Chapter 77: Defense Against the Dancing Potatoes

“Boss, you’re no match for them! Fall back!” Xia Qing saw Boss Sheep rush back into the fight with the dancing potato vines and get lashed hard. She retreated quickly to shield it, squeezing off three more shots—bang, bang, bang.

“Baa-aa!” Boss Sheep let out a shaky cry of pain but stubbornly nudged Xia Qing, insisting on escaping together.

“Boss…”

If Boss Sheep hadn’t just made her take two extra lashes, Xia Qing honestly would’ve been touched by its loyalty.

At the critical moment, Chen Zheng, who was closest to Xia Qing, arrived. With one arm, he scooped up Boss Sheep and dodged attacks. Xia Qing, still holding her gun, called out to him, “Hurry, help snap those three dancing potato vines at the root!”

That’s right—while Xia Qing fought the dancing vines, yet another potato vine had undergone Xiang Evolution. She broke one, but that still left three.

If they didn’t root out the three quickly, their spreading roots would latch onto the normal potatoes, making the whole crop break out in a dancing frenzy and throw a wild party.

Chen Zheng, the main fighter on Hu Zifeng’s Squad, was a better shot than Xia Qing. After he blasted the three aggressive, Xiang-evolved potato vines, Da Jiang and Chen Cheng rushed over to join them.

The four barely had time to catch their breath before noticing—right at the snapped roots of the dancing vines—fresh reddish-purple seedlings sprouted up before their very eyes.

Xia Qing barked out orders. “One each. Dig out those Xiangified roots and burn them with the flamethrower, fast!”

They dug up four clumps of Xiangified roots and torched them until dry. Only after they lost all vitality was the threat from these aggressive, mutated plants truly stamped out.

By now, the rainproof shelter was a wreck. Nearly an entire patch of potato vines had been snapped, six arches on the shelter’s frame lay broken, and the tarp sported two gashes over three meters long—water was leaking everywhere.

All this, even with Xia Qing shielding most of the attacks with her own body. Without her, the damage would’ve been far worse.

Xia Qing told Boss Sheep to rest nearby. She grabbed some extra tarps and support rods from the corner, and with help from the other three, quickly patched up the shelter. Still, all the damaged potato vines, and those drenched by that red Xiang rain, couldn’t be saved.

Da Jiang frowned. “Weren’t these seeds supplied by the Safe Zone? How could there be something as dangerous and aggressive as Xiang Evolution in them?”

Chen Cheng looked at the dozen angry red whip marks slashed across Xia Qing’s protective suit and winced in sympathy. “Qing-jie, are you okay?”

Xia Qing hurt all over, but pain was just pain—it wasn’t serious. She reassured the three, then pressed the walkie-talkie on her belt. “Plot Three reporting moderate-risk Xiang Evolution in potato vines. The high-hardness mutated potatoes are now attacking anything that comes near—they can snap wooden stakes as thick as your arm. The solution is to shoot or cut the vines, dig up the roots, and bake them until dry. Repeating: in Plot Three—”

“Does Plot Three require backup from the Inspection Team?” Even though it was the middle of the night, Tan Junjie’s voice sounded alert and stern.

Xia Qing pressed the button again. “Plot Three has contained the aggressive potato vines. No support needed.”

She hadn’t even finished speaking before Qi Fu’s anxious plea burst through the channel. “Captain Tan! Vines in Plot Five have turned aggressive—urgent backup needed!”

“Copy.”

Within ten minutes of Tan Junjie’s reply, Plots Four and Six were also reporting the same dangerous situation and calling for help.

Potato vines in three plots all turned aggressive—definitely something up with the seeds. What was the Planting Center at the Safe Zone doing, handing out such risky seeds? They didn’t even bother noting it in the Encyclopedia of Cultivation!

Xia Qing could feel her frustration rising. She took a long draw of nutrient solution from her mask to calm herself down.

Chen Zheng advised her to take a break. “Qing-jie, go get some rest in the hut. Da Jiang and I can watch things here.”

Chen Cheng chimed in. “Yeah, sis, go get some sleep.”

“Alright—thank you both. If anything comes up, get me at once.” Xia Qing was long used to pain and exhaustion, but she still worried about Boss Sheep, bearing all those lashes.

She led Boss Sheep out of the shelter, but before they reached the hut, it rammed her with its spiral horns, launching her through the air and splattering mud everywhere.

“Mooo!”

Even after knocking Xia Qing aside, Boss Sheep seemed unsatisfied and charged her again.

Groaning, Xia Qing pulled herself upright, dodged the horns, then hugged Boss Sheep around its neck. Only then did she switch her earpiece to its private channel and coax gently, “Don’t be mad, boss. I know those potato vines were tough and you wanted to get us both out. It was my fault—you got whipped so many times because of me. I’m really sorry.”

“Baa!”

Boss Sheep stamped its hooves and shook its head, determined to teach Xia Qing a lesson.

“This is our territory—and potatoes are a staple food! I’m still craving stir-fried shredded potatoes. Haven’t had it in years.” While she explained, Xia Qing fumbled some snacks from her pocket. “Boss, you hungry? Let’s calm down with some compressed rations and green-glow bamboo shoot, okay?”

Boss Sheep wrestled with its temper and its appetite, but after a short struggle, it finally brushed off Xia Qing and hobbled toward the hut.

Xia Qing, every muscle aching, limped after it, her gratitude for Boss Sheep swelling like a river after the storms. “Even when things turned dangerous, you still tried to drag me to safety. When you saw I didn’t follow, you came back for me. I’m honestly moved. You’re the real leader of Plot Three. The most loyal sheep on Blue Star. A sheep right at the top of the pyramid. You’re making history for all evolved sheep everywhere—”

After rinsing the mud from her protective suit with water from the bucket by the door, Xia Qing led Boss Sheep back inside.

First, she checked the air quality. Only then did Xia Qing take off both her and Boss Sheep’s masks, setting food in his bowl. “You’ve done well, boss. Eat up.”

Boss Sheep dug in. Xia Qing, her hands trembling from pain, checked him all over for broken bones before finally collapsing onto a wooden stake by the wall. She was so sore, she couldn’t even lift her arm to wipe her own sweat.

She closed her eyes and croaked, “Hey, dummy, what time is it?”

Her phone, nestled in her pocket, chirped cheerily, “It’s five twenty-eight. Good morning, master. Drink a cup of warm water—it’s good for you!”

Five thirty. Four and a half hours to go until the second Xiang Rain finally ends—it was coming soon.

Xia Qing took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed, letting the pain settle. She couldn’t take any painkillers—those would dull her nerves, and with the Xiang Rain still going, she needed to be ready to fight at any second.

Once this ordeal ended, she planned to trade with either the Azure Dragon Unit or Third Brother for some premium nutrient solution. The top-grade stuff didn’t just replenish energy—it healed the body fast, exactly what she needed now.

A tiny fifteen-milliliter pouch of premium nutrient solution cost two thousand points in the Safe Zone. Xia Qing never even bothered to glance at it before—way too expensive. But now, things had changed. With her Spring Water to trade, she could swap just fourteen liters for one pouch.

Trading fourteen liters for fifteen milliliters? Xia Qing didn’t mind. Premium nutrient solution could save a life in a pinch.

Rumor had it that Vitality Element Stimulating Solution healed wounds even better than premium nutrient solution. If possible, Xia Qing would stock up on a bottle or two. Sure, that stuff had side effects—but if you were desperate enough to use it, you were out of options anyway. Who cared about side effects when your life was on the line?

“Baa.”

Boss Sheep finished eating and squinted at Xia Qing, hinting for fresh water. When she didn’t move, he kicked up a fuss.

She poured some Spring Water for Boss Sheep and rasped, “Drink, and go out to pee, alright? Don’t dirty the hut. Remember, only go where I cleared the Xiang grass. Other spots might have ticks or leeches, and you don’t want those chomping on you.”

Once Boss Sheep was fed, watered, and done with his business, Xia Qing managed to muster some energy herself. She wiped off sweat, drank a bit of Spring Water, and gnawed on a piece of compressed rations.

By then, the red Xiang Rain that had pelted everything for nearly an hour finally stopped.

The walkie-talkie kept buzzing with reports of Xiangification and casualties, but all was quiet from Chen Zheng’s side—a good sign nothing else went wrong in their territory.

Once she caught her breath, it was time to get back to work. Xia Qing had just grabbed Boss Sheep and was about to head outside when Chen Zheng’s excited voice rang out. “Qing-jie, the spinach seeds are ripe!”