Chapter 799: A Giant Wolf Enters Mountain Forty-Nine

"Hello?"

Yan Yue dialed the base office number, waited as the call was transferred to the base commander's office, and when she heard the base commander's voice, she felt a little dazed.

Seven years. It had been seven years since she last reported work to the chief.

Taking a deep breath to steady her voice, Yan Yue reported in a very professional manner, "Good day, Base Commander. This is Yan Yue from the office of the Ninth Planting Center, Territory One, Northern District. I'm requesting your approval on the construction of staff dormitories, a cafeteria, and supporting facilities for the Ninth Planting Center…"

After hearing Yan Yue's report, Qi Zhongye answered readily, "Approved. Send the application to Xiao Li, and the required supplies will be delivered within three days."

Xiao Li, naturally, was Officer Li from the base commander's office. A genuine smile appeared on Yan Yue's weather-beaten face. "Yes, thank you, Base Commander."

Qi Zhongye said with a smile, "I didn't expect Yue Haiying to poach you over there. Conditions are rough, sanitation is poor—can your health still take it?"

Seated in her wheelchair, Yan Yue answered immediately, "Things are fine here. Thank you for your concern, Chief."

Qi Zhongye acknowledged this and gave instructions to the veteran who had long since retired, "The Ninth Center has over 2,000 mu of arable land. If it's all put to use, it can produce over a million jin of grain and vegetables every year, letting more people in our base eat natural food. I'll do my best to meet all your needs on this end, and you need to work hard too—produce more high-quality grain."

Seated in her wheelchair, Yan Yue's back was ramrod straight, and the weather-beaten look on her face could not conceal a soldier's resolve. "Please rest assured, Base Commander. We guarantee we'll complete the mission. We also know the base's difficulties—problems we can solve ourselves, we'll solve ourselves. We won't give you any trouble."

Qi Zhongye naturally trusted these old subordinates. "Good. While you're growing good grain, take care of your health too."

"Copy that. Yue-jie worked hard today too—head back early to rest." After hearing the report, Xia Qing used the walkie-talkie to tell Yan Yue to knock off early and return to Territory Six to rest before dark.

After putting down the walkie-talkie, Xia Qing washed vegetables while chatting with her friend. "Only after the Ninth Planting Center was built did I truly understand why the base reserved 500,000 mu of arable land outside the safe zone but never sent people to develop it."

Lying by the stove, Seeing Xin Yu closed the chicken-raising book she had collected and asked, "Short on manpower, money, and materials?"

"Right."

Xia Qing nodded. "To build the Ninth Center, the steel, farm machinery, worker protective gear, office supplies, and everything else needed for the initial construction of 200 greenhouses and 50 brick-wall solar greenhouses alone would cost over a million credits. And that doesn't include the center's daily management fees, farm machinery repair and maintenance costs, sterilization and pest-control chemicals, seeds, fertilizer, and so on…"

After Xia Qing finished her litany, Seeing Xin Yu answered, "That's exactly why the state is actively pushing the territory policy—getting capable, bold people out of the safe zone to become lords."

What the country has least shortage of now is land. It grants lords the use of over two thousand mu of land rent-free, and tax-free for the first few years—all so that the lords take on the responsibility and risk of running their territories.

Successful lords get more and better survival supplies, and the crops produced in their territories can feed more people. So the territory system is a good policy that benefits both the country and the people.

Both Xia Qing and Seeing Xin Yu are beneficiaries of this policy.

After discussing the territory policy, the two ate a hearty dinner. Seeing Xin Yu asked about the situation at Mountain Fifty, "The one who escaped still hasn't been caught?"

Because they hadn't caught this person, the Third Peak of Mountain Fifty had stepped up patrols, and lords could no longer enter the hidden valley to fetch water. The birds in Seeing Xin Yu's territory had grown used to Mountain Fifty's spring water, and were very unhappy after being switched back to distilled water.

Xia Qing shook her head. "No. Ji Li said he'll personally lead a team in a few days to search deep into the Evolution Forest."

The guard who escaped was a member of Ji Li's squad. Watching Huo Zhun said this person's survival ability was extremely strong, and he definitely wasn't dead yet.

Seeing Xin Yu frowned slightly, didn't bring it up again, and got down to business with Xia Qing. "Moli discovered several hundred aggressive Qiang-evolved wild paulownia trees on Mountain Fifty-One. Most are at the second-stage form, and quite a few have already borne fruit. Look."

Xia Qing watched the video of the wild paulownia trees and wasn't surprised. "Several hundred have appeared in our territory, so Mountain Fifty-One definitely has more. Let's report the situation to Captain Tan and have him forward it to the base. But the base is busy with post-disaster reconstruction inside the safe zone, so they probably won't have the manpower. Clearing these wild paulownia trees will most likely have to be done by people in our patch of territory."

"You talk to Captain Tan." Seeing Xin Yu nestled in Xia Qing's hanging chair and discussed with her. "I'll send people to cut that bamboo tomorrow and transplant more bamboo roots back. Once we harvest the bamboo, we can build a few more greenhouses."

"Sure, just don't dig them all out." The roots left in the soil would grow rapidly during the third Qiang rain and soon fill a large area. Xia Qing brought up another matter. "Oh, right. I'm planning to head to the bamboo grove on Mountain Fifty-Two in a couple of days to look for green-lamp bamboo shoots to make bamboo shoot strips. Want to come?"

Seeing Xin Yu asked, "Just the two of us?"

Seeing Xin Yu didn't like teaming up with others. Since Xia Qing had invited her, she wouldn't invite anyone else. "Yeah, just us. This mission isn't very dangerous. We'll drive over, leave the car at the Third Peak of Mountain Fifty, and walk to Mountain Fifty-Two from there."

Seeing Xin Yu's eyes lit up. She was just about to discuss when to set out with Xia Qing when Xia Qing's phone rang.

Yang Jin, the captain of the Azure Dragon Squad, was coming over to discuss something with Xia Qing.

After Seeing Xin Yu left, Xia Qing went to the breeding greenhouse to say hello to Ram Boss before swiping open the north gate at Gao Po. "Captain Yang, please come in."

"Thank you."

Hearing the obvious fatigue in Yang Jin's voice, Xia Qing asked, "The safe zone?"

"Over fifty-six thousand dead, and more than twenty thousand injured." Seeing Xia Qing visibly pause, Yang Jin didn't want her to feel bad too, and said half-jokingly, "Right now the safe zone is all saying our patch of territory is blessed by the Wolf God. A lot of people want to come here to work—as long as they get a meal and a place to sleep."

Xia Qing was just about to speak when her phone rang again. This time it was Hu Zifeng.

"Xia Qing, a giant silver-gray wolf has entered Zone Six of Mountain Forty-Nine. Looks like it's heading for Territory Three. Do we need to intercept it?"

Silver-gray, giant wolf? Handsome giant wolf!

"No need. Captain Hu, let it through."

Watching Xia Qing's eyes light up, her voice even turning cheerful, Yang Jin once again experienced the feeling that humans don't measure up to wolves.

Xia Qing hung up the phone and quickened her pace, leading Yang Jin toward the meeting room. "Captain Yang, head to the meeting room and rest for a bit? The giant wolf is probably here to see me about something. I'll be right back once I handle it."

Yang Jin nodded. "No rush. I'm staying in Territory One tonight. Go ahead, I can head over on my own."

"The wolf will still need a few minutes to get here. Captain Yang, watch your step—the slope hasn't dried yet, it's a bit slippery." If Ram Boss weren't in the breeding greenhouse, Xia Qing would have let Yang Jin head over on his own.

It wasn't that she was afraid Ram Boss would send top-speed Evolver Yang Jin flying, but that she was afraid Ram Boss, alone in the greenhouse, would sense the powerful Yang Jin approaching and get scared.

"Alright." Yang Jin followed behind Xia Qing, the corners of his mouth turning up. Looks like in Xia Qing's eyes, he wasn't that far behind a wolf either.