Chapter 223: Administrative Dereliction of Duty

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: Administrative Dereliction of Duty

Xiaqing wasn’t just saying that; she had actually done it.

After witnessing the explosive power of the spinach seeds and hearing from Li Si that sunflowers might shoot out their seeds, Xiaqing had added a response plan to her checklist.

Because she and Yuan Yan had cleared the sunflower field before the Harmful Rain, her sunflowers hadn’t undergone any dangerous Qiang Evolutions so far. She presumed the same was true for Territory No.5, but Xiaqing didn’t regret taking precautions one bit.

Li Si’s calm voice sounded over the Lord channel. "It’s best to fence them all in. During a Red Level Harmful Rain or the upcoming Orange Level one, the oil-seed sunflowers still have a high probability of undergoing a dangerous Qiang Evolution."

Kuang Qingwei angrily voiced everyone’s confusion. "Fourth Sister, why did the Safe Zone give us such dangerous seeds? What are they playing at?"

"Shi Du, how thick was the iron plate used in the Tenth Territory? Did the seeds penetrate it?" Li Si remained calm. Listening to her, Xiaqing felt her voice was much better than its hoarse state when she had first returned.

Shi Du replied, "One millimeter. The sunflower seeds grew rapidly, but their hardness wasn’t high. They couldn’t penetrate the iron plate. At most, they just got embedded in it."

Only after receiving Shi Du’s reply did Li Si answer Kuang Qingwei’s question. "During the Red Harmful Rain in year eight of the Natural Disaster, projectile seeds could penetrate a two-millimeter-thick iron plate. After at least four generations of cultivation over the past two years, the seeds have been weakened to the point they can’t even get through one millimeter. According to regulations, these oil-seed sunflowers have met the minimum standard for widespread cultivation. As long as planters wear Protective Suits as required, they won’t be injured by the seeds."

Xiaqing nodded, agreeing with Li Si.

The agricultural broadcast and the materials from the Safe Zone had repeatedly mentioned that all farming personnel must wear Protective Suits and Protective Masks during the Harmful Rain. The people in Territory No. 4 either weren’t wearing their suits or panicked after discovering the dangerous Qiang Evolution, which is what led to the accidental injuries.

Besides the sunflowers, over half a greenhouse of Green Light Mung Beans had been exposed to the Harmful Rain because the sunflowers turned into machine guns; they were definitely a lost cause. How could Kuang Qingwei swallow this? He pressed on, "When the Safe Zone sent out the seeds, why didn’t they mention the possibility of a dangerous Qiang Evolution so we could prepare in advance? Are our lives as Lords that worthless?"

Li Si countered, "A crop’s dangerous Qiang Evolution is the result of a combination of factors, including soil conditions, greenhouse technology, and cultivation techniques. If every potential danger for every crop was disclosed in advance, would any of you Lords dare to plant them?"

It was like a doctor explaining a surgery in grave detail beforehand, scaring the patient’s family so much that their hands trembled as they signed the consent form. The humans who had survived ten years of the Natural Disaster were all extremely cautious and unwilling to take risks. They would certainly choose to plant crops that weren’t dangerous.

But under extreme conditions, any crop could undergo a dangerous Qiang Evolution.

Li Si’s voice turned stern. "Ten years into the Natural Disaster, the national grain reserves are depleted. Current food production doesn’t meet the minimum demand. If we don’t expand the cultivation area for crops, how many more Harmful Rains or crises can the common people—who are surviving on compressed rations made from grass—live through? If we hadn’t reached a critical juncture, why would the nation expend enormous manpower, resources, and funds to fully implement the Lord system? If the lives of Lords weren’t valued, would the base station troops, give out free insect repellent, and sell seeds for free or at a discount?"

Under Li Si’s series of calm rebuttals, Kuang Qingwei’s voice softened, and his bluster faded:

"I know what you’re saying makes sense, Fourth Sister. But even if the administration department can’t explicitly state the dangers of every crop, they should at least explain how to properly protect ourselves, right? If I had fenced in the sunflowers beforehand, half a greenhouse of my Green Light Mung Beans wouldn’t have been drenched by the Harmful Rain. For the past two months, I’ve been tending to this land like I was serving my own ancestors. I was counting on these mung beans to have a good new year."

Li Si replied calmly, "You have a point. This is a dereliction of duty on the part of the relevant administrative departments at Hui San Base. You can file a complaint with the Hui City Main Base or the Red City Headquarters."

This time, Kuang Qingwei was left completely speechless. Because he didn’t dare.

Tang Huai snorted. "After the great biological evolution, you could get bitten to death by a Poisonous Insect just taking a shit. Coming out here to farm was always more dangerous than doing manual labor for rations in the Safe Zone, so you have to be careful about everything. Everyone else managed to think of fencing in their sunflowers, so how come you couldn’t?"

Kuang Qingwei didn’t dare to talk back to Tang Huai, so he asked politely, "Brother Huai, did anything happen with the sunflowers in the Second Territory? I remember you bought seeds, too."

Tang Huai responded nonchalantly, "Bought ’em. Didn’t plant ’em."

Kuang Qingwei was speechless.

’Unbelievable!’

’I’ll endure it!’

Suddenly, Tan Junjie’s stern warning came over the Lord channel. "According to regulations, seeds purchased or received by a Lord from the Lord Administration Department must be sown in the current season. Violators will be severely punished."

Tang Huai immediately changed his tune. "Captain Tan, my radio was acting up just now, and my sentence got cut off. What I meant to say was: I bought ’em, but they didn’t sprout."

Everyone was speechless.

Tang Huai’s antics, however, managed to ease everyone’s frayed nerves.

Kuang Qingwei continued, "Thank you for clearing that up for me, Fourth Sister. I feel much better after hearing your explanation. Little Zhao, is everything handled on your end?"

After a long pause, Zhao Ze finally replied, "It’s handled. Two workers were frightened by the sunflowers’ dangerous Qiang Evolution and got injured after stepping on a rake while fleeing. The patrol team has already helped me clear the scene. Thank you for your hard work, Captain Tan."

Tan Junjie reminded them, "All Lords, please store your farm tools properly. In an emergency, you must remain calm. Only call the patrol team if you are certain you cannot handle the danger yourself."

A farm rake would be covered in rust and soil. Being pierced by one would very likely lead to an Evolutionary Bacteria infection and allow the excess Harmful Elements in the air to enter the bloodstream directly. Those two injured men probably wouldn’t make it.

Xiaqing immediately issued a reminder through the earpiece-style radio in her Protective Mask. "Everyone, please check and confirm the placement of your farm tools in all greenhouses and sheds. Make sure they are in a safe place, with any bladed edges facing inward."

"Roger that," Hu Zifeng responded. "Xiaqing, you should head home and check on things. Do you need someone to go back with you?"

"I can go by myself. I’ll have to trouble you all to keep an eye on the greenhouses. We’ll patrol and clear the territory again after sunrise." The wave of crop Qiang Evolutions brought on by the second Red Level Harmful Rain had been dealt with. But Xiaqing still had livestock at home—sheep and a wolf, poultry—chickens and geese, and a bucket of fish. She had to go home and check on them.

Outside, after two bouts of Red Harmful Rain, even a territory that had been repeatedly cleared was still fraught with danger.

The Injurious Grass on the path, which had been cleared just yesterday afternoon with a mini-tiller, had already grown back to knee-height. The uncut Injurious Grass on either side of the path was now over two meters tall.

Walking through the Injurious Grass at night, the probability of encountering danger was much higher than getting bitten by a Poisonous Insect while taking a shit.

After carefully checking her gear, Xiaqing held her machete and cautiously moved forward, hacking away at the Injurious Grass on the path.

Most of the small creatures hiding in the Injurious Grass—like snakes, centipedes, leeches, grasshoppers, mantises, and scorpions—scurried away when startled. A small number, however, went berserk and attacked Xiaqing, only to be eliminated by her in her Protective Suit.

CLANG!

Just as she neared the village entrance, her machete struck a hard object that shouldn’t have been on the path. A black shadow suddenly shot up from the Injurious Grass and whipped toward Xiaqing.