Chapter 913: Four Slots

"Hello everyone, I'm Xia Qing, director of the Ninth Planting Center, Level-6 Strength Evolver and senior sniper."

Xia Qing walked into a conference room on the second floor of the administration building, took the seat of honor, gave a brief self-introduction, and began to introduce her department to the eleven Magnetic Sense Evolvers who had not yet decided where to go.

"The Ninth Planting Center is located in the Northern Zone One territory, 240 li north of the Safe Zone. Its total area is 2,300 mu, with 438 mu currently cultivated, mainly rice and corn. Like other departments, Magnetic Sense Evolvers who join the Ninth Planting Center enjoy A-grade employee benefits. Anyone who doesn't want to join the Ninth Center may leave now; those who do want to join, stay and take part in the interview."

After waiting a full ten seconds, someone finally couldn't hold back and spoke up, "Director Xia, that's all?"

Xia Qing nodded and said nothing more.

On the way here, Xia Qing had already memorized the names, family backgrounds, work situations, and base contribution values of the B-class Evolvers — information she'd paid a hefty price to buy from Yang Jin. Seeing the remaining eleven people in the room, all of them basically bottom-of-the-barrel citizens of the Safe Zone, struggling on the subsistence line, she knew there was no need to say more.

Xia Qing understood these people all too well. If she painted a rosy picture now, it would only make them uneasy and anxious.

But there were also people whose heads had been momentarily addled by their change in status. "Director Xia's attitude isn't sincere enough. Aren't you afraid we'll all walk out and no one will go to the Ninth Planting Center?"

The speaker was named Ma Xiaoyin. Although he ranked third in ability among the twenty B-class Magnetic Sense Evolvers, he wasn't on Xia Qing's shortlist of recruits. She raised her hand and pointed toward the door, indicating Ma Xiaoyin was free to leave if he wasn't satisfied.

Ma Xiaoyin shut his mouth, folded his arms, and stayed put.

A thin man in tattered, patched clothes stood up and introduced himself. "Hello, Director Xia. I'm Wang Jun, deputy squad leader of the third squad of the Safe Zone's Zhang Yong Construction Team. If I join the Ninth Planting Center, can I bring my child with me? Can my child enroll in the center's primary school?"

"The basic school within the Ninth Center covers kindergarten through junior high graduation." Xia Qing described the school, then promised, "You fall under the category of urgently needed special talent. Per regulations, you may bring your immediate family to live with you. Those who bring dependents can apply for a two-bedroom employee dormitory. Children who meet the enrollment requirements may enter the school to study. Jun-ge's Shunkang is seven this year and meets the enrollment requirements."

Seeing that Xia Qing, now successful, was still willing to call him "ge" the way she used to, Wang Jun's heart, which had been in turmoil ever since his arrest, finally settled. "Thank you, Director Xia. Once I'm there, I'll definitely follow arrangements and work hard. May I take my child and go back with you in a bit?"

Compared with the bodyguards outside, Wang Jun trusted Xia Qing more — they had worked together for four years.

Xia Qing nodded. "Sure. Once Jun-ge signs this employment document, you can go back and pack your things. When you're done, have the bodyguards take you to the Azure Dragon Squad to wait for me. We'll take the helicopter back."

"Wait a moment!"

Ma Xiaoyin jumped up. "There are still so many of us here. Doesn't the Ninth Center recruit the best? Director Xia, aren't you going to ask about his ability ranking?"

Wang Jun tensed up at once, because he ranked last among the twenty B-class Magnetic Sense Evolvers. He had deliberately concealed this information earlier, afraid Xia Qing wouldn't want him.

Xia Qing gave an explanation. "At the Ninth Center, your main job is to patrol the fields and identify abnormal crops. The more capable walk fewer rounds, the less capable walk a few more — as long as you can complete the task. I worked with Wang Jun on the same construction team for four years. I know him inside out, and I trust that he'll work hard after joining."

Wang Jun's suspended heart immediately dropped back into place. He bowed deeply to Xia Qing, signed, and ran off, afraid someone would hold him back.

"Director Xia, I'm…"

"Director Xia…"

"Director Xia…"

Several people who had long had their eyes on the Ninth Planting Center, seeing Xia Qing select her first Evolver so easily, scrambled to stand up and introduce themselves.

Xia Qing raised her hand to quiet everyone, then gestured for the first speaker — a woman whose clothes were still relatively clean and whose hands bore obvious scars — to go ahead. "You first."

This person, too, was someone Xia Qing had already chosen.

"Thank you, Director Xia." The woman who had been picked stood up at once and introduced herself. "My name is Wu Xinlian, 31 this year, married. Before the catastrophe, I studied statistics at university. My husband is named Liu Ke, a Level-3 Auditory Evolver. He also has no criminal record, and his base contribution value is 8,351. If I join the Ninth Planting Center, can my husband join as well?"

A contribution value of 8,351 ranked at a middling level among ordinary Evolvers. Xia Qing asked, "Is your husband a member of the Bright Green Squad?"

Wu Xinlian answered immediately, "He is now. If you allow him to join, he'll quit the squad right away."

According to Squad Alliance regulations, after an Evolver leaves a squad for personal reasons, they cannot apply to join a new squad without the original squad's consent. Liu Ke quitting the squad now meant he had no intention of staying in the squad circuit.

Xia Qing nodded. "He may join, and become a Ninth Center employee just like you. After joining, you must obey management. Violations of employee management regulations will result in fines, demotion, or dismissal and removal from the Ninth Center, depending on the severity."

"Yes, we'll definitely obey management. Thank you, Director. I'll go back and pack my things right now and leave with you." Wu Xinlian bowed, signed at once, and left, afraid Xia Qing would change her mind.

Seeing another one leave, the remaining people grew even more anxious. "Director Xia, how many people is our center recruiting in total?"

Xia Qing answered calmly, "Four."

"Director Xia Qing, it's my turn…"

"Director Xia, I…"

"…"

In another conference room, watching through the surveillance and hearing that the Ninth Planting Center could recruit so many people, the heads of other departments were all unhappy.

Zhao Baolin, Minister of Planting Management and director of the Safe Zone Planting Center, was the first to raise a question. "Base Commander, the Ninth Planting Center has only cultivated a little over 400 mu of farmland. Weren't they only supposed to be assigned one Magnetic Sense Evolver?"

Qi Zhongye, holding a large tea mug, said nothing. Tian Jiawen, Minister of Territory Management, explained the reason. "Because I applied to the Base Commander to assign the farmland patrol missions in Northern Zone One and Northern Zone Three to the Magnetic Sense Evolvers of the Ninth Center. I believe this arrangement is more reasonable and better protects the safety of the Magnetic Sense Evolvers."

Magnetic Sense Evolvers were a hot commodity for other departments, but not for the Territory Management Department. If a recruited Magnetic Sense Evolver went missing, was injured, or died during work, the base would hold someone accountable.

The Territory Management Department already had more than enough complicated work. Tian Jiawen had no desire to, during every Killing Rain or Killing Snow period, have to dispatch dedicated personnel and vehicles to escort the assigned Magnetic Sense Evolvers into the territory to check the crop safety of each territory one by one.

So when Zhou Qianpeng suggested to him that the dangerous inspection missions for the two territories farthest from the Safe Zone be handed to the Magnetic Sense Evolvers of the Ninth Planting Center, Tian Jiawen agreed immediately and submitted the application to the Base Commander.

Zhao Baolin muttered, "Even so, they shouldn't be given four. Three is the absolute max. They've only cultivated a few mu of land! There are only twenty B-class in total, and the Ninth Center is the smallest and the most recently established."

Just as he'd said — clearly he could have represented the Ninth Center in recruiting, yet Xia Qing had insisted on rushing over here herself. Turns out she was here to snatch his people!

Yu Jinghong, deputy director of the Hui-Three Research Institute, snorted coldly. "You were supposed to get four too, but who's to blame for not being able to protect them?"

That shut Zhao Baolin up, because the first Magnetic Sense Evolver to go missing was from his department. Now those people refused to stay with him and were actively trying to get into the Ninth Planting Center outside the Safe Zone!