Chapter 788: The Promise of Tomorrow: New Hope at the Planting Center

“Yes, just these two. Once processed, the nutrient shake can be stored for 24 hours at temperatures between 0 and 10°C. The Nutrient Source, in the same conditions, keeps for up to three months. During Devastation Rain, I took two vials of this nutrient shake. Besides falling asleep for an hour or two from sheer exhaustion, I stayed on the front lines fighting the disaster the entire time and never ran out of strength.”

Yue Haiying hadn’t heard the old leader sound this excited in ages.

He shared that excitement. When Xia Qing took out the Nutrient Source, he couldn’t help but feel it too. With this medicine on the market, not just the base, military, and combat teams would benefit—ordinary people would too.

After this harvest of X-2, they planned for even larger fields in July. By the third Devastation Rain, Hui Three Base’s disaster resistance would leap forward thanks to this premium nutrient shake.

Qi Zhongye grew even more animated. “Did you ask? Can this ‘Nutrient Source’ be mass produced?”

Yue Haiying replied, “I’m not sure about that.”

Of course, he realized, his joy had gone to his head. The issues of mass production and pricing for the new medicine needed to be addressed by the lord of Section Seven or the pharmaceutical factory. With business done, Qi Zhongye shifted to ask about the status of disabled veterans in Territory Fifteen. He wanted to know if Yue Haiying needed any help from the organization.

“Old Tan and I secured an opportunity for our brothers in Territory Fifteen to receive treatment from the Lord of Section Seven. You can rest easy, sir. As long as I’m here, so are our brothers,” said Yue Haiying.

When Yue Haiying left the army, he took forty-two wounded veterans with him. Nineteen were seriously injured. Over the past year, ten had died. Since his retirement, Yue Haiying had sought out Qi Zhongye several times, always to get medicine for the injured back in the territory.

The only time he ever came for himself was to try to buy the vehicle he’d used during his time in the army.

Later, Qi Zhongye learned he’d ‘sold’ that vehicle to Xia Qing, the lord of Section Three. Qi Zhongye never asked, but he knew Yue Haiying had definitely traded that car to secure treatment for the veterans.

Xia Qing was working on behalf of Fu Tianfeng.

For the sake of wounded veterans, his fiery subordinate had mellowed, even giving up his battle vehicle. Qi Zhongye felt a knot in his chest. “You’ve all done well. I’m the one who failed, who didn’t take proper care of our retired brothers.”

“Resources are tight all over the base. You’ve done more than enough, sir, and everyone knows it.” After stating his stance, Yue Haiying got back to work. “Old Tan and I have our limits, we can’t look after any more brothers. I heard from Old Tan that you’re planning to turn Territory Nine into a planting center. Could you prioritize retired brothers for jobs over there?”

Qi Zhongye nodded. “The manager for the Ninth Planting Center is already set—Zhang San, the lord of Section Seven. I’ll have the Territory Management Department discuss hiring retired veterans with him and see what he thinks.”

After taking back Territory Nine, it was turned into a planting center under Hui Three Base’s planting division. Zhang San applied to be director, taking charge of all its affairs. So, hiring wounded veterans would need Zhang San’s approval.

“Thank you for your trouble. Be sure to look after yourself too.”

After hanging up, Yue Haiying—the newly appointed PR Director of the Alliance and HR manager for the Ninth Planting Center—tagged Secretary Zhou Zhaoping in the Alliance work group chat: The Hui Three Base Director called about the Nutrient Source, response as planned. He’s already agreed to have the Territory Management Department discuss hiring retired veterans with Third Brother at the Ninth Planting Center.

Both the notification on the Nutrient Source and the suggestion to have the base hire retired veterans into the Ninth Planting Center were Alliance meeting resolutions—the first proposed by Zhou Zhaoping, the second by Xia Qing. Yue Haiying, as PR director, was charged with putting both into action.

That involved not just fielding calls from the base director, but also selecting which veterans would get the new jobs.

While the official announcement for the Ninth Planting Center hadn’t yet gone out, Zhang San, its head, already had no interest in day-to-day management and assigned two key positions: Xia Qing as manager and Zhang Tao as technical advisor.

Zhang Tao would oversee all professional work at the center: crop technology, pest monitoring and control, and daily field management. He was a top-notch researcher from Section Seven, part of Zhang San’s core R&D team, and absolutely the right fit for the role.

Everything in Territory Nine not handled by Zhang Tao fell to Xia Qing. Yue Haiying was the first staffer chosen by Xia Qing for the Ninth Planting Center.

Since the Ninth Planting Center was a formal department under the base, all employees here—just like staff in other Safe Zone departments—would receive salary and benefits.

So, after serving as a battalion captain, then retiring with a missing arm to be a farmer and agent in Territory Fifteen, Yue Haiying had come full circle and was now back as an official manager within base administration.

Secretary Zhou Zhaoping responded in the chat: “Received.”

Not long after, Kuang Qingwei, the Alliance’s Minister of Commerce, dropped a thumbs-up emoji.

And the highest authority in the work group—the Alliance Chair, Xia Qing?

Was currently in the Rack Building garage in Section Three, modifying a rotary tiller and off-roader.

After waking up, Xia Qing started humming a tune while working on the rotary tiller. With Er gone, Xia Qing had removed Er’s custom seat and replaced it with a toolbox.

But now that Er was back, no matter how long he’d stay, his seat had to go back on. Since there’s a seat for Old Goat on the off-roader, there had to be one for Er as well.

With modifications done, Xia Qing drove the tiller out and started harvesting the man-high Devastation Grass in the territory.

Passing the pasture shed, Old Goat the sheep came out and hopped into his custom seat. Near the abandoned village on the southwest side, Er the wolfdog appeared from the grass, basket in its mouth, expertly hanging the small basket onto the hook outside the rain shield before climbing into his seat.

Xia Qing eyed the nearly full basket, then ruffled Er’s wet head. “Nice work, Er, you’ve caught so many bugs already.”

Wolfdog Er grinned happily, while Old Goat, chewing a blade of grass, pretended not to hear and gazed ahead at the Devastation Grass like it was the one driving the tiller.

Xia Qing turned the tiller, mowing grass as she drove Er over by the fish pond. She made another loop cutting the grass nearby, then hopped off with the basket and a thick bamboo tube split in half, heading to the pond.

She set up the two-meter-long tube, grabbed Er’s paw, and gave him a lesson. “First, hang the basket here. Then use your paw to scoop the bugs out, toss them into the pond and the fish can eat them. Er, does this work for you?”

Er obediently let Xia Qing guide his big paw through the motions a few times. Each time she called him, he’d grin and stick out his tongue, wagging happily.

But when Xia Qing went back to the tiller, Er was still using his mouth to pick up bugs, tiptoeing along the muddy pond bank to drop them into the water, then watching the fish eat with his tail wagging.

Xia Qing realized that no matter how she taught him, Er preferred to stick with his old method of feeding the fish by mouth rather than with his paw.