Hearing Tang Lu's complaints, Xia Qing, who had been slightly bowing her head, curled her lips into a smile, feeling incredibly pleased. She had known the Tang family would come, but she hadn't expected it to be Tang Lu, the eldest daughter of the Tang family.
With the brainless Tang Lu here, Xia Qing felt her chances of getting her desired plot of land had increased by 30%, almost to the point of certainty. If the occasion weren't so inappropriate, she would have loved to shout, "Today is a good day!"
Seeing Tang Lu actually condescending to stand in line in front of an empty desk, the people in the hall couldn't help but have different thoughts about the task of leaving the safe zone to farm, which was considered "suicide."
Soon, the number of people queuing for plots increased from thirty to over a hundred, the long queue winding twice through the hall like a coiled worm.
Tang Lu glanced back at the people scrambling and fighting for a spot, then glared at the two soldiers who, ostensibly maintaining order, were actually there to supervise her uncle, and snorted disdainfully.
If it weren't for the military personnel swarming around her like flies, she wouldn't have needed to come here and endure this stench.
As soon as Tang Zhengrong and his men emerged from the office area, Tang Lu, whose face had been dark for over an hour, immediately straightened up and flashed a docile smile.
Dressed simply, Tang Zhengrong pretended not to see his niece and walked straight to the half-meter-high platform erected beside his desk to begin his speech.
"As all residents of the safe zone know, in the fight against natural disasters, our agricultural system has collapsed over the past ten years, and food shortages have become a major problem that urgently needs to be addressed. Thank you all for responding to the nation's call and voluntarily coming to our territory to contribute to the nation's food production. As long as we unite, we will surely overcome all disasters, defend humanity's dominance on Blue Star, and rebuild our home..."
Xia Qing raised her head, calmly looking at this seemingly gentle man who firmly held the second-in-command position at the Hui San Base.
"Residents who voluntarily claim land today will receive a special reward from the base: two months' worth of rations per person, a five-year tax exemption on their land, and a commitment from the state to provide professional assistance."
"Wow—"
As soon as Tang Zhengrong finished speaking, the hall erupted in cheers, and the queue instantly grew two more bends.
"But there are two points I must make clear to everyone," Tang Zhengrong continued, his gentle voice turning stern. "First, the land cannot be relinquished, transferred, or sold. It can only be inherited by the land user's biological children. If a lord without heirs dies, the land use rights revert to the base. Second, the base will assess the cultivation of the land annually. If the land fails to meet the standards for three years, it will be reclaimed, and the landowner will be ineligible to apply for any position or task within the Hui San Base."
After these two points were explained, the number of people scrambling to claim land instantly dwindled by more than half, and those still in line began to hesitate.
The tall man standing behind Xia Qing asked loudly, "Mayor Tang, what constitutes meeting the standard?"
Tang Zhengrong smiled, "For the first five years, an annual increase of more than two mu of edible plant cultivation within the territory qualifies as meeting the standard."
Two mu a year? Not difficult! The man breathed a sigh of relief, and Xia Qing's tense nerves relaxed a bit.
Seeing several who had left return to line up, Tang Zhengrong felt a surge of pride. He waved his hand, "The first land acquisition ceremony at Hui San Base officially begins. Everyone, gather at the entrance to the safe zone within two hours of receiving your land. The base will send a vehicle to take you there."
As soon as Tang Zhengrong finished speaking, Tang Lu, who had been waiting impatiently, whispered to the officer sitting behind the desk, "Hurry up."
The clean-faced male officer immediately picked up the land use certificate and handed it to Tang Lu with both hands. "Miss Tang, this is yours. Please keep it safe. According to regulations, the first resident to claim a land can receive two extra months' worth of rations. Please present this certificate to the desk on the right to collect your rations, supplies, and seeds."
Tang Lu snatched the certificate and turned around, glancing back at the dirty, smelly evolved human with smug satisfaction.
Xia Qing, after recognizing the words "Plot Two" on Tang Lu's land use certificate, stepped forward to the desk.
The male officer, without looking up, asked, "Identity number, name."
Xia Qing raised her voice and retorted, "According to the rules, the first three can choose their own plot of land and receive double rations, right?"
"The first three can choose their own plot of land and receive double rations? Really?" The man in third place yelled, attracting the attention of hundreds of people.
Nonsense!
The male officer frowned and looked up. Seeing the woman's cold gaze and the green badge she wore, he instinctively avoided her gaze, cold sweat beading on his forehead. If he said there was no such rule, this evolved woman would definitely seize on the fact that he had given Tang Lu extra rations and start a huge fight. If this matter reached Major General Qi, the base's top leader, he didn't know what would happen to Mayor Tang, but he knew he would definitely lose his own position.
His family of four depended entirely on this job for their livelihood.
"You..." Hearing Xia Qing's words, Tang Lu, who was receiving her rations, turned around to curse, but she was immediately silenced by a seemingly indifferent look from her uncle who passed by.
Tang Zhengrong stopped his thoughtless niece, walked to the territory's desk, quickly glanced at Xia Qing, and asked with a smile, "There is indeed such an incentive policy. Which plot of land would you like, young lady?"
Xia Qing's muddy finger firmly pointed to the territory north of the safe zone on the map, containing a narrow blue body of water.
"Here, plot number three."
Choosing plot number three right off the bat—was she from the military or the Azure Dragon Squad? Tang Zhengrong's tone remained gentle, but his meaning was clear: "Plot No. 3 is the outermost farmland cleared from our base, over a hundred kilometers from the safe zone, making travel very inconvenient."
Xia Qing pretended not to understand, then looked up and declared eloquently, "Thank you for the reminder, Mayor Tang. However, as an evolved human, I should go to the most dangerous and remote places to grow more food for the country and make greater contributions!"
Tang Zhengrong's smile froze for half a second before he formally glanced at Xia Qing's identification tag, memorizing her name. "It's very good that the young lady has this awareness. Officer Zhang, proceed with the formalities."
Officer Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly registered Xia Qing's personal information and printed the certificate for the use of Plot No. 3.
After confirming everything was correct, Xia Qing collected rations and other supplies from the nearby desk, then went straight to the east window of the hall and used the points on her identification card to redeem two high-capacity mobile phone power banks. Power had not been restored outside the safe zone, so she needed the power banks to charge her phone.
Carrying her belongings, Xia Qing walked out of the hall, weaving through the crowd staring intently at the sacks of grain in her hands. Ignoring Tang Lu's murderous glare from inside the car, and listening to the repeated announcements over the loudspeaker instructing all members of the territory to assemble outside the gate, Xia Qing went straight back to her dormitory to pack.
As soon as she entered the room, her roommate, Feng Wen, whose sense of smell had tripled, immediately put down her makeup mirror, covered her nose, rolled her eyes, and pretended to vomit.
Xia Qing ignored her, unlocked the heavy metal box under her bed, pulled out bags of luggage she had already packed, stuffed them into a large canvas bag, and then bent down to tidy the bedding on her single bed.
Feng Wen, still covering her nose, asked in surprise, "You really went to the territory? Are you stupid?"