Chapter 122: The Wolf Is Coming

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: The Wolf Is Coming

After returning to her territory, Xiaqing first sprayed a round of Deodorant and insecticide along the perimeter. She then checked the various traps she had set up, but still felt uneasy.

Just in case, she decided not to sleep tonight and to guard her territory well.

At times like this, it was even more important to maintain her nutrition and energy levels. Xiaqing decided to dig up a potato plant and eat her fill.

Of the six jin of seed potatoes Xiaqing planted in March, one hundred and two had sprouted. After losses from the Harmful Rain and other causes, only sixty plants remained, ten of which were tied with red strings.

In the Third Territory, crops tied with red strings were almost all Green Light, with the exception of these ten Yellow Light potato plants. Although they were Yellow Light, they had the lowest Harmful Element content among the sixty potato plants. Xiaqing planned to save these ten to use as seed potatoes for next year.

Although the probability of potatoes undergoing a dangerous and aggressive Qiang Evolution during the Harmful Rain was high, Xiaqing was still unwilling to give up on planting them. First, because potatoes were delicious. Second, her marksmanship had improved, and if she encountered any more "dancing" potato plants, she was confident she could take them out with a single shot.

Harvesting potatoes was as exciting as digging for treasure for Xiaqing. She chose the plant with the most wilted leaves, chopped off the stalk with her knife, and carefully began to dig.

Afraid of damaging the potatoes, Xiaqing started digging with her shovel about thirty centimeters away from the plant’s roots. After scooping out the first shovelful of dirt, she switched to a palm-sized transplanting shovel and dug bit by bit.

When she saw the first potato, Xiaqing couldn’t help but let out a cheer. Hearing the commotion, Sheep Leader, who was outside the shed, ducked inside. Xiaqing held up the first large potato she had harvested in front of Sheep Leader. "Leader, look! A potato!"

Sheep Leader raised its nose and sniffed, then squinted its eyes in disdain.

’Perfect that Sheep Leader doesn’t like them,’ Xiaqing thought. ’More for me!’ She set the fist-sized potato aside and continued digging, her cheers echoing in the shed. "This one must be at least half a jin."

"It’s much bigger than the seed potato I planted. This one has to be at least three liang."

In total, the single plant yielded nine potatoes of various sizes. Xiaqing didn’t know if this was a high or low yield, but she was already very satisfied.

She carefully placed the potatoes in a basket for Sheep Leader to carry. On the way, she passed the chicken coop and picked up the chicken, which had already gone into its cage. The two of them, one human and one sheep, headed home together.

Back home, Xiaqing put the chicken into the sheep pen that was originally built for Sheep Leader. The floor and walls of the pen had been reinforced with concrete, so once the iron gate was locked, she wouldn’t have to worry about Evolutionary Animals sneaking in to steal the chicken at night.

Back inside, Xiaqing weighed the potatoes. The nine potatoes totaled eight and a half jin, which meant her sixty plants could potentially yield five hundred jin of potatoes.

Five hundred jin!

Humming a little tune, Xiaqing started steaming rice. She washed and cut open two potatoes, first taking some juice to test the Harmful Element content. It was the same as the juice from the plant’s stalk: eight-thousandths, Yellow Light, and edible.

Xiaqing happily peeled and shredded the potatoes. She added a small, dried red chili and stir-fried them for a bit before splashing in some vinegar. The sour and spicy aroma that filled the kitchen made her sneeze.

The smell wafted into the living room, and Sheep Leader was also stimulated into a sneeze. "BAA!!!"

Sheep Leader didn’t like it, but Xiaqing greatly enjoyed the homely smell of cooking. After the shredded potatoes were cooked and the rice was steamed, Xiaqing mixed a bowl of special feed for Sheep Leader. "Time to eat, Leader!"

The human and the sheep ate at their separate tables. Xiaqing sat at the dining table, took a bite of the shredded potatoes, and closed her eyes in bliss. Hot and sour shredded potatoes was the kind of dish that came out delicious even if one had no real cooking skills.

’These potatoes I cooked are so delicious!’

’I’m going to plant more potatoes next year and eat them every day.’

To eat potatoes every day, she would have to figure out a way to store them fresh long-term. After finishing her meal, Xiaqing thought about the storage problem while washing the dishes.

Based on the discussions in the Lord group chat, the potatoes she had managed to save in her territory were likely the most out of Territories Three, Four, Five, Six, and Ten. This was because when the potato plants in the other territories underwent a dangerous Qiang Evolution, they had destroyed their rainproof shelters.

Therefore, among these Lords, Xiaqing was probably the only one who needed to store potatoes.

In this situation, asking how to store potatoes in the group chat would only attract envy and bring trouble upon herself. Xiaqing had two people she could ask for help: her idol, Zhang San, and her teacher, Luo Pei.

This time, Xiaqing decided to ask Luo Pei. The Green Dragon Team had already developed No. 1 Territory into a thousand-mu Planting Area, so they definitely had a way to store vegetables.

Xiaqing planned to pay points to store her potatoes in a storage room in No. 1 Territory, where she could retrieve them as needed.

Just as she made up her mind, Xiaqing received a message from Luo Pei. The reconnaissance on Mountain No. 55 had yielded results: the Wolf Group, Snake Group, and Bear Group had been engaged in a large-scale conflict. The fighting was now over and would not affect Mountain No. 49.

Xiaqing couldn’t imagine what a three-way battle between wolves, snakes, and bears would look like, much less guess why the three species were fighting.

’Were they fighting over territory? Resources? Which group won?’

Of course, Xiaqing hoped the Wolf Group had won. That way, no wolves would flee to the Third Territory and try to seize her land.

After finishing her routine evening training, Xiaqing patrolled her territory one more time, checking all the sound-based traps before returning home. She put on her Protective Suit and lay down on her bed to rest with her eyes closed.

In the middle of the night, the sound of Sheep Leader moving around downstairs and opening the security door drifted up: "CLICK, SQUEAK—BANG."

Although Sheep Leader didn’t eat at night, it would chew its cud and also needed to relieve itself. It kept to a strict schedule, and Xiaqing was used to the sounds.

Just as she was drifting in a half-asleep state, she suddenly heard a crisp "DING." Something had triggered the tripwire of a sound-based trap outside the courtyard!

Xiaqing was instantly wide awake. Her eyes snapped open as she grabbed her gun, jumped out of bed, and rushed to the second-floor living room window. Peeking through the blackout curtains, she heard the low call of a wolf.

"AWOOO—"

’They’re finally here.’ Xiaqing actually felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy stone had finally landed.

"BAA!"

In the courtyard, Sheep Leader, having just relieved itself, responded with an excited bleat. It ran over in the dark and pushed down the wooden gate’s bolt with its hoof, opening it before Xiaqing had any time to stop it.

Not knowing how many wolves had arrived, Xiaqing grabbed two guns, over two hundred bullets, and three knives before heading downstairs and out of the house. When she saw the situation outside the courtyard, she froze.

’What... is this situation?’

In the darkness, the snow-white Sheep Leader was affectionately nuzzling a wolf with a notch on its left ear. Xiaqing had anticipated the sight of a sheep and wolf being friendly. Although it was a scene almost as eye-watering as her hot and sour potatoes, it wasn’t enough to shock her.

The four gleaming green wolf eyes behind the Head Wolf didn’t surprise her either, as she had already guessed it would bring its pack to fight for territory.

’But why were the two wolves in the back carrying two others on their backs?’

’What were they carrying? Some kind of accomplice? Were they here to act as partners in crime?’

Facing six gleaming green wolf eyes by herself, Xiaqing, gripping her weapons tightly, took a very calm step forward. If the Wolf Group attacked, she would immediately take the high ground here, using her gun to suppress and eliminate them.