Chapter 76: Dancing Potato Sprout

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Dancing Potato Sprout

"I haven’t heard Brother San mention it, but a litter of kittens should have at least two or three, right?" Xiaqing’s voice was full of anticipation at the thought. ’If I had an Evolution Cat right now, there’s no way a rat could have chewed up my solar panels.’

"Two or more would be great. When we get back, we’ll dig a fish pond and start raising fish. That way, when we get the cat, we won’t have to worry about having meat to feed it." Da Jiang was also hoping for more than two. Zhang San had promised that if his Evolution Cat had two kittens, No.1 Territory would get one. If there was only one, their team leader would demand *him* to produce one, and Da Jiang definitely hadn’t evolved that ability.

After a bit more small talk, it was time for Xiaqing and Chen Zheng to patrol the rainproof shelters again.

They had divided the labor: Chen Zheng would patrol the wheat, mung bean, and cotton shelters, while Xiaqing handled the vegetable shelters. Once they finished, they returned to the small hut. Chen Zheng reported his findings to Xiaqing, "There are only eight instances of Qiang Evolution in the two shelters east of the road, but twenty in the three shelters to the west."

The "road" Chen Zheng referred to was the path Xiaqing had built from her house to the vegetable shelters on the slope. The mung beans and cotton in the shelters east of the road had been grown from seeds Xiaqing soaked in spring water. The ones in the western shelters were from seeds soaked in filtered water. The wheat was a mix of both methods, but all of it was planted in the shelters to the west of the road.

Hu Zifeng’s team didn’t know that the Third Territory had Pollution-free Spring Water. In fact, besides Hu Zifeng himself, none of them even knew Luo Pei was being treated in the basement here.

They had come on a mission personally assigned by their captain, knowing only that Xiaqing had helped Luo Pei and was, therefore, a benefactor to their Green Dragon Team.

So, the reason Xiaqing gave was simple. "The soil quality and drainage in the eastern fields are probably better than the western ones, so the crops are less affected by the Harmful Rain."

Chen Zheng nodded. That made perfect sense.

By four in the morning, the Harmful Rain had been falling on and off for forty-two hours. According to the forecast, it was supposed to end in another six.

Just as everyone thought they could see the light at the end of the tunnel, a wave of irritability washed over them, one after another. Sheep Leader began to paw at the ground.

Without a word, they all knew: the red-level Harmful Rain was coming.

Before Xiaqing could give the order, Chen Zheng was on his feet. "Da Jiang, Ah Cheng, shrink the patrol perimeter! Just guard the area around the rainproof shelters. Don’t let any rodents or toxic Evolved Insects get near them. Sister Qing and I will handle the interiors. Keep the walkie-talkies open and report anything immediately."

Xiaqing picked up her Protective Mask and added, "If you run into any danger you can’t handle, your first priority is to protect yourself. Report it after you’re safe. We can always plant more crops, but people are irreplaceable."

Facing the unknown risks of the red-level Harmful Rain, Xiaqing’s words eased the minds of the three members of Hu Zifeng’s team considerably.

"Understood."

"Don’t worry, Sister Qing."

"If we can’t handle it, we’ll call for backup. We have to keep ourselves safe, but we have to save the fields, too."

"That’s right. We also have the Danger Investigation Team on standby." Xiaqing ruffled the fur on Sheep Leader’s head. She knew without asking that it would insist on coming with her. After fitting a Protective Mask on Sheep Leader, the two of them—one human, one sheep—hurried toward the shelters for the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and squash.

The moment she entered the shelter, raindrops began hammering against the rainproof cloth with a deafening PATTER-PATTER-PATTER. The sound was intensely irritating.

Wearing her Protective Mask, Xiaqing took a deep breath and began her patrol, guided by the bright beam of her headlamp.

After clearing out a Qiang-mutated Green Light sweet potato, two flowering Yellow Light Potato plants that had undergone Qiang Evolution, and using a wooden stick to pry out a Qiang Evolved gourd vine, Xiaqing led Sheep Leader toward the main cultivation area.

After half an hour of the red-level Harmful Rain, the vegetables in the cultivation area remained stable, with the exception of some newly planted sweet potato cuttings. This put Xiaqing’s mind at ease.

After a full patrol, Xiaqing let Sheep Leader drink some spring water before leading it back down the slope. She swatted two Evolved Leeches that leaped out of the water to attack them. Then, instead of returning to the hut, the pair went straight back to the shelter with the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and squash.

The rain falling now was the most dangerous kind: red-level Harmful Rain. Of the three vegetable shelters, this one was the most susceptible to Qiang Evolution.

She had only taken a few steps inside when she spotted a potato plant that had shot up to twice its normal height. Its leaves and stem had turned a purplish-red, and it was swaying like seaweed in an invisible current.

’You’re a goddamn potato plant! Instead of quietly flowering and growing some potatoes, you had to go and get animal traits from a Qiang Evolution!’

Xiaqing grabbed a shovel and was about to charge, but Sheep Leader blocked her way.

"BAA!!!"

Sheep Leader’s cry was loud and stern.

Xiaqing nodded. "I know this plant is dangerous. I’ll be careful..."

WHIP! Before Xiaqing could finish speaking, the dancing potato vine suddenly sped up, lashing out and sending a normal plant next to it flying.

"You son of a bitch!"

Enraged, Xiaqing charged, shovel raised. But the dancing potato vine’s tendrils were incredibly tough and strong. It snapped the shovel’s wooden handle with a single strike, and the whip-like vine caught Xiaqing as well.

The vine’s Strength was so great that Xiaqing felt a sharp sting of pain even through her Protective Suit.

The pain forced Xiaqing to calm down. She reached out to grab the dancing vine, which had just snapped another normal potato plant, but Sheep Leader suddenly nudged her from behind.

WHIP!

A tendril from the dancing vine lashed out viciously at the spot where Xiaqing had just been standing. Having shoved her out of the way, Sheep Leader didn’t have time to dodge. The blow caught its tail, and it let out a pained cry, trampling a normal potato plant in its distress.

"BAAA—" A furious bellow erupted from Sheep Leader. It was ready to take on the potato vine that had struck it.

"Leader!" Xiaqing grabbed Sheep Leader to hold it back. Just then, a second dancing potato vine lashed her viciously across the back. Xiaqing cried out in pain, her own anger flaring.

’Damn it, I’ll take you all on!’

Fuming, Xiaqing held onto the struggling Sheep Leader. But before she could attack, a third dancing potato vine sprouted up behind her.

WHIP!

"Hss—"

Xiaqing took another blow, hissing as she drew a sharp breath against the pain.

"Baa..."

Realizing it was no match for these powerful plants, Sheep Leader let out a terrified bleat, turned tail, and bolted for the exit.

Sheep Leader retreated, but Xiaqing charged forward. These three crazed things were still growing as they danced, and their tendrils would instantly attack anything they touched with terrifying speed.

If she left them alone, the entire shelter would be destroyed.

Xiaqing pressed the button on her walkie-talkie. "Hostile, aggressive, Qiang-mutated plants in the vegetable shelter south of the reservoir! I need immediate backup!"

Replies came crackling through her earpiece almost instantly:

"Number Two, on my way."

"Number Three, there in one minute."

"Number Four, one and a half minutes out."

After calling for backup, Xiaqing blocked a tendril that was lashing toward the arched frame of the rainproof shelter. She drew her Handgun and fired a rapid volley—BANG! BANG! BANG! After severing one of the Qiang-mutated vines, she immediately turned to the other two, only to see a fourth purplish-red dancing potato vine shoot up from the ground!

"BAA, BAA!!!"

Sheep Leader, who had fled, saw that Xiaqing was now surrounded by the potato vines with no way out. It pawed the ground a few times and charged back in. "Baa!"

WHIP!

Sheep Leader took a lash from a dancing vine but finally reached Xiaqing’s side. It nudged her hard with its head, urging her to escape with it.