Chapter 94: The Breeding Center Moves

After Qi Fu traded a yellow-light scallion seed for an Injured Evolution pumpkin vine, Zhao Ze also traded a green-light alfalfa seed — one that wouldn't go to seed for another two months — for one.

Because Xia Qing had an exceptionally effective deodorizer she had traded with her idol, which could block crops from releasing their flowering fragrance and attracting insects, she had no need for sticky insect boards and didn't trade for any.

Just as she was wondering why Kuang Qingwei, who was online twenty-four hours a day, hadn't said a word, his excited voice rang out, "Everyone, big news, big news! The people from the Wild Boar Breeding Center are moving things out — looks like they're leaving!"

So he'd gone to watch the excitement. As Xia Qing dug the trench, she wondered who would get that piece of land after the Wild Boar Breeding Center moved out.

Most likely hers, and she wouldn't even have to show up. Knowing Yang Jin's miserly nature, he'd already worked it all out.

Qi Fu's concern was more concrete: "Wei-ge, did they haul the pig manure away?"

Kuang Qingwei replied, "I really didn't notice that. Why don't you climb up the book tree and take a look? Your spot is more convenient than mine."

The Wild Boar Breeding Center's valley lay just beyond the northern isolation belt between Territories #4 and #5. If Qi Fu climbed a tree in the buffer forest, he could see it — but he was afraid of running into wolves. "My arm's still in a sling. I'll just stay put."

Zhao Ze also stayed silent, clearly having the same thought as Qi Fu.

Kuang Qingwei secretly curled his lip and kept on, "The staff are moving out, but they're not going to take the wire-mesh walls and the buildings inside with them, right? I wonder who that piece of land will belong to after they leave. If nobody claims it, we can go salvage stuff — it'd all be good stuff."

Qi Fu replied, "That place attracts wolves' attention, so probably nobody wants it. Still, let's wait until it's settled before we do anything, otherwise we'll just have to send whatever we salvage back to them."

"Captain Tan, you there? Got any news on this?" Kuang Qingwei called out to Tan Junjie on the lord channel, but got no reply.

At that moment, Tan Junjie was on the phone answering Tang Huai's inquiry: "That piece of land isn't part of the territory range, so it can't be applied for… Territory #8 has someone… I don't know the situation with the other territories."

After Tan Junjie hung up the phone, he picked up the tea Luo Pei had poured and took a sip. "That piece of land at the Breeding Center — what are you planning to do with it?"

Luo Pei didn't hide it from his old comrade: "Planning to get it and keep raising animals."

Tan Junjie asked quietly, "The Azure Dragon Squad wants to break away from the Safe Zone and build a new one here?"

Luo Pei asked, half-joking and half-serious: "If I said yes, would you come join me?"

Tan Junjie took another sip of tea and changed the subject. "Old Luo, Shuyun's been gone five years. You need to look forward. Xia Qing's not bad."

Luo Pei reminded Tan Junjie, "Your sister's been gone seven years."

"I'm not like you — I have Qiqi." Tan Junjie's voice softened at the mention of his daughter. "A person living has to have someone in their heart they can't let go of. That's how you learn to value your life. When things are hard and exhausting, thinking of family keeps you going. Otherwise, surviving in a natural disaster is just too bitter."

Hearing Tan Junjie's words, Luo Pei had a sudden flash of inspiration and thought of something: after moving from Huiyi Base to Hui San Base, Yang Jin had become much steadier. Was it because he'd met Xia Qing at Hui San Base and started valuing his life?

Seeing that Luo Pei seemed to be taking it in, Tan Junjie decided to add more fuel to the fire: "If you've really taken a liking to her, make the first move."

Luo Pei laughed. "I didn't mean it that way. Don't go playing matchmaker. Just now Tang Huai wanted to claim Territory #12?"

Tan Junjie nodded. "Yes. But he can want all he likes — it's pointless. Ever since you took Mountain #49, the territories around here have been in high demand. Plenty of people have their eye on Territory #12."

The fifty territories in the northern part of Hui San Base's Safe Zone were divided into two large sections. The section from #1 to #28 was ringed by mountains on the east, west, and north, with a large area of ruined city to the south. The danger rating was higher than the section closer to the Safe Zone, and before Mountain #49 was taken by the Azure Dragon Squad, these territories hadn't been in much demand.

Now it was Luo Pei's turn to advise Tan Junjie: "The natural disasters are still going on, but around here we probably won't see any world-ending catastrophes. Claim a piece of land nearby too — consider it for Qiqi. When she's on school breaks, she'll have somewhere to run around, and when she grows up, it'll give her another path."

Tan Junjie nodded. "I'm planning to claim Territory #15. I came over today to borrow some points from you."

Luo Pei asked immediately, "The one south of Zhang San? Good spot — even more people have their eye on that one. Tell me where you're stuck, and we'll figure it out together."

In the neighboring Territory #2, Tang Heng asked quietly, "Brother, are you serious about this?"

Tang Huai was uncharacteristically solemn: "Luo Pei's poison has been cured, so why is the Azure Dragon Squad still holding onto Mountain #49? Is Yang Jin an idiot, or is Xie Yu an idiot?"

If miser Yang Jin and brain-domain evolver Xie Yu counted as idiots, then there were no smart people left on this blue planet. Tang Heng understood what his brother meant. "You mean they bought Mountain #49 to hold the mountain as their own, like the Blazing Fire Squad did? But there's no unpolluted spring on Mountain #49."

"Luo Pei's poison couldn't be cured without fifteen thousand liters of spring water. Now Luo Pei's running around with a sniper rifle like nothing happened — could the Azure Dragon Combat Squad be short on spring water?" Tang Huai tapped the map on the table, his face grave. "Xu Pin and Tang Zheng couldn't find a spring on the mountain, but that doesn't mean Mountain #49 has no other value."

Tang Heng's heart pounded. "Mountain #49 has yiite ore?"

How could the Azure Dragon Squad tell him something that confidential? Tang Huai shot his brother a look. "Whatever the case, Mountain #49 definitely has treasure. We have to beat everyone else to it and grab Territory #12! When this area develops in the future, we won't have to live at the mercy of those people's moods."

Tang Heng froze for a moment, his voice choking. "Brother…"

Tang Huai patted his shoulder. "Strength evolver Xia Qing — just one woman — dared to come out and farm, and now she's living well. Why can't the two of us? Even in a natural disaster, we can't live in a way we ourselves despise. Watching you suck up to Xu Pin — I can't stand it."

"Brother…"

"Enough. We don't need to worry about Territory #15 — even if we did, we couldn't get it. Let's first figure out how to grab Territory #12."

Tang Huai sniffed. "First we have to convince our dad and our sister to go talk to Tang Zhengrong…"

While everyone else was scheming over territories, Xia Qing had already finished digging fertilization trenches in both cotton fields and started "cleaning the ears" of the cotton.

"Cleaning the ears" is a very vivid name for the pruning process on cotton plants during the flowering stage. After the cotton has been pruned and the suckers removed, the wild shoots below the fruiting branches have been broken off — but after this period of growth, new little buds sprout again where the wild shoots used to be, and little buds also push out from below the flower buds on the fruiting branches. These little buds must be removed in time, or they'll compete with the flower buds and cotton bolls for nutrients.