Chapter 551: Crisis Strategy: Defending the Winter Territories

In addition, Fire Phoenix will compensate for winter crop losses in each territory of Section One North. The compensation is half a jin of Yellow Lantern rice seeds per mu of lost crops caused by the surge of Devastation Element in the Devastation Snow. The rice seeds have already been handed over to Yang Jin. Once the beast tide passes, he’ll bring them over to share with everyone.

Tan Junjie continued, “The Territory Management Department wants to keep the rice seeds in the Safe Zone for seedling cultivation before distributing them, but Yang Jin refused. So, the management department asked me to privately check with each leader—if you want the department to handle the seedling phase after receiving the rice seeds, you can sign up with me.”

Tan Junjie came straight to Xia Qing because he knew that, aside from Territory One and Territory Two, all the leaders in his jurisdiction who could get seeds listened to Xia Qing.

Xia Qing asked, “If we let the management department handle seedling cultivation, what would they charge us?”

If it weren’t for Hot Spring Valley, it’d be tough for regular leaders to cultivate seedlings inside their own territory. The main thing now is how much the management department will charge.

Tan Junjie shook his head. “I’m not sure. You’ll have to discuss it directly with someone from the management department.”

After wrapping up the compensation issue, Tan Junjie invited Xia Qing to join the mission to safeguard the territories of Section One North.

With intense pressure from this beast tide, two elite snipers stationed in Section One North have been reassigned to the Western Lands, joining the front line against the horde. With the main snipers gone, Tan Junjie has to gather skilled snipers to protect the territories.

Tan Junjie explained, “If any giant raptors approach, I’ll contact you through the walkie-talkie or your phone. Same goes for the snipers in Territory One and Territory Seven. You don’t have to leave Section Three, but if you spot a raptor overhead and are confident you can hit it, take the shot. If any raptor crashes and damages any facilities in any territory, the Territory Management Department will handle cleanup afterward.”

Thanks to Xia Qing and the Qinglong team members keeping things quiet, her incredible sniping skills haven’t spread. But since Tan Junjie oversees hazard inspections in this area, of course he knows Xia Qing has already surpassed Hu Zifeng and the others—she’s now the top sniper in Section One North that he can call on.

Territory Seven probably has even stronger snipers, but they specifically protect Zhang San, and Tan Junjie has no authority to summon them. However, he can negotiate with Territory Seven to request use of their laser cannon against raptors.

“No problem. I’ll be on standby twenty-four hours inside my territory,” Xia Qing promised, and took the chance to ask about the Western Lands. “Captain Tan, there can’t be many people staying through the winter in Territories 151 to 200, right?”

Tan Junjie nodded. “Out of those fifty territories in the west, only four have built greenhouses. Everyone else chose to return to the Safe Community for winter.”

It’s not just the western territories. Out of the two hundred new lands developed by Hui Three, only the leaders in Section One North mostly chose to stay in their territories for the winter.

Kuang Qingwei, Zhao Ze, and the others also planned to go back to the Safe Zone initially. They only decided to stay after hearing Xia Qing and Qi Fu were keeping to the land. The more people stay behind, the safer this whole area becomes.

People are social by nature, drawn to live in groups. Because nobody from Territories One to Ten left for the Safe Zone, more than half of the leaders from Territories Eleven to Twenty-Six decided to stay, building greenhouses and planting winter vegetables and wheat.

Xia Qing asked again, “Captain Tan, is the first line resisting the beast tide set up near the Barrier on the west side? Are there many Evolved fighters deployed?”

Tan Junjie knew the force arrangements well. “The first line is set up along the Western Lands’ barrier, but unlike last time, we aren’t sealing off every mountain pass. We’re splitting up for staggered attacks instead.”

Last December, when Section One North’s territories defended against the beast tide from Hill Fifty, they used Evolved fighters and fire walls to block the horde’s advance and wiped them out outside the barrier.

That strategy only worked because most of the animals that escaped then were just from Hill Fifty, so the scale was small.

This time, though, animals are fleeing from deep inside the Western Evolved Forest. We’re talking thousands upon thousands, so there’s no way a single defensive wall could hold them. The only option is to divide and slow down the beast tide section by section, eventually guiding them back into the Evolved Forest.

Xia Qing asked, “Which direction will the beast tide be steered into?”

Tan Junjie replied, “Once the fleeing animals cross into the Western Lands, we’ll guide them into the Evolved Forest between Section One North and Territory Two. If the horde still can’t be contained, they’ll finally be pushed into the Eastern Evolved Forest.”

A mental map of Hui Three Base unfurled in Xia Qing’s mind, tracing the routes Tan Junjie described. That route passed through the west leaders’ carefully built houses, greenhouses, and fields—and that town in ruins where the woman who once robbed Zhong Tao and Zheng Kui with a child is living.

Those territories flattened by the beast tide will have to be rebuilt when their leaders come back in February. As for that woman, if she’s determined to survive with her child in the Evolved Forest, odds are she’ll dodge the beast tide.

Strategically, this route means the least overall loss.

Xia Qing asked, “Captain Tan, while the beasts cross the Evolved Forest between Section One and Territory Two, is there a risk they’ll break away and charge into our lands?”

“Not a chance. The Safe Zone has troops and combat teams stationed all along the way,” Tan Junjie said firmly. “I and my Inspection Team will stand guard at the southern barrier, taking out any animals that break away from the main group.”

Hearing this didn’t actually reassure Xia Qing—it made her more uneasy. “So you’ll be leading the team guarding the southern barrier of Section One?”

Tan Junjie nodded gravely, silent.

But Xia Qing could tell Tan Junjie had also learned what Hu Zifeng told her and was already making arrangements. He was just a squad captain, so while obeying superior orders, he could only call up limited people and resources and work out the best countermeasures he could.

Once everyone gathered in the basement of Section Five, Xia Qing explained the current situation, then laid out why she called this meeting: “Today we need to come up with a practical plan to address the risk of an invasion.”

Bzzzz—

Xia Qing’s words hit like a bomb dropped in the leaders’ minds, leaving everyone rattled and helpless.

In other words, what happened last year—when Territories 158 and 159 were invaded, their leaders and Inspection Team protectors killed, and their food stores looted—could absolutely happen to them again…

Zhao Ze’s eyes widened in terror.

Kuang Qingwei, arm in a sling, tried to steady his nerves and spoke up first. “When Territory Two said they were sending twenty-five Evolved fighters to help defend, I knew something was off. Every time we went to Hill Fifty hauling bags of stuff, people from Territory Two figured we’d scored a ton of supplies. Now, they’ve set their sights on us!”