Chapter 414: Using Poison

Chapter 414: Chapter 414: Using Poison

Truthfully, Xiaqing was dying to ask her idol who else he had called with this question. But he sounded tired, and Xiaqing didn’t dare disturb him. She quickly said goodnight and hung up.

Why wouldn’t she dare?

She used to be afraid he’d block her number. Now, on top of that, she was afraid that if she upset him, he’d send an Evolutionary Rat to take a few laps around her territory.

If Tang Zhengsu knew Territory Land No. 7 had sent out an Evolutionary Rat, he might just send a thank-you banner to the person who blew up his plane...

So, who should get the thank-you banner from the Second Territory?

Xiaqing munched on a biscuit, using the process of elimination. In the end, only one option remained: the ruthless, tight-lipped Lord No.8, Xin Yu.

Her talking Brain Domain Evolution Crow was perfect for carrying out such a covert mission in the dead of night.

After Xiaqing finished her biscuit, the phone rang again. This time, it was Yang Jin.

From the background noise, Xiaqing determined Yang Jin was in the Evolution Forest. She could hear the howling of a gale tearing through the dense woods. He was probably standing behind a large rock, sheltered from the wind, to make the call.

For Yang Jin to call her at a time like this, it had to be something very important.

Sure enough, after a brief pleasantry, Yang Jin got straight to the point. "An Evolution Bear on Mountain No. 50 was wounded by a refugee squad and also poisoned by an Injuring Snake. If we don’t treat the poison, this bear definitely won’t survive this year’s Harmful Snow. If it loses control, goes on a rampage, and gets killed after entering our territory, it’ll infuriate the whole Bear Group. So we need to cure it."

Yang Jin was a Top Speed Evolver, making him the best person to go to Mountain No. 50 and stop the refugee squad from hunting the bear. Xiaqing had figured he would go, but she never imagined Su Feng would be so vicious as to use poison on a bear!

Xiaqing asked directly, "How many leaves do you need?"

Yang Jin was calling her now to get the antidote—the Qiangwu Grass.

"Five leaves. Cut them, pack them up, and leave them outside the North Gate. I’ll have Hu Zifeng go get them." Yang Jin explained his plan, "The Second Territory has already sent out Reconnaissance birds. Hu Zifeng will issue an extreme weather warning on the Lord channel soon. Lower your rainproof cloths before you cut the grass leaves."

Once the rainproof cloths were lowered, people outside and the surveillance equipment on the Reconnaissance birds wouldn’t be able to see what Xiaqing was doing inside her greenhouses.

"Okay." Xiaqing then asked, "Should I still cut from the first plant? At least that way we can ensure one plant remains completely fine."

The Qiangwu Grass belonged to both of them, so they had to discuss it.

"Okay." Yang Jin then told Xiaqing who would be paying for the antidote in points. "I’ll make Fiery Fire and Su Feng compensate us for triple our losses. Two of the six people in that refugee squad are from the Fiery Fire Team."

Xiaqing’s anger flared. She asked in a low voice, "The Second Territory’s helicopter was...?"

Hearing her ask this, Yang Jin knew she wasn’t the one who blew up the Second Territory’s helicopter. "My mole in the Su Feng Team didn’t even have a chance to act before the chopper blew up..."

Yang Jin glanced at the surveillance feed a subordinate handed him and told Xiaqing, "The Reconnaissance bird sent to Mountain No. 61 just sent back footage. Two Evolution Bears have already come down the mountain and are heading south."

"I’m leaving now!" After hanging up, Xiaqing told Sick Wolf and Sheep Leader to watch the house. She shouldered her gun, put on her back basket, and went out to begin patrolling her territory.

By the time her patrol brought her to the edge of the greenhouses, Hu Zifeng made an announcement:

"Everyone, cold air masses have appeared to the northwest and northeast of our territories. Based on the current wind direction and speed, it’s highly likely these air masses will meet over our area and cause a localized drop in temperature within the next 4 to 10 hours. The temperature could fall by more than 10°C. Please take precautions."

During the Disaster Years, sudden, localized extreme weather events were very frequent. No.1 Territory, which possessed weather monitoring equipment, would often issue these friendly reminders in the Lord channel to help everyone avoid damage to their crops from hail, downpours, gales, and other extreme weather.

Xiaqing stopped, looking up at the sky. She glanced over toward the airspace above the Second Territory. It was pitch-black; she couldn’t tell if there were any Reconnaissance birds up there.

"Holy cow, a 10°C drop?" Zhao Ze was the first to cry out in alarm. "Brother Qi, can our wheat and rapeseed seedlings handle that?"

Qi Fu replied, "Just in case, everyone should lower their rainproof cloths. With the cloths blocking the strong wind, the inside of the greenhouses will be a few degrees warmer than outside, at the very least."

Yue Haiying, the acting representative for Territory No.15, asked, "Brother Qi, we have a plot where the greenhouse frame isn’t finished yet. Can we just lay the rainproof cloth directly on the ground?"

Kuang Qingwei asked in surprise, "Brother Yue, when did you get in here?"

Yue Haiying laughed and explained, "This evening. I wanted to say hello to everyone, but I couldn’t find a good time. The people in our Territory No.15 don’t know much about this stuff, so I shamelessly wormed my way in here to learn farming techniques from you all."

Too much had happened tonight; Yue Haiying really had picked a bad time to join.

"Welcome, Brother Yue." Zhao Ze was the first to offer an enthusiastic welcome.

After Xiaqing, Kuang Qingwei, and Shi Zhong also welcomed him, Qi Fu finally answered Yue Haiying’s question. "The rainproof cloth isn’t breathable. If you lay it directly on the ground, you might suffocate the seedlings. Brother Yue, it’s best to cover the ground with dry grass and weigh it down with sticks or bricks so the wind doesn’t blow it away."

Yue Haiying asked, "Okay. Would straw mats work? We haven’t had time to cover our straw mats with rainproof cloth yet."

The winters at Hui San Base were damp and rainy. The straw mats placed over the greenhouse’s plastic film had to be covered with a layer of rainproof cloth to protect against rain and moisture.

If they weren’t covered, the straw mats would absorb water, becoming swollen and heavy. Not only would this make them difficult to roll up and down each day, but they could also crush the greenhouse frame.

Qi Fu replied, "Those will work."

Xiaqing had planted two and a half acres of wheat and one acre of rapeseed, spread across four greenhouses, all of which had been built in the summer. After lowering the rainproof cloths on one greenhouse after another, she feigned ignorance and asked, "Brother Qi, are fruit trees afraid of the cold?"

Qi Fu replied, "Fruit trees are more frost-resistant than wheat and rapeseed seedlings, but taking some precautions against the cold certainly can’t hurt."

"Okay," Xiaqing responded, and began lowering the rainproof cloth on the low-slope greenhouse.

Li Si came online. "Xiaqing, you have fruit trees in your territory?"

Xiaqing rolled her eyes, but her voice was calm as she replied, "Didn’t Assistant Liu mention it to you? I traded for some Sichuan pepper and passion fruit seedlings at the agricultural trade fair over the summer."

Li Si’s voice was cool. "Perhaps he did. Passion fruit isn’t cold-hardy. You’ll need to take full protective measures."

Xiaqing seized the opportunity to ask for advice. "Thank you, Fourth Sister. Do you know how to protect passion fruit from the cold?"

"You can build an insulated shelter, cover it with insulation materials..."

While Li Si explained, Xiaqing finished lowering the rainproof cloth on the low-slope greenhouse. She quickly moved the stone away from the entrance of the Spring Cave, sliced off five Qiangwu Grass Leaves, placed them in a test tube, and sealed it tightly with a stopper.

Then, she continued up the slope. After lowering the rainproof cloth on the high-slope greenhouse, she placed the test tube, now inside a small black bag, in the designated spot during her patrol of the high slope.

After returning home, Xiaqing received a message from Yang Jin: After the two bears left Mountain No.61, the Head Wolf and Broken Waist Wolf led over twenty other wolves into the Giant Python’s territory.