Chapter 154: Preparing for the Avian Onslaught

After returning to her territory, Xia Qing first headed to the edge of the farmland to thank Xiao Jiang and Guan Tong for guarding the place. She sent the two of them back to Plot One.

Then Xia Qing placed the seven water caltrop plants in the shallows of the reservoir and staked out a section in the chicken enclosure to raise geese.

She set aside a space of just over fifty square meters, dug a small pond around ten square meters for the three little geese, and turned to the onlookers—Boss Sheep watching from outside the goose pen and the black-feathered rooster standing inside the chicken enclosure. “These are the geese I caught today. Pretty good, right?” she said.

Boss Sheep stared at her with a blank expression, idly chewing his cud. The black-feathered rooster pecked at the newly erected fence, clearly unhappy that Xia Qing had carved out part of his territory for the newcomers.

Ignoring the pair, Xia Qing quickly wove a goose cage from bamboo strips, lined it with dried grass and placed it by the pond. Once the goslings entered the cage at night, she could carry them home just like she did with the chicks.

Today’s expedition took a little over six hours. She’d run into no real danger, gathered some Greenlight plants and animals, and solved the problem of quickly deploying and retracting the rainproof tarps for the greenhouse. In high spirits, Xia Qing even started humming to herself.

When she got home, she found the Alpha Wolf lying in the sheep shed. The sight surprised her. “Not busy today, Your Majesty?”

The Alpha Wolf glanced at Xia Qing but didn’t lift her head from her forepaws.

Was she upset, or maybe not feeling well?

Xia Qing’s eyes brightened. She went back inside to fetch a Yi Stone. “Feeling sick, Your Majesty? Need a doctor or some medicine? I can trade this stone for it.”

The Alpha Wolf just closed her eyes. The Wolf with the Broken Leg gave Xia Qing a fierce look, sizing up which part of her would taste best, while the Brain-Evolved Wolf with the injured waist eyed the Yi Stone in her hand, lost in thought.

Disappointed, Xia Qing put the Yi Stone away and messaged Ji Li. Tomorrow was the scheduled day for post-op checkups, so she wanted to know what the plan was.

Half an hour later, she finally received a response from Ji Li.

He gave her two choices: either bring the injured wolf to Territory Seven for a follow-up at 2:45 tomorrow afternoon, or wait until Zhang San returned to the territory before doing the checkup.

Xia Qing had no desire to enter a territory without Zhang San around. All the jars, bottles, and the operating room in Territory Seven made her uneasy.

So she replied: I’ll wait for Third Brother to come back. Brother Ji, when it’s convenient, could you check with the injured wolf and see if the medication needs to be adjusted?

She didn’t hear from Ji Li again until dinner. The reply read: reduce both the oral and topical medications by a third. Tomorrow someone will deliver an injection and hemostatics to you—consider it payment for this morning’s Greenlight goose.

Looks like Zhang San already knew about Qi Fu’s injury. The hemostatics were definitely for her, but the injection was probably for the wolf. Was she supposed to give the wolf a shot herself?

The whole thing felt risky to Xia Qing. Brother Ji, could you send some anesthetic with the injection?

Ji Li quickly replied: No problem.

Xia Qing felt relieved, scooped up the last of her shredded potatoes, and went to wash the dishes. Just then, she heard a news broadcast from the Hui City Main Base:

“Due to the mass landings of marine creatures, a flock of evolved raptors has gathered. Now that the sea creatures have been driven back, these birds have moved north from the Gui San Base and will be resting tonight in the Evolver Forest, a hundred kilometers southeast of Hui One Base. All bases in Huicheng are to prepare for an assault by the evolved bird flock and secure the surrounding territories…”

The announcement left Xia Qing unable to focus on the dishes.

Once evolved raptors gather in numbers, they won’t disperse until they’re fully fed. The dense trees of the Evolver Forest make hunting difficult, so if they want to eat quickly and in large quantities, they’re very likely to attack a cluster of humans in the Safe Zone.

Based on their behavior, bird flocks move at dawn. Given their location, Hui One Base is their most probable target.

But with Hui One Base having the strongest defenses in all Huicheng, if the birds are blocked, they might divert toward Hui San Base, which is just 200 li away.

At the birds’ speed, 300 kilometers is just a two-hour flight. That means tomorrow morning, a little after six, the flock could be over the first defensive line of Hui San Base, where Luo Pei and the others are stationed.

If the first line can’t stop the evolved raptors, it’s likely the flock will reach Xia Qing’s own territory.

Her territory didn’t just hold vast crops, but also chickens and geese that would interest raptors—not to mention injured wolves. So she had to prepare to fend off an attack by the bird flock.

After the news from Hui City Main Base, an announcer from Hui San Base spoke in a grave voice:

“Tomorrow morning, all Safe Zone residents must stay indoors. Anyone in the territories should also remain inside and avoid going out. The military, Safe Zone security teams and squads will do their utmost to ensure the safety of both the Safe Zone and the territories…”

The farming tips broadcast that followed the weather report also focused on how to stay safe during an evolved raptor attack. The announcer’s voice was pleasant, but the lords listening were visibly tense.

When the broadcast ended, Xia Qing switched off the radio and picked up the walkie-talkie.

Tonight, it wasn’t the anxious territory lords who spoke up first, but the captain of the Hazard Inspection Team for territories one through ten, Tan Junjie.

With a tone of utmost seriousness, he read an official notice from the Lords’ Administration, ordering all ordinary people under the lords to keep their walkie-talkies on all day and stay indoors with solid roofs and doors. Everyday folk were not to venture outside. Evolvers with the ability to fight back could do so if their safety was assured and raptors threatened their territory.

When he finished reading, Zhao Ze politely raised a concern. “Captain Tan, my solar panels were smashed by hail. I only have one left, so I can’t guarantee my walkie-talkie will have power all day tomorrow.”

Tan Junjie replied without hesitation, “Then just stay inside.”

Kuang Qingwei then asked, “Captain Tan, if raptors destroy our crops, will the base compensate us?”

Tan answered, “The evolved raptors are mainly after animals. As long as humans and animals stay away from the fields, crops shouldn’t suffer much. Though, greenhouses could get damaged. If your territory faces danger tomorrow, please report it in this lord group chat right away.”

“Now, on behalf of the sixth Hazard Inspection Squad, I’m officially applying to all lords: when the raptors enter the airspace over territories one through ten tomorrow, the Inspection Team will enter and exit each territory as needed to eliminate the danger. Please grant permission.”

Zhao Ze replied instantly, “Lord of Territory Four, Zhao Ze, approves.”

Kuang Qingwei chimed in, “Lord of Territory Six, Kuang Qingwei, approves.”

Qi Fu, Shi Chong, and Xia Qing also gave their approval.

For Territory Two, Tang Huai replied, “On behalf of the Territory Two lord, I have full authority and give our approval as well.”

For Plot One, Hu Zifeng responded, “I’ve confirmed with our lord. Plot One gives approval.”

With Hu Zifeng’s reply, only Territories Seven, Eight, and Nine had yet to respond.