Chapter 912: Spring Sunflowers and the Battle for the Ninth Center

The breeding sunflowers Xia Qing planted on the terraced fields were protected by Yi Stones during the Devastation Rain. Over in Greenhouse Six, she couldn’t bear to use them.

Before the second Devastation Rain, Xia Qing had already uprooted the plants with abnormal magnetic fields. During the rain, she increased her patrols in Greenhouse Six. Any unidentified aggressive Devastation Evolution plants were quickly dealt with by the sharp-shooting members of Hu Zifeng’s Squad, stopping them from ever turning into machine-gun plants.

It only took Xia Qing a short while to finish harvesting the half-acre greenhouse.

That spring, she planted 1,106 Yellow Lantern sunflowers across half an acre in Greenhouse Six. After three months of growth, she harvested a total of 880 sunflower disks.

Without Yi Stones for protection, seeds with around 8‰ Devastation Element levels were planted. During the second Devastation Rain, about one-fifth of the plants had to be uprooted due to Devastation Evolution. The harvested 730 Yellow Lantern disks had seeds with Devastation Element levels rising to 12–13‰. They were still considered Yellow Lantern crops but could no longer be used as seeds.

On the terraces, sunflowers shielded by Yi Stones yielded 143 disks. Since the terrace’s soil, fertilizer, and water were all higher quality than ordinary farmland, most plants showed a drop in Devastation Element levels by one or two points, now at 6–7‰. Out of this year’s Yellow Lantern batch, five plants produced premium seeds for future breeding, with Devastation Element levels between 4.2 and 4.8‰.

Other lords who grew Yellow Lantern sunflowers in a hidden valley—no premium Evolution Element soil or pure spring water, but protected by Yi Stones during Devastation Rain—ended up with most plants having a Devastation Element level between 9 and 10‰.

There’s another bit of valuable data: this spring, the Devastation Evolution rate for sunflowers in the second Devastation Rain was one-fifth. Last autumn, it was one-third.

That’s because last year when the third Devastation Rain hit, the sunflowers in the fields were 45 days old and just flowering. This year, the second Devastation Rain came when the sunflowers were 75 days old and already mature.

Plants in full bloom just aren’t as good at resisting heavy Devastation Element attacks as mature ones, which is why the Devastation Evolution rates were so different.

Two conclusions stand out: First, Xia Qing’s terrace-based breeding approach works. Second, the post-disaster sunflowers bred at Hui Three Base are best suited for spring planting.

Hidden Valley, with its warm springs and natural mountains shielding it, keeps the temperature mild year-round so it’s perfect for sunflowers too.

Once the Green Lantern sunflowers finish their seed dormancy, she plans to cover the valley with them. Judging by spring planting data, the batch sown in October should produce sunflower seeds with Devastation Element levels around 6‰—top-quality Yellow Lanterns.

So as long as this second crop of sunflowers can be harvested smoothly, she and Little Fei Mao, Employee 001, will have enough premium Yellow Lantern sunflower oil and seeds to last them through winter.

And what about Employee 002, Monkey?

By then, Monkey will be fully recovered and rolling back to Hill Sixty-Two, looking for Red Vein Stones to pay Xia Qing back for the credits it owes her.

Those credits include 70,000 from Xia Qing—earned after a barrage of complaints to her idol to cover Monkey’s medicine. Monkey still owes for food and care while healing, plus a thousand more for damaging a breedable sweet potato.

Food and nursing cost 300 credits per day.

Now that Monkey lives in Wolf Valley, should the daily food charges be reduced?

No way!

Wolf Valley and that part of the Evolved Forest all belong to Xia Qing, so every bite Monkey eats there still counts as hers.

Right after harvesting her sunflowers, Xia Qing was cleaning chicken coop manure when Yang Jin called.

She answered instantly, “Captain Yang.”

“Fishing operation is done. Caught over 400 criminals and rescued eight Magnetic Sense evolved fighters.”

Yang Jin’s voice was a bit raspy, rough around the edges. He probably hadn’t rested since yesterday. There was no chaos in the background, just the rush of wind, hinting he was somewhere high up. With her years on construction sites, Xia Qing guessed he was on the administrative building rooftop in the Safe Zone’s Inner City.

With a Safe Zone population of 1.82 million, eight Magnetic Sense evolved fighters was surprisingly few. Xia Qing offered some encouragement, then got to her real question:

“Thank you for working so hard to keep everyone safe, Captain Yang. Besides the rescued evolved fighters, are there some suspects who’ve been identified but not yet apprehended?”

Standing on the roof with dried blood on his protective suit, Yang Jin gave a soft laugh. “Yeah. Another 21 Magnetic Sense evolved fighters have been confirmed—they haven’t acted yet, or just didn’t dare to.”

That wasn’t a huge number. Xia Qing asked calmly, “How are those 29 evolved fighters classified?”

Yang Jin didn’t beat around the bush. “Three are Ab-type II, six are Type A, the other twenty are Type B. Forget about the first two types, but try to recruit some Type Bs if you can.”

According to Huaguo’s official classification, Type A Magnetic Sense evolved fighters can detect Evolution Element magnetic fields. Type B can sense Devastation Element fields. Ab-type II can sense both, which is what Xia Qing is.

This was the part Xia Qing cared most about. She asked, “Does the base have any guidance?”

Yang Jin explained, “Anyone without the ability to protect themselves will be guarded by the base. But they’re expected to contribute, too. These people can choose to join the Military, Combat Team, Research Institute, Safe Zone Planting Center, Territory Management Department, or the Ninth Planting Center. Only Type Bs can choose the last three.”

Xia Qing nodded. “That’s a fair arrangement.”

Yang Jin continued, “From an initial survey, eight of the Type Bs want to go to the Ninth Planting Center, but the other departments aren’t willing to let them go without a fight. Any idea why everyone wants to join your center?”

Xia Qing was quick on the uptake. “Thanks for your help, Captain Yang.”

Yang Jin laughed. “You also have to thank Director Li Xuegang from the Base Director’s office and Chief Zhou Qianpeng from the Territory Management Department. They highlighted all your center’s advantages when making the introduction. Of course, it wouldn’t matter if you hadn’t been running the Ninth Center so well.”

Even though the Ninth Planting Center sits outside the Safe Zone, it’s headed by senior expert Fu Tianfeng. The center’s in Section One of the North, protected by iron mesh walls and guarded by the Northern Wolf Pack. The staff are all ex-soldiers or military families. There are dorms, a canteen, a medical clinic, and a school—no wonder everyone wants to work here.

Xia Qing smiled too. “Thanks for the heads-up, Captain Yang. I’ll be sure to thank Director Li and Chief Zhou in person. By the way, do you know who wants to come over?”

Type B Magnetic Sense fighters are crucial for dealing with aggressive Devastation Evolution plants. Once she gets the list, Xia Qing is determined to bring in at least two of them herself!