Chapter 1047: Dire Rain and the Rush to Survive

“Director!”

From the way the shadow moved and where she appeared, the security team immediately recognized her. After exchanging the code, then hearing Xia Qing’s voice, they lowered their weapons and let her pass.

Inside the Ninth Center, workers laying rain covers and digging isolation ditches perked up when they heard Xia Qing had arrived. It was like a shot of confidence, pushing them to move even faster.

Xia Qing might have been strict and quiet, but she was a dual-system advanced evolved fighter and a top-tier sniper. With her around, everyone felt more certain they’d survive this natural disaster.

The Security Department chief stepped up and gave Xia Qing a quick rundown. “The Magnetic Sense Team has confirmed the worst disaster area is near the northern gate. The deputy director is over there commanding operations. Magnetic Sense Team One is assisting, while Team Two is patrolling the outside passageways.”

The Magnetic Sense evolvers had only left the Ninth Center—they were still within Section One of the North, guarded by elite Security staff, so there was no safety concern. Xia Qing acknowledged with a nod, then hurried toward the northern gate.

At the far north end of the Ninth Center sat six greenhouses. They had to finish digging the isolation ditches fast, or the sprouting Yellow Lantern rice inside would get ruined by Scourge Grass spreading in from the main passage.

When Xia Qing reached the north gate, she spotted Yan Yue there too, dressed in a Level 3 wilderness protective suit and leaning on a crutch. She was barking orders through the walkie-talkie, mobilizing off-duty staff to assist understaffed territories by digging aggressive Scourge Grass ditches.

Xia Qing checked in with Yue Haiying and inspected the pace of construction. The ditches in the Ninth Center weren’t straight—each formed a U-shaped barrier, with the gate set right in the indented part. This convinced Xia Qing even more that someone had deliberately scattered Scourge Grass seeds.

They hadn’t sowed seeds on the outer barrier of Section One of the North because it was lined with surveillance on the iron mesh wall—doing it out there would have been too easy to spot.

Once she saw everything was moving smoothly, Xia Qing stepped back a few paces.

The rain covers could shield them from the constant Devastation Rain, but not from the intense magnetic field emanating from the aggressive Scourge Grass they held down. Standing so close to the passage put enormous strain on a magnetic sense evolver like Xia Qing.

“Director!”

Just as Xia Qing retreated, Yue Haiying turned and gave a quick report. “Wu Xinlian and Lü Ziqiang say the magnetic field from Scourge Grass between Middle Passage, Territory Fourteen, and Territory Sixteen just spiked dramatically.”

Unlike Xia Qing, who fought off the magnetic attacks to her brow purely through willpower, the other magnetic sense evolvers at Ninth Center had already taken magnetic pain suppressants as soon as the Devastation Rain started.

Red One Base had developed this special medication to help magnetic sense evolvers deal with magnetic field–induced headaches. Once taken, the pain dulled even with close-range exposure for 24 hours, letting them use their abilities as normal.

The pills were rationed. Xia Qing had already stretched her quota by pinching off two to give to Zhang Shi, who’d headed to Lan Five Base with Little Shiyi.

Yan Yue, leaning on her crutch, also reported, “Director, according to the weather forecast, Devastation Rain will rise to red level in twenty-five minutes.”

Xia Qing nodded and immediately called Tan Junjie. “Captain Tan, is the rain cover on the east end of the Middle Passage finished yet?”

Tan Junjie replied, “The lords aren’t cooperating. I’m pushing them and leading the crews myself.”

Alliance members who had absolute faith in Xia Qing dropped what they were doing and, under Zhao Ze’s command, rushed to cover the Scourge Grass and dig ditches.

But the other lords in Section One of the North still focused on their own fields during the Devastation Rain, making the clearing of evolved crops and weeds their top priority.

As for the aggressive Scourge Grass in the passage, many saw it as a public problem—it wasn’t their private land, so clearing it should fall to the Inspection Team!

Xia Qing gave an order, her face unreadable. “Captain Tan, turn on the megaphone.”

“Hold on, Xia Qing.” Zhang San spoke up in the lords’ channel, reporting test results on the Scourge Grass. “We analyzed it. The gas released after the Scourge Grass blooms in the passage matches the gas from the meat bugs scavengers carry. This stuff is fatally attractive to carnivores. So this type of Scourge Grass is middle-high risk. We need to cover it immediately and stop the scent from spreading.”

“Xia Qing.” Xin Yu chimed in, “A beast horde is forming on the north slope of Hill Forty. We can’t tell where it’s headed, but it could be coming straight for our territory.”

Zhang San and Xin Yu’s news made every alliance member’s heart hammer. They roared at their crews and helpers to move even faster—dig those isolation ditches and lay down the rain covers right away.

Red-level Devastation Rain and a beast horde were both charging their direction!

“Got it. Thanks, Third Brother. Xin Yu, keep observing and report any changes in the beast horde’s movement.” Xia Qing responded calmly, then ordered, “Captain Tan, turn on the megaphone.”

“Roger, the megaphone is live.”

“Attention, all lords, attention! This is Northern Sector One’s disaster response commander, Xia Qing, with an urgent update and instructions.”

Standing inside the Ninth Center, Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie, her voice sharp and commanding:

“All lords, this is Commander Xia Qing. The gas released when Scourge Grass in the passage blooms is fatally attractive to carnivores. If the scent spreads, beasts and birds from the Evolved Forest will invade your land. Here’s your emergency order: any territory that hasn’t finished covering Scourge Grass or digging ditches—lords and able-bodied members—grab your tools and rain covers, follow Inspection Team guidance, and get it done now.”

“This mission must be completed within twenty minutes. Any territory that ignores orders or drags their feet—even if you survive the Devastation Rain—will lose all privileges and face legal penalties according to the severity of violations.”

The “law” Xia Qing referenced was the Huaguo Emergency Natural Disaster Response Act. During disasters, you follow commands—or pay the price.

Hearing her command, the lords who hadn’t finished covering or digging dared not complain. They snatched tools and rain covers and dashed out of greenhouses and houses, braving the storm as they raced to the north and south passages.

“Tan Junjie, Zeng Quan, Ding Yongwei—send an Inspection Team member to every territory to supervise progress.”

The megaphone crackled as Tan Junjie reported, “Sixth Inspection Squad here. Plots 1 to 10 have finished covering Scourge Grass. Isolation ditch digging is more than halfway done.”

Hearing Tan Junjie’s update, the lords carrying rain covers sprinted even faster.

Ding Yongwei replied, “Fifth Inspection Squad, message received.”

Zeng Quan echoed, “Fourth Inspection Squad, received.”

Xia Qing immediately followed up. “Tan Junjie, check the battery levels on the iron mesh wall of Section One of the North. Get ready to power up.”

“On it,” Tan Junjie responded at once.

Xia Qing gave another round of orders. “Inspection Team, Territory Seven—inspect the anti-air weapons and prepare for possible bird attacks. All teams, full speed ahead!”

She Xing, still digging ditches with her crew, gritted her teeth and shoveled even harder.

After letting go of the walkie-talkie, Xia Qing turned to Yan Yue. “Recall the Magnetic Sense Evolvers outside. Activate Contingency Plan Two.”

“Understood.” Yan Yue relayed the directive using the Ninth Center’s internal channel.

“Brother Yue, I’m leaving this to you. I’ll head to the east section of the Middle Passage and oversee construction there.”

Xia Qing had barely turned when her phone buzzed urgently. She answered, and a desperate voice burst through her Bluetooth headphones:

“Director Xia, Northern Section Three is in crisis! We need support from Section One! Please send help!”

Xia Qing responded coolly, “Section One is also in a state of emergency and cannot provide any form of assistance to Section Three.”