Chapter 644: A Quiet Day Among Red Grass and New Beginnings

Hmm… this…

As she passed Section Six of Hill Forty-Nine, Xia Qing glanced up at the shattered camera hanging from a tree. She immediately called Hu Zifeng. “Captain Hu, what’s happened to the camera in Section Six?”

“Don’t tell me… Was it the Crippled Wolf again? Has Yang Jin heard about this yet?”

Hu Zifeng, while idly petting a cat, replied calmly, “Little Five was acting up last night and knocked it down.”

As soon as she heard Hu Zifeng’s answer, Little Five, sprawled across the table, started purring even louder. The sound made Xia Qing smile. However the cat broke the camera, as long as it wasn’t the wolf, she didn’t care.

She might not have a cat, but she did have a whole nest of adorable, fluffy yellow weasel kits. Once she got close to White Weasel, maybe she’d even get to pet one someday.

She’d already checked—Balding Weasel never used his evolution abilities indoors, so the sheep shed didn’t smell at all. That meant the little yellow weasels probably didn’t smell, either.

Xia Qing made her way through the valley, arriving at the base of the Third Peak of Hill Fifty, right at the edge of the danger zone. Unlike the quiet peace elsewhere, this place was bustling.

The firebreak surrounding the danger zone had already been thoroughly cleared of any Scourge Grass poking through. Inside the zone, the temporary rain shelters set up during the Devastation Rain had been replaced by new, sturdy greenhouses.

Outside the greenhouses, two armed patrolmen kept watch. Inside, researchers in bright white airtight suits worked tirelessly among crimson Scourge Grass that towered over their heads.

Seeing Xia Qing approach, the patrolling guards raised a hand in friendly greeting.

A researcher emerged from the greenhouse, passing through a five-meter-long disinfection corridor. Xia Qing recognized her by her height and eyes—it was Zhang He.

As Hill Fifty’s manager, Xia Qing stepped forward to check on her duties and ask about the experiment’s progress.

Zhang He summed it up simply. “The second batch of Scourge Grass has matured. We’ll be able to harvest seeds soon. In two days, we’ll push ahead with a third wave.”

Thanks to advanced greenhouses, which sealed off outside airflow, researchers could increase Scourge Element concentration inside, letting the vivid red Scourge Grass grow quickly, bear seeds, and then harvest them.

This cycle would repeat until the harmful substances in the contaminated soil dropped to a safe level—the job wouldn’t end until then.

“When will the soil data after the second wave be ready?” Xia Qing asked.

“Already done,” Zhang He said. “The results matched the forecasts. Everything’s going smoothly. This should wrap up in three months.”

Once the project finished, this high-risk area could be downgraded to medium-risk. Then it’d take at least two more years of further work to fix the soil before it could become low-risk—and finally, a normal Evolved Forest again.

Following Zhang San’s experimental plan, Zhang He made a list of needed supplies. After getting the list, Xia Qing and Zhao Ze ran the numbers—it would cost a whopping 400,000 credits.

The patrols standing guard outside the greenhouse right now were Evolved fighters Xia Qing had hired from the Azure Dragon Squad. Their pay was included in the experiment’s 400,000 credit budget.

Back when Yang Jin had the Blazing Fire Squad pay two million credits to restore the forest destroyed by the Trapping Team, Xia Qing thought he was asking for way too much. She couldn’t understand why they’d agree to pay so much.

Looking back now, she realized how little she knew. Yang Jin hadn’t asked for too much at all. Blazing Fire understood perfectly.

With supplies all set and the experiment proceeding steadily and safely, Xia Qing didn’t bother Zhang He further. She headed to the southeast face of the Third Peak to hunt, slipping into a sheer crack that split the mountain.

All the researchers and guards working in the high-risk zone had to rest and do paperwork inside the Bear Cave. After a meeting, the Lords’ Alliance agreed to seal off the cave’s old passage to the Hidden Valley and open a new entrance from the other side, making access for alliance members safer.

The new tunnel opened into the crack on the southeast slope of the Third Peak. Although it added a few hundred extra meters to travel, it was quieter and safer.

“Sister Qing.”

Dazhi and Li Kai, waiting in the valley, saw Xia Qing coming and quietly greeted her with enthusiasm.

After safely getting through the Devastation Rain season, Yue Haiying and Yu Shou went back to Territory Fifteen to avoid drawing attention, leaving Dazhi and Li Kai stationed in the Hidden Valley. They kept in touch with Yuan Yan and Madam Shi via daily video calls, managing the rice seedlings under their guidance.

“Is your injury alright now?” Xia Qing asked Li Kai.

“I used Third Brother’s miracle medicine, so it’s nothing now. Brother Yue took good care of me and let me hang out with Dazhi here to recover.” Li Kai leaned on his crutch, grinning, though his face was still pale.

That night in late January, when the beast horde attacked, Li Kai covered Section Six as a sniper but got ambushed instead. His organs ruptured, and he almost died—Xia Qing had found him bleeding out, dragged him to Section Seven for emergency care, and saved his life.

He was just an ordinary human, not an Evolved, so recovery was harder. Still, he was young and fit, and with Section Seven’s miracle medicine, he’d almost made a full recovery in just a month.

The Hidden Valley might be inside the Evolved Forest, but it was well hidden, sealed by a strong wire mesh, and sprayed regularly with Section Seven’s bug repellent. It was perfectly safe.

All Dazhi and Li Kai had to do was switch the grow lamps on and off and open the water channel to irrigate the two acres of seedlings on schedule. For them, it was like recuperating at a hot spring. As long as they kept a low profile, no one would find them.

Xia Qing fished a thermal bag out of her backpack and handed over a frozen pork shank and four ribs. “Fresh Green Lantern wild boar and pork bones for you—perfect for soup or a stew this year.”

Li Kai and Dazhi’s eyes lit up at the sight of the prime Green Lantern meat. They happily accepted it without fuss.

Right now, they didn’t have anything equivalent to trade back, but when they left the valley, they’d round up something Xia Qing needed and send it over to Section Three.

Xia Qing wandered among the seedlings, checking on them and growing more cheerful the longer she looked.

The rice seedlings she’d traded with her idol for were thriving. Soon she could get the paddies ready for transplanting. The Green Light sweet potato vines were up to her palm already, meaning it was about time to prep the sweet potato field too.

Hauling a huge bucket of hot spring water, Xia Qing set off from the Hidden Valley. On the way, she caught a rabbit, though luck wasn’t on her side—it was another Red Lantern.

She sealed the wild rabbit in a bag, tucked it in her backpack, and headed back to Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine. She followed a slippery game trail down into the valley, hopped a noisy stream, and strode toward the chestnut grove.

The chestnut trees were still bare; the buds on their branches had only just started swelling, but she figured they’d be greening up in a few days.

Holding her breath, Xia Qing listened. Among the rush of water, chirping birds, and the rustling of crawling insects, there was no buzzing from any evolved wasps.

She picked up her shovel, hurried into the chestnut grove, and in a few strokes dug up two saplings as tall as herself. Just as she was sealing their roots in bags to protect the dirt, the buzzing of wasps finally reached her.

Before the wasps could catch up, Xia Qing had already wrapped up the roots and bolted. After months of diligent training, she could now sprint as fast as a level-four Evolved. In just a few seconds, she made it up the hill, leaving the wasps far behind.

Once she was sure the wasps had given up, Xia Qing pulled out her phone and contacted Yuan Yan—quickly agreeing on a time and place to trade the saplings.