Chapter 914: Departures and New Beginnings at the Ninth Planting Center

Half an hour later, Xia Qing, carrying the employment contracts signed by four Magnetic Sense Evolvers for the Ninth Planting Center, was on her way to deliver them to the Base Office when Zhao Baolin stopped her.

Gone was the indignant look Zhao Baolin wore in the meeting room earlier. Now he greeted her with a warm smile. “Xia, have you made your selection?”

“Yes, please have a look,” Xia Qing replied, handing the contracts to him with both hands.

The Ninth Planting Center technically fell under the Planting Division, making Zhao Baolin Xia Qing’s direct superior. Still, given the Center’s unique status and high level of autonomy, Xia Qing rarely needed to report every decision to him.

Zhao Baolin flipped through the contracts casually, then asked in a caring tone, “How did you get here?”

There were cameras front and back in the recruitment room. It was clear Zhao Baolin had watched the entire selection process from the surveillance screens, so he definitely knew how she arrived.

But seeing as he wanted to show concern for his subordinate, Xia Qing played along. “I caught a ride on Azure Dragon Squad’s grain transport helicopter. Later, I’ll take the new hires and their families back the same way.”

Zhao Baolin simply replied, then asked, “Is there a fee for the helicopter ride?”

No kidding. Xia Qing answered, “Sixty credits per person. If you bring over twenty kilos of supplies, you have to pay extra.”

“That’s not cheap. Xia, I know helicopters are a lot more comfortable than patrol trucks, but our department doesn’t have much of a budget. When it comes time to reimburse travel expenses, we still have to stick to the rules.” Zhao Baolin spoke with a look of concern, like he was giving heartfelt advice. “No matter big or small, we have to follow the guidelines. If you lead by example, the rest will follow suit. And you have a long future ahead of you.”

Her future might be long, but it wasn’t the same road Zhao Baolin had in mind. Xia Qing kept her tone calm and matter-of-fact. “Thank you for your reminder. I’ll keep it in mind. I don’t need to pay credits for this ‘business trip.’ I’m the machine gunner for today’s transport helicopter.”

Zhao Baolin nearly choked, but catching sight of her gold ID badge and remembering Xia Qing’s status as a senior Sniper, he didn’t dare press the issue. “Alright. Your department needs to ensure the safety of those four Magnetic Sense Evolvers. They’re all key talent for our base.”

“Understood.”

When Xia Qing left the Administrative Building and hurried back to the Qinglong base, she was waiting for Wang Jun, Wu Xinlian, Lü Ziqiang, and Geng Min—the four new hires from Territory Nine—to arrive with their families and luggage.

Lü Ziqiang, at twenty-four, ranked fifth out of the twenty Type B Magnetic Sense Evolvers. He arrived first because he had no family and barely any belongings.

Lü Ziqiang had been the one kidnapped by the Angler just the other night—tied up and locked in a Baiye Mall restroom storage room. The ordeal left him terrified; he had no desire to stay in the Safe Zone another minute. Earning credits was the least of his concerns. All that mattered was staying alive.

With bodyguards escorting him to the Azure Dragon Squad base, Lü Ziqiang wasted no time. Strapping on his backpack and grabbing his two bags, he stood right behind Xia Qing, sticking to her like glue, afraid of being left behind.

Geng Min arrived second. She was twenty-eight and ranked fourth among the twenty Type B Magnetic Sense Evolvers, a top pick eagerly pursued by every department. She chose the Ninth Planting Center because her husband, Xu Li, recommended it.

Xu Li had served under Yue Haiying, and several retired brothers from their squad were already working in the Ninth Planting Center. He knew the pay wasn’t stellar, but it was the safest place, with the best food and clean, spacious living conditions. As for security, that wasn’t something you needed to worry about here.

Yue Haiying, despite having lost an arm, still commanded respect with his top-notch leadership and sense of responsibility. After Yue lost his arm, the squad tried hard to keep him on, but he insisted on retiring so he could give a better life to wounded comrades. He led them all to settle in Territory Fifteen.

For that alone, every single person in Hui Three barracks respected him.

Geng Min’s family included her father, mother-in-law, and daughter, and they also brought a mountain of supplies. Their home was close to the Qinglong base, which is why they arrived so quickly.

Once Wang Jun and Wu Xinlian’s families showed up, everyone gathered up their possessions and got on the helicopter bound for Section One of the North.

Once inside, everyone tried to stay pleasant, but each family claimed a corner of the helicopter and clung tightly to their things, terrified someone would snatch them away. It was pure instinct. During the Calamity Years, supplies were scarce—if you lost your stash, you’d go hungry or worse.

“Mama.” As the helicopter lifted off, three-year-old Geng An’an squeezed her mother’s protective suit.

Geng Min gently patted her daughter to comfort her, hoping to ease her fear.

Seated across from the Geng family were Wu Xinlian and her son, and their situation was much the same. Wu Xinlian’s daughter, Liu Anqi, was already six, and while she huddled close to her mom in fright, she still clung tightly to her bundle, prepared to fight if anyone tried to take it. Liu Ke dropped off Wu Xinlian but couldn’t go with them—he needed to wrap up business around leaving the Squad first.

Wang Jun and his son, who were closest to Xia Qing, occupied the seats nearest her. They were the most at ease. Wang Jun chatted with Xia Qing about how much the construction team had changed since she left the Safe Zone, while seven-year-old Wang Shunkang hugged a small bundle at his side.

Xia Qing had worked with Wang Jun for years and knew how he got chatty when nervous. So as she listened to him fret about his son’s lack of nutritious food stunting his growth, she took the chance to size up Wang Shunkang—he hadn’t grown much in nearly two years.

Kids born after the Calamity often had names like ‘An,’ ‘Ping,’ ‘Shun,’ ‘Fu,’ and ‘Kang’—their parents’ way of wishing for peace, safety, and a better life for them.

Wang Shunkang wasn’t Wang Jun’s biological son; they shared no blood relation.

Xia Qing first met the boy during the third Devastation Rain of the seventh year after the Calamity.

Those three days were a nightmare—lightning, gales, and red-level hail hammered Hui Three Safe Zone. People lost all control, hurting themselves, hurting family, and many pretended madness to loot supplies. The Safe Zone became a living hell.

As a Level Four Strength-Based Evolver, Xia Qing had been urgently called out to help restore order.

Brandishing a steel knife dulled from so much use, she’d helped Wang Jun kill rampaging neighbors and a group of looters. She watched him, hands trembling, retrieve a blood-soaked key from a grotesque corpse, unlock a tin box under a bed, and pull out a tiny, silent child who didn’t so much as cry.

Wang Jun had lost his entire family in the Calamity, just like this boy. He adopted the child, and from then on, Xia Qing often saw Wang Shunkang tied up in the shade at construction sites, or under makeshift shelters. He never once cried—not since that disaster robbed him of his voice. Now, he just stared blankly.

When Shunkang was six, Wang Jun tried enrolling him in the Safe Zone’s elementary school. After just one week, something happened; the boy suffered a head injury, nearly losing his life. Wang Jun didn’t dare send him back.

But fate wasn’t finished with them. Wang Jun suddenly developed an evolution ability and found a good job, and his son got another chance to go to school.

Wang Jun firmly believed that this time Shunkang wouldn’t be bullied. Xia Qing now led the Ninth Center, and Shunkang had grown up under her watch.

Xia Qing was always distant and aloof, never close with anyone, but some ties were there all the same.