Chapter 1051: When Rain and Fury Collide

Scarlet-level Devastation Rain hammered down on the greenhouses and passageway rain covers, sounding like thousands of drumsticks beating on war drums—the relentless thunder pounded in everyone’s chest.

But for Xia Qing it was more than the deafening roar of the storm; magnetic waves from the Devastation Grass in the passage struck her senses too.

The assault was so fierce she couldn’t stand sentinel atop the rain cover like the Inspection Team members. Instead, she scaled a thirty-meter-tall mobile signal tower, gripping her powerful crossbow with an umbrella overhead. Perched at the top, every sense sharp and focused, she scanned the surroundings for any sign of movement within four hundred meters.

Xin Yu from Territory Eight, dressed head-to-toe in jet-black protective gear, crossbow in hand, stepped out of the snow-white little building and headed for the southern passage, eyes locked on the western sky above the defensive forest.

Elsewhere, Huo Zhun from Territory Eleven also left the greenhouse and raised the same model crossbow Xia Qing used. Shi Du from Territory Ten, Yuan Yan from Territory Five hoisted slightly smaller ones. Zhu Li from Territory Six, Tang Huai from Territory Two, Tan Qi from Territory Fifteen, Wen Nengjie from Territory Seventeen—all gripped crossbows they’d swapped with Huo Lei.

Crossbow bolts, arrows, slingshots and rocks—these had become humanity’s main weapons in times when guns were useless.

A few fearless birds from the Evolved Forest darted into the meat-scented lands, only to be shot out of the sky one by one by the anti-air defenders.

Devastation Grass, stunted by the rain covers pressing down, crawled tenaciously along the ground. Its clustered blossoms became a feast for bugs crawling underneath, who devoured them with wild abandon. With nothing else to eat, the crawling insects turned on each other in a brutal struggle for survival, desperate to savor even trace amounts of the floral scent.

In places not shielded by rain covers, aggressive Devastation Grass roots spread quickly under the scarlet rain. Shoots burst from the ground, stretching visibly taller, encroaching steadily on the barrier ditches jammed with rain covers. The sight sent a chill through anyone watching.

Under Yue Haiying’s command, Ninth Center staff lugging pesticide barrels raced from Territory Seven to deliver Devastation Grass killer to every territory. Broadcasts through loudspeakers played the application instructions on repeat. A helicopter from Hill Forty-Nine, loaded with a different formula mixed by Zhang San, took off for the Western Evolved Forest.

Deep in the Western Evolved Forest near Hill Forty-Six, Yang Jin, wielding his twin sabers, sliced through two wild boars before leaping into action. His blade pierced the eye of a massive, unidentified evolved beast. Landing nimbly, he charged a rampaging wolverine ten meters away and cut its throat. Instantly, he was engaged in close combat with a speed-evolved wolf wearing a collar.

Up on the hillside, Luo Pei faced the incoming beast tide head-on, letting crossbow bolts fly at one savage beast after another.

Hu Zifeng roared through the sky in his helicopter, bathing the horde below with a spray of purple-and-red pesticide. Among the blood and chaos, both the beast tide and twenty-five members of the Azure Dragon Squad fought desperately.

Twenty-five minutes later, the scarlet rain finally began to ease. After downing a raptor, Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie button. Her calm, steady voice echoed from all twelve tower loudspeakers in Section One of the Northern Territory: “Azure Dragon Squad has blocked the beast tide. All territories, Inspection Teams and the Ninth Center, prepare your pesticide mixtures. Wait for the command from the Lord of Territory Seven, then immediately begin spraying along the barrier ditch.”

Those assigned to spray the pesticide lined up at the Wild Grass Wall, sprayer tanks strapped to their backs. One hand gripped the pressure lever, the other aimed the nozzle at the aggressive Devastation Grass, already up to a person’s height and budding with poisonous flowers.

Inside Territory Twenty-Five, Lu Fangchun and Wang Bo—still recovering from their injuries—stood by the window, watching Xia Qing atop the tower in Territory Sixteen through their binoculars, holding their breath as one.

On both sides of the passage, clusters of Devastation Grass buds began bursting into bloom. In the lab of Territory Seven, Zhang San kept his eyes on the humidity detector as he gripped the walkie-talkie, finally pressing the button. “Begin spraying!”

On command, more than four hundred people at three passages and six drones all started spraying their pesticide. Every sprayer they could find in Section One of the North was put to use. Yet, to fully cover the three sixty-meter-wide, twelve-kilometer-long Devastation Grass passages, even this would take at least fifteen minutes.

Once the rain stopped, the floral aroma from unsprayed Devastation Grass surged into the air.

Six minutes later, Xia Qing spotted clusters of bright dots through her night vision goggles and gave the warning: “Bird swarm incoming! All civilians take shelter now!”

Civilians immediately dashed into sturdy bunkers, while anti-air teams, pesticide sprayers and the security squads guarding drones all held their ground, determined to finish their work.

The first counterattack came from the 400-meter-range laser cannon in Territory Seven.

Although the laser cannon could shoot with pinpoint accuracy, it needed three seconds to cool and recharge between shots, seriously limiting its rate of fire.

Watching the birds close in to within 2,100 meters was agonizing for the elite snipers—pure torture as the range closed.

Now!

Expressionless, Xia Qing fired. Her steel bolt slammed into a raptor with a five-meter wingspan at five hundred meters. Instantly she swiveled and released a second bolt, hitting a second raptor at 450 meters, then turned again—a third shot, another target struck.

Arrows and rocks rained through the territory, pelting the approaching bird swarm like a black cloud, while smaller animals crashing into the Iron Mesh Wall shuddered from the electric shocks.

Deep in a cave in Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine, wild boars lifted their snouts, sniffing the air for the new scent. Outside, an evolved wolf—wearing a protective mask and suit—calmly pinned a struggling honey badger. Quietly, it watched the chaos unfolding in the human territory.

“Devastation Element levels have dropped below 28 per mille, firearms are permitted. Devast…”

Six minutes after Tan Junjie’s loudspeaker broadcast the Devastation Element numbers, a wave of gunfire broke out across Section One in the Northern Territory.

Low-hanging black clouds thinned rapidly in the sky. Inside a shipping container cabin in Territory Fourteen, Feng Wen saw Xia Qing standing unharmed atop the tower, rifle in hand. Disappointment flickered across her face. She sucked in a sharp breath.

What an awful stench!!!

“Urgh—”

Chen Cheng, the scent-evolved fighter from Section Three, couldn’t help but gag and quickly held his breath, strapping on his protective mask. He realized his mistake—he never should have used his evolved sense of smell once the Devastation Element level dropped.

The stench from the passages completely overpowered the meaty sweetness of the Devastation Grass. The birds still in control among the swarming flock fled in panic, while the berserk, crazed birds only renewed their savage attacks on the humans inside.

Within Section Three, Old Goat regained some clarity as his strength faded; beside him, Elder Wolf lay in agony. Outside the Iron Mesh Wall in Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine, the little honey badger’s eyes at last cleared, and it stopped frantically digging. The crippled wolf, masked for protection, withdrew its huge paw and stared at the heap of electrocuted animals beyond the wall, lost in thought.

With all rampaging birds and beasts within 2,100 meters gunned down, Xia Qing gazed down from the tower. Using the glow of sprayers’ headlamps, she got a clear look at the Devastation Grass—and her pupils shrank sharply in shock.

The aggressive Devastation Grass… was melting!

Third Brother had concocted such a miraculous formula in less than an hour.

Truly worthy of being the top pharma expert on Blue Star’s food chain!