Chapter 8: 8. Chapter 8: Danger Assessment

Chapter 8: Hazard Inspection

“Captain Zhong, don’t shoot! It’s me, Zhao Ze from Plot 4.”

The tall Zhao Ze came running over, panting as he leaned against the vehicle. “Captain Zhong, one of our people was bitten by a venomous snake. Do you have any antivenom?”

“I do. Where is the person?” Zhong Tao exchanged a brief nod with Xia Qing and immediately left with Zheng Kui and Zhao Ze to save the victim.

Plot 4 is located to the east of Plot 3 and also contains a large buffer forest. With the arrival of spring and all things coming back to life, it wasn’t strange for snakes to emerge. If the one that bit the person was venomous, it would be trouble.

Around 3:00 PM, Xia Qing received a text message from Zhong Tao

*An evolved venomous snake killed someone in Plot 4. The base has decided to conduct another sweep of the buffer forests. Captain Tan Junjie is in charge of Plots 1-10. Don’t worry, he’s one of our own.*

In these years of natural disasters, people died every day from attacks by evolved creatures. What Xia Qing was more concerned about was the buffer forest inspection scheduled for tomorrow.

She had to find a way to keep the spring hidden and catch that sheep before the inspection team arrived. Once the sheep ran outside her territory and was caught, it would no longer be her concern.

When she arrived at the mountain, Xia Qing found that the stones blocking the cave entrance hadn’t been moved, and there were no new hoofprints on the ground. After placing her bucket inside to collect water, she didn’t wait by the cave for the sheep but instead followed the hoofprints to track its movements.

Xia Qing discovered that the sheep had left her buffer forest, crossed the isolation belt, and entered the evolved forest.

The danger index of an uncleared evolved forest was high. She definitely wouldn’t be able to catch the sheep today; she would have to try again tomorrow morning.

Early the next morning, before Xia Qing could intercept the sheep on the mountain, she received a call from Tan Junjie.

The hazard inspection team had already begun their operation and was expected to reach Plot 3 by 10:00 AM. He asked if she had discovered any evolved venomous snakes or other dangerous creatures within her territory.

Xia Qing replied, “There were three evolved venomous snakes, but I’ve already killed them. No other dangers have been found so far.”

After hanging up, Xia Qing killed two more snakes but still couldn’t find the sheep. She had no choice but to block the cave entrance properly, then head to the isolation belt outside the western buffer forest with her machete and slingshot to wait for the inspection team.

Before the team arrived, Xia Qing heard an argument coming from the direction of Plot 2. She listened intently. It turned out that the people at Plot 2 had heard about the fatal snake bite and were demanding that the inspection team sweep Plot 2 as well. However, the team explained that their mission today was to patrol the isolation belts and buffer forests, not the cultivated areas.

The people from Plot 2 were dissatisfied and were making a huge scene.

This stretch of mountain forest lay in a reclining S-shape. Plot 1 was on the south side of the U-bend of the rolling hills; like Plot 3, its territory included both cultivated land and a buffer forest. Plot 2 was to the east of Plot 1, and its territory consisted entirely of farmland.

Plots 3, 4, and 5 were on the south side of the n-bend, and their territories contained both buffer forests and farmland.

Therefore, relatively speaking, Plot 2 was safer than Plots 1, 3, 4, and 5. This was the reason why the person who had sent Xia Qing those two text messages had recommended Plot 2.

The lord of Plot 2 was Tang Lu. Naturally, she wouldn’t come to farm the land herself; the ones arguing with the inspection team were people sent by the Tang family. The Tang family was used to being arrogant in the Hui III Base and certainly didn’t hold a small inspection team in high regard.

Xia Qing listened quietly, wanting to see how this Captain Tan would handle it.

“I am currently executing a mission. If you don’t move aside, you will be treated as obstructing the law!” Hearing Tan Junjie’s firm, booming voice and the sound of a bullet being chambered, the corners of Xia Qing’s mouth curled up.

Tan Junjie was a man of principle who followed orders strictly, which was a good thing for her.

Seeing seven officers in camouflage protective gear appear in the distance, wearing green badges on their chests, Xia Qing felt even better.

An inspection team composed of seven evolved humans—that was formidable!

“Captain, look, there’s a chick standing up ahead wearing a green badge. She must be Xia Qing from Plot 3. Level 4 strength evolution, twenty-five years old, single!”

“Shut up!” Tan Junjie growled. “Everyone, act professional.”

“Yes!” the six team members replied in unison.

At this distance, whispering couldn’t be heard by anyone who wasn’t an auditory-type evolved human, so Xia Qing stood still, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.

Tan Junjie led his team to Xia Qing, removed his protective mask, and saluted her. “Captain of the 6th Hazard Inspection Squad, Tan Junjie.”

After checking his credentials, Xia Qing volunteered, “Captain Tan, I’m Xia Qing from Plot 3, a Level 4 strength-type evolved human. I’ve carried out six missions to clear evolved forests before leaving the safe zone. I request to join you in patrolling the Plot 3 buffer forest and isolation belt.”

The mission to clear evolved forests had been posted for three months, with each deployment lasting ten days. The fact that Xia Qing had survived sixty days of missions in good health meant that even though she was only a low-level strength-type evolved human responsible for transport and extermination, she was quite capable of handling danger. Furthermore, since she was asking to accompany them in patrolling her own territory, Tan Junjie had no reason to refuse. “Stay behind me.”

“Yes.” As they walked, Xia Qing introduced the situation in her territory’s buffer forest. “I’ve checked the north slope twice and killed five snakes. I haven’t found any other dangers. I haven’t had a chance to check the slope on the west side yet.”

Xia Qing was the most capable of the fifty lords in the North District, but also the one most likely to encounter danger. This was because the more capable a person was, the more confident they were, leading them to actively explore their environment and increasing the likelihood of encountering dangerous situations.

Tan Junjie reminded her to be careful. “Temperatures have started to rise recently, and hibernating animals are waking up one after another to forage. Try to stay within your cultivated area. If you get bitten by a snake, call me or Zhong Tao immediately, and we will arrange for antivenom to be sent right away.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you, Captain Tan.” Xia Qing accepted the advice honestly and took her protective mask out of her basket to put it on. Although she felt it wasn’t strictly necessary, the inspection team was wearing them, so she didn’t want to stand out.

After entering the buffer forest, one of the team members behind Tan Junjie exclaimed, pointing down the slope at Xia Qing. “Miss Xia, that large plot of land by the reservoir—did you till all of that by yourself?”

Xia Qing could tell this was the one who had called her a “chick” earlier. “Just call me Xia Qing. I’m a strength-type evolved human; I don’t have any other skills besides being strong, so I’m only good at this kind of manual labor.”

The team member introduced himself. “Sister Xia Qing, my name is Su Ming, Level 3 vision-type evolution. Your land is tilled so well—did you farm before the natural disasters?”

Xia Qing shook her head. “My family lived in the suburbs, and we only had a small vegetable garden; I wouldn’t call that farming. But I’ve often worked in the safe zone’s planting areas over the years, so I learned it there.”

“Movement at the nine o’clock position, forty-five meters out. It should be a snake or a lizard,” the auditory-type evolved human in the squad spoke up, alerting everyone.

Tan Junjie immediately ordered, “All units on alert. Xia Qing, stand behind me. Three, Four, Five, go check it out.”

Xia Qing took another step behind Tan Junjie, watching as Su Ming and two others searched the nine o’clock direction. After a few rustling sounds, the three of them quickly returned carrying a patterned snake over a meter long.

Su Ming grinned and handed the snake to Xia Qing. “Sister Xia Qing, it’s just a common snake.”

Just as Xia Qing shook her head, she heard Tan Junjie state the regulation: “All resources within a territory belong to the lord.”

Xia Qing didn’t decline again and stuffed the snake into her basket.

By the time the inspection team finished searching the western buffer forest, they had caught six snakes and two arm-length evolved venomous centipedes. Looking at the evolved centipedes, Xia Qing’s scalp went numb.

After walking into the northern buffer forest, which Xia Qing had already checked twice, the inspection team found no dangerous creatures. They bid Xia Qing farewell and prepared to enter Plot 4.

Xia Qing held her basket and asked Tan Junjie, “Captain Tan, can I trade this meat with you for some seeds?”