Chapter 1043: An Abundance of Spoils and a Homecoming Under Devastation Rain

Xia Qing had already guessed Hu Zifeng would make this choice. She packed up all the supplies from the Scavenger—including one gun, three knives, a bow and arrows, and a long blade—and handed them over to Hu Zifeng. “We’ll split the two Yi Stones sixty-forty, but there’s no rush. Captain Hu, take everything back, figure out the exact value, then we’ll talk about what to keep and what to trade.”

The Azure Dragon Squad has a dedicated team for evaluating supplies. Only after they figure out what the Scavenger’s stash is worth can the value of the items Xia Qing seized from the other six be determined for the trade.

Except for the Yi Stone and those roots, and the points cards, Xia Qing didn’t want to keep any of the other spoils.

Hu Zifeng took the bag. “Alright. I’ll bring it all back, calculate the credits for every item, and once the list’s ready, we’ll have another briefing.”

Once the spoils were split, the mission team was set to disband. Jing Kuan grinned, raising the two bags that belonged to Xia Qing. “Sister Qing, let us take you home.”

“Sure.” Xia Qing shouldered her backpack, swung the Yellow Lantern Antelope over her right shoulder, grabbed a bag of spoils in her left hand, and hopped out of the helicopter.

This bag held a dozen shoulder bags and a pile of clothes. There could be a few pieces of Yi Stone hidden inside—she only felt at ease gripping it tightly herself.

Hu Zifeng brought the spoils that belonged to the three of them back to Territory One. Jing Kuan and Er Yong helped Xia Qing carry her loot, trailing behind her.

Once out of the helicopter, none of them mentioned the Yi Stone. Er Yong smiled, “That was a rough mission, but at least it was quick. Devastation Rain’s only been going for four hours—it’s not even fully dark yet.”

Xia Qing responded with a cheerful nod, her steps light as she made her way toward her territory.

The gentle Devastation Rain and slanting wind pattered against the Evolved Forest, playing a lovely symphony of nature. Even the sound of the Devastation Grass growing somehow fit right in.

Xia Qing’s lips curled up. “We got back at the perfect time. In just over an hour, I can harvest the first batch of Red-leaved Bamboo from this wave of Devastation Rain.”

Er Yong…

Jing Kuan…

Sister Qing, you really are the queen of farming.

Stepping out of Section Three on Hill Forty-Nine, Xia Qing glanced first at the western Buffer Forest near the iron mesh wall, where the Red-leaved Bamboo had already shot up to nearly sixteen meters. Once inside her own territory, she hailed Guan Tong, who was patrolling the northern Buffer Forest. “Brother Tong, did we get red-level Devastation Rain in our territory?”

If it hadn’t been for red-level Devastation Rain, which quickly raised the concentration of Devastation Element in the air, the Red-leaved Bamboo couldn’t have grown this fast.

Guan Tong nodded. “The third round was red-level, lasted twenty-eight minutes. Everything inside the territory is under control.”

Xia Qing thanked him, heading downhill as she asked, “Has Old Goat come out?”

“He’s been staying in the village. Number Four won’t let anyone get close. The cameras show nothing dangerous’s cropped up near the yard, but Sister Qing, best you take a look. Devastation Rain’s been going for four hours now. Old Goat and the chickens must be starving. Hungry chickens are fine, but a hungry Old Goat gets cranky and likes to butt people.”

Xia Qing thanked them, shouldered her kill, picked up her loot, and jumped onto the rotary tiller to hurry home. The Devastation Grass in her territory had grown over a meter tall, swallowing the road. Driving the tiller was way safer than walking.

She had barely reached the village when she heard Old Goat’s furious bleating. Luckily, he still had enough sense not to storm out into the rain to scold her.

Xia Qing parked the tiller in the yard, unloaded the spoils beneath the eaves out of the rain, handed them to a flock of noisy little swallows to watch, then grabbed her umbrella and climbed up to Number Four’s turf and stopped in front of his tiny shed. “Number Four, Old Goat, I’m home!”

“Baa!!!” Old Goat erupted from the shed and charged at Xia Qing.

Laughing, Xia Qing grabbed his horns and shielded him under her big umbrella. She called out to Number Four, “Thanks for looking after everything. I brought back some Yellow Lantern prey—tonight I’ll cook up some meat for you.”

Number Four lounged atop the Royal Platform, not even sparing Xia Qing or the bothersome goat a glance, looking thoroughly annoyed.

Xia Qing happily hauled Old Goat back under the eaves, pointed at the pile of bags, and shared her excitement. “Look, Old Goat! Just look at all this loot I brought back! There are even some roots here—I bet you’ll love them.”

The moment Xia Qing spotted those roots, she’d planned to make them a gift for Old Goat. First, though, she needed to figure out what they were and whether they were edible.

Old Goat sniffed them, barely interested, then kicked open the security door and headed into the cabin.

Standing under the eaves, Xia Qing called her Idol. She quickly filled him in on the afternoon’s events, then asked, “Third Brother, I’ll send over the antelope and samples I picked up. I’m short-handed and too busy to butcher the antelope myself.”

Antelopes are extremely sensitive creatures. They need vast space and a variety of wild feed—they can’t survive inside the territory, so they need to be slaughtered while they’re fresh.

Her Idol had taken some high-quality anti-allergy medicine, so eating Yellow Lantern meat wouldn’t set off a serious reaction. If not for that, Xia Qing would have pleaded with Alpha to trade her a Green Lantern prey to bring back.

“I’ll have Zheng Chen pick it up.” Zhang San’s voice was full of warmth. “I’ll keep half the antelope. Just tell me how you want your half, and I’ll have the kitchen prep it and send it back to you.”

The chef at Territory Seven was miles beyond Er Yong’s skills. Xia Qing could already taste it. “Just make mine the same as yours, Third Brother. Thanks so much.”

Zhang San was all about good food. “Alright, let’s roast it. There’s still time—how about half of it roasted whole?”

Roasting everything won’t work—Number Four can’t eat anything seasoned. “Save me one three-pound chunk of meat, and roast the rest. By the way, Third Brother, in the loot from those two Scavengers I sent you yesterday, is there a small bundle of palm-long, reddish-brown dried roots?”

Hearing this made Zhang San even happier. “Those aren’t tree roots—they’re evolved White Reed Grass roots, Green Lantern quality, and sweet as can be. The fresh ones can be eaten raw. If they’re dried, they’re great for soup or tea.”

Xia Qing got it immediately. “Third Brother, I picked up more of those today. Keep the ones from those two for your tea.”

Zhang San’s voice oozed kindness. “You got it. I’ll have Zheng Chen bring you some more supplies, including two small pieces of high-grade Yi Stone and a whole one that’s probably high quality too. Keep them for yourself—don’t be silly and trade them just for credits.”

Precious materials hold their value way better than credits.

After thanking him, Xia Qing asked about how things were going at the Ninth Center and Hill Fifty. She was just about to ask about the evolved Giant Wasps in the chestnut grove when her Idol hung up.

Grinning, Xia Qing fished out a small bundle of evolved White Reed Grass roots from the seized backpack, carried them into the kitchen, and sanitized them in a basin. Once she’d washed the reddish-brown clay from them, she found the roots themselves were a creamy yellow, segmented like bamboo. The sight made her smile.

To fill her hungry belly while out on missions, she’d often dig up the roots of this kind of grass to eat—but those were just the non-evolved, Yellow Lantern kind, only faintly sweet. If these evolved, Green Lantern grass roots were enough to put Third Brother in such a good mood, they must be delicious.