Chapter 766: Storm and Scourge: After the Devastation Rain

Tan Junjie replied, “Got it. What’s the attack strength of the Wild Tung Trees in Territory Five?”

Xia Qing answered, “The Wild Tung Trees stand about three and a half meters tall and they’re in their second stage. Their growth rate and the strength of their vines are both much higher than earlier ones. I suspect these are descendants of the high-risk Wild Tung Trees we found in the Valley of Mountain 51. That tree probably already reached the fourth stage.”

“Copy that.”

A heavy weight settled in Tan Junjie’s chest.

Last time, when Xia Qing and Xin Yu teamed up and found that high-risk aggressive Devastation-Evolved Wild Tung Tree in the Valley of Mountain 51, the Base divided the Devastation Evolution levels for the Wild Tung Trees into three distinct stages.

The first stage is the sapling phase. Whether sprouted from seeds or grown from roots, as long as the aggressive Wild Tung Trees haven’t grown attacking vines, they’re classified as first stage. These are the least dangerous—regular people can clear them out.

The second stage starts when the Wild Tung Trees grow attacking vines but before those vines take root underground. So far, all aggressive Wild Tung Trees discovered in the territory are at this stage. They’re already capable of attacking, but if they’re under 1.5 meters tall, they’re still reasonably easy to clear. Once they grow past that, their attack power jumps and clearing them gets tougher with every bit of added height.

Third stage Wild Tung Trees have their vines dangling down and rooting into the soil. At this point, before they bloom, they use both roots and vines to draw nutrients from the earth, growing much faster—one can turn into a thicket all on its own. It becomes exponentially harder to clear them and unless every vine and root is separated from the main canopy, the tree keeps growing.

The fourth stage begins when aggressive Wild Tung Trees bloom, attracting flocks of birds that feed and help spread their seeds. This is the most dangerous phase. While humans try to clear the trees, they must also drive off the birds and prevent harmful seeds from spreading.

Until now, both the Base and Tan Junjie thought the Wild Tung Tree in the Valley of Mountain 51 was still at the third stage and hadn’t yet scattered its seeds. But Xia Qing’s experience fighting these plants is deep; if she says otherwise, she’s likely right.

Tan Junjie took a few moments to process. First, he jumped onto the Inspection Team channel, reminding everyone to stay alert. Then he used the Lords’ channel to notify Territories 1 through 10 to step up patrols and try to eliminate Wild Tung Trees during their early phases, either in the first stage or just as they enter the second.

Based on past patterns, if the aggressive Devastation-Evolution plant seeds scattered in the territory aren’t too deeply buried, they’re likely to sprout and grow within the six hours leading up to the Devastation Rain.

So if everyone can push through and manage those first six hours of the Devastation Rain, they’ve made it through the worst of the Wild Tung Tree problem.

An hour later, the first wave of Devastation Rain and raging wind finally subsided.

All across the ravaged territory, people didn’t even have time to catch their breath. They hurried to patrol the land, clear out Wild Tung Trees, clean up Scourge Grass, and rip out Devastation-Evolved crops popping up in the greenhouses.

Compared to other territories, those in the Alliance—bolstered by premium nutrient shakes—were more efficient at their work and suffered less damage overall.

The Inspection Team members were just as busy, checking the zones around the territory and the barrier, and rushing to help Lords who put out urgent calls, racing into each territory where needed.

Tang Huai, who finally felt relief from ringing ears, headache, and nausea, started cursing in the Lords’ channel, “That lightning came right at me! If I hadn’t reacted fast enough, I would’ve ended up a charcoal briquette! Where did that first bolt strike, anyway? Who the hell did something shady and brought down the thunder, dragging me into it too?”

The other Lords, caught up in the chaos…

The first lightning bolt hit Hill Forty-Nine, and Hu Zifeng, stationed there, fired back, “For digging insects? Were the lightning rods in Territory Two just decorations?”

Tang Huai shot back, “What’s that supposed to mean? I installed lightning rods the way Xia Qing taught me!”

Hu Zifeng chuckled. “Nothing, really. I’m just curious—if everyone learned from Xia Qing, why do lightning rods work for every other territory but yours? Maybe it’s a matter of luck?”

“…Hu Fengzi, just you wait!”

Tang Huai was left speechless. That lightning struck almost the same spot as the one last year that left Kou Fanming paralyzed! The more he thought about it, the more it rattled him.

“Maybe the spot where you built your house in Territory Two has bad feng shui. After this storm, Brother Huai, you should find a new place to live,” Kuang Qingwei cut in, steering the conversation away from another fight. “Qi, are you feeling any better?”

Qi Fu replied, “Much better. If Xia Qing hadn’t come by to help clear the Wild Tung Trees, I would’ve lost several greenhouses in my territory.”

“Sister Qing, you’re incredible—your combat strength keeps going up,” Tang Huai gave two thumbs up. With the biggest territory around, Xia Qing didn’t just fend for herself—she even had energy to help others. Tang Huai respected her management skills.

He figured if her taste in men matched even half her skill as a manager, he’d be even more impressed. “Xia Qing, how many lightning bolts landed in your territory?”

Xia Qing, patrolling through the Western Buffer Forest, pressed her walkie-talkie button. “Four.”

“One more than I got!” Zhao Ze exclaimed, “Sister Qing, your territory alright?”

Xia Qing answered, “Two bolts hit the greenhouses, but the lightning rods did their job. All good.”

Tang Huai…

Wen Nengjie quickly chimed in, “I had a bolt hit one of my greenhouses, too—if I hadn’t learned to install lightning rods from Sister Qing, all my crops would’ve been toasted. Though, one of my greenhouses did get shredded by the wind.”

Tang Huai sighed, “Bet you all didn’t hear this—one greenhouse in Territory Fifteen got hit by lightning, three people died. In Territory Twenty-Six, a house was crushed by a branch knocked down by lightning—two dead, five injured.”

“That many casualties…” Zhao Ze’s voice was heavy.

The Lords’ channel fell silent.

Xia Qing continued moving through the Western Buffer Forest, listening for the steady drip of water, searching with her eyes and magnetic sense for plants about to undergo a strong evolution.

She’d already picked up the casualty reports on the Inspection Team channel. The actual death toll in Section One of the North was thirteen, not five—three from Territory Eight, two from Territory One.

The people in Territories Eight and One didn’t die from the disaster itself but because their Lords used the chaos to settle old scores.

After pulling out three knee-high Wild Tung Trees and two clusters of aggressive Devastation-Evolved shrubs, Xia Qing asked over her headset, “Liangzi, how’re things in the greenhouses?”

From the surveillance room, Liangzi answered, “All seven protected greenhouses are fine. Only a few Devastation-Evolved plants showed up in the others and we haven’t found any aggressive ones yet.”

“Understood. I’m heading over to Section Three of Hill Forty-Nine to make a round—cover the territory while I’m gone.”