Chapter 1161: Dawn Signals and Duck Crisis

“Sister Qing, are you back yet?”

At seven the next morning, the Azure Dragon Squad’s helicopter touched down on the helipad atop Hill Forty-Nine. Twenty minutes later, Tang Huai checked the Lords’ channel, calling for Xia Qing.

Xia Qing, now the hottest top sniper on the net, had the Alliance lords and allies buzzing with excitement.

“I’m back,” Xia Qing replied simply, her finger pressing the walkie-talkie as she stood guard over the fields in Section Three.

Zhao Ze chimed in right away. “You must be wiped out after pulling an all-nighter, Sister Qing. Get some rest, okay? I’m in the Northern Buffer Forest—holler if you need anything.”

Last night, Xia Qing had been out on another mission. Zhao Ze hadn’t dared to close his eyes, but hearing her voice now finally put his mind at ease.

Shi Du spoke up too. “Sister Qing, do you have enough hands watching the territory? If you’re shorthanded, I can come over and cover for a day.”

The Shi family had just moved into their new territory. The corn, rice, and sunflowers they’d planted in July were growing well in the greenhouses at the Ninth Center, watched over by the staff there. That’s why Shi Du had a bit of spare time to lend Xia Qing a hand.

“People are on watch,” Xia Qing answered calmly. “How’s the brick kiln coming along on your end?”

Everyone in Territory Ten worked hard, never sitting idle for long. Shi Zhong was out in the new territory’s farmland clearing small stones and composting, while Madam Shi and Shi Du were busy making mud bricks and building a kiln. Once the bricks were fired, they’d start putting up new houses.

A few days ago, Shi Du, Qi Fu, and Yu Shou rented a truck from the Ninth Center and hauled back several loads of yellow clay from Mountain 51, getting ready for both greenhouses and firing bricks.

Over the past year, it wasn’t just Xia Qing who’d grown fast—the Alliance lords had too. Now, hauling yellow clay didn’t even need Xia Qing to lead. Shi Du, Yuan Yan, Tang Huai, Zhu Li, and Qi Fu were more than capable, with the gear and firepower to handle it.

“The pit’s nearly finished,” Shi Du answered. “We’ll build the arched roof after the migratory season.”

Huo Zhun joined the chat. “Brother Du, I’ll come over soon to learn how to dig and shape bricks. Give me a few days, and I’ll get some more loads of dirt to start my own greenhouse and brick kiln too.”

The Huo family had only entered Territory Eleven this year, after their first Devastation Rain. They hadn’t built any greenhouses yet. Winters here were brutally cold—growing vegetables meant greenhouses were a must.

“Brother Du, I’ll check things out too. I’ve got a feeling I messed up digging my pit,” Wen Nengjie piped up immediately.

Even Lord Wen Nengjie from Territory Seventeen had pitched in hauling yellow clay, building greenhouses, and firing bricks right alongside the group.

“Huo Zhun, let me know when you’re digging. I’ll go with you.” Tang Huai never missed a chance to team up and head out for a job.

Qi Fu popped up to remind everyone: “It’s up to 20°C—time to roll up the rain covers.”

To guard the fields, the lords had been pulling the rain covers down every night and raising them again once the sun came up.

Honestly, most lords hoped the cool weather would stick around a bit longer—then they could leave the rain covers down later in the day. All that rice, corn, and sunflowers out in the fields were setting seeds, and if they lifted the covers now, flocks of seed-eating migratory birds flying overhead might swoop down and feast.

If those birds landed, they could wipe out months of hard work within minutes. The lords of Section One up north stayed on high alert, unwilling to give those pests any chance.

Xia Qing checked the temperature for herself—20°C, just as they said—then started rolling up the rain cover. Her summer-planted corn was at full maturity and easy enough to manage, but the rice was in a critical grain-filling phase and needed the right temperature.

The grain-filling stage was crucial for rice, directly impacting yield and quality. At this phase, the fields had to stay between 17 and 35°C, with plenty of sunlight, to keep the grains plump and strong.

Xia Qing was only halfway through retracting the cover on her first greenhouse when Tan Junjie’s voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.

“Attention all lords, please be advised: a flock of no fewer than five hundred mallard ducks will reach our airspace in twenty-five minutes.”

Mallards, also called ‘valley ducks,’ had a notorious appetite for rice. Wen Nengjie immediately started to panic. “Sister Qing, what do we do now? Should we drop the rain cover again?”

Tang Huai jumped in. “Relax! Sister Qing’s in the territory—what are a few hundred ducks, anyway? Sister Qing, want to shoot down the flock?”

Before Xia Qing could reply, Hu Zifeng’s voice came in. “Azure Dragon Squad will intercept the mallards, but everyone stay alert!”

Mallards were big birds, flying below 1,200 meters, perfect targets. Still, intercepting them all was impossible—some would get through, and a few would probably land and cause trouble. Xia Qing warned her allies, “No rush to put away the covers. Let the mallard flock pass first.”

“Got it!” Wen Nengjie responded right away.

“Copy!” Zhu Li added.

“All lords, heads up: giant raptors have launched from the Northern Evolved Forest and are hunting the mallards. The mallard flock is in chaos—everyone, tighten up your defenses.”

From the Northern Evolved Forest near Hills 68 through 86, the raptors spotted the fat mallard flock and launched their hunt. Since their territory was even farther north, with them striking first, Azure Dragon Squad wouldn’t get those plump birds this time.

As the raptors attacked, the migrating mallards scattered, desperate for survival. Some might dive into dense woods or reed beds, others could take to water to escape.

The bird nesting grounds in northern Hill Fifty-Two and the reservoir inside Xia Qing’s territory were now prime spots for mallards to take cover from raptors.

Moving quickly, Xia Qing lowered the greenhouse covers again. She and her few shooters had good aim, but still, she worried the Green Lantern Rice fields could be ruined.

After all, that was her main food supply for the next six months!

While raising the covers took a crew, dropping them was a snap, thanks to her automatic rain cover system.

“Vrrr—”

Xia Qing was racing toward the far side of the greenhouse when her phone rang in her pocket. She picked up mid-run. “What’s up, Crippled Wolf?”

Walking right beside her, Er pricked up his ears at the alpha’s warning howl on the phone. He immediately stepped in front of Xia Qing, growling low and sniffing for any trace of the alpha nearby.

“Thud thud thud—”

Old Goat, who’d been munching pasture grass nearby, heard Er’s call and came running to join the group.

Xia Qing glanced at the giant wolf nose filling her screen and gave thanks. “Crippled Wolf, I heard the Queen’s warning howl just now. The birds are coming. Take care of your territory and I’ll handle mine. Thanks for the heads-up call.”

Crippled Wolf bared his little fangs, then hung up by nudging the phone with his nose.

No longer hearing or smelling the alpha, Er grew antsy. Worried Er might run out and get caught by raptors, Xia Qing quickly wrapped an arm around his neck to hold him back.