Even before the rain began to fall, it brought a wave of irritability over her. Xia Qing didn’t even need to run a test to know that the Qiang element content of this rain was severely over the limit.
Just to be safe, she put on the new protective mask she had recently traded for. Although it couldn’t filter out the Qiang elements in the air, it could filter out over ninety-nine percent of toxic gases, preventing humans from being poisoned to death by the toxins emitted by creatures that suddenly mutated or went berserk in the Qiang Rain.
This was where one of the safe zone’s greatest advantages lay. Because the safe zone had undergone repeated, thorough clearances, residents didn’t have to worry about large-scale attacks from toxic gases or venomous insects during Qiang Rains. Aside from the patrol guards on the perimeter, no one else needed to wear a protective mask.
However, if the Qiang Rain reached the highest level, a different kind of fatal danger would emerge within the safe zone: the excessive Qiang elements would cause people with low resistance to lose emotional control. If a red-level Qiang Rain lasted for over an hour, those with low resistance could end up injured or dead from brawls or self-harm if they didn’t take soothing capsules in time. Moreover, plenty of people would use the Qiang Rain as an excuse to play mad, going on violent rampages of vandalism and looting.
In the summer of the eighth year of the natural disaster, a sudden red-level Qiang Rain poured down for an hour and a half. At that time, Hui San Base still had a population of 2.2 million, and over eight hundred people died in the resulting brawls and self-harm.
During that very rainstorm, Xia Qing had killed two men who tried to take advantage of her.
The memory brought back a wave of irritability. Taking a few deep breaths to steady her emotions, she collected a small sample of rainwater to test. Sure enough, the Qiang element content had reached the highest danger level: Red.
Right now, the base was bound to be on high alert, with everyone living in fear.
Fortunately, out here in her territory, she didn’t have to worry about anyone plotting against her. Her only concern was defending against any suddenly mutated creatures.
Holding her umbrella, Xia Qing went to check on Boss Yang and found him lying comfortably on the dry grass; the Qiang Rain didn’t seem to affect him much. Boss Yang’s evolution level was no lower than her own, so his resistance to the Qiang elements was bound to be strong. Otherwise, there was no way he could have survived in the treacherous evolution forest for so long.
Relieved, Xia Qing returned to her house, shut the door tight, and resumed making her bamboo chair. Although she was a high-level evolved human with formidable resistance who wouldn’t lose control under the influence of the rain, keeping her hands busy helped ease her mind.
Time ticked by. An hour and a half later, the sky had turned pitch-black, though her chair was still unfinished. A red-level Qiang Rain lasting this long would have undoubtedly turned the safe zone into a living hell by now.
Xia Qing tossed a ruined stool leg into the fireplace. Remembering the person who had texted her earlier, she pulled out her phone, but there were no new messages. She then put on her night vision goggles to scan the courtyard.
To her shock, the courtyard she had cleared so meticulously was now covered in a dense carpet of tiny green shoots! Plants that grew at such an explosive rate during a Qiang Rain were guaranteed to have off-the-charts Qiang element levels, and they might even mutate into something unpredictably dangerous. In three days, there was no telling what kind of nightmare her yard would turn into.
Cursing under her breath, Xia Qing threw on her protective suit, donned her mask, and went out to check on Boss Yang.
The moment she pushed open the door, the sound of heavy, ragged panting and the frenzied scraping of hooves echoed from the sheep pen.
Was he losing control?
Xia Qing dashed back inside to grab a blister pack of soothing capsules. By the time she ran back out, Boss Yang was already standing out on the grass, letting the rain drench him. His usually half-closed eyes were stretched wide, his rectangular pupils glinting with a faint, ominous red in the firelight.
Xia Qing kept her voice as steady and calm as possible, trying to soothe him. “Boss Yang, calm down. It’s time to take your medicine…”
“Moo!”
Before she could finish, Boss Yang let out a wild bellow and charged straight at her. A headbutt from him at this speed could easily punch a hole through a concrete wall. Xia Qing couldn’t afford to dodge, so she steeled herself and lunged forward to intercept him.
*Thud!*
Human and sheep collided, sending mud and rainwater splashing in all directions. Xia Qing wrapped her arms around Boss Yang’s neck, trying to use his momentum to trip him, but the berserk sheep’s strength had easily doubled. With a violent toss of his head, he threw Xia Qing off, sending her crashing onto the newly sprouted grass.
Seeing Boss Yang charge again, Xia Qing rolled out of the way, only to realize he wasn’t targeting her. He slammed right through the newly built courtyard wall, bursting out of the yard and smashing into everything in sight.
If she let him keep going, even if he didn’t hurt himself, every wall in the village would be reduced to rubble.
Xia Qing dashed back inside for a thick rope, then rushed out and bound the thrashing sheep like a pretzel. Taking advantage of a moment when he opened his mouth to bellow and struggle, she shoved a soothing capsule down his throat and washed it down with half a flask of spring water.
Soothing capsules were a specialized medication designed to counter emotional instability caused by Qiang elements. Acting as a powerful sedative, they quickly induced drowsiness and muscle weakness, helping to alleviate intense anxiety and aggression. However, improper use or an overdose could lead to severe side effects, poisoning, and addiction. Xia Qing wouldn’t have used them on Boss Yang unless she had absolutely no other choice.
Five minutes later, Boss Yang went completely limp, collapsing onto the muddy ground. Xia Qing hoisted him onto her shoulders and carried him back to the shelter of her front porch. As she untied the ropes, she muttered, “I really don’t know how you survived all those Qiang Rains before you met me. The houses and courtyard walls on that catalpa hillside were smashed to pieces—was that all your doing when you went wild?”
Boss Yang kept his eyes shut, completely unresponsive.
Xia Qing thoroughly checked him over. Confirming that none of his bones were broken, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She brought over a bucket of purified water to rinse the mud off her protective suit, then set a massive pot of water to boil.
Boss Yang, whose fur was already so dirty you could barely tell its original color, was now a complete ball of mud. Since he couldn’t move anyway, Xia Qing decided this was the perfect opportunity to give him a thorough bath.
What Xia Qing failed to notice was that the sheep on the ground had already cracked his eyes open a sliver, his gaze tracking her every move.
After preparing a large aluminum tub with warm water, disinfectant, and parasite-killing agent, Xia Qing lifted the limp Boss Yang into the bathroom and gently lowered him into the tub.
The moment he touched the water, Boss Yang’s eyes flew open. He opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound, his limbs twitching slightly in a very pitiful manner.
Seeing the alertness in his eyes, Xia Qing felt much more relieved. She rested his head against the rim of the tub and began scrubbing. “Don’t worry, I’m not boiling you. I’m just washing off the Qiang Rain and getting rid of some parasites while I’m at it.”
Perhaps sensing her goodwill, or perhaps simply finding the warm bath relaxing, Boss Yang’s wide, bulging eyes slowly softened back to their normal shape, and he gradually closed them.
Boss Yang wasn’t just filthy; Xia Qing ended up picking eight evolved soft ticks and two other common external parasites off him. Evolved ticks didn’t just suck blood—the neurotoxins they secreted could paralyze a host’s muscles, eventually leading to death by respiratory failure. It seemed these ticks had been feeding on Boss Yang for quite some time, weakening his body to the point where he couldn’t even withstand the Qiang Rain.
It was a stroke of luck that Boss Yang had thrown his tantrum today, or Xia Qing might never have discovered the parasites plaguing him.
It took a full four large pots of hot water before Xia Qing had Boss Yang completely clean. She carried him back into the living room and began drying his coat. “I found this bath towel in the ruins of a convenience store. I couldn’t even bring myself to use it, and now you get to reap the benefits.”
The large towel only got him half-dry, so Xia Qing popped a deworming pill into his mouth, tossed two more logs onto the fire, and left him to dry slowly by the hearth.
By the time she finished, it was already eight in the evening. The rain outside had stopped at some point. Xia Qing suited up, put on her night vision goggles, and did a quick sweep of the perimeter. Once she was sure no major threats were lurking nearby, she set up her pot to cook.
Using white flour and perilla, she whipped up a fragrant pot of perilla dough drop soup. The steaming meal chased away the cold and dampness. Sitting by the fire, stroking Boss Yang’s now soft, springy coat, Xia Qing felt a wave of contentment so profound it almost brought tears to her eyes.
Banxia Novel, bringing you more happiness.