Chapter 190: Qi Fu Evolves

Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Qi Fu Evolves

Zhao Ze sighed endlessly. "I cut off all the black bolls and brought them home. I actually picked over half a basketful. It breaks my heart."

Black bolls, also known as dead bolls, are caused by a combination of weather, soil fertility, and the cotton variety; they’re difficult to avoid. After the cotton bolls turn black, some rot directly, while others dry out and crack open. However, the cotton fiber inside isn’t snow-white and soft, but hard and yellowish.

Xiaqing also cut off her black bolls, but she didn’t take them home. Instead, she spread out a piece of rainproof cloth on an empty patch of ground in her cotton shelter and laid the black bolls out to dry.

Kuang Qingwei shared a tip he’d gotten from another Lord. "The price for cotton from black bolls is less than half that of white cotton. I heard that if you soak the black bolls in a solution of ethephon and water for one to two hours, then dry them in the sun, the cotton will come out as snow-white and soft as the cotton from green bolls."

Hmm? Biting into a steamed bun, Xiaqing froze, her chopsticks hovering, and listened intently.

Shi Zhong asked, "What’s ethephon? Can we still use it after the Natural Disasters?"

After the Natural Disasters, many pre-disaster chemicals could cause a surge of Harmful Elements in microorganisms, plants, and animals, triggering Qiang Evolution and posing a danger to humans.

Kuang Qingwei replied, "I don’t know either. Let’s wait and see if it’s safe for them to use, then we can try it. Is Assistant Liu there? Do you have any ethephon?"

The Lords waited for a while, but there was no response.

Zhang San wasn’t in his territory, and the people from No. 9 Territory were rarely online anymore. Zhao Ze sighed and began his two daily questions, "Where did Brother San go? When is he coming back?"

The people from Territory Land No. 7 were silent, and no one else could answer the question.

"I’d advise everyone against using ethephon." Qi Fu’s voice suddenly came through on the Lord channel. From the sound of it, the injuries he’d sustained during the hailstorm were mostly healed. "Ethephon is a plant growth stimulant they used for farming before the Natural Disasters to stunt plants and ripen fruit. Let’s not even get into whether soaking black bolls in it is effective. Even if it is, what do you do with the ethephon water afterward? It will definitely contaminate the water supply."

Once they heard it would contaminate the water, everyone dropped the idea and began asking about Qi Fu’s health instead.

Kuang Qingwei immediately asked, "Brother Qi, are you feeling better? You haven’t been on these past few days, and we’ve been without a leader. We didn’t know who to ask when things came up."

Qi Fu answered, "The gash on my head has finally healed. I barely made it out alive."

Hearing that Qi Fu was all right, a wave of congratulations filled the channel. In addition to the few Lords who regularly discussed farming, No.1 Territory and Second Territory also sent their well-wishes.

Xiaqing also pressed the button on her walkie-talkie and offered her congratulations.

Unexpectedly, not long after Xiaqing sent her congratulations, she received a direct call from Qi Fu. His booming voice was a world away from the slightly weak one he’d used on the Lord channel moments before, and it was filled with irrepressible joy.

"Xiaqing, it’s all thanks to you and Doctor Chang! It’s true what they say—surviving a disaster brings good fortune. I’m stronger than three burly men now! Hahaha."

’Stronger than three burly men... that has to be at least a Level 3 Strength Evolution. Strength Evolution might not be useful in other areas, but for farming, it’s incredibly useful.’

Xiaqing was happy for Qi Fu as well. "Congratulations, Brother Qi. It seems your luck has turned."

"It was a really dangerous process. I still feel a lingering fear just thinking about it. My body went through hell for ten days straight. I’d even told my wife where to bury me. I never expected that after being in a coma for a day and a night, I’d wake up and find I had evolved." Now that the danger had passed, Qi Fu was full of ambition. "Say, Xiaqing, do you think I can team up with the people from No.1 Territory and go on missions in the Evolution Forest now?"

’No wonder the people from Territory No.5 have barely been online for the past half-month. So Qi Fu had been undergoing an evolution this whole time. The older a person is when a Yi Evolution occurs, the more dangerous it is. It’s quite remarkable that he managed to pull through.’

Xiaqing speculated that it was likely related to his improved physical condition. For the past six months, he had been farming outside the Safe Zone, his mood was good, he was eating well, and his health had improved overall.

"Back in the Safe Zone, the minimum requirement for the Green Dragon Team’s public recruitment of external logistics Strength Evolvers was Level 4. I’m not sure what No.1 Territory’s conditions are now. You should ask Captain Hu, Brother Qi. If you’re able to join, make sure you are fully equipped before you go."

’Going in without being fully equipped wouldn’t be a mission; it would be serving yourself up as fertilizer for the plants and animals in the Evolution Forest.’

Qi Fu quickly asked, "That’s actually why I called you today. Can you tell me what kind of equipment I’ll need for the Evolution Forest?"

After carefully explaining all the equipment a Strength Evolver would need, Xiaqing reminded Qi Fu, "Brother Qi, don’t tell anyone that your evolution was triggered by Evolutionary Bacteria. It’ll be a huge hassle if the Research Institute gets wind of it."

As far as Xiaqing knew, the Research Institute was constantly researching ways to trigger evolution in ordinary people. If word of how Qi Fu evolved got out, the Research Institute would surely drag him in for repeated experiments.

’Once you go to the Research Institute, there’s no telling if you’ll come back alive.’

Qi Fu’s voice also grew serious. "Besides Yanzi, you’re the only one I’m being honest with. I don’t trust anyone else. I plan to find an opportunity to tell everyone that I’m a Level 2 Strength Evolver. I’m only thirty-four, still within the evolvable age range. A few years ago, my strength was already at 1.9 times the norm, so triggering a Level 2 Strength Evolution after eating so well recently is perfectly reasonable."

’Thirty-four?!’ Xiaqing had thought Qi Fu was in his forties, not just thirty-four.

’People who struggled to survive through the Natural Disasters all looked much older than their real age. At twenty-five, Xiaqing herself might look like she was in her thirties to other people.’

Xiaqing responded to Qi Fu, "A Level 2 Strength Evolution definitely won’t attract any attention."

In the Safe Zone, Level 2 Strength Evolvers weren’t even considered true Evolvers. Xiaqing then asked Qi Fu about his plans for the winter. "Brother Qi, are you spending the winter in your territory or heading back to the Safe Zone?"

’The winters at Hui San Base were harsh, so she estimated that many Lords would choose to return to the Safe Zone for the winter and come back to their territories next spring.’

’Regardless of what others decided, Xiaqing was definitely not leaving her territory. If Qi Fu and his wife also stayed behind, she could consider teaming up with him to explore the surrounding Evolution Forests during the winter.’

’During the winter, as long as it wasn’t Harmful Rain or Harmful Snow, the Evolution Forest was at its lowest danger level of all four seasons. The territories outside the Hui San Base Safety Zone had been cleared out during the previous autumn and winter.’

Qi Fu immediately understood what Xiaqing was getting at. "There’s less work on the territory during winter, and the people we hired will go back to find other jobs, so my wife and I aren’t going back. We’re planning to build a greenhouse to grow vegetables. If the harvest is small, we’ll eat it ourselves; if it’s big, we’ll sell it to No.1 Territory. When the weather is good, we’ll go for a stroll in the Evolution Forest. What about you?"

Xiaqing extended the invitation. "I’m not going back either. When you build your greenhouse, Brother Qi, could I learn from you? I’d like to build one, too. How about we team up this winter to explore the Evolution Forest and search for food or other useful resources?"