Chapter 346: The Alliance of Winter

The more everyone talked, the more convinced they were that spending winter in their own territories was better than in the Safe Zone.

So naturally, the conversation circled back to how to store their food supplies.

Kuang Qingwei laid out his plan. “Territory One has to have a food depot. We should talk to Captain Luo and store our grain and vegetables there. However many credits the Safe Zone charges for storage, we’ll pay Luo just the same, maybe even a little more if he asks.”

Zhao Ze’s mother agreed, “Exactly. We’re close to Territory One, and Luo’s reputation speaks for itself. Leaving food with him puts my mind at ease. Last time I stored potatoes in the Safe Zone’s depot, someone swapped them out. Even the ones Captain Zhong brought back for me were not only smaller but had way higher Devastation Element—almost turned into Red Lanterns!”

Kuang Qingwei sighed. “Those little punks are tough to deal with—probably someone managing the food pulled something shady. A lot of these guys paid big money for their jobs, so if they don’t make their credits back, you know they’ll do whatever it takes.”

At that, all four of them turned to look at Xia Qing.

Of everyone there, Xia Qing had the best connections with Territory One—and not just Territory One, she also had strong ties with Territory Seven.

With today’s meeting wrapping up and everything on track, Xia Qing spoke up. “I’ll mention it to Captain Hu and see what he says. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Hearing that, Zhao Ze’s mother, Shizhong, and Kuang Qingwei all broke into relieved smiles.

Qi Fu chimed in, “Xia Qing agreed to swap me a little oil press for household use. Once I get it, if anyone wants to press oil, just ask me. But keep this between us—nobody else needs to know.”

Shizhong and the others could barely contain their joy. With an oil press, they could finally squeeze oil from their sunflower seeds. Once they got rapeseed seeds from the Territory Management Department and planted them, a few months of hard work and maybe they’d never lack oil again!

Kuang Qingwei peered shrewdly between Qi Fu and Xia Qing, eyes wide, voice dramatic. “Qi, why’d Xia Qing swap you the oil press? Spill it, what else are you hiding in your territory?”

“Take a look for yourselves—my fields are bare. Other than grass, what could I possibly have?” Qi Fu laughed, laying everything out.

“Both Xia Qing and I used to work for the Construction Team, so we’ve known each other for ages. After we switched to farming, we teamed up—helped each other out whenever we could. To be honest, my wife and I together aren’t half as capable as Xia Qing. We’re always relying on her help.”

Qi Fu was being way too modest, so Xia Qing quickly returned the humility. “If it weren’t for all the advice you’ve given me, Qi, my crops wouldn’t have come in half as well.”

Only then did everyone realize that Sections Three and Five had formed an alliance. All those odd things from the past six months finally made sense.

No wonder Xia Qing gave medicine to Qi Fu when he got hurt and infected by super bacteria. No wonder she rushed to help Section Five during the Devastation Rain. No wonder she always partnered up with Qi Fu for missions in the Evolved Forest…

Opportunities like today didn’t come often. Shizhong seized the moment, eager to join their alliance. “Xia Qing, we’ve known each other for ages—and you’re always teaming up with Shi Du for missions. Qi, we’ve known each other for six months. You know what my family is like—nothing to hide. Maybe I didn’t know before, but now I do. If we’re making an alliance, Territory Ten should be in too.”

Kuang Qingwei and Zhao Ze’s mother jumped at the chance. The benefits were obvious—only a fool would let the opportunity pass.

And so, as naturally as breathing, Sections Three, Four, Five, Six, and Ten officially formed a territory alliance. In years of disaster, teaming up with capable people was the surest way to stay safe.

As for the alliance leader, of course it was Xia Qing—the most capable of them all.

With the alliance formed, the five lords were all smiles. People are social creatures, after all, needing companionship and cooperation. Half a year together had built trust, and with shared goals and interests, everyone had something to gain from this alliance.

Xia Qing had a sharp aim and plenty of strength. Kuang Qingwei, the wheeler-dealer, brought connections and channels for supplies. Qi Fu and Shizhong were farming experts, and Shizhong could even invent and improve farming tools. As for Zhao Ze from Section Four, well, he might not have many strengths, but his mom knew how to get things done—definitely a good person to have around.

Bringing Section Four into the fold was a clear win for Xia Qing too—her own lands bordered Section Four, so the alliance would make both territories safer.

Once the meeting ended, Kuang Qingwei and Shizhong headed south, while Xia Qing and Zhao Ze’s mother went north out of Section Five—each returning to their own territory.

Sections Three and Four were neighbors, so Xia Qing and Zhao Ze’s mother walked home together. As happy as she was to join the alliance, Zhao Ze’s mother couldn’t help feeling nervous—her territory had little to offer and she worried they might get kicked out before long.

Eager to show she was trying, she offered, “I’ve been meaning to mention—there’s no reason you should have to handle the whole thorn wall between our territories. How about you do the northern half and we take the southern half?”

The north side was closer to the Buffer Forest, making it easier to haul in wood. Xia Qing accepted the good will. “Sounds good—thanks, Auntie.”

“No need to thank me—it’s only right.” Zhao Ze’s mother then started pitching her son. “You might think Zhao Ze’s not much of a farmer, but he’s actually got real skills in engineering. He studied it in college, worked for years, was a manager with over a hundred people under him. After the harvest, if you need help, let Zhao Ze do your site surveys, calculate wood usage, manage vehicles and people—he can handle all of that.”

Xia Qing needed exactly that kind of help, so she happily agreed. “Deal—when the time comes, I’ll have Zhao come over and help out for a while. The pay will be twenty credits a day.”

“No, no!” Zhao Ze’s mother waved her one remaining hand. “He’s just going over to learn from you—a chance to gain some experience. No need to pay him!”

But Xia Qing was firm. “Auntie, we just made an alliance—members help each other and exchange goods at market rates. If Zhao can do the job, he deserves that wage.”

The alliance’s first meeting had ended with six basic rules written out, and the one Xia Qing just mentioned was among them.

“He’s not worth twenty credits a day…”

Zhao Ze’s mother muttered, then suddenly broke down. “Qing, my Aze may seem clueless now, but he used to get top grades, got into a good college, and worked hard. Four years in the workforce, bought a house, found a fiancée—I was planning his wedding when disaster struck…”

“Third year of the disaster, the small base we were in was destroyed. We fled to Hui Three Base with the combat team. Aze’s dad was killed by an Evolved Hawk, and I was badly hurt. I told Aze to leave me and run with the team, but he refused—he carried me for miles.”

“We spent everything we had just to get into Hui Three Base. By then all the decent jobs were gone—Aze couldn’t even join the Construction Team. We ended up in the Safe Zone’s outermost edge, taking on the dirtiest, hardest jobs. We worked from dawn till dark for one, maybe two credits a day—never complaining, no matter how badly we got treated. Qing, it might sound like a joke but these days, I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to be human.”

Forgetting what it meant to be human was inevitable when everyone around you saw you as less than a person.

Even though she’d managed to get into the territory alliance, Zhao Ze’s mother knew she and her son were the weakest members.

Xia Qing was an evolver and a sharpshooter. Qi Fu and his wife were Strength Evolvers. Shi Du from Territory Ten also had strength evolution. The couple from Territory Six might be ordinary people, but with their connections they could always get what they needed.

She was disabled and her son was just an ordinary man who couldn’t farm. Of everyone, their territory’s harvests were the lowest. Even their best crop—Greenlight Alfalfa—had gone bad and couldn’t be traded. If not for all those fish killed by lightning and swept over from Section Three during a thunderstorm, they wouldn’t even have enough credits for the next batch of seeds and fertilizer.

Of course it made sense that weaklings got bullied—in a disaster year, survival went to those with strength or skill.

She never expected Xia Qing to actually do things by the book and stick to the alliance’s rules—and that alone was enough to overwhelm her with emotion.