Chapter 302: Installing Surveillance

Chapter 302: Chapter 302: Installing Surveillance

"Second, did you dig this up?" Xiaqing asked, pulling a bundle of herbs from the pocket of the Protective Suit she had taken off the Sick Wolf. The leaves looked just like the kind Zhang San had sent the Wolf Group to find, so she excitedly held the bundle up to the Sick Wolf’s eyes.

’Why was she so excited? Because Zhang San had said this kind of herb was worth ten thousand points a plant!’

Perhaps the water was a bit too hot. The Sick Wolf, soaking in the tub, panted heavily with its tongue lolling out. He didn’t even look as smart as Sheep Leader.

Xiaqing gave up asking. After testing the water temperature, she went outside to call Zhang San. "Brother San, the wolf that was infected with parasites is back. It also brought a bundle of herbs with it. Do you still want them?"

"I do." Zhang San seemed quite interested that the wolf had returned. "Just one came back?"

"Just the one." Xiaqing then asked, "I’ve picked about forty-four pounds of Green Light Chinese Fir Fruit. The Harmful Element content is 0.26 percent. Do you want the kernels and the flesh?"

"Yes." Zhang San’s interest in good food was even more piqued. "As for the Green Light Chinese Fir Fruit, I’ll keep a quarter?"

"Deal." Xiaqing readily agreed. She ran to the bathroom to talk things over with the Sick Wolf and Sheep Leader. "Leader, Second, I’m heading to the Northern Isolation Zone to drop something off. When you two are done with your bath, get out by yourselves, shake off the water, and then go lie on the dry hay under the eaves to dry your fur in the sun. Don’t get water all over the house, understand?"

Sheep Leader pretended not to hear. It used a front hoof to pull its food bowl, which had floated away on the water, back toward it and continued eating its feed. Wolf the Second just kept looking at Xiaqing and panting, also showing no reaction.

Sheep Leader was a stubborn creature, and Xiaqing had already given up on it. But the simple, obedient Wolf the Second was still worth trying to teach. Xiaqing crouched by Second’s tub, gesturing as she spoke to him. "Second, from now on, when I say something, nod if you understand and shake your head if you don’t."

Wolf the Second pulled its tongue in, closed its mouth, and looked calmly at Xiaqing. Then, just as Xiaqing watched with hopeful eyes, he opened his mouth again and went right back to panting.

Xiaqing... ’Forget it. The guy just got back today; he’s probably just in a good mood and can’t stop ’smiling.’ I’ll try teaching him another day.’

"I’m heading out for a bit. You two watch the house." Xiaqing left the bathroom, grabbed the Green Light Chinese Fir Fruit she had harvested, and hurried toward the Northern Isolation Zone.

When she saw that the only person there to pick up the supplies was Da Ya, who was also carrying a large pack, Xiaqing’s eyes lit up.

’Surveillance cameras? The herbs?’

Da Ya walked over, smiling cheerfully. "Brother San sent me to see how you plan to install the surveillance system, so I brought the cameras along with me."

Xiaqing immediately invited Da Ya into her territory. "I want to install cameras on the two greenhouses in the Buffer Forest, the five greenhouses south of the reservoir, the half-acre plot south of the two sheds to the east, and near my house. Brother Ya, how many do you think I’ll need for all that?"

Xiaqing had originally planned on adding only about a sixth of an acre of farmland next year, but she calculated that wouldn’t be enough for all the seeds she had to plant.

She currently had about four pounds of M-11 Green Light wheat from her first harvest to use as seed. She also had five and a half pounds of M-14 Green Light wheat seeds, which she’d gotten from Zhang San in exchange for black-skinned peanuts. For a trade of Chestnuts, she had received another forty-four pounds of M-14 Yellow Light Wheat seeds and forty-four pounds of J-2 Yellow Light rice seeds. On top of that, she had the 97 Green Rice plants from her own field to use for seed, plus the half-pound of rapeseed the Territory Management Department had awarded her. Just these seeds alone would require nearly an acre of farmland to plant. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Besides wheat, rice, and rapeseed, she also planned to plant mung beans, cotton, potatoes, sunflowers, and sweet potatoes next spring. So, at a minimum, she needed to expand her farmland by another half-acre.

"These three areas aren’t very large. Four should be enough." Da Ya stood on the High Slope and looked down for a moment before pulling a brand-new camera from his pack to show Xiaqing. "This camera is made from a new material. It’s not just waterproof, it’s also incredibly hard. Rodents and insects can’t chew through it."

Although Xiaqing hadn’t been responsible for installing and calibrating surveillance equipment during her time on the construction crew, she had made a point of learning the principles of how they worked and how to install them, so she knew a thing or two. She could tell at a glance that the camera Da Ya held was not only made of a different material but was also a different model—and it was more than twice the size of the ones used in the Safe Zone.

"This is from the first batch of new-material, military-grade cameras. You can’t buy them on the open market; even the military doesn’t have enough to go around. Because our base is considered a top priority, headquarters made a special exception and sent us fifteen. If it wasn’t you asking for them, Brother San never would have offered them up for trade."

After pointing out the cameras’ rarity and making sure Xiaqing understood how much Brother San valued her as a trading partner, Da Ya launched into an enthusiastic explanation of the new model’s features. "See this? It’s an integrated, dual-track, all-in-one PTZ design with high-speed laser tracking. The upper and lower lenses can be controlled and rotated independently. It supports patrol routes, electronic zoom, true 360-degree monitoring with no blind spots, high-definition night vision, full-color imaging day and night, and it has motion tracking and alarm functions..."

"Can it perform facial scans to identify unknown intruders?" Xiaqing clearly knew her stuff. Her eyes grew brighter the more she listened, and her occasional questions were always on point.

Finding someone who appreciated the technology, Da Ya became more and more excited as he spoke. "Of course. And not just humans—it can also identify large animals. You can register the wolf and sheep on your territory in the system so they don’t trigger the alarm. As soon as any unregistered human or large animal enters the area, it will trigger an alert."

’That’s incredibly convenient,’ Xiaqing thought, then quickly asked, "Brother Ya, we don’t have local network coverage out here. How do the cameras connect to my phone? What’s the effective range?"

Da Ya chuckled. "This model works even without a network. It connects directly to communication satellites, so you can control it remotely from your phone. As long as you don’t leave Hua Country, you can check on your territory anytime, from anywhere."

Hearing it connected directly to a satellite, Xiaqing’s heart sank. "So... I’ll have to pay for data for each camera?"

Unlike the cheap mobile data plans available on the Safe Zone’s local network, using a phone for communications in the territories and the Evolution Forest, where there was no network coverage, was extremely expensive.

The basic monthly fee for Xiaqing’s satellite phone was 200 points. If she made a few extra calls or sent a few more messages, the data charges would skyrocket. Now, adding four cameras that all required data, her monthly cost in points would surely be in the thousands.

Another sharp question! Da Ya cheerfully opened a small cover on the bottom of the camera, showing Xiaqing the card in the slot. "This is a special military-supply item. The data card is already installed, and there’s enough data on it to last you a full year."

Xiaqing was relieved. "The military really thinks of everything. By this time next year, our territories should have local network coverage anyway."

Da Ya then shared another piece of good news. "It won’t even take a year. If our base here continues to operate stably through the second half of the year, they should be installing a ground-based mobile communications station for us by year’s end."

This was fantastic news! With a ground-based station, their whole area would become a local network, making it much cheaper and more convenient for Xiaqing to contact people nearby.