Chapter 190: A Winter Plan and Progress

Zhao Ze let out a long sigh. “I cut down all the black cotton bolls and took them home. Ended up with more than half a basket, but my heart aches just looking at them.”

Black cotton, also called dead cotton, forms due to weather, soil quality and the variety planted. It’s hard to avoid. Once the bolls turn black, some rot away while others dry out and split open, but the cotton inside is no longer white and soft—instead it’s hard and yellowed.

Xia Qing cut her black cotton bolls too, but she didn’t bring them home. Instead, she laid out a rainproof tarp on an open patch in the cotton shed to dry them.

Kuang Qingwei chimed in, sharing some tips he’d picked up from other Lords. “Black cotton fetches less than half the price of white cotton. I heard if you soak it in a mix of ethephon and water for an hour or two, then dry it in the sun, the cotton will turn as white and soft as the best quality crop.”

Xia Qing paused mid-bite, bun halfway to her mouth, listening closely.

Shi Chong asked, “What’s ethephon? Can we even use that after the calamity?”

A lot of agricultural chemicals from before the calamity can trigger a dangerous surge of Xiang element in microbes or living creatures when used now, setting off a Xiang Evolution that threatens humans.

Kuang Qingwei answered, “I’m not sure either. Let’s wait and see if they’re okay after trying it. Assistant Liu, are you there? Do you guys have any ethephon?”

The Lords waited a while, but no one replied.

Zhang San wasn’t on his territory, and barely anyone from Territory Nine logged on these days. Zhao Ze heaved another sigh and launched into his daily double question, “Where’d Third Brother go, and when is he coming back?”

No response from Territory Seven. The rest of them couldn’t answer either.

“I wouldn’t recommend using ethephon,” a new voice rang out in the Lord’s Channel—it was Qi Fu. From the sound of it, he was almost recovered from his injuries from the hail. “Ethephon was used pre-calamity to stunt plant growth and ripen fruit. Even if it does help with black cotton, how would you deal with the leftover solution? It would definitely pollute the water supply.”

The moment water pollution came up, everyone quickly gave up on the idea and shifted their attention to Qi Fu’s recovery.

Kuang Qingwei jumped in right away. “Are you feeling better, Qi Ge? You haven’t been online in days—we’ve felt like a ship without a rudder and didn’t know who to ask about anything.”

Qi Fu replied, “The gash on my head finally healed—I’ve escaped death by the skin of my teeth.”

Hearing Qi Fu was all right, the channel erupted in congratulations. Even Lords who rarely talked about farming, like those from Plot One and Territory Two, chimed in with their best wishes.

Xia Qing pressed her walkie-talkie button as well, offering her congratulations.

To her surprise, not long after Xia Qing sent her message, Qi Fu called her directly. His voice was loud and lively, a world apart from the weak tone he had in the channel moments before—the happiness in his words was impossible to hide.

“Xia Qing, I really owe you and Dr. Chang big time! I survived a disaster and it really feels like a blessing in disguise. I feel stronger than three grown men put together now! Hahaha!”

Stronger than three grown men—that’s at least Level Three in Strength Evolution. Maybe it wouldn’t mean much in other fields, but on a farm, it’s a game changer.

Xia Qing felt genuinely happy for him. “Congratulations, Qi Ge. Things are finally looking up.”

“Honestly, it was a close call. The whole ordeal still freaks me out when I think about it. My body went through hell these past ten days. I even told my wife where I wanted to be buried. But I woke up after being out for a whole day and night—and I’d evolved!” Now that the worst was over, Qi Fu was full of confidence again. “Xia Qing, do you think I can team up with the folks from Plot One and take on a mission in the Evolver Forest now?”

No wonder barely anyone from Plot Five had logged on for the past two weeks. Qi Fu had been busy with his evolution. The older someone is, the riskier the Yi Evolution becomes. It really was an achievement that Qi Fu pulled through.

Xia Qing figured his good mood, better food and improved health from months of farming outside the Safe Zone probably played a big part.

“Back in the Safe Zone, the Azure Dragon Unit required off-the-books strength evolvers to be at least Level Four to join support teams. I’m not sure what the Plot One folks require, so it’s best to ask Captain Hu. And if you go, make sure you’re fully kitted out before heading in.”

“If you go in without proper gear, you’re not on a mission—you’re just delivering fresh bodies to feed the forest creatures.”

Qi Fu wasted no time. “That’s actually why I called. Can you run me through the gear I’ll need for the Evolver Forest?”

Xia Qing patiently listed all the essential gear for strength evolvers, and then gave Qi Fu another reminder. “Don’t mention that your evolution was triggered by Evolver Fungi. If the Research Institute finds out, it’ll land you in a heap of trouble.”

As far as Xia Qing knew, the Research Institute had been working on how to trigger evolution in ordinary people. If news got out about Qi Fu’s method, he’d end up being their guinea pig.

Once you get dragged into the Research Institute, there’s no telling if you’ll ever make it out alive.

Qi Fu’s voice grew serious. “Other than my wife, you’re the only one I trust enough to tell the truth. I plan to let everyone else think I’m just a Level Two Strength Evolver. I’m only thirty-four, so I’m still within the evolution window. A few years ago, I’d already hit 1.9x strength. With all the good food lately, it makes sense I’d break through to Level Two.”

Thirty-four?! Xia Qing had guessed Qi Fu was over forty. She hadn’t realized he was just thirty-four.

People fighting to survive this calamity tend to look older than they are. At twenty-five, Xia Qing probably looked like she was in her thirties to everyone else.

She reassured Qi Fu, “Nobody will bat an eye if you say you’re at Level Two.”

In the Safe Zone, Level Two Strength Evolvers aren’t even classified as real Evolvers. Xia Qing turned the conversation to winter plans. “Will you and your wife stay on your territory this winter or head back to the Safe Zone?”

Winter at Hui San Base can be brutal, so a lot of Lords probably plan to return to the Safe Zone and come back when spring arrives.

No matter what others planned, Xia Qing was determined to stay. If Qi Fu and his wife stayed too, maybe they could team up to explore the Evolver Forest during winter.

The Evolver Forest is at its least dangerous in winter, outside of Xiang Rain and Xiang Snow events. In fact, most of the land outside Hui San’s Safe Zone had only been cleared last fall and winter.

Qi Fu got her meaning right away. “There’s not much work during winter, so the people we hired will go look for jobs elsewhere. My wife and I are staying put. We’re planning to build a greenhouse and grow some veggies. If the harvest is small, we’ll eat it ourselves. If we get a good crop, we’ll sell some to Plot One. If the weather’s decent, we’ll explore the forest now and then. What about you?”

Xia Qing spoke up, “I’m staying too. When you build the greenhouse, can I tag along and learn? I want to put one up myself. How about we team up this winter to explore the forest and hunt for food or anything useful?”