Chapter 23: 23. Chapter 23: Solar Energy

Chapter 23: Solar Power

The next day, as the sun rose and temperatures climbed, Xia Qing mixed the soaked seeds with insect repellent powder. She planted them according to the depth, row spacing, and plant spacing mentioned in the broadcast, then sprayed them with a mixture of evolved camphor leaf juice.

After spraying, Xia Qing noticed that it wasn't just the birds refusing to come down because they disliked the smell of the evolved camphor leaves; even Boss Sheep had run off.

Now, she didn't have to worry about Boss Sheep ruining the seedlings.

Since the cotton and mung beans were planted in spots, the row and plant spacing were wide; thus, the two cotton plots each covered one mu, and the mung bean plots each covered half a mu. The wheat was sown in rows, and six jin of seeds could only fill two fen of land, so Xia Qing simply planted it all on the thirty-mu side.

After planting, more than ninety percent of the plowed land remained empty, but there was no rush.

The potatoes hadn't sprouted yet and couldn't be planted for the time being. For the other four types of vegetable seeds—pumpkin, cucumber, tomato, and eggplant—Xia Qing chose to raise the seedlings in her home garden before transplanting them.

In addition to the vegetable seedlings, she also had six sweet potato slips.

Besides the sweet potato slips, she could also explore the new territory on the higher slope, 1,500 mu in size, located north of the mountain spring, to search for edible plants that could be transplanted.

Longing for the good days when she could stir-fry three dishes for a single meal, Xia Qing ate an extra bowl of lunch.

In the afternoon, just as she was preparing to go explore the new territory with Boss Sheep, she received a call from Captain Tan. Xia Qing thought it was about the sweet potato slips being ready to plant, but she didn't expect even greater news.

The base had decided to install solar panels on territories that had buffer forests on their edges! Her territory was on the outermost edge and had a buffer forest, so it met the requirements!

Xia Qing jumped up in excitement. "When will it be our turn, Plot No. 3? In an hour? Yes, of course! Do you need me to help carry the solar panels? Okay!"

After hanging up, Xia Qing rubbed Boss Sheep's head. "Boss, we're going to have electricity. Electricity, electricity!"

Boss Sheep shook its head in disdain, while Xia Qing spun around in excitement.

The person coming to install solar panels in Plot No. 3 was Hu Zi, an evolutionist with enhanced strength. Without Xia Qing's help, he easily carried the large crates into the village and quickly installed two solar panels on the sloped roof of Xia Qing's house. He then told her how to protect them: "Even though this equipment was produced before the Cataclysm, it's guaranteed to work. Sister Xia Qing, don't forget to rinse the solar panels regularly, and it's best to cover them during toxic rain, hail, or snow. Also, a very important point: you must protect the wires. Don't let insects bite through them."

After the Cataclysm, many insects on Blue Star had evolved powerful biting capabilities; some had even evolved into rodent-like creatures with a habit of gnawing. Wires and network cables were their favorite things to bite.

The original rodents, such as rats and squirrels, had evolved terrifying gnawing abilities. This was also why, even ten years after the apocalypse, regular communication and power grids had not yet been restored between the various human bases.

It wasn't that it was impossible, but the cost of construction and maintenance was too high. Compared to that, with the drastic reduction in the human population after the Cataclysm, there were many more important things to do.

Xia Qing hurriedly asked, "Can I sheath the wires in steel pipes?"

Hu Zi nodded. "It would certainly be better if you could sheath and protect them. Do you have steel pipes, Sister Qing?"

"I do, and I have the tools too. Once the power is on, I can get it done." Xia Qing had accumulated quite a few tools over the past few years; she had both an electric welding gun and welding rods.

Unexpectedly, the usually silent Hu Zi was quite enthusiastic. "Two panels can only generate a maximum of five kilowatt-hours a day. I brought an oxy-acetylene torch. Bring the steel pipes up, and I'll weld them for you before I head to Plot No. 1."

Xia Qing didn't stand on ceremony. She brought out the steel pipes, sleeved the wires, and welded them firmly, providing tight protection for the outdoor wiring of the solar equipment. Steel pipes of this thickness could defend against evolved insects; she just had to be careful to guard against evolved rats and squirrels.

After Hu Zi finished adjusting the power generation equipment and the storage battery, he reminded Xia Qing again, "Sister Qing, when you use lights or flashlights at night, make sure to close the doors and windows tightly so you don't attract moths or anything like that."

Almost all insects are attracted to light; it would be trouble if they attracted dangerous evolved insects.

Xia Qing had always been very careful about this. At night, when she lit a fire in the living room, she would use thick wooden boards to block the windows to prevent light from leaking out.

As she saw Hu Zi out of the territory, Xia Qing asked why the base had agreed to install solar equipment for the territories. Solar power was a highly sought-after and scarce commodity in the safe zones.

Hu Zi sighed. "There are a total of thirty territories on the outer edge of our safe zone that have buffer forests. After the toxic rain, thirteen territories were attacked by evolved plants and animals. So far, fifty-six people have died and eight have been seriously injured."

Since medical supplies were insufficient after the Cataclysm, the time from serious injury to death was only a few days. Xia Qing had thought there would be casualties after the toxic rain, but she hadn't expected it to be this severe.

"Because Sister Qing contacted the inspection team in time to clear the dangers, Plot No. 3 is the only peripheral territory where high-risk evolved attacks occurred without any casualties. Therefore, the General overrode the objections and ordered the installation of solar panels and walkie-talkies for the peripheral territories to ensure that if danger occurs, the lords can immediately contact rescue."

After saying this, Hu Zi explained why he didn't give her a walkie-talkie. "The number of walkie-talkies is limited. Since you already have a satellite phone, Sister, we didn't equip you with one, but instead gave you ten safe sweet potato slips."

Xia Qing beamed with joy. "Tell Captain Tan thank you for me, Hu Zi."

Hearing Xia Qing's laughter, Hu Zi, who was carrying a stack of solar panels, turned bright red in his face and neck. Fortunately, his protective mask hid it.

Xia Qing continued to ask, "Are the walkie-talkies on frequency mode or channel mode? I have a professional walkie-talkie on frequency mode with a ten-kilometer range."

Hu Zi cleared his throat. "It's frequency mode. Use frequency 438500 to contact patrol and security personnel. For communication between lords, you can use 439500. Sister Xia Qing, you can use the walkie-talkie to contact the lords of nearby territories, but you must be careful. You are alone; you can't afford to let your guard down."

Xia Qing noted the frequency. "I understand. I won't let anything happen to myself."

Once outside the safe zone, the vigilance between people became even heavier. Although Xia Qing was adjacent to Plots No. 1, 2, and 4, everyone tacitly maintained their distance and did not disturb one another.

Fearing he might scare Xia Qing, Hu Zi spoke about the situation in the surrounding territories. "Aside from the people in Plot No. 2 being a bit overbearing, the others don't seem too dangerous for now. If you feel bored, Sister, you can open the channel and chat with them about how to farm."

Xia Qing had stayed in the noisy safe zones for many years and now particularly enjoyed the peace and quiet. However, it was also very necessary to use the walkie-talkie to contact surrounding territories to find out what seeds they had received and what edible organisms they had discovered in their territories.

It would be even better if she could trade for things she didn't have.

Hu Zi continued, "Plots No. 4 and 5 were quite lucky; no large evolved creatures appeared. Plot No. 1 had an evolved highly toxic caterpillar, and the territory is already empty. Plot No. 6 had three people injured. Sister Xia Qing, you should head back soon; I can make it back on my own."

This was the downside of not having news; Xia Qing didn't even know that Plot No. 1 was already uninhabited. "Then, what will happen to Plot No. 1?"

(End of Chapter)