Chapter 226: Weasel in the Evolution Forest

Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Weasel in the Evolution Forest

Two and a half hours later, the sky began to brighten.

When Tan Junjie led his team to the Third Territory to check if the dangerous Evolved Plant had been completely cleared, he found the entire Wild Phoenix Tree Forest had been turned into a mud pit. A pile of branches and roots several meters high was stacked beside it. The crown, with its many twisted vines, was particularly conspicuous.

After inquiring about the plant’s Qiang Evolution process and attack capabilities, Tan Junjie consulted with Xiaqing. "If we leave the crown and roots here, they’ll likely re-root and sprout. I’ll call headquarters and have them send a truck to haul it away? We’ll need to get rid of the one in the Tenth Territory, too."

Xiaqing naturally agreed. "Thank you for the trouble, Captain Tan."

After contacting military headquarters, Tan Junjie immediately posted an announcement in the Lord channel: "The medium-risk Qiang Evolutions in the Third and Tenth Territories were both Wild Phoenix Trees. All Lords, please inspect your territories for any repeatedly felled Wild Phoenix Trees. If found, please clear them out as soon as possible. Report your findings."

The fast-growing nature of the Wild Phoenix Tree had led the Lords to unanimously use it as a source of firewood. Lords One through Nine reported in one after another. Territories Four, Five, and Six all had Wild Phoenix Tree Forests of varying sizes.

Compared to herbaceous plants, mature woody plants were much more resistant to the Harmful Rain. But while the repeatedly felled Wild Phoenix Tree Forest didn’t look tall, its underground root system was a tangled, complex network covering a considerable area. Because of the constant cutting, the energy absorbed by the roots could only be used to continuously sprout new shoots.

After being drenched by two bouts of red-level Harmful Rain, anything could happen to those suppressed roots.

Xiaqing was annoyed. ’How could I not have anticipated something so simple?’

Half an hour later, a military truck entered the Third Territory and loaded up all the Wild Phoenix Tree’s crown and roots, then drove away.

Standing under the Second Territory’s signpost with an umbrella, Tang Huai stared at the thickness of the tree and its vines, which had been blasted into pieces. Only now did he realize what the target of last night’s gunfire, which had sounded like popping beans, had been in the Third Territory.

If such a powerful, Qiang-Evolved tree had grown in the Second Territory, Tang Huai could only have run far away and called for help on his walkie-talkie.

After the Wild Phoenix Tree crisis was completely resolved, a weary Xiaqing had only taken a few steps toward home when she received a call from Yuan Yan. "Xiaqing, I’ve steamed a few batches of buns. I’ll have Brother Qi bring them over. Don’t worry about making breakfast. Eat up and get some rest. This rain is going to last a while." ℴℴ𝘮

Xiaqing didn’t stand on ceremony with her ally. "Thank you so much, but I’ll come get them. Don’t make Brother Qi run over here."

Xiaqing called out to Hu Zifeng, went home to grab a rack of pork ribs, and headed for Territory No.5. It was unsafe to travel through the Buffer Forest and the Northern Isolation Zone now, so Xiaqing took the access road between the two territories instead. She really didn’t have the strength to fight the Evolutionary Worms in the Injurious Grass, so she just drove her micro-tiller.

From within his Wild Grass Wall, Tang Huai’s jaw dropped in astonishment. He wondered if Xiaqing had been hit in the head by a vine and knocked silly.

The access road was also submerged in Injurious Grass, but the micro-tiller followed the ruts of a large truck and traveled smoothly. By the time Xiaqing arrived at Territory No.5, Yuan Yan and her husband were already waiting under the signpost with umbrellas. Each held a large basket covered with a white cloth, steam wafting from it. When they saw Xiaqing drive up, their first reaction wasn’t envy, but worry.

’Why is Xiaqing driving for such a short distance? She couldn’t have been injured, could she?’

Only when Xiaqing got out and they saw that her Protective Suit was undamaged and she was moving nimbly did Qi Fu and his wife relax and ask about the situation in the Third Territory.

Xiaqing explained simply, "A lot of the crops and vegetables underwent Qiang Evolution, but nothing dangerous appeared, and no one was hurt. It’s just that clearing out that big tree last night took a lot of effort."

Yuan Yan was full of sincere admiration for Xiaqing. "It’s a good thing it was you. If it had been any of us in the other territories, no one would have dared to handle it on their own."

"If I had been alone, I would have called for support immediately too. You should clear out your Wild Phoenix Tree Forest as soon as possible," Xiaqing explained, then took out a sealed rack of ribs from the micro-tiller.

Seeing such fresh ribs, Qi Fu and his wife were stunned.

Yesterday, they had heard Hu Zifeng mention that the Third Territory was stewing a pig’s head and knew Xiaqing had gotten a wild boar, but they never expected her to bring them a whole, fresh rack of ribs.

’This has to be worth several hundred points!’

Since Xiaqing had brought it out, she definitely wouldn’t be taking it back. Qi Fu accepted it directly. "I haven’t had ribs in so many years, I’ve almost forgotten what they taste like. We have plenty of people here, so if you need any help, little sister, just give us a shout."

Xiaqing agreed, placed the two baskets under the vehicle’s cover, and turned to head back. The aroma of the steamed buns made her stomach rumble with hunger.

Only after the micro-tiller had entered the Third Territory did Tang Huai, carrying a basket of insects, run home to eat.

Last night, the six people who cleared the Wild Phoenix Tree Forest were exhausted, and the five who protected the greenhouses hadn’t had it easy either. They had to clear out not only the Qiang-Evolved plants inside the greenhouses but also the Injurious Grass. Nevertheless, Eryong had found the time to use the meat Xiaqing brought over last night to stew a large pot of meat and vegetables, planning to eat it with compressed rations.

When they saw the steaming, fragrant white buns Xiaqing brought back, everyone’s eyes practically glowed with hunger.

The group gave their hands a quick rinse, each ladled a large bowl of stewed pork with potatoes and green beans, and devoured the meal—a bite of bun, a bite of meat—in a flash.

Xiaqing ate two buns and a bowl of stew, then drank a bowl of hot tea broth. The idea of keeping Eryong in her territory grew even stronger. The temptation of coming home to a hot, fragrant meal after a hard day’s work was just too great.

But keeping Eryong meant revealing the secret of her spring to Hu Zifeng’s team. The more people who knew, the greater the risk of the spring being exposed. It would be less trouble to just ask the Wolf Group for a Weasel that knew how to do Plucking.

’Then again, that’s not right either. A Weasel would release a stink bomb when it feels threatened. Any prey that got sprayed would be inedible.’

’I guess I should just learn to cook from Eryong.’ Xiaqing sighed and drove the micro-tiller back home.

Seeing the yard full of Injurious Grass was depressing, so she did a few laps and turned the overgrown yard into a mowed one.

She inspected the inside and outside of her house, fed the wolves, sheep, and chickens, then went upstairs to take a shower. Afterward, she stood before the mirror, examining her shoulders and arms, which she could barely lift.

Knocking down a large, sturdy tree with hard wood wasn’t as simple as Xiaqing had made it seem.

The Sheep Leader had hard spiral horns; she was the opposite, all flesh over her hard bones.

The first time, Xiaqing had rammed it with both arms. The second time, she’d used her right arm and left hand. The third time, her left arm and right hand. Thankfully, she had knocked the tree down in three hits. And thankfully, she had Special Level Nutrient Liquid; otherwise, she wouldn’t have lasted this long.

After applying a medicinal lotion to reduce the swelling and pain, Xiaqing went back to her room to sleep and recover her strength. She still had at least one more tough battle ahead of her.

According to the weather forecast, the third Harmful Rain wouldn’t end until two in the morning tomorrow. For the next twenty hours, the concentration of Harmful Elements in the air and soil would remain at a high-risk level, peaking during the third wave of red Harmful Rain. Xiaqing could only hope that this third wave wouldn’t last too long, or she would surely lose more than half of the crops in her greenhouses.

Things were already this difficult in the territories; who knew how many times greater the risks were for Yang Jin and the Head Wolf, who were searching for medicine deep in the Evolution Forest. The Safe Zone must be in chaos, too. She hoped that the person who had sent her the text message was okay.

DING.

As Xiaqing was drifting off, she heard her phone chime beside her. She took off her sleep mask, glanced at her phone, and immediately sat up.

Yang Jin had sent her a photo. In the damp Evolution Forest, amidst a patch of colorful, dense grass, a Weasel with round ears and black eyes was peeking out from the cover of the Injurious Grass.