Chapter 522: The First White Snow

The weather forecast had been spot on. Just as Xia Qing finished delivering pork to Ji Li at the Northern Gate, gray clouds overhead began to let loose flakes of snow.

Unlike the dirty yellow snow from Devastation Snow, this time the snowflakes were pure white. Standing inside the territory, Xia Qing took off her protective mask and night vision goggles, tilting her head up. Snowflakes and sharp winds hit her face, the cold biting to the bone, but Xia Qing felt nothing but excitement.

Back home, Xia Qing spoke to Old Goat, who was sprawled lazily by the fireplace. “Boss, it’s snowing outside. Real snow—white snow! Want me to take you out for a look?”

Xia Qing hadn’t seen white snow for three years, and Old Goat, only two years old, had never seen it at all.

Old Goat gave an uninterested glance at Xia Qing, who was empty-handed but clearly thrilled, then closed his eyes again and chewed cud by the fire, savoring the taste of the potato skins he’d eaten that night.

The snow came down steady all night. Every two hours Xia Qing got up to clear the snow from the greenhouse, the large shed, and the roof. By morning, the accumulation was over fifteen centimeters thick.

By early morning, the snow had eased up a bit but still hadn’t stopped. Xia Qing gave her two companions and Da Jiang and Xiao Jiang instructions to watch over the territory while she trudged through ankle-deep snow, heading to the gathering point.

Walking on ground blanketed in white was a completely different feeling from stepping on the sickly yellow snow left by Devastation Snow. Xia Qing could finally breathe easily again.

“Xia Qing!” Zhao Ze, who’d been waiting outside the Thorn Gate, waved enthusiastically.

Once they met up, the two chatted about the construction project as they walked, meeting up with allies from Territory Five, Six, Ten, and Fifteen. Joking and talking, they made their way to the construction trucks parked on the Eastern Quarantine Strip.

When Wen Nengjie from Territory Seventeen spotted Xia Qing, he hurried over to greet her, then sensibly kept his distance. Just as Yang Jin had said, ever since joining the missions, the people from Territory Seventeen were obedient and hardworking, never daring to slack off. Their help had sped up construction progress.

Arriving at the foot of Hill Fifty, Xia Qing, Shi Du, Qi Fu, and Yu Tao—all Strong Evolution users—got off the truck. Each grabbed a giant shovel, at least twice as wide as a normal one, and took charge of clearing snow from the uphill roads.

The construction vehicles crawled up behind them at a regular pace.

Everyone else got out too, heading up the road along the edge. Zhu Li eyed Xia Qing’s back for a while before whispering to Yuan Yan and Madam Shi, “Auntie, Sister-in-law, do you think you could even handle a shovel that size?”

Madam Shi, newly advanced to a level-two Strength Evolution, shook her head. “I’ve never tried, but I doubt I could manage.”

“I could use it for a while, but not for long,” Yuan Yan said. Among the Strength Evolution users working ahead of the truck, her husband Qi Fu was the lowest-ranked, left to shovel near the road’s edge where it was easiest. If Yuan Yan tried, she’d never keep up with the others.

The gap between different tiers of Strength Evolution users was just too huge.

Zhu Li muttered, “If only I could awaken Strength Evolution too.”

For those who farmed, Strength Evolution was the most valuable skill. If she awakened it, the territory could hire fewer workers—fewer mouths to feed.

Up at the front, Shi Du kept shoveling snow and stones while chatting. “Sister Qing, once we’re done with this job, want to team up for a hunt? I got myself a gun.”

Xia Qing didn’t reject the idea. “I’ll be free at the end of the month. If Yu Shou, Qi, and Sister-in-law are free too, let’s all go together.”

She’d promised to take Qi Fu and his wife to the Evolved Forest for a look around, but this winter work had piled up and she still hadn’t found time.

“Deal!” Qi Fu had been waiting ages for this. Yu Shou agreed right away as well. In winter, group hunts sometimes netted edible animals to help out with food supplies.

Once they reached the work site, the four Strength Evolution warriors set their shovels aside and switched to machetes, beginning to clear small trees and large rocks inside the quarantine strip.

Big trees were left for the excavators. As for weeds, bushes, pine needles, and other fallen leaves, regular folks took care of those.

“Isn’t that Xia Qing, the Section Three leader?” Xia Qing, swinging her machete at a tree, heard someone nearby speaking softly about her.

The voices came from deep inside the quarantine zone’s high-risk area—a spot only the Second Disaster Elimination Team, who monitored Super Evolution Fungus mutations, were allowed to enter.

That team was made up of Azure Dragon Squad and Territory Nine researchers. Xia Qing hadn’t heard either the man’s or woman’s voice before, so they were probably from Territory Nine.

It was odd that she could hear them. Weren’t the researchers all in airtight protective suits, using walkie-talkies to communicate? How were their voices carrying out?

“Judging by her power level, she’s at least level four. Of the female Evolution users young enough for this job, she’s probably the only one here.”

“Old Fu, with that weird temper, actually let her manage this whole mountain? That’s wild.” The remark dripped with jealousy.

“What’s so wild about it? She grows spinach in her territory, and that suits Old Fu just fine.”

They called the big boss Zhang San ‘Teacher.’ So, they must have studied under him before?

As chainsaws and machines fired up, Xia Qing couldn’t hear them anymore. She took the opportunity while tossing aside a sapling to sneak a look in their direction.

Two people in level-three protective suits squatted in the danger zone, sampling soil from several spots. Since they weren’t in airtight suits, they must have some battle ability.

Nearby, two more Azure Dragon Squad members—also in level-three gear—stood guard, watching over the others.

The folks from Territory Nine were both part of the disaster response team and still criminal suspects, so they needed an escort.

The two researchers shifted positions and kept sampling. This time, they were even closer to Xia Qing.

“By the way, did they ever figure out where Section Three’s spinach came from?”

Xia Qing was curious too, so she kept an ear out while working.

“None of the other territories found edible spinach. Sister Qiong thinks birds or animals that ate wild grass seed must have brought in the seeds. Xia Qing really lucked out,” the first researcher said, jealousy thick in their voice.

The other one jumped in, “She’s got good soil over there too. If she’d let me into Section Three, I’d work for free—as long as she gives me ten percent of my harvest from her land. I could boost her crop yield at least twenty percent.”

A third person piped up. “I’d do it too! Way better than heading to Red Eleven Base. She’s got spinach, and that’s my specialty. If I can improve it, we could use it to make premium nutrient shakes. That’s a goldmine!”

Stone-faced, Xia Qing finally realized—they were saying all this on purpose, making sure she heard.

So, you want into my territory? And you want me to come begging you too? Hah.