Chapter 631: Power Unleashed in the Devastation Rain

While the lords of the Alliance were busy clearing the stubbornly reappearing devastation-evolved plants from their fields and waiting for news from Tan Junjie, suddenly a rescue call from Kuang Qingwei threw their hearts into knots.

Members of the Inspection Team were hard at work in Territory Nine. Yue Haiying and Yu Shou had both gone to Hill Fifty, while Xia Qing had just hustled back and forth twice, barely having time to catch her breath.

At this critical moment, who could possibly go help Territory Six?

Shi Du and Qi Fu were just about to press the button on their walkie-talkies to offer support when Zhang San’s voice came through. “Kuang Qingwei, Xia Qing’s already on her way to help. You two fall back.”

Knowing Xia Qing was going, the lords finally relaxed.

But in Section Four, Zhao Ze’s mother couldn’t help but worry. “Xia Qing’s been rushing back and forth all afternoon. She must be exhausted…”

“Copy, thanks Third Brother, thanks Xia Qing!” Kuang Qingwei in Territory Six set down his walkie-talkie and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Forget the greenhouse! Everyone, retreat north!”

The six hired workers from Territory Seventeen, each wielding a machete, instantly bolted northward at the command.

That tree with a python growing out of it was just terrifying!

Zhu Li, whose right arm still hadn’t healed, shouted as she held an umbrella with her left. “Old Kuang, is the Inspection Team coming?”

“Not the Inspection Team. It’s Xia Qing.” Kuang Qingwei waved frantically at his wife. “Why are you outside? Get back in the house, quickly!”

Hearing Xia Qing was coming eased Zhu Li’s nerves. Compared to the Inspection Team, she actually placed more trust in Xia Qing. Last year Xia Qing had single-handedly cleared wild tung trees during the Devastation Rain without the team’s help—she’d filled an entire truck with them. No one knew those devastation-evolved plants better than her.

“Sister-in-law, look after my bag.” Dashing into Territory Six, Xia Qing dropped her massive backpack beside Zhu Li and sprinted straight toward the wild tung tree, which had grown nearly four meters tall and sprouted more than ten hostile vines. The area was lit up by several flashlights. With so many hired hands around, she couldn’t be careless. Her pack was full of important supplies and needed to be watched.

Seeing Xia Qing charge in without a firearm, only a knife in hand, Zhu Li couldn’t help but shout, “Be careful, Qing!”

Xia Qing gripped her black long blade in one hand and charged at the reawakened wild tung tree. With a powerful swing, she severed three thick vines—which set off the tree’s indiscriminate attack instincts. The remaining dozen or so vines whipped through the air, flinging rainwater everywhere as they lashed out madly.

But before the vines could reach her, Xia Qing was already beneath the tree. With a single kick, she knocked down the wild tung tree.

Wait… what just happened?

Before anyone watching from a safe distance could even shout in shock, Xia Qing stabbed her blade into the ground, bent low, grabbed the tree trunk with both hands, and with an effortless tug, yanked the root from the earth. She flipped the menacing, aggressive trunk upside down and drove it straight into the ground, leaving the roots pointing skyward.

The snake-like vines, still trembling, almost looked pitiful.

Was that really it? Did the whole thing take even thirty seconds?

Everyone knew Xia Qing was strong, but no one imagined she was this strong. In that moment, she seemed nothing short of a goddess in their eyes.

When Xia Qing beckoned them over, no one hesitated—they rushed to her side, too thrilled for words. The workers from Territory Seventeen wished they could follow her forever, forsaking all other territories just to work for Xia Qing!

It wasn’t about the credits. They just wanted to stay alive.

Xia Qing pointed at the severed roots sticking up from the ground. “Qing, get someone to dig up those three thick roots. Make sure they don’t touch the soil, or the wild tung might absorb energy and sprout again.”

She’d come to handle the crisis, not to dig up roots herself. That was a minor task.

“Got it!” Kuang Qingwei rounded up workers, then quietly asked, “Sis, is the danger zone contained?”

“It’s under control—for now.” With the situation in Territory Six not fully resolved, Xia Qing didn’t rush off. She took her backpack from Zhu Li and asked, “Did this wild tung just sprout?”

Since last year, after the wild tung trees in Section Three mutated during the Devastation Rain and became aggressive, every territory had pulled up any small tung saplings as a precaution.

This wild tung in Territory Six was right by the greenhouse. It wasn’t exactly short, but its trunk was thinner than Xia Qing’s thigh. She’d intended to kick it sideways then chop it with her blade, but it toppled with just a kick—meaning its roots weren’t deep. That led her to guess it had only just sprouted during the Devastation Rain.

“Yeah.” Kuang Qingwei sounded a little embarrassed. “I hired too few people this time. I got tied up in the greenhouse and didn’t check outside. Good thing you made it back in time—otherwise the greenhouse would’ve been a goner for sure.”

Since the last incident, Kuang Qingwei hadn’t been able to hire any full-time workers for his land. He had two greenhouses, twenty acres of wheat, and half an acre of rapeseed—he needed help during the Devastation Rain.

He really wanted to hire some people from Territory Fifteen, but the two top fighters there had gone to guard the Hidden Valley. He didn’t have the nerve to ask, so he hired some eager hands from Territory Seventeen whose own greenhouse had been destroyed.

To prepare for surprises, he also hired two evolved fighters from Territory One, but their contracts didn’t start until 6 p.m. He’d figured everyone would have enough energy to get through the first few hours of the Devastation Rain. Who could’ve guessed things would go sideways so quickly?

Xia Qing never meddled in other territories’ management. As she watched them dig up the roots, she asked, “What happened in Territory Nine?”

Before Kuang Qingwei could answer, Zhu Li rattled off, “During that last wave of red-level Devastation Rain, Territory Nine got swarmed with hostile, devastation-evolved plants. Tons of bats and owls were drawn in. Captain Tan and his team went to clear it out, and Third Brother sent over two more people. We don’t know all the details yet. You were busy at Hill Fifty, so we didn’t message you. We didn’t want you to worry.”

Because of the distance, when Xia Qing was at Hill Fifty, her lord communicator couldn’t receive messages from the Lords’ channel.

Looking at the two-meter-long roots being pulled out, Kuang Qingwei asked, “Sis, if another of these evolved wild tungs shows up, should we do like you just did—hack through the trunk with a machete, then dig up the roots?”

Xia Qing replied cautiously, “If it’s not taller than a person, you can tie up the crown with a strong net and dig it out quickly, roots and all. But if it’s taller, it’s safer to call for the Inspection Team. These wild tung trees have evolved hardened wood—last year, my machete snapped cutting one down.”

“Understood.” Kuang Qingwei committed it to memory.

After Xia Qing left, Zhu Li gripped her umbrella tight, her desire for strength burning brighter than ever. “Honey, I want to evolve my strength. I want to become a Strength-Based Evolution fighter!”