Chapter 599: Seeds of Change in a Turbulent Territory

After returning to Territory Twelve, Tang Huai stripped off his protective suit and collapsed face-first onto his bed.

Tang Heng finished checking the fields and came inside, only to see his brother looking like he’d just taken a beating. Concerned, he asked, “Did you have a fight with Xia Qing?”

“She doesn’t have time to argue with me,” Tang Huai sighed, rolling over. “They go there just to work. At noon, everyone squeezes into this shabby office that used to be a bear cave for lunch and a short break—half an hour, tops. After a whole day like that, they’ll only earn five credits.”

So that was the issue. Tang Heng poured his brother a glass of water and chuckled, “It’s the same for everyone in our territory.”

Tang Huai grunted, emptied his glass in one go, and flopped back down, closing his eyes without another word.

Everything today had hit him hard. He’d always known Xia Qing and the others worked hard, but he never realized they were pushing themselves past their limits—almost to the point of recklessness.

Compared to them, Tang Huai felt like the so-called ‘calamity’ of these years barely touched him. Yet he’d spent all his time complaining about this and that. No wonder Xia Qing had no patience for him… He really was kind of annoying.

That night, after listening to the farming broadcast, Tang Huai fell silent in the lords’ channel when Xia Qing called for help on Hill Fifty again.

Xia Qing spent three days leading her people in hard labor on Hill Fifty. At last, they finished building the flood ditches in the dangerous area on the Third Peak and cleared away most of the snow on the cracked mountainside. Now they could finally focus on working the fields within their territory.

While the lords of Section One in the north were busier than ever, the Safe Zone had already plunged into chaos.

Lords from the eastern territories, whose lands were destroyed by the Wolf Pack, crowded outside the Territory Management Department’s doors, crying and shouting for compensation. Meanwhile, lords from the south, west, and Section One in the north—afraid to return to their lands while the Wolf Pack still roamed free—blocked the entrance to the administrative hall, demanding the authorities exterminate the wolves and strengthen territorial security.

As the lords’ uproar reached its peak, the Red One Investigation Team released the results of their investigation into the beast tide. The evidence was clear: Xue Jinchang’s squad from Dongyang Squad, together with Silver Snake from Gui San Base, had massacred thirteen Wolf Pack cubs on the western perimeter, provoking the wolves’ revenge on humanity. It didn’t stop there—on the night the beast tide struck, Tang Zhengsu from Sufeng Squad ordered raids on other territories, leaving dozens dead or wounded. The barrage of shocking news left Hui Three’s people furious.

Right after, twelve officials in the Safe Zone joined forces to report Tang Zhengrong for abusing his power, colluding with subordinates and the Sufeng Squad to eliminate and kill rivals in a host of shocking crimes.

In no time, people turned against Tang Zhengrong. Furious citizens pointed the finger at the ‘good mayor,’ demanding severe punishment. Some Inner City residents, driven by rage, even tore through security and set fire to the lavish homes of both the Tang Zhengrong and Tang Zhengsu families, burning them to the ground.

Now suspended and under investigation, Tang Zhengrong had no choice but to issue a public apology on the base’s broadcast channel and resign from his position as Deputy Base Chief.

Yet Tang Zhengrong’s resignation did nothing to cool the crowds. As anger threatened to boil over, Base Chief Qi Zhongye personally made an announcement: The base had successfully cultivated a new spinach seed—High-Evolution Green Lantern Spinach Seed X-2—with the Devastation Element stability of a fifth generation and Evolution Element stability of a fourth. By February 15, every lord returning to their territory for spring planting would receive 100 seeds for free, and every Safe Zone resident would get five X-2 seeds each.

If residents worried their seeds would be stolen or couldn’t grow them properly, they could opt out and have the Planting Center handle planting instead. Three months later, these residents could use their ID tags to buy a set amount of food processed from High-Evolution Spinach at sixty percent of the standard price.

Qi Zhongye’s speech set Hui Three’s community on fire with excitement.

What did these ultra-stable spinach seeds mean? Better resistance to disaster. Greater chances to evolve. For everyday people, it meant the real hope of improving their harsh lives.

With hope like that, who cared about Tang Zhengrong anymore?

Everywhere people gathered—in the Inner City, Outer City, and all territories—everyone was buzzing about the High-Evolution Spinach Seeds.

Overcome with excitement, Tang Huai shouted in the lords’ channel, “Third Brother, did you develop these seeds? No one else could pull this off but you!”

Zhang San snorted coldly. “Frog.”

Ears still ringing from excitement, Tang Huai didn’t quite catch what Zhang San said and quickly pressed, “Huh? What did you say, Third Brother?”

Hu Zifeng pressed the comm and chuckled. “He said you’re a frog, the kind that lives in a well.”

Everyone else fell silent…

So it wasn’t Third Brother? Tang Huai kept guessing, “If it’s not Third Brother, did our base steal the High-Evolution Spinach from Fire Phoenix? No wonder Fire Phoenix went wild last winter and this spring.”

“Third Brother hit the nail on the head. You really are a frog,” Hu Zifeng laughed. “The spinach seeds Fire Phoenix developed aren’t nearly as stable as ours.”

Tang Huai cursed, “Hu Madman, quit talking nonsense! If you’re not a frog, then why don’t you tell us where the seeds came from!”

Hu Zifeng knew perfectly well those spinach seeds had come from Section Three. But something that big wasn’t his to spill. “No idea, but that doesn’t stop me from calling you a frog.”

Everyone else remained speechless…

Kuang Qingwei cut off their bickering, too excited to wait. “Did I hear that right? The base chief said even if you plant these ultra-stable spinach seeds outdoors, half the plants will reach the High-Evolution Green Lantern quality by seed time?”

Half the plants? As Xia Qing worked on sewing a quilt for the Handsome Huge Wolf over in Section Three, she couldn’t help but smile. It looked like stability dropped a bit in non-selenium-rich soil, but fifty percent High-Evolution Green Lantern quality was an excellent result.

“You heard right, Qing. That’s exactly what the chief said,” Shi Du chimed in, unable to hide his excitement. “Third Brother, if my dad eats this spinach, will he get better?”

Zhang San’s voice was faint, but everyone could tell he was in a good mood. “High-Evolution Spinach can boost his immune system, but it can’t fix an immune deficiency. He still needs his meds, but he’ll definitely be much healthier than now. By the way, is your Five-Step Viper still alive?”

Shi Du answered quickly, “Yup. We’re keeping it in the greenhouse, treating it like a king. When would you like it sent over, Third Brother?”

Zhang San replied lazily, “No rush. Wait until it lays eggs and the hatchlings are out.”

After Zhang San spoke, Tan Junjie gave a timely reminder. “Once things warm up we’ll hit the animal breeding season. Everyone needs to watch out when traveling, even inside your territories—always wear your protective suits so you don’t get bitten by venomous bugs.”

With that, Tan Junjie shared another piece of good news.