Chapter 858: Gale and Hail

"Captain Hu, will there be extreme weather later?" Wolf Lao Er's attitude was clear: Xia Qing ran north toward the terraced greenhouses while calling Hu Zi Feng to confirm the situation.

On the summit of Mountain Forty-Nine, there is meteorological monitoring equipment.

"I haven't received any warning. Let me check." After asking the team member in charge of meteorological monitoring, Hu Zi Feng answered Xia Qing, "Based on the current wind speed, wind direction, and the moisture content of the cloud mass to the south, there will be rain, but extreme weather shouldn't occur."

"Got it. If the weather changes, please notify me as soon as possible, Captain Hu." Xia Qing's speed running toward the North Buffer Forest did not slow down because of Hu Zi Feng's answer.

As she quickly closed greenhouses One and Two on the slope and rushed down toward Greenhouse Three, the wind picked up.

Hu Zi Feng issued a weather warning on the Lord Channel: "All lords, the meteorological monitoring equipment in Territory One shows the cloud mass to the south is accelerating northward. It will very likely trigger heavy rain. Please take precautions. Xia Qing, we're heading straight to Territory Three!"

The overwintering wheat in the fields is about to ripen, and the spring wheat and rice have all set their grain—if blown flat by the gale, the yield will definitely drop.

Xia Qing, who was closing the greenhouses, immediately answered, "Copy that."

"Copy that, thanks Captain Hu! We're going to put down the rain covers right now!" Qi Fu, who was eating, set down his bowl and shouted for the hired workers in the territory to run toward the greenhouses.

Facing the sudden extreme weather, the lords all thought of last July's hailstorm and hurried to the fields without delay.

Kuang Qingwei of Territory Six came online and asked urgently, "Xia Qing, can I hire the brothers from Territory Nine living in my territory to help?"

The wind had already picked up, and Territory Six, which had dozens of mu of crops, only had ten hired workers—that was why Kuang Qingwei was asking Xia Qing for help.

While closing Greenhouse Three, Xia Qing issued an order over the Lord Channel: "Brother Yue, of the Ninth Planting Center staff living in Territories Six and Two, leave twenty people each to help; the rest head straight to Territory Nine to deal with the extreme weather."

"Copy that," Yue Haiying answered.

"Copy that, thanks Sister Qing," Hearing Zhu Li answered.

"Sister Qing, thanks!" Tang Huai also came online to thank her. He hadn't expected that providing temporary housing for the Ninth Planting Center staff would have such a benefit. Setting down the walkie-talkie, Tang Huai limped as he ran toward the insect greenhouse in Territory Two, cursing loudly, "Are you all goddamn snails? Can't you see the weather changing? Get the rain covers down now—the gale and hail are coming!"

Although he hadn't received a warning from the Territory Management Department, Tan Junjie immediately used the loudspeaker to broadcast a disaster notice across the entire territory: "Attention all lords, attention all lords. Forecasts indicate that Northern Zone One is about to experience extreme weather. Please watch your personal safety and take precautions. Report any emergencies to the Investigation Team immediately. Attention all lords…"

Upon hearing the notice, the lords of Territories 13 through 26—including Yan Meng and Feng Wen in Territory Fourteen—whatever they were doing, all began racing against the disaster, sprinting toward the fields in their own territories at top speed.

In just this short while, the wind was clearly stronger than before.

Although Territory Three only had fifteen greenhouses and two glasshouses, it had the fewest people. Fortunately, the speed evolvers from Hu Zi Feng's squad, Er Yong and Jing Kuan, arrived in just three minutes.

Xia Qing, who had already closed four greenhouses, shouted, "Er Yong, you take Fifteen! Jing Kuan, you take Nine!"

Fifteen is Sheep Boss's forage shed, and Nine is the overwintering Green Lantern wheat—both are priority targets.

"Copy that."

"Copy that."

The two immediately headed for their target sheds.

Xia Qing ran toward Greenhouse Five, which held the Green Lantern spring wheat. She wished she could evolve an extra pair of hands, because the air temperature was dropping rapidly!

"Sister Qing, need help? The greenhouses in Territory Eleven are already closed." Watching Huo Zhun of Territory Eleven asked Xia Qing over the walkie-talkie.

Xia Qing, in the gale, immediately pressed the button: "Yes, Brother Huo, come straight through Territory Two. Tang Huai, please allow Huo Zhun to pass through your territory."

"Granted."

"I'll reach Territory Three in one minute!"

Almost simultaneously with Huo Zhun's reply, Tang Huai, who had just released the walkie-talkie button, saw a dark shadow spring rapidly over the top of the wasteland wall and couldn't help cursing, "Holy shit, a bounce evolver! How could Hui Yi bear to let him retire?!"

"Sister Qing." Huo Zhun ignored the Evolved Wolf's snarl and landed precisely beside Xia Qing.

Xia Qing immediately ordered, "Brother Huo, those two greenhouses up ahead are yours."

"Understood." The greenhouses in Territory Eleven use the same structure as those in Territory Three, so Huo Zhun knew how to handle the job.

"Baa—" The sky had gone completely dark. Sheep Boss, who wasn't wearing night-vision goggles, stumbled out of the house and searched for Xia Qing and the wolfdog Wolf Lao Er in the gale.

"Don't be scared, Boss! Lao Er, take Boss home and shut the windows of our house."

Wolf Lao Er, who had been snarling at Huo Zhun, immediately ran toward Sheep Boss.

"Baa—"

At this dangerous moment, Sheep Boss clearly didn't trust its Little One. After meeting up with Lao Er, it still called loudly for Xia Qing.

Neither Lao Er nor Boss was wearing protective gear! Xia Qing grew anxious too. "Captain Hu, Brother Huo, the greenhouses are in your hands. I'm going home first."

It wasn't only to reassure Boss—the wind was getting stronger and stronger, and the front and back windows of her house were open. If she didn't close them, the draft would blow everything inside away.

"Go ahead." Hu Zi Feng, who had just arrived, immediately took over the crank of the greenhouse rain cover that Xia Qing had been holding and continued lowering it.

Xia Qing, wearing night-vision goggles, rushed over, scooped up Sheep Boss in one motion, and sprinted toward home with it on her shoulder, shouting at the same time, "Lao Er, home!"

Lao Er vanished in a single bound. When Xia Qing, carrying Boss, rushed home, she heard Yin Jie of Territory One broadcasting on the Lord Channel that the wind speed had already hit Force Nine and was still climbing rapidly.

The lords didn't even have time to curse—they fought desperately against the disaster.

Xia Qing didn't set Sheep Boss down until she reached the eaves. She grabbed Does Daigua the monkey, which was hanging on the clothesline and about to be blown into the sky by the gale, rushed inside, dropped the monkey on the floor, and shut the windows together with Lao Er.

After closing the windows on the first floor, second floor, and attic, Xia Qing didn't spare a glance at the mess inside the house. She rushed to the roof to secure the solar panels, then jumped straight down from the roof and closed the tree-seedling shed on the west side of the yard, covering the figs, orange trees, and jujube saplings.

Thanks to the south wall and the ruins to the south blocking the wind, otherwise this shed would have been blown over.

"Huo Zhun, Guan Tong, Greenhouse Twelve is about to go over. Bring the Dengshan rope and come hold it down—quick!" Hu Zi Feng's urgent shout came over the walkie-talkie.

"Copy that."

"Copy that!"

After closing the tree-seedling shed at home, Xia Qing jumped into the off-road vehicle and sped toward the fields. By the headlights, she saw the rain cover of Greenhouse Twelve billowing in the wind and knew the shed was lost.

Even two high-level strength evolvers were still incomparably small before the disaster.