Chapter 363: Refugees and Ruins: Trials at the Territory Gates

“Captain Luo, long time no see!” Hearing Zhong Tao’s raspy but excited shout from a distance, Xia Qing turned toward the signpost for Territory One and was surprised to see Luo Pei stepping out from behind the wild grass wall.

It had only been half a month since Luo Pei started taking the Devastationweed-based treatment, and now he could walk out looking like nothing was wrong!

What did that mean? It meant the Devastationweed Xia Qing nurtured in the spring cave was top-notch. It meant high-level Evolvers recovered much quicker than normal people or average Evolvers. And it meant Section Three’s premium nutrient shake and Green Lantern vegetables were truly high quality!

If they weren’t being stared at by hundreds of refugees, Xia Qing would probably be grinning ear to ear.

The refugees climbing out from the two big trucks parked at the Territory Two sign were all staring at Section Three. No surprise—Section Three’s edge was bustling with busy construction vehicles and over twenty people, which made for a much better show than the dull, overgrown walls of Territory Two.

Xia Qing was no stranger to the mixed looks peeking out from the refugees’ battered protective masks. Years of experience had steeled her. She gripped her submachine gun—her face showed neither fear nor pity.

Tan Junjie raised the megaphone and shouted, “All newcomers, obey your team leaders’ instructions. No one enters the territory without permission. Any unauthorized entry will be considered an invasion and you will be shot on sight.”

After repeating the warning three times, the refugees lined up, forming a long queue outside Territories One and Two.

Xia Qing took a quick headcount. There were eighty people waiting outside Territory Two. This was only the first wave—no doubt, another batch would be sent over tomorrow.

Among the ragged, gaunt refugees, over twenty looked strong and healthy. Their protective suits were mostly intact, setting them apart from the rest.

“Who’s that chick? That submachine gun she’s got must be worth at least two hundred grand.” One burly ‘refugee’ eyed Xia Qing’s weapon with envy, but when he looked up and met those calm, lethal eyes behind her protective mask, he recoiled in a shiver.

This woman was dangerous. He wasn’t sure he could take her even in a fair fight.

Another muscular ‘refugee’ dropped his voice in warning, “Shut it. Are you blind or stupid? Didn’t you see the Chonglian logo on those excavators? Stop looking for trouble!”

He cursed as soon as he opened his mouth. Honestly, he matched the vibe of Territory Two—he’d fit right in.

Because Xia Qing wasn’t wearing the Azure Dragon Squad badge, he mistook her for a security guard from the Chonglian Group.

“All of you just shut the hell up! Keep yapping and you’re out of here!”

Suddenly, Tang Huai’s furious roar echoed out from the wild grass wall in Territory Two. He shouted through a high-powered speaker, so not only did Xia Qing hear, but so did everyone digging pits and burying thornwood stakes to the south of Territories Four and Five.

Zhao Ze, driving an excavator and digging a trench, stopped and looked uneasily toward Territory Two. Qi Fu, meanwhile, was urging the rest of the laborers to work faster.

On the border of Section Three, excavators pressed steadily forward, digging trenches nonstop, while the cement mixer kept churning without pause.

Before long, the cries, pleading, and even angry shouts of refugees failing the entry tests grew louder and louder. Three of them burst out of Territory Two, begging their team leader to plead for them—to let the territory take them in.

When their pleas went unanswered, one of those refugees snapped. He let out a wild scream and charged at Xia Qing. “Ah—ah—”

Xia Qing stood stone-still beneath the signpost, gun in hand, unflinching. The convoy and the Inspection Team had her back. As long as the man didn’t step into Section Three, Xia Qing wouldn’t react.

Tan Junjie, a Speed Evolver, moved in at once and restrained the man, sharply warning, “Get a grip on yourself!”

“Ah—!” Even controlled, the refugee kept screaming and struggling—completely out of his mind. The others in line quickly backed away, putting as much distance between themselves and the chaos as possible.

Tan Junjie gave the order immediately. “He’s lost control—inject the soothing agent now.”

That man’s body was flooded with Devastation Element. It had triggered him, made him snap and go berserk. If he didn’t get a soothing shot or capsule soon, he’d attack anyone and everyone until he finally burned out and died.

Three minutes after the injection, the berserker collapsed, limp and helpless, and had to be carried back onto a trailer.

The soothing capsules were starting to kick in, but without the repair agent, the man would only weaken day after day. When he had no strength left to work, death would be the only thing waiting for him.

No one was shocked—such outbursts were routine by now. Once they confirmed the berserk one couldn’t hurt anyone, the refugees shuffled back into line, waiting for their turn to test.

Another rejected refugee rushed once more to the security staff and begged, while the third just crouched on the ground, head in hands.

Both the Inspection Team and Xia Qing kept a close eye on the man squatting on the ground. He looked even more at risk of losing control.

From years of dealing with this, Xia Qing knew: if that man snapped, he wouldn’t lash out madly at others like the last guy. He’d probably hurt himself. Maybe even kill himself.

People who lost it and turned their rage inward were often bloodier than those who went berserk—they no longer felt any pain.

“Captain Tan, are you there?”

Xin Yu’s voice crackled into the Lords’ channel.

Tan Junjie pressed his walkie-talkie. “I’m here.”

“Could you please tell the refugees who didn’t pass the tests at Territories One and Two to line up outside Territory Eight for another round of admission testing?”

Tan Junjie’s voice was broadcast for everyone to hear. The man crouched on the ground slowly raised his head. The other rejected man holding onto the security guard also froze. Both looked toward Tan Junjie.

“Copy that.”

After Tan Junjie relayed the message from Territory Eight’s lord over the loudspeaker, the two failed candidates leaned over, asking, “Will you take us to Territory Eight? Where is it, anyway?”

Tan Junjie replied, “Wait here until there are ten of you, then you can go.”

Given a spark of hope, the two regained their spirits a bit and returned to the line.

With the immediate threat over, Xia Qing greeted Hu Zifeng, then moved fifty meters west with the engineering trucks to safeguard the work crew.

Lu Yuhui, climbing down from a truck, saw Xia Qing coming and asked quietly, “Did someone lose control back there?”

Xia Qing nodded. “One person did, but he’s already taken a soothing capsule.”

“Life is so tough for these people.” Lu Yuhui nodded, “Miss Xia, are you an Evolver too? Before you left your territory, did you ever go to Gui San Base?”

Xia Qing shook her head.

Lu Yuhui went on, “I worked on construction projects at Gui San Base. If it hadn’t been so close to the ocean, there’s no way it would have fallen.”

It was rare to bump into someone with world experience, so Xia Qing asked, “So what kind of evolved animal brought Gui San Base down this time?”

“During the rainstorm, hordes of venomous evolved sea snakes used the sewers to get into Gui San Base and killed tons of people. Then…”

Lu Yuhui paused for two seconds, finding her own words hard to believe. “Three giant octopuses wrecked the Safe Zone wall and flooded the whole base.”

“Whoa!” The cement and mortar finished mixing and poured through the pipe into the newly-dug trench.

Xia Qing blinked, struggling to believe her ears. “Giant octopuses made it on land?”

That can’t be real…

“During a rainstorm, it’s possible.” Lu Yuhui grabbed a seamless four-meter-long square tube, measured the distance, and drove it into the wet cement.