Chapter 23: Sunlight and Solar Panels

The next morning, once the sun came out and temperatures rose, Xia Qing mixed pest-repellent powder with her soaked seeds. Following the broadcast’s instructions for depth and spacing, she planted them carefully, then sprayed everything with water infused with Evolver camphor leaves.

After she finished spraying, Xia Qing noticed that not only were the birds put off by the Evolver camphor smell, but even Boss Sheep took off.

That meant she didn’t have to worry about Boss Sheep sneaking back to ruin her seedlings anymore.

Because cotton and mung beans are sown with wide spacing, Xia Qing used both cotton plots to plant a full mu of cotton, and half a mu of mung beans. For wheat, which uses row sowing, she used all six pounds to plant just two fen and decided to put it all into her thirty-mu field.

Even after planting, more than ninety percent of the freshly tilled land was still empty. But there was no rush.

The potatoes hadn’t sprouted yet, so she couldn’t plant them for now. As for the four types of vegetables—pumpkin, cucumber, tomato and eggplant seeds—Xia Qing decided to start the seedlings at home then transplant them later.

Besides those veggie seedlings, she also had six sweet potato seedlings waiting.

Plus, she could go explore that new territory to the north—those high slopes that rose even higher than the mountain spring, covering fifteen hundred mu—looking for edible wild plants to transplant.

Thinking about the days ahead, where every meal could have three stir-fried dishes, Xia Qing ended up eating an extra bowl at lunch.

Later that afternoon, she was just about to head out with Boss Sheep to explore the new territory when she got a call from Captain Tan. Xia Qing assumed it would be about planting sweet potato seedlings, but what she heard turned out to be an even bigger piece of good news.

The base had decided to install solar panels in buffer-forest border territories! Her own land was right on the outer edge with its own buffer forest—she qualified!

Xia Qing jumped up, nearly shouting, “When’s Plot Three getting its turn? In an hour? Yes, absolutely! Need my help hauling the solar panels? Sure!”

After hanging up, she gave Boss Sheep’s head a firm rub. “Old Boss, we’re about to have electricity. Actual electricity!”

Boss Sheep shook his head, clearly unimpressed, while Xia Qing spun around the yard in excitement.

The person handling the solar panel installation at Territory Three was Huzi, the Strength Evolver. Xia Qing’s help wasn’t even needed; he carried those big boxes into the village like they weighed nothing, then quickly mounted two solar panels onto Xia Qing’s sloped roof. He explained their care to her, “These were manufactured before the Cataclysm, but I can guarantee they work. Xia Qing, remember to wash the panels regularly. If the Xiang Rain, hail, or snow hits, it’s best to cover them. Most importantly, always protect the cables—don’t let insects chew through them.”

After the disaster, many insects on Blue Star evolved incredibly powerful jaws. Some even turned almost rodent-like, constantly chewing to wear down their teeth. Cables and internet lines were now their favorite chew toys.

Real rodents, like rats and squirrels, also developed terrifying gnawing abilities. That’s why, even after a decade in the apocalypse, human bases still haven’t regained full communications or electrical grids.

It’s not that humanity can’t, it’s just that building and maintaining those networks are far too costly. With the population plummeting post-Cataclysm, there are simply more urgent things to do.

“Can I run the cables through steel pipes for protection?” Xia Qing asked at once.

Huzi nodded. “Even better if you can. Do you have any steel pipes, Qing?”

“I’ve got pipes and all the tools. Once we’ve got power, I’ll fix it up right away.” Over the years, Xia Qing had built up a solid stash of tools—she even had a welder and welding rods.

She hadn’t expected Huzi—who was always so quiet every time they met before—to be so helpful. “Two panels will get you a max of five kilowatt-hours a day. I brought a gas welder. Bring up the pipes and I’ll weld them in place before I head to Plot One.”

No need for formalities. Xia Qing brought out the steel pipes, covering and welding the wires tight and secure—making sure every bit exposed outside was as protected as possible. This pipe was thick enough to block out evolved insects, so as long as she kept an eye out for evolved rats and squirrels, she’d be fine.

With the system debugged and batteries in place, Huzi reminded her, “Qing, whenever you use the lights or a flashlight at night, be sure to keep all doors and windows firmly closed. Don’t let moths or anything else get drawn in.”

Virtually all insects were attracted to light now—if any dangerous evolved bugs showed up, it could make things much worse.

Xia Qing had always been careful about this. Every evening when she lit the fire in the living room, she’d block the windows with thick wooden boards to keep the light inside.

When she walked Huzi out of her territory, Xia Qing asked why the base had agreed to install solar panels here. Solar power is precious and hard to get in the Safe Zone.

Huzi sighed. “There are thirty buffer-forest border territories like ours on the Safe Zone’s edge. After the last Xiang Rain, thirteen of these territories were attacked by evolved Xiang plants and animals. So far, fifty-six people have died and eight more are badly injured.”

With medical supplies scarce after the Cataclysm, going from critical injury to death often took only a few days. Xia Qing had figured there’d be casualties after the Xiang Rain, but didn’t realize it was this bad.

“Because you contacted the inspection team in time and cleared out the threats, Plot Three was the only border territory to suffer a high-risk Xiang attack but lose no one. So, the General overruled everyone and ordered solar panels plus matched walkie-talkies for the border lords, making sure they can call for help if things go wrong.”

Huzi then explained why Xia Qing didn’t get a walkie-talkie. “There aren’t enough to go around, and since you already have a satellite phone, yours was swapped out for ten safe sweet potato seedlings instead.”

That made Xia Qing grin ear to ear. “Huzi, thank Captain Tan for me, would you?”

The stack of solar panels on Huzi’s shoulder couldn’t hide how his face and neck turned bright red at Xia Qing’s laughter—thankfully, the protective mask kept it from showing.

“Are the walkie-talkies you’re handing out set to frequency mode or channel mode? I’ve got a professional frequency-style walkie-talkie with a range of ten kilometers,” Xia Qing asked.

Huzi cleared his throat. “They’re frequency mode. Use them to contact patrol and security. The lords can talk to each other, too. But be careful—since you’re alone, you really do need to watch your back.”

Xia Qing wrote down the frequencies. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep myself safe.”

Outside the Safe Zone, people are even more guarded. Xia Qing might be neighbors with Plots One, Two, and Four, but everyone silently respected each other’s space, never bothering each other.

Afraid he’d scare her, Huzi decided to share the latest about the surrounding territories. “Two is a bit domineering, but the rest don’t seem too bad. If you ever get bored, just open a channel—chat about farming methods or something.”

Xia Qing had lived in the noise of the Safe Zone for years, so now she appreciated the peace and quiet. Even so, reaching out to the other lords by walkie-talkie, figuring out what seeds they’d gotten, or what wild edible animals and plants they’d found, is important.

And if she could swap for things she didn’t have—that’d be even better.

Huzi continued, “Plots Four and Five have been pretty lucky—no large evolved creatures. Plot One got hit by evolved venomous caterpillars. The place is empty now. Plot Six had three people hurt. Better get back, Qing. I can handle the rest myself.”

That was the downside of poor communication—Xia Qing hadn’t even known Plot One was abandoned. “So what’ll happen to Plot One now?”