Chapter 1058: Rain, Compensation, and Captured Secrets

The rotary tiller heading for the East Zone One surveillance area in Section Three trundled along for just over ten meters before coming to a stop.

Before Xia Qing could say a word, Er Yong jumped out, pushed open the car door, and yanked a twenty-centimeter-tall Huanggan-39 from the Scourge Grass growing back where the treads had passed. He tossed the entire plant, roots caked in dirt, into a bag.

Huanggan-39 is a dangerous evolved variety of Scourge Grass—it’s toxic throughout and can’t simply be burned to destroy it. All such plants have to be handed over to the Inspection Team and sent back to the Safe Zone for incineration. So every territory patrol will yank up any Huanggan-39 they spot, never letting them bloom or seed.

Once the Huanggan-39 was cleared away, Xia Qing got moving again. Sitting beside her, Er Yong seized the rare chance to ask, “Sister Qing, can that herbicide Third Brother whipped up today—the one that melts aggressive Scourge Grass—be mass-produced for use?”

No one’s dared bring up the topic in the Lords’ channel today—everyone knows the Senior Expert’s in a bad mood. But truth is, everyone’s wondering. If that miracle pesticide could be produced at scale, spraying down the whole territory before Devastation Rain would make defense a lot easier.

That pesticide reeks.

A strong smell would help keep animals away, cutting risk for our territory—it’s even better than a scentless one!

“No, it can’t.”

Xia Qing hadn’t actually consulted her Idol yet, but she’d already guessed what the blood-red pesticide does. “That batch works by cutting off air and water, halting quick regrowth of Scourge Grass roots. But it also leads to a surge in anaerobic bacteria in the soil, changing its composition and making soil rehabilitation and later restoration a massive job.”

Just cleaning up those three pesticide-soaked passages and the affected areas in the territory will take a lot of time and money. Once Idol finishes the compensation list, Xia Qing will pass it along so the Hui Three Base Director can claim damages from whoever’s responsible.

As for the five hens that died on her land, she’s demanding compensation of 10,000 credits for each. Xia Qing won’t let go of a single credit.

She poured so much energy into raising those young hens—just a month more and they’d be laying eggs. After the chickens evolved, they live longer—a single chicken can lay at least 1,000 eggs in its lifetime. With each Green Lantern Egg selling for 150 credits, that’s 150,000 credits for 1,000 eggs…

Doing the math on the potential profit from one chicken, Xia Qing didn’t hesitate to double her compensation demand.

“Then this approach won’t work at all. Our territory survives by farming, so soil quality is non-negotiable.” Er Yong hopped down to pull up three more Huanggan-39, returned to the tiller, and asked, “Sister Qing, last winter during the Devastation Snow period, why didn’t Third Brother use that pesticide to handle the Red Scourge Grass threatening Hill Fifty’s high-risk zone?”

If Idol didn’t use it, there had to be a reason it wasn’t suitable.

Xia Qing gave her best guess. “I never actually asked Third Brother, but back then, it wasn’t simply the Red Scourge Grass that was the big problem in Hill Fifty’s danger zone—it was that mutated, hyper-evolved Salmonella breed running wild at the grass’s roots. You can’t use the same approach as with the territory’s regular Scourge Grass.”

“That makes perfect sense!”

Er Yong was just about to quiz Xia Qing—how on earth did she find the time to farm, train, and still learn and remember so much useful knowledge? But before he could, Xia Qing brought the rotary tiller to a stop again and pulled out a phone with a shattered screen.

Catching on fast, Er Yong took the initiative to get out and continue clearing the surrounding Huanggan-39.

“…Okay… Understood, I’ll report and request approval right away.”

Xia Qing hung up on Xie Yu, promptly dialing her Idol next. “Third Brother, Cold Frost Squad caught Peng Yuancai alive three kilometers south of Hui One’s main prison. I told Xie Yu to send you the footage and coordinates—you’ll want to see if they’re useful. Cold Frost Squad wants to know if they should wake Peng Yuancai for questioning… Got it, I’ll update Xie Yu… Understood!”

Cold Frost Squad is Hui One Base’s number-two team, Fire Phoenix’s key rival. Azure Dragon Squad moved over from Hui One to Hui Three, so they definitely have connections—that’s how Cold Frost and Azure Dragon’s squads could link up so quickly to nab Peng Yuancai as he headed back to prison, along with four unidentified bodyguards.

With Idol’s instructions in hand, Xia Qing answered Xie Yu, “Chief Xie, Third Brother needs time to sort the video and evidence, so he told me to give you a heads-up. Peng Yuancai got knocked out cold by Third Brother’s drug—he won’t be fully awake for the next four hours. Tell Cold Frost Squad to keep a close watch, don’t let him die or slip away. Third Brother will report to Red One Base soon, and once they issue official documents, Cold Frost can hand him over.”

“Copy that.” Xie Yu replied, voice raspy but touched with a smile. “Sister Qing, if you get the chance while Third Brother’s still in a good mood, could you ask if today’s drug can be exchanged? Any terms at all.”

No one would believe it if you told them—Peng Yuancai, sealed in an airtight protective suit in a car, and Third Brother’s drug still took him down. Xia Qing wanted to negotiate for some too, but something that overpowered was gotta be a restricted compound.

If it’s restricted, Third Brother probably won’t trade it to Azure Dragon Squad. Still, she might be able to get just a little for her own protection. Wearing a blank, goofy grin, Xia Qing felt quietly delighted. But her tone was steady: “Alright, I’ll ask and get back to you.”

As soon as the call ended, Xia Qing couldn’t help telling Old Goat, “Boss, Third Brother really is a big shot at the top of Blue Star’s pharmaceutical world!”

Old Goat, half-dozing beside her, didn’t answer. He just shook his head hard, splattering Xia Qing with clumps of mud.

Xia Qing was speechless.

The rotary tiller stopped at the edge of East Zone One, which was the border of Xia Qing’s home in the abandoned village. Hoisting Old Goat and twirling her iron umbrella, Xia Qing trudged back. Er Yong spun the tiller around to resume patrol.

Once home, Xia Qing first snapped off Old Goat’s protective gear to wash him down, then headed upstairs and took a long, satisfying shower—only to get a message from Idol.

In less than an hour, Idol had submitted criminal evidence against Peng Yuancai to Red One Base, proving six different offenses: everything from prison escape to illegal hunting and experimentation on large evolved beasts. Under post-calamity law, Peng Yuancai was surely facing a death sentence.

As for who aided his escape, who supplied the lab, and who ordered the attack on Hui Three’s northern Section One—all that would wait until Red One’s investigation team forced the answers out of Peng Yuancai and his four companions.

Xia Qing yawned and pretty much drifted off the instant her eyes closed. Downstairs in the living room, Little Fei Mao snoozed by the chicken cage, pressed close to his mom through the wire mesh.

Outside her yard, on the ruins of an old building, Elder Wolf lay on the royal platform under a rain cover, quietly watching the Devastation Rain.

Elsewhere in Territory Two, Tang Huai sat in the insect-rearing greenhouse, leaning against a stone column and lost in thought.

On a hillside cave in Area 37, an evolved tiger—patches of fur shaved off its body—got up to stretch. After lapping a few mouthfuls from the basin, it turned to lick its wounds but paused, sniffed the air, and stopped. After a moment, it sprawled lazily back onto the waterproof pad, batting at some unknown object left by a human next to the water basin.