.

"You damn thing, you're asking for death!"

Xia Qing was furious. She raised the shovel and charged. She hadn't expected the dancing potato seedling's vine toughness and strength to be extremely high—the wooden handle of the shovel was snapped clean in two by its whipping, and Xia Qing also took a lash.

The potato seedling's strength was so great that even Xia Qing, wearing protective clothing, felt obvious pain.

Xia Qing calmed herself through the pain. She had just raised her hand to grab the dancing potato seedling that had also whipped and broken another normal potato plant, when Ram Boss butted her from behind.

"Smack!"

A dancing potato seedling whipped viciously at the spot where Xia Qing had just been standing. Ram Boss, who had butted her aside and hadn't dodged in time, got its tail lashed, cried out in pain, and stomped and broke a normal potato seedling.

"Moo—" Ram Boss's fury exploded, determined to settle the score with the potato seedling that had whipped it.

"Boss!" Xia Qing grabbed Ram Boss in a hug, but her back was viciously lashed by a second dancing potato seedling behind her. The pain made Xia Qing cry out too, and she was furious.

Damn it, I'll fight you bastards to the death!

The furious Xia Qing, hugging the ram that wanted to fight, hadn't launched her attack when a third dancing potato seedling appeared behind her.

"Smack!"

"Hiss—"

Xia Qing took another lash, the pain making her hiss and suck in a breath of cold air.

"Baa…"

Realizing it couldn't beat these powerful plants, Ram Boss let out a fearful cry, turned, and ran outside.

Ram Boss retreated, but Xia Qing charged back in. Because these three crazed things were still dancing and growing at the same time—any time a vine touched anything, it would immediately speed up and attack.

If left unchecked, this shelter would be destroyed.

Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie. "Dangerous, aggressive harmfully evolved plants have appeared in the vegetable shelter south of the reservoir. Reinforcements needed urgently."

The earpiece immediately responded quickly:

"Number Two, on my way."

"Number Three, one minute out."

"Number Four, ninety seconds out."

After calling for support, Xia Qing blocked the dancing potato seedling that was whipping at the arched support frame of the rain shelter, drew her pistol, and fired "bang bang bang" a burst of shots. After breaking one harmfully evolved potato seedling, she immediately turned to the other two and discovered a fourth purple-red dancing potato seedling had shot up!

"Baa, baa!!!"

The fleeing Ram Boss realized Xia Qing was surrounded by potato seedlings and couldn't escape. It pawed the ground a few times, then charged back in. "Baa!"

"Smack!"

Ram Boss took a lash from the dancing potato seedling before reaching Xia Qing's side, then used its head to butt her hard, urging her to escape with it quickly.