Chapter 223: After the Red Rain: Lessons from Sunflower Seeds

Xia Qing wasn’t just saying it—she really took action.

After seeing firsthand how explosive spinach seeds could be, and hearing Li Si say sunflowers might shoot seeds too, Xia Qing immediately added countermeasures to her checklist.

Thanks to her and Yuan Yan clearing out the sunflower field before the Xiang Rain, her sunflowers stayed safe—even after the rain, nothing mutated dangerously. She figured Territory Five was the same way, but Xia Qing didn’t regret her caution at all.

Suddenly, Li Si’s calm voice rang out in the Lord’s Channel. “You’d better fence them in. During red-level or the upcoming orange-level Xiang Rain, oil sunflowers have a very high chance of dangerous mutations.”

Kuang Qingwei couldn’t hold back his anger and blurted out everyone’s question, “Fourth Sister, why did the Safe Zone hand out such dangerous seeds? What are they planning?”

“Shi Du, how thick were the iron plates used in Territory Ten? Could the seeds pierce them?” Li Si stayed calm. Xia Qing noticed her voice had recovered a lot since she first got back.

Shi Du answered, “One millimeter. The sunflower seeds grew fast, but they’re not that hard. They couldn’t punch through, just stuck themselves in the iron plates at most.”

After Shi Du’s reply, Li Si finally answered Kuang Qingwei, “Back in the eighth year of the Calamity, during red-level Xiang Rain, launched seeds could pierce two-millimeter-thick iron plates. Several years and at least four generations of breeding later, they’re so weakened they can’t even get through one millimeter now. According to the rules, oil sunflowers are just barely safe enough to be widely planted. As long as you wear your protective suit as required, the seeds can’t actually hurt you.”

Xia Qing nodded in agreement with Li Si.

Both the farming radio and the Safe Zone manuals kept repeating—farmers must wear protective suits and masks during Xiang Rain. The people in Territory Four either skipped the gear or panicked after seeing a mutation, leading to accidents.

Aside from the sunflowers, over half a greenhouse of mung beans was ruined because sunflower seeds turned into machine guns, and the Xiang Rain washed over them. Kuang Qingwei couldn’t stomach the loss and pressed on, “Why didn’t the Safe Zone warn us the seeds might mutate before they issued them? Are our lives as lords so worthless?”

Li Si shot back, “When crops have dangerous mutations, it’s usually a mix of soil, greenhouse tech, and various growing factors. If we told you about every single risk ahead of time, would any of you even dare plant?”

It’s like before surgery, doctors warn you about every possible thing. Makes families so scared their hands shake signing the papers. After ten years of disaster, the survivors are all cautious—they only want to plant the safest crops.

But under extreme conditions, any crop might mutate dangerously.

Li Si’s voice turned stern. “After ten years of the Calamity, national grain reserves are wiped out. Current harvests can’t meet even the bare minimum needs. If we don’t expand planting, how many more rounds of Xiang Rain can people survive eating only compressed rations and grass? If things weren’t desperate, would the nation have gone all out to launch the Lord system? If we didn’t value lords’ lives, would the base send in troops, hand out anti-bug medicine for free, and provide seeds at no or low cost?”

Under the weight of Li Si’s calm counter-questions, Kuang Qingwei lowered his voice and lost steam:

“I know you’re right, Fourth Sister. Even if Management can’t spell out every danger, can’t they at least explain protection better? If I’d fenced in the sunflowers sooner, I wouldn’t have lost half my Greenlight Mung Beans to the rain. I’ve treated this patch of land like an ancestor for two months, all so my people could eat better this year.”

Li Si replied coolly, “You’re right. That’s negligence by Hui San Base’s management. You can file a complaint at Huicheng Main Base or Central Base in Red City.”

This time, Kuang Qingwei was completely speechless—he didn’t have the guts.

Tang Huai snorted, “After the Great Evolution, you can get bitten to death by poisonous bugs just answering nature’s call. Farming is way riskier than sweating it out doing odd jobs in the Safe Zone. You should always be on your guard. How did everyone else remember to fence in their sunflowers, but you didn’t?”

Kuang Qingwei dared not quarrel with Tang Huai. He asked politely, “Brother Huai, did you plant sunflowers in Territory Two? I remember you bought the seeds too.”

Tang Huai replied offhandedly, “Yeah, I bought them. Didn’t plant them.”

Kuang Qingwei was at a loss for words.

You win!

I give up!

Suddenly, Captain Tan Junjie’s stern warning broke in on the Lord’s Channel. “According to the rules, any seeds bought or received from Lords’ Administration must be sown the same season. Disobey and you’ll face severe punishment.”

Tang Huai immediately changed his tune. “Captain Tan, my walkie-talkie was acting up just now, so my message got cut off. What I meant was: I bought them, but none survived.”

Everyone else fell silent.

Oddly enough, Tang Huai’s antics helped everyone relax a bit.

Kuang Qingwei went on, “Thanks for setting things straight, Fourth Sister. After hearing you out, I feel a whole lot better. Xiao Zhao—are things under control on your end?”

It was a long time before Zhao Ze replied, “Yeah, all sorted. Two workers got scared by the mutated sunflowers, ran off, and stepped on an iron rake—ended up hurt. The Inspection Team has cleared the scene for me. Thanks for the help, Captain Tan.”

Captain Tan Junjie reminded everyone, “All lords, please store farm tools properly. In sudden emergencies stay calm. If you can’t deal with it, call the Inspection Team.”

Iron rakes for farming are covered with rust and dirt. Get stabbed and there’s a high risk of infection from Evolver Fungi, letting excess Xiang element in the air seep straight into your blood. These two injuries most likely won’t make it.

Xia Qing quickly radioed a reminder from inside her protective mask, “Everyone, double check where your tools are kept in the greenhouses and sheds—always stash the sharp edge inward.”

“Got it,” Hu Zifeng replied. “Xia Qing, you should head home and check things over. Need an escort?”

“I’ll be fine by myself. Just keep watch in the greenhouse, everyone. We’ll patrol and clean up when it’s light. The second wave of red-level Xiang Rain has already triggered crop mutations, but at home I still have livestock—sheep and wolf, chickens and geese, and a bucket of fish. I’ve got to check on them.”

Even after two rounds of red Xiang Rain, the outdoors are dangerous—especially in territory though it’s been cleared over and over.

Just yesterday afternoon, she’d cleared the road with a rotary tiller, but now the Xiang Grass was knee-high again. The untouched patches by the roadside had already shot past two meters.

At night, hiking through Xiang Grass is way riskier than having to relieve yourself and getting bitten by poisonous bugs.

After checking all her gear, Xia Qing gripped her machete and carefully parted the dense Xiang Grass as she pressed onward.

Small animals hiding among the stalks—snakes, centipedes, leeches, grasshoppers, mantises, scorpions—scattered in every direction at her approach. A few went berserk and charged, but Xia Qing, wrapped in her protective suit, made quick work of them.

“Dong!”

Just before she reached the village entrance, her machete struck something hard that shouldn’t have been on the road. A dark shape suddenly shot up from the grass and whipped toward her.