Chapter 596: Winter Tensions and Snowy Work in the Territories

Tang Zhengbo’s injuries were dealt right in front of Tang Zhengrong—courtesy of Tang Zhengsu’s “accidental” heavy hand. The reason? Tang Zhengbo refused to help pool credits for Sufeng Squad to purchase another helicopter.

Though Tang Zhengbo had been pushed out of the upper ranks, he was still technically a member and co-founder of Sufeng Squad.

After the incident, Tang Zhengrong merely scolded his younger brother, insisting he apologize to their cousin. Yet deep down, he resented Tang Zhengbo’s decision to leave the Safe Zone and develop his own territory, breaking free from his control.

But circumstances had shifted. Now Tang Zhengrong needed Tang Zhengbo to step up and help manage the growing crisis. Swallowing his pride, he had to relent—if only for now.

The higher someone climbs, the thicker their skin gets. Even after being embarrassed in public, Tang Zhengrong could still pretend contrition with a sincere face, slipping in a veiled threat as he added, “Sis-in-law was right, it’s not safe outside. No need to see me off, I’ll walk myself. Things are chaotic now, so rest up at home and recover—I’ll handle anything outside. No matter what, we’re family. When one prospers, we all do. If one suffers, we all suffer.”

His real message was clear: When it comes to problems out there, I’m still calling the shots. If I go down, don’t expect things to go well for you, either.

Tang Zhengbo still wore a mild smile as he watched his brother head out before calling to his wife and daughter, “Shumin, Ningning, come on—let’s go wish Grandma a happy new year together.”

As the door slammed shut behind him, Tang Zhengrong’s face turned grim as he climbed into the car.

He hadn’t even told the driver where to go next when Tang Lu called, her voice wobbling through sobs. “Uncle, Grandma passed out!”

Cry, cry, cry—always crying at a time like this! Fighting back his irritation, Tang Zhengrong asked, “Did you call an ambulance?”

Tang Lu froze at her uncle’s cold tone and stammered, “I did. I’m the only one home. I can’t reach my brother or my sister. I don’t know where they went.”

“Just take care of your grandma for now. I’ll send someone over.” Tang Zhengrong ended the call, his face still dark. “Get Bao Zhengchao to my office, now.”

Tang Zhengsu was dead. Tang Rui had run. What was left of Sufeng Squad was a scattered mess. If Tang Zhengbo refused to step in, he’d have to go with the next best option—putting Bao Zhengchao in charge to rally the team again.

He couldn’t let Sufeng fall apart. If it did, he’d be finished too.

Clack, clack, clack—

Back in Section Three, Xia Qing drove the rotary tiller around the greenhouse, using its dozer blade to push down snow that had slid from the roof. After shutting down the machine, she hopped out and started loading snow into the cart hitched up to Evolved Sheep.

She needed to dump the snow near the reservoir. Otherwise, when it melted, it might flood the crops inside the greenhouse.

Er Gou and Old Goat watched as Xia Qing parked the rotary tiller. Then they both leapt down from the cart to join her.

Er Gou dove headfirst into a snowdrift, taking his time before finally poking his head out and grinning at Xia Qing.

“Er, I’m coming for you!” Laughing, Xia Qing tossed down her shovel and jumped right into the chest-high pile of snow. She packed a snowball and launched it straight at Old Goat’s forehead as he watched from the sidelines.

Xia Qing burst out laughing. Old Goat shook off the impact, charged into the snow with the intent to bowl her over—only to have Xia Qing latch onto his neck and roll him into the snowdrift instead.

Leaping to her feet, Xia Qing dashed for the open field nearby. “Come on, Big Guy, let’s see what you’ve got!”

Old Goat was provoked now. Shaking the snow from his fleece, he charged right after Xia Qing.

“Thud!”

Human and sheep collided in the snow again—Xia Qing was the one sent flying this time.

Nearby on the southern edge of Section Three, auditory evolutionary Cao Xianyun grinned. “Looks like Sister Qing’s in a good mood, brawling with her sheep again. Boss, that’s confirmation, right?”

She had no idea what the brainiacs in Territory Management were thinking—expecting the inspection teams to haul out and do a full headcount across all territories early on New Year’s morning.

The rest of the inspection team turned to Tan Junjie, waiting for his instructions.

“We need to confirm.” Tan Junjie was still all business as he pulled out his phone and dialed Xia Qing. “Xia Qing, come to the south gate for a bit.”

Why not use the walkie-talkie? Because Zhang San could be napping with it on, and nobody wanted to be the one to wake him.

“Sure, I’ll be right there.” Xia Qing replied fast, promised Old Goat some compressed rations to keep him calm, and hurried toward the south end, unlocking the gate.

Tan Junjie explained the situation and asked, “Is it just you in the territory now?”

Xia Qing nodded. “Hu Zifeng already returned to Territory One. It’s just me now.”

Once they confirmed Section Three’s lord was home, Tan Junjie led the group off, headed for Section Four next door.

After they left, Xia Qing glanced around at the emptiness of Territory Two, then at the war-torn, battered Territory Nine beside it. Finally, she looked up at the towering signal tower between the two territories, locked her own iron gate, and let herself smile.

At last, she could settle in and focus on farming for a while.

By eight-thirty that morning, activity started picking up in the Lords’ channel.

“With so much snow again last night and the temperature about to rise, Shi, Qi, what do you think—is all this melting snow going to cause mudslides or flash floods?”

Every farmer has their worries. With only two people left in his territory, Kuang Qingwei was fretting out loud in the channel.

Qi Fu chimed in, “This winter’s way colder than last year, and we’ve had way more snow. There really might be mudslides, who can say? Not a bad idea to prep ahead, just in case.”

Shizhong joined, too: “If there’s really a risk of slides or flash floods, the six mountain-side territories are in the most danger. Best dig drainage ditches and shore up those greenhouses and sheds ahead of time. Kuang, I’ll bring Shi Du over to help.”

Territories One, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven all sat against the mountain. Of the five alliance territories, Territory Five was struggling most—two residents, both injured, and in desperate need of extra hands.

Xia Qing volunteered too. “Shi, let Shi Du bring my rotary tiller. It’ll make the work quicker.”

From the start, Xia Qing had planned for potential mudslides and floods—her home and farmland were in the least dangerous spots, and she’d already dug out decent drainage. Still, better safe than sorry.

Kuang Qingwei immediately responded, “Thanks Shi, thanks Xia Qing. Really, thanks to everyone! My wife and I would have barely made it this far if it weren’t for all the help. We’d have been eaten alive by now.”

Joining the Alliance was by far the smartest thing Kuang Qingwei had done last year.

Wen Nengjie from Territory Seventeen piped up too. “Qing, I’ll bring a few helpers and pitch in.”

With so few hands to spare, Kuang Qingwei leaped at the offer. “Thank you, thank you, Jie! Can I pay you three credits and a ration bar per day for each person? I’m not going to lie, we’re broke—my wife and I are just rinsing rations down with water most days. I can’t afford more.”

Hiring regular workers inside a territory usually runs three to five credits per day. Kuang Qingwei’s offer—three credits plus a ration bar—was right in the middle, perfectly fair.