Chapter 289: Lightning Strikes Within the Third Territory

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Lightning Strikes Within the Third Territory

Not long after the two armed men passed her hiding spot, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Xiaqing quickly snapped a photo with her phone as evidence.

By trespassing on her territory, the two had violated the Territory Law. With Xiaqing’s abilities, she could have drawn her gun and killed them both.

However, legal procedure dictated that a Lord, provided their own safety was ensured, should first issue a warning and order the trespassers to leave. A Lord could only resort to force if the intruders refused to exit the territory and cease their violation.

If Xiaqing skipped the warning and killed them directly, and it was recorded by any camera or audio devices they were carrying, the Jiang Bear Squad would surely latch onto it and not let go.

Therefore, Xiaqing chose not to reveal herself and instead set a trap for them to walk into.

Following the path, the two quickly found their way to the small courtyard where Xiaqing lived. They saw an extra west-wing building in the yard that wasn’t in the video. They hesitated for a moment before stepping into the courtyard and heading straight for the sheep pen.

After confirming no one was around, the two slowly opened the unlatched door. Through their Night Vision Goggles, they saw that one side of the sheep pen was stacked with many bales of hay, while the other side had a large, cage-like object covered by a straw mat. Although they couldn’t see what was inside, on the ground beneath the large cage were two piles of wolf droppings!

The two members of the Jiang Bear Squad grew excited. One of them took out his phone.

"AWOOO—"

After the phone played the sound of a wolf’s howl, there was no response from the cage. One of them felt something was wrong. "Brother Xi, how come there’s no sound at all? Don’t tell me the wolf actually escaped?"

Zhang Xi whispered, "Didn’t you see the wolf droppings? It was probably drugged and can’t move. Let’s go in and take a look."

"I’m afraid it’s a trap."

"What’s there to be afraid of? That woman in this territory is in the small cabin by the fields. Let’s go."

As the two entered the sheep pen and cautiously approached the cage with their electric batons out, Xiaqing slammed the door shut with a CLANG and locked it.

Once they were inside the building and captured, it was no longer just a simple crime of illegal trespassing.

The two men in the sheep pen panicked. They tried to kick a hole in the back wall to escape, but they hadn’t expected the pen to be built so sturdily. Since they weren’t Strength Evolvers, a few kicks did nothing.

"Break down the door! That woman must have contacted the Danger Investigation Team! We’re finished if we get caught! Move!" Zhang Xi pulled out his gun and, after shattering the chain with a BANG! BANG!, froze in shock.

In the downpour, Tan Junjie aimed his gun at the two men and shouted sternly, "Your actions are illegal. The Danger Investigation Team is now placing you under arrest. Resisters will be shot on sight."

Between being shot and being arrested, Zhang Xi and his companion immediately dropped their weapons and raised their hands, their actions clearly choosing the latter.

Hiding in the shadows, Xiaqing’s lips curled into a smile. According to the Territory Law, trespassing in a Lord’s residence to commit acts of destruction or theft was a serious crime, punishable by ten or more years of forced labor.

Given the intensity of the forced labor and the current harsh conditions, forget ten years—few could even survive three. This was a true suspended death sentence: a slow death.

This way of dying was far more fitting than a single bullet. It saved a Bullet and made them contribute to the base’s construction—killing two birds with one stone.

After Tan Junjie led his team away with the two men in custody, Su Ming, who was at the rear, whispered to Xiaqing, "Sister Qing, have you heard what happened in the Second Territory? Kou Fanming of the Su Feng Team was struck by lightning!"

Hmm? ’The heavens really are just!’

Xiaqing asked in a low voice, "Is he dead?"

"Not yet." Su Ming gave Xiaqing a wink. "Our Danger Investigation Team discovered these two criminals, followed them in, and caught them. Sister Qing was guarding the edge of her farmland the whole time and doesn’t know a thing."

"Understood. Thank you." Xiaqing accepted the Danger Investigation Team’s goodwill.

The Danger Investigation Team’s arrangement wasn’t just to protect Xiaqing from the Jiang Bear Team’s retaliation; it was also for their own benefit.

The Jiang Bear Team had over a hundred members and was ranked fifth in combat strength. They wouldn’t dare to make a move against Xiaqing in her territory, but if she entered the Safe Zone or the Evolution Forest, she could be ambushed. Therefore, if Xiaqing feigned ignorance, the Jiang Bear Team’s wrath wouldn’t be directed entirely at her.

On the other hand, if the Danger Investigation Team allowed outsiders to break into a territory, their superiors would hold them accountable for dereliction of duty. Conversely, if they discovered the intruders and followed them into the territory to make the arrest, it would be considered a perfectly completed mission.

For her own sake and for the sake of the Danger Investigation Team, Xiaqing, the honest, farming Level 4 Strength Evolver, of course, knew nothing at all.

After watching Captain Tan’s squad lead the criminals out of her territory, Xiaqing immediately went to the cabin by the fields to meet up with the Sheep Leader. She reported the situation to it, "The humans who broke in have been taken away by Captain Tan and his team. You rest. I’m going to do a patrol and check if the greenhouses are leaking."

After speaking, Xiaqing sent a message to Hu Zifeng, telling him that the two men in the Third Territory had been captured.

Hu Zifeng replied quickly: The Jiang Bear Squad has been putting on a show outside Mountain No. 49, but they haven’t entered.

Xiaqing deduced that Blind Jiang must have been certain the tamed wolf was in the Third Territory, which was why he split his forces. One group would openly attract the attention of the Green Dragon Team, preventing them from sending reinforcements to the Third Territory. The other group would secretly send people to infiltrate the Third Territory and steal the wolf.

Their plan wasn’t bad, but they had underestimated the strength of Lord No. 3.

Xiaqing took a sip of spring water and was about to go out after putting on her Protective Mask, but the Sheep Leader resolutely blocked her path.

Just as Xiaqing was about to coax it, she saw a bolt of lightning strike the empty ground next to the greenhouse on the low slope of the North Buffer Forest!

But it didn’t end with striking the empty ground. The lightning, like a fiery dragon, shot down the slope and into the reservoir, causing a massive explosion. The resulting splashes shot more than six meters into the air, and the water in the reservoir immediately began to boil and surge, overflowing the dam.

Xiaqing hugged the Sheep Leader’s head, staring at the scene, dumbfounded.

In the ten years since the Natural Disasters began, this was the closest she had ever been to a lightning strike.

Her ears were ringing. ’This is so damn scary!’

She wasn’t going out. Until the thunderstorm stopped completely, she was staying in the cabin and not going anywhere.

"Third Territory, Xiaqing, are you alright? Where did that lightning strike? Why was it so loud?" The ever-nosy Tang Huai immediately asked.

Xiaqing pressed the button. "It hit the reservoir."

Zhao Ze chimed in right after, "No wonder the water in the river channel suddenly looked like it was boiling over. Sister Xiaqing, are your greenhouses by the reservoir okay?"

Xiaqing replied, "They were definitely hit by the waves. I won’t know the extent of the damage until the storm stops."

Qi Fu, worried that something might happen to Xiaqing, added, "That’s right, don’t go out now. Everyone should stay inside buildings with lightning rods. We’ll talk after the storm passes. This lightning is too intense."

Kuang Qingwei prayed, "I hope it doesn’t turn into Harmful Rain, or there really won’t be any seedlings left."

Unlike the others, Tang Huai was full of excitement. "The fish and loaches in the reservoir must have been electrocuted! Xiaqing, how about I help you collect the fish after the storm? You definitely won’t be able to handle it all by yourself."

’Was Tang Huai this excited because he wanted to collect fish, or was he gloating because lightning had struck Kou Fanming?’

Xiaqing pressed the button and refused flatly, "No need."