Chapter 761: The Second Wave of Devastation Rain

The eleventh year of the disaster brought its second bout of Devastation Rain, this time arriving with a vengeance.

On their second morning in Territory Fifteen, Jiang Ying’s mother was enjoying a hearty breakfast with her daughter and Tan Qi in the lively dining hall when a booming broadcast blared over the megaphone. The sudden announcement brought the room to a standstill, everyone pausing mid-bite and straining to catch every word.

“Attention all territories, attention: per the weather forecast, Devastation Rain will begin in thirty minutes. The first round will be orange-level and last at least forty minutes. All territories, prepare at once. If any uncontrollable emergencies arise, contact the Inspection Team immediately via walkie-talkie.”

“Attention all territories…”

Orange level—for forty minutes! Instantly tensed, Jiang Ying’s mother gripped her chopsticks tight. She didn’t wait for the second round of the announcement to end before Yue Haiying, Territory Fifteen’s acting representative, shot to his feet. “Group One, ready in five minutes!”

“Yes!” The answer rang out in unison. Several people gulped down their porridge, grabbed their mantou, and dashed for the exit, chewing as they ran.

“Auntie, Yingzi, take your time—I have to go.” Tan Qi, designated to Group One, wolfed down her food and hurried off.

Jiang Ying’s mother instinctively began eating faster, then quickly followed her daughter back to their sturdy new house, nerves buzzing. Together they watched the air detector’s numbers creep higher minute by minute.

For once, Jiang Ying, usually trembling with fear, was uncharacteristically calm. She laid her homemade firearm on the coffee table and fetched a whetstone, methodically sharpening her machete.

By the fields in Territory Six, Kuang Qingwei stood at the edge, going over instructions once again with the twenty new hires from several days prior. “Team One, you’re covering the greenhouses. Team Two, handle the rest of the territory. Teams Three and Four, you’re on rest. Switch every two hours…”

Scenes across other territories mirrored those in Territory Six—busy and focused. Only Territories Nine and Fourteen were eerily quiet, completely deserted, putting extra pressure on neighboring Territory Ten.

Inside Territory Two, Tang Huai couldn’t shake a bad feeling. His right eyelid kept twitching as he muttered, “Something’s off, something’s really off…”

In Section Three’s fields, the lounge served as their command post. Xia Qing set five bottles of premium nutrient shake on the table. “These are premium shakes—one each. Drink when you need it. No need to ration, there’s plenty more.”

Hu Zifeng’s squad split into two teams; the first team of five was on duty now. So long as the rain didn’t hit red-level, the second team would switch in at noon.

With the shakes handed out, Xia Qing laid out the next steps. “The biggest risk during this rain is mutated, hostile plants emerging from the territory or from within the greenhouses. Keep an eye on the pumpkins, potatoes, and sunflowers in the first four monitored plots.”

She pointed to eight screens on the wall, each divided into four smaller displays, covering every key area in the territory. This entire surveillance setup was purchased from Territory Seven, and their top technician, Da Ya, had come over to handle the installation and calibration. Thanks to this, patrols were cut down to a quarter of what they’d been, saving manpower and making the whole territory safer.

Of course, buying this gear cleaned out Xia Qing’s wallet and left her in debt to her Idol, owing several credits. Still, having the system in place was a major reason she felt confident sending support to the Inspection Team during Devastation Rain.

“We’ll split into three groups. Old Goat and I are together. Liangzi and Da Jiang, you’re a pair. The other three make the last group. Liangzi and Da Jiang will stay in the monitoring room, each watching separate feeds. If you see anything off, report to the patrols right away. No need to check Greenhouses 1–5, 14, or 15—focus on Greenhouses 6 and 7. Patrol in pairs, use the ATV or the rotary tiller. Don’t worry about fuel, I have plenty stored away.”

To keep things organized, Xia Qing numbered every planting zone. 1 and 2 were the high slope and lower slope greenhouses. 3 through 12 were for crops and vegetables in the fields. 13 was the main growing greenhouse. 14 was an empty breeding greenhouse, and 15 housed both the White-Haired Chicken Manure Vine and Old Goat’s pasture grass.

Greenhouses exempt from patrols were protected by Yi Stone, either containing Green Lantern or other important Yellow Lantern crops. As long as the greenhouses weren’t breached, Devastation Rain couldn’t touch the produce inside.

Protecting key crops with Yi Stone was the second reason Xia Qing dared offer her support.

Hearing all this, Da Jiang looked over at his bottle of nutrient shake, curiosity getting the better of him. He wondered what kind of supplies Sister Qing traded to get so much Yi Stone from their leader.

Yi Stone was precious stuff—the main greenhouse in Territory One only had two stones, but Sister Qing had managed to get seven!

Premium shakes. Military-grade surveillance. Yi Stone. Rotary tillers. The utility vehicles… Section Three wasn’t anything like it was last year, back when they first struggled to hold the line during Devastation Rain.

After organizing the teams, Xia Qing drove her ATV home. By then, the orange-level Devastation Rain had begun to fall in chilly sheets. The wind was still calm for now, but thunder rumbled in the distance, a grim reminder that worse was on the way.

“Rain’s started. Reports from the other side confirm it’s orange level, should last about forty minutes.”

Rain battered down on the rocky fissure halfway up Hill Fifty, striking the slanted rain shields and running into the channeled troughs below. The sounds of splattering rain and running water echoed through the empty valley, but everyone inside remained at ease.

That’s because the whole valley’s crops were protected by Yi Stone. Where the stone’s coverage reached, Devastation Element was nearly zero, meaning nothing could mutate. All the team had to do was watch for damage to the shields, water troughs, and check that the tight mesh and rain covers on either side of the fissure kept out any curious creatures.

Having taken the antidote, Ye Yang finally had the strength to speak from his sickbed. He instructed Hu Ningsheng, “Go check the west side, and tell Researcher Zhang to stay well away from the western fissure.”

All animals have instincts. Last time it rained, plenty of critters tried sneaking into the valley for shelter—ants, insects, fungal spores, and tiny microbes made it in through the mesh.

So this time, before the rain hit, Zhao Ze, Qi Fu, and Shi Du spent two days with Hu Ningsheng reinforcing the heavy mesh and putting up ten-meter-high rain covers at the base of both side fissures, blocking any outside creatures that might try sneaking in.

Even so, the areas near the side fissures in the hills were still dangerous.

Hu Ningsheng nodded and left the tent, heading for the valley’s west side. Truthfully, he was a bit anxious.

The Zhangs had been relocated here for nearly ten days now, but over that time Hu Ningsheng had barely exchanged ten sentences with Zhang Shi.

As for Zhang Shiyi? All she did was fix Hu Ningsheng with those sharp black-and-white eyes, silently warning him to keep his distance. She never spoke a word.