Chapter 532: The Boon of the Hidden Valley’s Pure Spring

Shi Du popped online. “Third Brother, can I trade some Green Lantern mung beans for a filter cartridge?”

Zhang San shook his head. “I can’t eat that many mung beans. Do you have any water celery?”

“We do!” Shi Du replied quickly. “We’ve got some growing in the greenhouse, but they’re too small right now—we won’t be able to harvest until next month. Third Brother, can we reserve one with you in advance?”

Zhang San replied lazily, “Your dad’s health isn’t great. Just take the filter for now. When the water celery’s ready, bring it over.”

“Thank you, Third Brother!” Shi Du said joyfully. On paper, he was using Green Lantern food to swap for the filter cartridge, but in reality, the medicine hidden inside the filter was for his dad.

This clever trade was Xia Qing’s idea. Shi Du thought Xia Qing was getting more impressive by the day.

Once everyone had made it through the bright path, Xin Yu joined in. “Third Brother, can I trade some Green Lantern peanuts for one too?”

Everyone paused.

We’re doomed!

Zhang San’s tone didn’t change a bit. “Sure.”

When Zhang San agreed to Xin Yu’s trade, the members of the Lords’ Alliance finally realized: Zhang San had really made a filter cartridge that could filter out Devastation Element at a 1% efficiency.

Third Brother, you’re amazing!

And as their ally, they felt pretty amazing, too.

After Xin Yu finished her trade, Tang Zhengbo also logged in to swap for one.

Xia Qing pressed the button, working out a plan with Zhang San. “Third Brother, I want to take a team to Hill Fifty’s burn zone tomorrow to check the roots and figure out how many pines we’ll need to plant. Is that okay?”

“Go ahead,” Zhang San replied lazily. “You’re the manager of Hill Fifty. Just follow the employment agreement we signed and get it done. Don’t bother me with every little thing.”

“Understood,” Xia Qing replied right away.

The next day, Xia Qing led Qi Fu and his wife, Zhao Ze, Kuang Qingwei, Shi Du, and Yue Haiying. They reported their destination, headcount, travel reason, and estimated return time to the Inspection Team, then headed straight for Hill Fifty.

The burned-out high-risk zone of Hill Fifty already had several cameras installed. Xia Qing could check on the area with her phone to see if anyone entered the surveillance zone.

Of course, the Bear Cave halfway up the hill and the mountain fissure were under surveillance too. After entering the zone, Xia Qing checked to make sure there weren’t any surveillance birds or other spy equipment overhead, then unlocked the Iron Gate to the Bear Cave with her key and led the Alliance members inside to what was now the Bear Cave office.

Disaster response work was finished, so Yang Jin had packed up and left with his team and their equipment, but the hardware there remained. The funding for those installations came from disaster relief, not Yang Jin’s own pocket.

Inside the Bear Cave, Qi Fu was all smiles. “Xia Qing, can we stay here when we’re guarding the rice seedlings?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Sure, we can stay here or back in the Valley.”

Zhao Ze looked around at the massive cave and shivered. “So the Evolved Bear used to live this close to us? Didn’t the Territory Management Department say there weren’t any large predators within a hundred miles?”

Kuang Qingwei chuckled. “If they hadn’t said that, would you have dared to go out and farm? Xia Qing, that Evolved Bear won’t come back, will it?”

Xia Qing explained, “Wild animals have a sharp nose for danger. The Evolved Bear once claimed this mountain because it had everything it needed here. Until the ecosystem recovers, it won’t come back. Just in case, though, I brought Third Brother’s anti-bear repellent. Bears hate the smell and won’t come near if they scent it.”

Xia Qing handed the repellent to Qi Fu. “Just spray it around later. As long as it doesn’t rain, once every two weeks will do.”

Zhao Ze finally relaxed. “Even if it comes back, this door’s thick enough. No way the Evolved Bear could get it open.”

“It can open it,” Yue Haiying warned. He’d fought an Evolved Bear before. “They’re incredibly strong. With just our gear and skills, ticking off that bear is a death sentence.”

Xia Qing reminded everyone, “This section of Evolved Forest was cleared with poison gas bombs, so it looks a lot like our buffer forest. But once the Devastation Snow melts, danger will be everywhere.”

Yue Haiying glanced at his watch. “It took us an hour and eight minutes to get here from the quarantine belt. Once the Devastation Snow melts, it’ll take even longer.”

Once the snow melts, winter’s over and spring’s arrived. Then Devastation Grass and other plants will pop up everywhere. With plants come animals and microbes—and more danger. It’ll take even more time to reach here from the Territory.

“That’s why we need to get all the valley facilities installed and soil layers laid out as soon as possible.” With that, Xia Qing casually shoved aside the giant boulder blocking the passage and led everyone into the Hidden Valley.

When they entered, they saw dense greenery filling the Valley. Sunbeams sliced through the mountain peaks, and at the top, cold air met the valley’s warmth, leaving icicles that dripped constantly as condensation collected along the rim. The whole Lords’ Alliance crew was stunned.

“It’s a paradise—an earthly paradise. If it weren’t for the disaster, this place would be a tourist spot for sure.” Even Yuan Yan, normally calm and quiet, couldn’t help but get sentimental.

Kuang Qingwei’s eyes shone. “This should be a hot spring resort! You’d have to enter a lottery and wait a year just for a ticket!”

Qi Fu marveled, “The work it took to carve out this valley must’ve been incredible…”

Shi Du stomped on a stone. “Who knows how deep those cracks go. I wonder if they’re filled with rock down below.”

Zhao Ze focused on the ammo holes in the cliff wall, estimating just how much firepower was needed to blast the mountain open.

Yue Haiying asked Xia Qing in a low voice, “There are still a lot of poison bugs and evolved bacteria in here, right?”

Xia Qing nodded. “There were tons before, but I cleared the place out four times, sprayed repellent, too. Hardly any left now.”

The poison bugs and harmful bacteria in the valley had already been wiped out by Xia Qing. As for the Evolved Bacteria and small animals lower down by the Bear Cave, if they weren’t cleared by poison gas bombs, the wildfire finished them off. Now, the only things that could make it to the valley were stray critters or birds from elsewhere.

Yue Haiying nodded and pointed to the lumpy mound on the far west, covered in plastic sheeting. “Is that bear dung?”

“Yep. I added compost starter. Once it’s done fermenting, we can use it to cultivate rice seedlings.” After explaining, Xia Qing led everyone to the Pure Spring at the narrow end of the valley.

When everyone saw that steaming spring, their eyes grew moist.

Shi Du grinned in excitement. “This water’s so clear—no way there are any bugs in it.”

“It’s mountain spring water bubbling up from underground. That’s the only way it’d be so warm.” Qi Fu bent down, touching the pool’s edge. “Whoever built this is a real pro. Look how smooth the cement finish is.”

“When I heard Director Tang and Xin Yu trading with Third Brother for filter cartridges at those prices yesterday, I started calculating what this spring is worth.” Kuang Qingwei’s eyes lit up. “Give us a few years to strengthen ourselves, and we won’t need to do anything else—just selling this water will be enough to fill our coffers!”