Chapter 165: Homecoming, Broadcasts, and Bartering

After greeting the two wolves and the sheep lying in the shed, Xia Qing carried the cage into the house. The first thing she did was fetch the spinach juice she’d hung in the cellar and give two drops to each chicken.

All the other chickens behaved themselves, except the black-feathered rooster chick, who caused a fuss. But it was just a little chick—no matter how much it struggled, it was still getting dealt with. After feeding it spinach juice, Xia Qing tapped its tiny head and scolded, “You better behave, or you’ll be the first to end up on the table come New Year.”

When she finished feeding the Greenlight Chickens, Xia Qing turned to the goose cage, her eyes landing on the lone, droopy, redlight black-maned gosling, curled up on its own. She’d been assigned three goslings after yesterday’s mission—one green, one yellow and one red. Now only the redlight one remained.

Black-maned goose meat really was delicious, but this was a redlight one. Unless it was taken back to the Safe Zone for special processing, it couldn’t be eaten. Even if it was, the taste would be poor and it wouldn’t be good for the body. Xia Qing wasn’t interested in eating it anyway.

After the ultrasonic attack today, all the birds near the swamp had likely flown far away. The chance of catching another edible goose was next to nothing.

Although redlight animals could be raised and sold for twenty-five points per jin when grown, that hardly made it worth the effort for Xia Qing. She figured time spent feeding geese would be better spent harvesting a few more cuts of white-hairy chicken manure vine.

Still, the chicken vine had taken a beating from the hail. She’d have to wait until next year to harvest more for points. For now, the gosling would just have to be raised alongside the chickens.

Xia Qing scooped out the gosling and fed it two drops of spinach juice, mumbling, “Don’t look down on just two drops—that’s worth two hundred points. You better stay alive.”

Once she’d finished feeding the poultry, Xia Qing checked on the fish in the water bucket. The one floating belly-up was beyond hope, but the others looked much livelier than at midday.

Xia Qing checked the dead fish for Xiang element and toxins. It was still a yellowlight, toxin levels were low, and the meat wasn’t spoiled. The live fish went back into the pond, and she planned to cook up the dead one for soup and meat.

They say eating fish is good for the brain. Xia Qing’s head was still aching, so she figured a boost couldn’t hurt.

That night, as she drank fish soup, Xia Qing heard a news report from Hua Nation’s main station, rebroadcasted by Hui San Base, about Hui City Base’s defense against the flock of Evolved Birds.

“A flock of over three thousand Evolved Birds, mainly Evolved Giant Harpy Eagles and Evolved White-tailed Sea Eagles, surged from Guilin City Base into Hui City Base. After meeting fierce resistance at Hui One Base, the flock fled to Hui San and Hui Five Bases. Thanks to the combined efforts of military and civilians, the bird flock was repelled with no major losses.”

That single news bite ballooned to ten minutes on Hui City Radio, and by the time it reached Hui San Base’s broadcast schedule, it became a fifteen-minute feature. The program mentioned Luo Pei’s name several times, and gave a detailed rundown of how everyone in the north fought off the birds in two separate territories.

It was only now that Xia Qing realized there’d been more than three thousand predatory Evolved Birds gathered by the sea near Guilin Base. After Hui One Base killed several hundred, the flock split—over a thousand flew into Hui San Base. The Hui San border whittled them down to a couple hundred that reached the skies over Mountain 49. There, under Tan Junjie’s command, the army and territory folk defeated all but a dozen or so, and what was left fled into the Evolver Forest only to be wiped out by missiles.

Xia Qing knew if she’d run into three thousand raptors from the start, she’d have given up fighting. She would have grabbed her companions and all the crucial supplies, hidden down in the cellar, and waited for the birds to pass before resurfacing to clean up.

No matter how important the crops in her territory were, her own life came first when it really counted. When real danger strikes, survival is the priority.

The soldiers and squads who faced the flocks head-on at Hui One and Hui San Bases—they were true heroes. Xia Qing wasn’t one of them. She was used to enjoying the perks and benefits afforded to heroes, but she used to be a laborer and now she was just a farmer. When things got tough, she’d focus on keeping herself safe and not holding the real heroes back.

Xia Qing had always been crystal clear about her role.

Right now, her number one priority was sorting out the cellar. It wasn’t just for storing food; it was about safety too. If another Evolved Bird attack came, even if she was outside joining the defense, she had to make sure her territory’s valuable goods and animals had somewhere to hide.

Tonight’s farming knowledge broadcast covered how lords could clean up after an Evolved Bird attack: getting rid of bird carcasses and feathers, eliminating evolution parasites, and restoring productivity as fast as possible.

Before Xia Qing had a chance to turn on her walkie-talkie after the show, Luo Pei called her.

“Xia Qing, how are you holding up right now?”

Luo Pei already knew about Xia Qing’s hearing evolution. That’s why he was calling to check in.

Hearing how quiet it was on his end—no voices or wind—Xia Qing guessed he was back at the Azure Dragon Unit headquarters in the Safe Zone. She answered simply, “I wore my best protective mask at the time. Blocked some of the attack. I’m a bit uncomfortable, but after a couple days’ rest, I’ll be fine. Luo, I heard on the broadcast you shot down four Evolved Giant Harpy Eagles. That’s amazing!”

The Evolved Bird flock that stormed Hui San Base was led by five Giant Harpy Eagles. If Hui San’s ace sniper Luo Pei hadn’t recovered enough to charge to the front, who knows how much worse things might have gone.

Luo Pei’s voice was gentle. “I heard from Hu Zifeng that you took down seven Evolved Birds?”

Xia Qing grinned—she was proud of her record. But before she could play modest, Luo Pei added, “One of those seven, you stabbed with a knife?”

Xia Qing…

Great. Luo Pei had switched into strict mentor mode. She was about to get a lecture.

After ten minutes of hearing Luo Pei lay into her, Xia Qing finally admitted defeat. “You’re right. I left too many gaps in my defense this time. I really need to do better.”

Luo Pei’s tone softened, “Patch the fence before more sheep are lost. Work hard next time.”

“Yes, sir.” Xia Qing replied firmly then lowered her voice, “Luo, are you with Captain Yang right now?”

Just now, Xia Qing had heard Yang Jin assigning tasks in the background.

Luo Pei nodded. “Yes, I am.”

Then Yang Jin’s voice came over the phone. “Xia Qing, did you lose any supplies in the bird battle? Need to restock?”

Unlike Luo Pei’s warmth, Yang Jin’s voice was calm, almost cool, but it had a soothing effect. It wasn’t the steady patience that came from years like Tang Zhengbo’s—it was more a tranquil, sky-like calm that lowered everyone’s guard.

That’s the trick that made Yang Jin such a notorious penny-pincher!

Xia Qing perked up. “Captain Yang, the protective mask that came with the canine protective suit I traded for back in March has been damaged. Could I trade for another? Besides that, I’d like to swap for another set of the camo protective suit from last time, with two more protective masks.”

Yang Jin flicked his cigarette ash into the tray and answered calmly, “Those are wild-grade Level 3 protective suits. The price has gone up.”

Luo Pei…

Xia Qing had always worn Level 1 protection before. Level 3 was two notches higher, not sold to the public in the Safe Zone, so a price increase made sense. She asked, “Alright, do I have anything you need for the trade?”

Yes, plenty.

Yang Jin replied concisely, “I’ll take green-light vegetables. I want to juice them next month.”

Xia Qing got the message: Yang Jin had an important mission coming up and needed her spinach leaves juiced for premium nutrient solution.

That was doable.

“No problem,” Xia Qing said, sitting up straighter.

After she hung up, Luo Pei sighed. “You said you’d train harder just a minute ago, and the next thing you’re doing is thinking about upgrading the sheep’s protective mask.”