Chapter 492: A Wager on New Beginnings

Xia Qing was always single-minded about farming. She was one of the few advanced Evolved with control over three elements, and thanks to her unusual bond with the Evolved Wolf Pack, she stood apart from the crowd. But what set her apart even more, at least in Zhang San’s eyes, was the way she carried herself—everything she said and did just felt right.

So Zhang San was willing to put his trust in her.

He was betting on her ability to grow stronger, and gambling that after all her achievements, she would still hold on to her true self.

That’s why he took the initiative to join the Lords’ Alliance that Xia Qing was forming. If his gamble paid off, he could finally break free from his current situation and live with a little more freedom.

Deep down, he also wanted to venture outside, instead of being kept locked up in a lab for life, always in the name of ‘safety,’ while everyone else called the shots.

So when Xia Qing made her latest request, Zhang San agreed. “Taking Hill Fifty won’t be too hard. But since this is your idea, the mountain will be your responsibility once it’s secured. If anything goes wrong, you’ll have to handle it.”

“Understood. Thanks, Third Brother. Leave all the messy business of managing Hill Fifty to me. If you want to work on your experiments or collect samples in the Evolved Forest, just head over to our hill. Even if you get bored staying in the Territory, you can come there to stretch your legs.”

That was exactly what Zhang San wanted to hear. He gave a slow hum of approval.

Sensing her idol’s good mood, Xia Qing took the chance to gently add, “When you negotiate with the Base, try to secure as many years as you can. We’re a test zone, not mountain owners, so we can’t promise to guard the hill forever. Our Alliance isn’t on the level of the Azure Dragon Squad yet—there’s no way we could defend such a huge place. But we can mark out Hill Fifty’s boundaries real clearly, set up surveillance. If anyone dares to trespass, we’ll hit them with a credit penalty. Heh.”

Just in terms of land size, Hill Fifty was even bigger than Hill Forty-Nine.

“Alright.” Zhang San replied lazily, giving a big yawn before hanging up.

Sitting quietly in her own living room, Xia Qing felt a rush of excitement flowing through her veins—a feeling she couldn’t quite put into words. She gently rubbed Er Gou’s head, the loyal sick wolf beside her. For a long while, she just sat in silence and thought.

That afternoon, Xia Qing skipped her usual rounds in the fields. She ate dinner early and went straight to bed, then woke up at two in the morning. She cranked up the rotary tiller and headed out to the fields.

It was the third day of Devastation Snow, with eight hours left before this storm ended. The forecast said that around three a.m., a red-level Devastation Snow would hit and last at least an hour and a half.

Hu Zifeng’s squad had been working shifts out there for two days straight, and everyone was hitting their limits.

Today marked the fourth day since Xia Qing took the Evolution Element stim shake. Even though aches and pains still lingered all over her body, thanks to the Devastation Element Antidote and plenty of Green Lantern food, she’d regained about forty percent of her Evolved powers. Eight more hours? She could manage that.

As long as her body could handle it, Lord Xia Qing was determined to watch over the fields herself—that was the only way she felt at ease.

From three to four thirty in the morning, the final wave of red-level Devastation Snow for the tenth year of the disaster came right on schedule.

Xia Qing paced between the Green and Yellow Lantern wheat and the rapeseed houses, clearing out every rapeseed plant and wheat sprout that hadn’t grown thorns yet or had started Devastation Evolution. She nipped all the danger in the bud.

When the red-level Devastation Snow finally stopped, Xia Qing didn’t go home. Instead, she hunkered down with everyone in the lounge by the fields, warming up by the fire. They roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts, sharing laughs. Every hour, she’d get up and circle the fields one more time, making sure to root out any plants starting Devastation Evolution.

At ten in the morning, right on cue, the Devastation Snow ended. After hiding for three days, the sun peeked weakly through the thick clouds, clocked in for work, and immediately vanished again.

The mountains and valleys were buried beneath a thick layer of grimy yellow Devastation Snow.

After three days and nights of nonstop work, the lords flopped down around the edges of the fields—some sitting, some flat on their backs. They were exhausted but looking forward to the coming slow season, though the cold wave ahead still made them anxious.

“Sure, we lost a lot of wheat, rapeseed, and even the greenhouse veggies, but not a single person here suffered Devastation Evolution. I’ll count my blessings for that.” After listening to everyone’s worries, Kuang Qingwei spoke up to encourage the group.

Zhao Ze, who’d been mid-complaint, switched gears. “Same here. This round was a lot better than the last three Devastation Rains—no one got seriously hurt.”

Shizhong let out a deep breath. “Surviving means more than anything. Now that we’re through this disaster, we can finally catch a break.”

Winter was the farmers’ off-season. Even though the greenhouse veggies still needed care, it was way easier than any of the other three seasons.

Qi Fu added, “The reason no one in our Territory suffered Devastation Evolution this time is ‘cause we’ve all eaten nothing but natural food for a year. Our bodies can withstand a lot more than when we were stuck in the Safe Zone. For that alone, all this hard work has been worth it.”

“Yeah.” Yue Haiying spoke up in his usual quiet way.

“Yeah.” Xia Qing echoed, making her presence known.

As soon as he heard Xia Qing’s voice, Tang Huai couldn’t hold it in anymore. His throat rasped as he hollered, “We finally made it through! We should get together and celebrate, don’t you think, Xia Qing?”

Xia Qing shut that down right away. “I’m still not fully healed. I need to rest.”

Tang Huai didn’t miss a beat. “That’s fine. We’ll gather when you’re back on your feet.”

Wolves and sheep are welcome too. Tang Huai was all smiles as he fiddled with his walkie-talkie in Territory Twelve.

Right away, Zhou Xun, acting leader of Territory Two, chimed in, “Boss, if you’ve got the energy for a party, maybe it’s time you came back to work?”

“Come back soon, please! I can’t handle this alone!”

Tang Huai’s good mood instantly soured. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’ve lost too much blood and need rest! Keep bugging me and I’ll quit the team for good!”

Zhou Xun fell silent, and then Zhou Zhaoping, assistant for Territory Eight, piped up, “Captain Tan, we’ve finished tallying the damages from the Devastation Snow. Who should I report the numbers to? Or should we request compensation from Territory Nine ourselves?”

The mention of damages made everyone perk up. All ears, they listened closely.

Tan Junjie replied, “The Inspection Team will verify losses for each Territory one by one. Once the numbers are in, we’ll submit everything together so the Territory Management Department can handle compensation.”

Zhou Zhaoping responded warmly, “Understood. Thanks to Captain Tan and the whole Inspection Team for your hard work.”

Tang Huai asked curiously, “Tan, someone in Territory Nine committed a major offense. By the Lord’s Law, shouldn’t Li Si lose his title? If Territory Nine’s up for grabs, are there any requirements for applicants?”

Tan Junjie, just as stern as ever, replied, “The Inspection Team hasn’t received any notice about that, so we’re not sure yet. Attention, all lords, agents, and temporary agents: until Hill Fifty’s disaster has been completely resolved, the area will remain sealed off. No one is allowed in. Confirm receipt, please.”

Once Xia Qing sent back her “received,” she stood up slowly from the edge of the fields and told Hu Zifeng’s squad, “Thanks for sticking it out these three days. I’m heading home to grab some food—let’s have a big lunch today.”

They’d already eaten plenty of Xia Qing’s food lately, and there was no way they’d let her take on more of the burden.

Hu Zifeng stood too. “There’s still stuff to do back at Territory One, so we should get going. We’ll leave Er Yong and Guan Tong here to help you clear out the Devastation Snow. If you need more help, Xiao Jiang can stay too.”