Chapter 406: Provocation from the Refugees

Chapter 406: Chapter 406: Provocation from the Refugees

After Hu Zi left, Xiaqing opened the notes sent by her allies and saw they weren’t ordering many grow lights. Each territory was buying between five and eight, only enough to illuminate half a greenhouse, or a little more.

This was perfectly normal.

For one, renting trucks to haul soil, buying plastic sheeting, and purchasing seeds had already consumed a huge amount of the Lords’ points. They would likely have to sell their crops to scrape together enough points for the grow lights.

It wasn’t just them; Xiaqing was also short on points. She would have to pay for the lights with supplies, as she had already spent all her points on her perimeter wall and trading for Yi Stones.

Secondly, growing crops in a greenhouse didn’t necessarily require grow lights. As long as the temperature and humidity could be maintained at a certain level, it was possible to grow vegetables with low light requirements, such as spinach, chives, and celery.

Chives were a prime example. The blanched chives grown in darkness were even more valuable than regular ones. Over the past few days, the agricultural broadcasts had been heavily promoting the benefits of growing blanched chives, and the Lord Management Department was also selling year-old chive roots.

Xiaqing had already contacted Zhong Tao by phone to order 200 chive roots, and the other Lords were ordering just as many, if not more.

But even with 500 or 1,000 chive roots, plus the chives the Lords already owned, it still wouldn’t be enough to fill an entire greenhouse. Therefore, they also needed to plant vegetables with higher requirements for light intensity and duration, which was why everyone was buying grow lights.

After sending the total order for the grow lights to Yang Jin, Xiaqing was returning to her terraced fields to haul sweet potatoes home when the voice of Li Si, Lord No.9, came through her walkie-talkie.

"Is Brother San there?"

Ji Li responded, "Our Lord is still resting."

Farmers wake up early. Xiaqing had already been busy for a while and harvested more than a hundred sweet potato plants, but it was only seven-thirty in the morning, so it was perfectly normal that Zhang San was still asleep.

Li Si stated her reason for calling in an icy tone, "Our team’s vice captain has brought thirty catties of fresh, frozen Green Light Bull chuck eye roll and hide, and wishes to visit Brother San in Territory Land No. 7."

Hiss—

Xiaqing’s mouth watered uncontrollably, and her eyes instinctively flicked to Sheep Leader, who was carrying a basket up ahead.

’Green Light Bull chuck eye roll and hide...’ she thought. ’The only thing that could possibly compare is the foreleg and tenderloin on this Green Light Sheep right in front of me.’

The Fiery Fire Team’s gift was substantial, but it wasn’t enough to open the gates of Territory Land No. 7.

Ji Li replied calmly, "Our Lord has been very busy lately. He is not accepting any visitors."

Li Si continued to inquire, "Can we exchange the Green Light Bull meat for medicine from Territory Land No. 7?"

Ji Li did not refuse. "Which medicine do you require?"

"Can we discuss this in person?"

"Yes."

Once their exchange was over, the Lord channel went quiet again. After stashing most of the sweet potatoes in the root cellar beneath her garage, Xiaqing grabbed her tools and went to assemble the steel frame for the second greenhouse.

At eight o’clock, Hu Zifeng’s team entered the Third Territory to help Xiaqing assemble the second greenhouse’s steel frame and attach the plastic sheeting.

The extra hands made things lively. Eryong talked nonstop, explaining why the chuck eye roll was called "snowflake beef" and the best way to stew the hide.

Chen Cheng, meanwhile, filled Xiaqing in on the Fiery Fire Team’s vice captains. "The Fiery Fire Team has six vice captains, each managing different operations. The one visiting this time is Shan Ying, who’s in charge of cultivation. She’s an Auditory Evolver, and she’s responsible for the Fiery Fire Team’s High Yi Element Spinach."

Xiaqing took the crossbeam from Chen Cheng and asked, "Was Li Si one of Shan Ying’s subordinates before she became a Lord?"

Chen Cheng wasn’t sure either. "I don’t know, honestly. I just know Shan Ying is a big deal. Fire Phoenix paid a fortune to poach her from the Research Institute at Red City Base. She rarely leaves Fiery Mountain, so for the Fiery Fire Team to send her to visit Zhang San, it must be for something extremely important."

’It makes sense to send the vice captain in charge of cultivation to discuss the Cordyceps Fungus with Zhang San,’ Xiaqing thought. She then asked, "Is there a vice captain in the Fiery Fire Team with the surname Liao?"

Xiaqing had once overheard Li Si arguing with someone inside No. 9 Territory and learned that the Fiery Fire Team’s Vice Captain Liao had been the one to decide on both price hikes for the territory’s high-efficiency compost starter. This was a good chance to inquire.

Chen Cheng answered immediately. "Yes. His name is Liao Wendong. He’s a Brain Domain Evolver, in charge of the Fiery Fire Team’s finances and external trade."

Hu Zifeng, shouldering a bundle of steel pipes, chimed in. "Before the Natural Disaster, Liao Wendong was the finance director for a publicly traded company. He’s incredibly cunning. A large part of the reason the Fiery Fire Team is rolling in dough now is because of him."

Xiaqing asked, "Liao Wendong is a Brain Domain Evolver?"

"I don’t think so," Hu Zifeng replied. "I heard that before the Natural Disaster, he and Fire Phoenix..."

"Zifeng, can you hear me?"

Yang Jin’s voice came through Hu Zifeng’s walkie-talkie.

Hu Zifeng immediately pressed the walkie-talkie button. "Loud and clear, Boss. Go ahead."

Yang Jin gave the order, "The refugees from the Second Territory have left their land and are heading west. They are now entering the buffer zone between the Third Territory and Mountain No. 49. Take your team back to Zone Three of Mountain 49 immediately and await orders."

Mountain No. 49 belonged to the Green Dragon Team and the Third Territory belonged to Xiaqing, but the buffer zone was considered a public "road." People traveling on a road didn’t need anyone’s permission.

"Yes, sir."

Hu Zifeng’s team immediately dropped their steel pipes and tools, fell into formation, and hurried toward Zone Three of Mountain 49. Few within the Green Dragon Team knew that Zone Three actually belonged to Xiaqing. On paper, the area was under the protection of Hu Zifeng’s team.

Xiaqing also put down her tools and followed Hu Zifeng’s team to the High Slope in the Buffer Forest. While Hu Zifeng’s team went to guard Zone Three of Mountain 49, she had to guard her own territory.

CLANG—

The sound of a heavy metal object striking the Third Territory’s chain-link fence reached Xiaqing’s ears clearly. Standing in the North Buffer Forest, Xiaqing turned and headed for the West Buffer Forest.

"Sister Qing—" Chen Cheng, who had just exited the Third Territory, called out in a low voice. "Stay calm. Don’t fall for their trick."

These people were clearly out looking for trouble. Xiaqing nodded to show she understood.

CLANG—

After another loud clang, Xiaqing, now in the West Buffer Forest, heard someone shout in a ruffian’s drawl, "So it’s hollow! The day I got here, I saw them making a big damn show of unloading this stuff. Fucking thought it was solid!"

Xiaqing recognized the voice. It belonged to the refugee from the first day the Second Territory started taking people in—the one who had been eyeing her gun.

"Stop fucking causing trouble and walk faster," someone urged.

"What trouble am I causing? I just banged on the wall a couple of times. It’s not like I hit anyone."

"You wish you could. Can you even reach them?"

"How’d you know I wanted to?" the man sneered, and then, with an itch in his fingers he couldn’t scratch, he rapped the chain-link fence again with the spine of his machete.

With such loud clanging, Xiaqing couldn’t pretend she didn’t hear it. Otherwise, the people outside would think she was scared.

Next time, they would use more aggressive methods to test Xiaqing’s limits.

Xiaqing walked to the fence, pressed the button on her walkie-talkie, and said, "Captain Tan, are you there?"

"Here," Tan Junjie quickly responded on the Lord channel.

Having reached the fenceline in the West Buffer Forest, Xiaqing stared at the ten-person squad in the buffer zone and calmly asked, "Someone in the buffer zone has forcefully struck my territory’s perimeter wall with a heavy object three times in a row. Do I have the authorization to shoot to kill?"

Tan Junjie replied, "According to procedure, you should issue a warning first. If the other party ignores the warning and continues their aggressive behavior, you can take effective measures to protect your territory."

"Understood." Xiaqing released the walkie-talkie button, raised her gun, and aimed it at the Strength Evolver who was striking her fence with a machete.