Chapter 762: Signals in the Storm

Zhang Shi nodded, her voice gentle. “Alright, I’ll take charge of the west side rain guards, the drainage gutters, and that western fissure. If anything comes up, let’s keep each other posted.”

Even though Zhang Shi spoke politely, she still radiated a chill that kept people at arm’s length. No wonder she was a researcher from Territory Seven.

Last time, when Hu Ningsheng went to Territory Seven, hoping an expert there could check if his burned face could be restored, that expert’s gaze was as sharp as a scalpel. Under that look, Hu Ningsheng felt like the skin on his face was being peeled away with those eyes alone.

If his face hadn’t already been completely ruined, he definitely would’ve broken out in a cold sweat.

Zhang Shi tried to hide it, but the look in her eyes was just as cutting. Watching her, Hu Ningsheng couldn’t help but feel a jolt of fear—and, oddly, curiosity about what on earth these two had studied to give them such a stare.

And that girl called Shiyi… what kind of things had she gone through to make her so tense all the time?

Hu Ningsheng snapped back to reality and handed Zhang Shi a walkie-talkie. “Signal’s not great out here—walkie-talkies work better than phones. Just turn the volume down a bit, Shi-jie.”

“Alright.” Zhang Shi took the walkie-talkie and asked, “Are we using the power from those solar panels you set up outside Bear Cave to run things in the valley?”

Hu Ningsheng didn’t bother asking how Zhang Shi knew about the solar panels outside Bear Cave. He just answered, “No. To keep things secret, all the batteries here were brought in from the main territory. No need to skimp, we’ve got plenty of batteries to last us.”

Over the years, Zhang Shi and her daughter had gotten used to darkness. Even after moving into the valley, they barely used the lights at night, which was why Hu Ningsheng thought she was being overly thrifty.

Zhang Shi didn’t explain. As she walked back with the walkie-talkie, she mentally ran through which territories in this valley actually had farmland:

Territories Four, Five, Six, Ten, and Fifteen—these five only had enough solar panels to cover their own basic needs. Section Three had just one resident but several solar panels, which might save up a little extra, but not nearly enough to handle the whole valley’s lighting and crop needs.

So, which territory was charging up all those batteries they’d sent into the valley?

Was it Territory Seven, Eight, or Twelve?

Outside the eaves at Section Three’s lord’s home, the Devastation Rain fell in a soft, constant patter.

Lord Xia Qing bent down and pressed on her companion’s side pocket, making sure the Yi Stone was there, then fitted a full-coverage protective mask over its face and switched on the earpiece walkie-talkie. “Boss, you always look after our territory, right? You’re the guardian spirit, our beacon of hope, the pride of this land. You’re the evolved sheep at the very top of Blue Star’s food chain…”

Old Goat lifted his big, spiral-horned head, brimming with pride.

After the pre-battle pep talk, Xia Qing asked, “Boss, do you want to stay in the chicken house to protect the chickens, or come with me to make the rounds and guard the food in the greenhouses?”

All the chickens were in cages inside the chicken house, shielded by the Yi Stone. There was a lightning rod on the roof, doors and windows were reinforced—honestly, it was practically a fortress. Old Goat didn’t really need to protect it.

The real reason Xia Qing asked was so Old Goat could stay somewhere safe, surrounded by other animals.

But Old Goat immediately came to stand beside Xia Qing, making his intentions clear.

“Alright, let’s head out and protect the territory together.” Since Old Goat wanted to follow, Xia Qing didn’t object and took him to the garage.

“Baa—”

But as soon as Old Goat saw Xia Qing start up the rotary tiller instead of his beloved off-roader, he looked miffed.

Xia Qing explained, “We need to cut the Devastation Grass. An off-roader can’t use the mowing wheel. If you want to ride in the jeep later, we can leave the tiller at the edge of the fields and switch vehicles. Sound good?”

“Baa.” Old Goat didn’t understand much—he just got that Xia Qing wasn’t going to switch rides, so he gave a disgruntled bleat and climbed onto the tiller anyway.

Xia Qing carefully locked up the garage, then under her umbrella, double-checked all the doors and windows at home before heading out. Just then, she noticed the Red Squirrel, dripping wet, leaping from the rooftop to the eaves—frantic in a way she’d never seen.

A baby squirrel, barely over a month old, clung tight to its mother’s belly fur with its tiny limbs, managing to stay completely dry.

Still looking out for her baby—so Red Squirrel hadn’t lost control to the Devastation Rain yet.

Xia Qing called out, “If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. Otherwise, get back to your tree hollow. I’m busy.”

At the end of last month, Red Squirrel moved her four babies out of the sheep shed and back into a tree hollow in Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine. Since then, every morning she’d show up outside Xia Qing’s window, begging for water and fruit, then went scavenging for food around the area.

Now, Red Squirrel jumped from the eaves to the front of the sheep shed, chittering away in panic—even her cries trembled with fear.

“Want to move back into the sheep shed?” Xia Qing figured it out and pried the wooden board off the round hole in the shed door.

About two meters up the sheep shed door, there was a round hole. Xia Qing had dug it for White Weasel and her family to come and go freely during their stay.

When Red Squirrel was living in the sheep shed, she used that same hole. After they moved out, Xia Qing sealed it off.

Red Squirrel was in a real hurry this time. Xia Qing had hardly stepped back after opening the hole before Red Squirrel darted in with her baby, then quickly dashed back out and disappeared up on the roof.

Before long, she returned with two more babies, guiding them all into the sheep shed—then didn’t come out again.

Xia Qing paused, then, under her umbrella, walked to the rotary tiller. Inside the rain cover, she reached over and gently patted her companion, who sat in the custom seat suited up in a protective suit and mask. “Boss, Red Squirrel’s babies are down to three now.”

Old Goat, still chewing his cud, heard the gloom in Xia Qing’s voice and let out a low baa.

They’d only been gone from the shed for less than two weeks, and already one of the baby squirrels was missing. Some predator must have gotten it.

Survival isn’t easy for any living creature.

Xia Qing looked away from the windswept grasses bowing and swaying in the storm, turned the key, and started the machine—time to patrol her domain.

Using her Magnetic Sense, she scanned the 2,000-plus acres of fields and three abandoned villages for any signs of aggressive Devastation-evolved plants. Once things were confirmed clear, she parked the rotary tiller beside the Green Lantern Wheat greenhouse, hoping Old Goat could rest there.

But Old Goat refused to be separated from her, so she had to bring him along to the lounge.

As soon as Liangzi and the others saw Old Goat enter, they jumped aside on pure reflex. That sheep was just too fierce. None of them could win against him, and if they tried, they’d just end up on the losing end—again.

After a year of this, Hu Zifeng’s whole team had been forced to level up their running speed. A silver lining, perhaps.

Xia Qing soothingly stroked Old Goat’s neck before removing both their protective masks. “We might get some heavy winds soon… maybe even thunder and lightning.”

Liangzi quickly checked his phone but didn’t see any weather alerts. He shot Xia Qing a puzzled look.

Xia Qing explained, “Just now, Red Squirrel moved her babies from the tree hollow in Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine to our sheep shed.”

Da Jiang thought there might be another explanation. “Maybe she was chased by a predator.”

Xiao Jiang shot his big brother a look. “All the normal animals are in hiding right now. What predators?”

The Devastation Rain had only started about half an hour ago—nowhere near long enough to drive the hiding animals into a frenzy. At this stage, the Evolved Forest was ruled by Devastation-evolved plants and their microscopic kin.

“If it was a predator, Red Squirrel would’ve moved all three babies in one go, not one at a time. Besides, she didn’t have a scratch on her. Plus, even Old Goat seems a bit unsettled…”

“Baa—”

“Crack!!!”

Xia Qing wasn’t even done talking when Old Goat let out a nervous bleat. The next moment, a bolt of thunder exploded right above them.