Chapter 859: The Storm Strikes: Duty and Disaster

Xia Qing’s heart ached, but when she pressed the button on her communicator, her voice was calm as ever. “Huo, Guan Tong, the three of us will gather up the rain covers. Everyone else, abandon Greenhouse Twelve for now and focus on guarding Greenhouse Seven, Ten and Eleven.”

They needed to bring in this rain cover because it was tangled with iron wire. If the wind blew it onto another greenhouse’s cover, it would be a mess.

“Copy that.”

With a level five, a level six and a level seven strength evolver, they couldn’t stop the raging wind, or press down the billowing 150-meter-long cover on the greenhouse. Still, they could at least bring the cover back in.

But before they managed to do so, hailstones the size of walnuts started hammering down with the gale, smashing the rain cover straight onto the greenhouse supports!

“Everyone, take cover immediately!” Xia Qing gave the order—grain was precious, but nothing was worth more than a human life.

Caught under the rain cover, Guan Tong called out, “Who’s closest to the little house? Hurry and grab the iron umbrellas.”

Guan Tong had been learning blacksmithing and had forged ten iron umbrellas with shoulder straps, now stashed in the little house in Section Three. They might not be perfect, but they’d definitely hold up against hail.

Xia Qing jumped in the car, sped to the little house, fetched the iron umbrellas and handed them out before continuing her patrol around the greenhouses.

Blue Star, crazed after its evolution, seemed to think gale and hail weren’t enough to torment the survivors. The disasters only ramped up.

Tan Junjie spoke up on the Lords’ channel, clear and steady: “Attention, all lords. The level of devastation element in the air is rising rapidly. It’s now at Blue Devastation Rain level. Please protect yourselves and put on your masks.”

Right now, even the most notorious complainers, Tang Huai and Zhao Ze, didn’t have time to grumble or wail into the communicator. Everyone was too busy fighting to survive.

“Er Yong, Xiao Jiang—the northwest corner of Greenhouse Ten is letting in wind! Hurry and seal it!” In the monitoring room, Hu Zifeng spotted the danger and immediately sounded the alert.

“Copy that.” Er Yong and Xiao Jiang, patrolling Greenhouse Nine, rushed south to Greenhouse Ten. If you looked closer, you’d see the iron umbrella Xiao Jiang held had already been shattered by hail.

Hu Zifeng quickly issued new orders. “Chen Cheng, Guan Tong, help guard Greenhouse Seven. Liangzi and Peng Jian, guard Greenhouse Eleven. Everyone else, keep patrolling.”

“Understood.”

Ten minutes later, just as the hail began to lighten, Tan Junjie’s voice came across grim and serious again—another blow to the lords’ spirits. “Attention, everyone. The devastation element is now at Orange Level. Make sure you keep your masks on or risk losing control from inhaling too much.”

Inside Section Three, Xia Qing checked in with Yan Yue about Territory Nine while tossing two and a half Yi Stones into the fish pond. Then she sprinted to the breeding greenhouse.

The Yi Stones she’d just carried back from Hill Fifty-Five hadn’t even made it to the treasure box before being put to work.

With winds howling and hail pounding down, she couldn’t cover the fish pond in time. All she could do was throw in the Yi Stones to shield the fish fry hiding at the bottom.

After protecting the breadworms and newly planted sweet potato vines inside the breeding greenhouse with more Yi Stones, Xia Qing dashed into the planting greenhouse and used three more stones to guard the just-sprouted rice seedlings. Then she rushed to Greenhouse Eleven, using two more Yi Stones to protect the six hundred sweet potato vines planted just yesterday.

Standing next to the withered sweet potato vines, Xia Qing caught her breath, pulled out the devastation element detector, and watched the level of devastation in the air inside the greenhouse slowly drop. Only then did she let out a tense sigh of relief.

Thank you, Black Loach. Thank you, Alpha and Crippled Wolf. Thank you to those eleven split Yi Stones she salvaged from the python’s lair—all still effective.

They’d lost one greenhouse, and the Green Lantern Orchard on the hillside was surely wrecked, but every other greenhouse was safe, and the most important ones were shielded with Yi Stones. For that, she was deeply grateful.

Now the hail had lessened, but the rain was heavier—and it was Orange-level Devastation Rain! Just great—barely a week since the last Devastation Rain, and here it was back again!

Xia Qing asked, “Captain Hu, I’ll leave Section Three to you. I’m heading out to check on Territory Nine. Huo, want a ride back?”

Huo Zhun clicked his communicator. “No need. Dad says my two acres in Territory Eleven don’t need me. You want me to come to Territory Nine instead?”

“No need for now. Could you and Captain Hu help look after the greenhouses in Section Three?” Xia Qing jumped in the off-roader and sped off into the rain toward Territory Nine.

Thankfully, the Ninth Planting Center only had six greenhouses built so far, nurturing nine acres of rice seedlings. Even with forty people helping in Territory Two and Six, there were still over eighty staffers at the center.

That was enough to guard the supplies and keep the center safe, but as the director of the Ninth Planting Center, Xia Qing still needed to check in herself.

“Sister Qing, please—I’m begging you! Four of my greenhouses have already been blown over and four guys have been hurt by hail. I have no one left to send. I’ll even get on my knees—just send me a few people! The inspection team is completely tapped out!” Wen Nengjie cried for help on the line.

Zhao Ze chimed in right after. “Sister Qing, I’m desperate for extra hands over here too. We’ve got injuries and the greenhouses are a wreck.”

Even Tang Heng got online for once. “Sister Qing, if possible could you spare some help on my end too? Everyone that Territory Two could send is here already, but the disaster is getting worse.”

Right after, more help requests rolled in from Territory Five and Ten.

Faced with sudden natural disasters, the manpower shortages in each territory were plain as day.

Tan Junjie messaged Xia Qing as well. “Xia Qing, if you have any free staff in the Ninth Planting Center, could they help out? The inspection team’s just out of people.”

“Give me two minutes.” Xia Qing jumped out of the off-roader, stepped onto the hail- and rain-soaked ground, then tuned her earpiece communicator to the Ninth Planting Center public channel. To the staff in the employee dorm who’d managed to get the doors and windows installed in time, she broadcast:

“This is Xia Qing. I’m issuing an emergency call to all Ninth Planting Center staff: Territories Four, Five, Ten, Twelve and Seventeen in Section One of the North are in trouble and need immediate support. If your protective gear and stamina allow, you can head out to help—the mission rewards will be yours to keep.”

Zhong Tao was the first to step up. “Normal staff Zhong Tao, requirements met, ready to go help.”

A one-armed veteran stepped forward next, leaving the dorm and standing in the devastation rain. “Level-three speed evolver Dai Yan, ready to accept the mission and help the territory.”

One after another, dozens raised their hands or spoke up, volunteering to provide support.

“Thank you, everyone! Please form teams of six. Brother Yue, take three squads to Territory Twelve. Zhong Tao, lead two squads to Territory Four. Dai Yan, you take two squads to Territory Five…”

With people dispatched, Xia Qing used her lord communicator to notify the other lords. Wen Nengjie and Zhao Ze were crying with gratitude, while Shizhong’s voice choked up.