From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 26 - 24: Shen Yue
In the afternoon, the Qin Family sisters saw the two professors working tirelessly in the fields. They seemed to be having the time of their lives, but they didn’t even have a proper place to rest.
After thinking it over, the sisters offered to build an earthen house for the professors to use as a temporary rest spot.
Wei Heng went over to help as well. His Earth Ability was unusable, so he couldn’t assist with construction, but he could certainly help tidy up the place.
Gu Xi had originally intended to go too.
But the others saw her thin limbs and pale face. She looked so frail she might be blown over by a gust of wind, so they tactfully but firmly turned down her offer.
Gu Xi didn’t insist. She stood outside watching them work for a while, then slowly returned to her room.
Lying on the bed, she casually tapped the tender leaves of the little green sprout and began her habitual review of the morning’s events.
Setting Xv Yiyisan aside for now, the arrival of the two agricultural professors had given her an idea.
That was why when Mr. Zhao gave her the upland rice seeds, she hadn’t hidden her ability. Instead, she had used her power to "Purify" them...
Although doing so was a bit risky, it was also because of Mr. Zhao’s status as an agricultural expert.
’I want to use his professional expertise to determine, in a scientifically rigorous way, what kind of effects and changes my ability can have on plants.’
It was much better than just fumbling around and making wild guesses on her own.
Gu Xi had a gut feeling that her ability wasn’t as simple as just increasing a plant’s capacity for X Energy...
That was why she had turned to the expert, Mr. Zhao.
Then there was the arrival of the Qin Family sisters. It was a bit too coincidental, but after spending the last few days with them, their attitude...
’Perhaps my initial suspicions were misguided?’
That’s why Gu Xi had revealed her ability again today; she wanted to test the waters.
Of course, after so many years of fighting and killing, now that she could finally live a peaceful life, Gu Xi also wanted to eat some good food.
So even if it was just for her own appetite, she couldn’t keep this ability of hers hidden forever.
Rather than being secretive, it was better to reveal her value at the right time.
And the appearance of Mr. Zhao and his colleague was clearly a great opportunity.
Of course, the mutant plants covering the mountains and plains also gave Gu Xi the confidence to do this.
’I’ll have to wait and see what the higher-ups’ attitude is. As for that thing Xv Yiyisan gave me before he left...’
Gu Xi took out a palm-sized black tablet of unknown material from her pocket. Engraved on it were some special symbols and over a dozen sets of numbers.
Others might not know what these symbols and numbers meant, but Gu Xi understood with a single glance.
Her fingertip slowly traced over the special symbols and numbers as Gu Xi lowered her gaze.
...
In the evening, Shen Yue returned with two large trucks full of supplies.
Besides bringing back some daily necessities and urgently needed experimental equipment for the two professors, Shen Yue also brought a large package for Gu Xi.
Seeing her surprised look, Shen Yue explained, "Miss Ye from the camp asked me to bring this to you."
"...Thank you." Gu Xi took the package and glanced at the large truck behind him.
Shen Yue leaned casually against the truck and said offhandedly, "Think it’s not much? This is just the first batch of supplies. The other materials and experimental equipment needed to build the test field will take the base a few days to gather and send over..."
"Oh, right." He seemed to glance at her nonchalantly before adding, "The camp said that since the two professors chose to set up their test field here, the nearby land will no longer be leased out..."
Gu Xi gave him a surprised look, seemingly not understanding why he was telling her this.
But Shen Yue glanced at the container home behind her and suddenly said, "Have you considered building a house? A construction team should be coming over in the next couple of days..." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Gu Xi: "A construction team?"
Shen Yue paused for a moment, then laughed. "You didn’t actually think that building a test field was as simple as just picking a plot of land, did you?"
Gu Xi fell silent. That was, in fact, exactly what she had thought.
Shen Yue found this girl interesting. In some ways, she was naive to the point of being blunt.
He gradually dropped his lazy expression and, for once, explained seriously to her, "It’s not just a matter of picking a plot of land..."
Now that plants had undergone a second mutation, their growth rate was extremely fast, and their mutation coefficient was highly unstable, capable of changing at any moment.
To save time, a lot of experimental data could only be processed nearby. Many samples even had to be collected and analyzed on-site. The slightest delay could cause the data to change dramatically.
Therefore, besides building relevant laboratories near the test field, many other tedious tasks also needed to be prepared in advance.
For example, living quarters, a medical area, a testing area... and so on.
After listening, Gu Xi was silent for a moment before asking, "...So, a lot of people will be coming here in the future?"
Shen Yue found her question a bit strange, and her focus quite peculiar.
He casually plucked a foxtail grass and stuck it in his mouth. "Not that many people. But next, a few students from the Agricultural University will be coming over from the Central Base to be the professors’ lab assistants..."
"As for the future..."
Shen Yue deliberately paused. Seeing Gu Xi look over as expected, he spat out the slightly bitter foxtail grass and said:
"It depends on the professors’ progress. The base might develop this place into an official experimental farm..."
If they were going to build an experimental farm, the nearby infrastructure would also be developed. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the pioneers in the area.
But Gu Xi was worried.
She knew that part of the reason the two professors decided to choose this place for their test field was because of the planting ability she had displayed.
The crops she had grown so far had a relatively low mutation coefficient, very close to the original coefficient of the seeds.
Mr. Zhao and the others naturally assumed that she had some special talent for planting that could lower and stabilize the mutation coefficient of crops.
But in reality, Gu Xi knew her own situation best. Although her ability could purify plant seeds, it also increased the plants’ capacity for X Energy.
In that sense, her ability not only couldn’t stabilize the mutation coefficient of crops, but would actually increase it.
But she couldn’t be the one to tell Mr. Zhao this.
At least, not now.
But not saying anything wasn’t an option either.
From what Shen Yue said, building a test field required a lot of manpower, materials, and financial resources. What’s more, the base was also planning to build an experimental farm here.
That would require even more resources.
But their country had just experienced the worst of the apocalypse. It was now in a state of ruin, with everything waiting to be rebuilt.
They were not only racing against time, but they were also very poor.
’We really can’t afford such a waste!’
Shen Yue found this girl truly interesting. She was here, worrying with a straight face, over something others could only dream of.
’Is it because there will be too many people in the future, exposing her secret? But if she didn’t want to expose her secret, why did she stay at the camp in the first place, instead of continuing as a lone wanderer?’
Shen Yue increasingly felt that there were many strange things about this girl.
Sometimes she was naive and direct, other times she seemed deep and calculating. And she had a streak of passion and ferocity!
Beneath a simple and crude exterior, she hid a calm and powerful heart.
’Even her worrying so seriously right in front of me is very likely an act put on for my benefit...’
After a moment’s thought, he said, "The reason the two professors decided to set up the test field here is because the environment—the soil, climate, and so on—is indeed very suitable for the growth of mutant upland rice..."
Of course, there was another, more important reason why the base had agreed to this, one he hadn’t told Gu Xi—a malignant transformation of mutant plants had just occurred nearby.
Previous research indicated that before a malignant transformation, a mutant plant would plunder and absorb large amounts of X Energy from the surrounding mutant plants.
In other words, the amount of X Energy within the wild mutant plants in the surrounding area was now relatively low.
This would clearly affect the future growth rate and reproductive expansion of the surrounding wild mutant plants.
And this was undoubtedly beneficial for the growth of crops with a relatively lower mutation coefficient.
"So, you’re just a young lady. Don’t overthink it, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and don’t try to carry everything on your own shoulders..." Shen Yue leaned lazily against the truck as if he had no bones, tutting softly.
Hearing someone tell her for the first time that she didn’t have to carry everything on her shoulders, Gu Xi was slightly taken aback.
’That’s right. I’ve already taken off the mask. I’m no longer the Blood-colored Asura, and I don’t have to shoulder the future of all humanity anymore...’
It was quiet all around. A breeze gently swept by, carrying the unique energy fluctuations of the mutant plants.
Gu Xi snapped back to reality and instinctively looked up at Shen Yue.
The man’s eyelids were thin, the corners of his long, narrow eyes tilting up slightly. His lazy demeanor held a hint of something inscrutable.
The moment Gu Xi looked over, he also turned his head to look at her.
He asked lazily, "Got anything to eat? I’ve been running back and forth for half the day, I’m starving. Uh, I’m not picky. How about those sweet potatoes from this morning? Just make me another pot..."
Gu Xi: "..."
