By the time the four of them had finished eating two chickens, a watermelon, and over twenty eggs, the fire they had extinguished had cooled completely. The silver frost and cold moon had set, and the sky in the distance was pale as the morning light slowly emerged.
“It’s time to head back,” Zhao Linong said, standing up first. “We’ve got a bus to catch today.”
Trains to various bases would be running throughout the day.
He Yuesheng yawned and stretched. “See you in fourteen days.”
“I’ve already packed,” Tong Tong said, rubbing her full stomach. It was the first time she’d eaten so many eggs—six in total.
Wei Li didn’t say much. She was engrossed in her phone, eager to show off in her friend circle.
Her post read: Mouldy Gas Tank: [Eating melons and roasted chickens in the field at midnight—thrilling! Picture.jpg X9]
The nine photos captured their midnight escapade—killing and plucking chickens in the tool room, roasting them over a fire, and picking melons in the field.
After posting, Wei Li felt completely satisfied, as if she could enjoy another night of excitement.
The four of them took the bus back to the city and went their separate ways.
Wei Li happily returned to the dormitory and ran into Yan Jingshui, who was pulling a suitcase from the opposite room. After hesitating for a moment, she remembered what her second uncle had said and decided to greet her.
“Hey!” Wei Li called out and, without much context, pulled up her communication code. “Xiaomei Yan, add me as a friend.”
Yan Jingshui’s gaze drifted down, landing on the yellow mud caked on Wei Li’s shoes. Had she gone to the fields to work in the middle of the night? Her initial prejudice against Wei Li was reduced.
Considering this, Yan Jingshui turned on her device, added Wei Li as a friend, and asked, “Aren’t you heading back to the Central Base?”
“Yes, I’m leaving later,” Wei Li said, planning to return to the dorm to get her luggage.
Putting aside her earlier judgments, Yan Jingshui decided to make the first move. “We’re probably on the same train. I’ll wait for you.”
Wei Li was surprised. She hadn’t expected Yan Jingshui to reach out so soon. It seemed her second uncle had underestimated her charm.
“Great!” Wei Li said. “I’ll pack my things quickly and be right back.”
As soon as Wei Li left, Yan Jingshui casually scrolled through her social feed. The first thing she saw was Wei Li’s post, proudly showcasing their midnight watermelon-picking and chicken-roasting adventure, with Zhao Linong and the others in the background.
The timestamp read five in the morning. The group hadn’t gone to the fields for any legitimate work but for some late-night fun.
It was only now that Yan Jingshui noticed the faint scent of roasted chicken lingering in the dormitory hallway: “…”
Ha.
Her initial impression of Wei Li hadn’t been wrong. She was someone who shirked responsibilities, had no ambition, and was fixated on trivial things. If there had been an emergency related to the crops or livestock during their night in the field, it could have been excusable. But these people had risked safety purely for the thrill of sneaking out at night. If something had gone wrong…
Yan Jingshui felt a wave of disdain.
She frowned at the photo of Zhao Linong holding a watermelon. The sign posted in the field with Zhao’s name on it was visible. The watermelon looked ripe and good from the pictures, with bright red flesh and plump seeds—a well-grown fruit.
Was this really how Zhao Linong and Wei Li interacted?
Zhao Linong seemed talented, yet here she was, hanging out with Wei Li, someone who wasn’t striving to improve herself.
The more Yan Jingshui thought about it, the darker her mood became. In the end, she decided not to wait for Wei Li and left with her suitcase.
When Wei Li finally came out, there was no one in sight.
She searched for a while but still didn’t see anyone, so she sent a message to Yan Jingshui.
Moudly Gas Tank: [I’ve been looking for you. Where are you?]
Yan Nuli: [I had something else come up, so I left.]
Moudly Gas Tank: [You should’ve told me. I was looking for you!]
Yan Nuli: [Sorry. I’ll make sure not to wait next time.]
Moudly Gas Tank: [???]
After that, Yan Jingshui didn’t reply. Furious, Wei Li blocked her.
“The task my second uncle gave me is way too difficult,” she muttered. “I can’t do it!”
In just one day, the Ninth Agricultural Base lost two-thirds of its staff, leaving behind mostly Class C students from various majors. After Tong Tong left, Zhao Linong found herself alone in the dormitory. She sat at the table, browsing the official website’s forum.
In the days leading up to the holiday, many students posted requests for help with taking care of their crops, mostly for tasks like regular weeding. As for watering, many had purchased timed irrigation devices like Tong Tong had, and some even set up monitoring systems at the edge of their fields, allowing them to check on their crops remotely.
Some professional farmers had already pulled out their crops, leaving their fields unattended and heading off for a relaxed two-month summer vacation.
While scrolling, Zhao Linong paused upon seeing an announcement:
[Notification from the base: Land available for rent in the East District, 5,500–12,000 points per semester. Contact number: 17690*76754]
She noted the number, reached out to the contact, and soon received images and details of the available plots. These lands had originally belonged to freshmen who were either eliminated from the program or injured and killed. Now that they were gone, the land was up for rent.
The plots of the eliminated students were more expensive, but the ones where mutant plants had appeared were nearly half the price. Zhao Linong had over 60,000 points, but she was reluctant to spend recklessly since the freshman benefits had expired. Starting in July, she would need to pay for her meals.
Still, she decided to spend 11,500 points to rent two adjacent plots, though they were farther from her original field. The land had been vacated by other professional classes. One of the plots had seen a D-level mutant plant appear the previous month, resulting in one death and one injury, which is why the rental price was 5,500 points for the semester. The neighboring plot, though free of mutant plants, was only 500 points more expensive due to its proximity.
During the two-month summer break, Zhao Linong planned to grow amaranth1
, a vegetable with a 30-day growth cycle, allowing for two harvests. She went to the trading market to buy vegetable seeds and planted them early the next morning. She sowed amaranth seeds in her original field, while one of the two newly rented plots was also used for amaranth. The other plot was reserved for watermelons, as Zhao had saved watermelon seeds from the ones they ate on the night of the holiday. After processing the seeds, she had stored them in the tool room for seedling cultivation, and now it was time to transplant them into the field.
Although the base discouraged agricultural students from keeping seeds privately, as it supposedly increased the likelihood of mutant plants, the recommended option was to buy seeds tested by the research institute on the central base website. However, Zhao Linong didn’t have enough points for that, and she also harbored a secret curiosity.
She was intrigued by the idea of growing mutant plants, motivated by a deep research instinct. She wanted to understand everything about them, even if it meant taking some risks.
In July, the temperature steadily remained between 37-39°C. Zhao Linong had to water the fields in the morning and evening, occasionally pulling weeds. By the time the amaranth seedlings had grown, He Yuesheng returned to the Ninth Agricultural Base and brought some tea leaves for Zhao Linong.
As soon as they met, He Yuesheng carefully pulled out a small bag of tea leaves, about the size of his palm, wrapped in a piece of paper from his backpack.
“The tea leaves are broken, but they taste the same when brewed,” He Yuesheng said, clearly cherishing the gift.
In this world, beverages like tea and coffee were considered luxury items, and even broken tea leaves weren’t particularly cheap.
“Thank you,” Zhao Linong said, accepting the bag.
“Open it and smell it,” He Yuesheng urged. He had kept this bit of tea for himself but decided to share it with her.
When Zhao Linong opened the paper-wrapped tea leaves, a light jasmine fragrance reached her nose.
“Jasmine tea,” she noted.
He Yuesheng leaned in to smell it as well and sighed contentedly. “That’s the smell. I’ve heard there’s Tieguanyin and Pu’er at the central base. I wonder what they taste like.”
Zhao Linong watched as he swallowed, clearly longing for more exotic teas. She carefully wrapped the tea leaves back up. “I’ve never tried tea before. I’ll have to give this a go.”
She turned and went back to her dormitory to boil some water.
Zhao Linong found two cups, put a small handful of broken tea leaves in each, poured the hot water, and then carried the cups outside.
“Here,” she said, handing He Yuesheng a cup of jasmine tea. “It smells nice.”
“It’s a bit astringent when you drink it. You might not be used to it at first,” He Yuesheng warned, holding the cup with both hands and bringing it close to his face. As he inhaled the fragrant steam, he closed his eyes in satisfaction and leaned lazily against the outer wall.
Zhao Linong stood beside him, holding her own cup and leaning against the wall as well.
The tea wasn’t the best—the leaves were too broken, and you would end up drinking bits of leaves with every sip. Only by sipping slowly and carefully could you avoid swallowing them. Still, Zhao Linong drank it seriously, appreciating the gesture more than the flavor.
“By the way,” He Yuesheng turned to her, “the Fifth Base is recruiting soon. Are you interested?”
The Fifth Base specialized in cultivating medicinal herbs. Due to the terrain, many areas couldn’t be mechanized for harvesting or planting, so they recruited workers from other bases each year.
“One week, and you’ll earn 50,000 points. They cover food, lodging, and even reimburse your travel costs,” He Yuesheng said, taking a big sip of the tea. It was so hot it numbed his tongue, and he exhaled sharply to cool it down.
Apart from the Ninth Agricultural Base, Zhao Linong knew little about the rest of the world. She was tempted, but…
“I’ve got vegetables in my field,” she reminded him. The amaranth wasn’t ready for harvest yet.
“How long until it’s ready?” He Yuesheng asked.
“By the end of the month,” she replied.
“Perfect timing then,” he said, relaxing. “The Fifth Base is just starting to recruit, but the actual herb-picking doesn’t begin until August 10th.”
After thinking it over, Zhao Linong nodded. “Alright, I’ll sign up.”
—
In the following days, as the amaranth continued to grow, Zhao Linong tended to her field as usual, watering and weeding. She also helped Tong Tong by taking care of her field, checking in on her vine rainbow plant, which had finally grown a small seedling. Zhao Linong sent a picture of it to Tong Tong, mentioning that she had saved some jasmine tea for her to try.
During this time, things were relatively calm at the Ninth Agricultural Base. Many fields were abandoned, overrun with weeds, and only a few had crops growing. Even if any plants mutated, it wasn’t immediately dangerous, as the patrol teams were quick to spot and address any issues.
However, accidents still occurred. By the end of July, when weeds had grown wild, several students were injured by F-level mutated weeds, unable to react fast enough.
In early August, Zhao Linong finally harvested her amaranth. She filled a sack with the vegetables and borrowed a motorcycle to take them to the market. Though amaranth could regrow after cutting, she decided to pull it all out, as she would be away for a week and didn’t want to risk anything happening while she was gone.
On the ride to the market, Zhao suddenly asked, “Has the patrol density increased?”
He Yuesheng, sitting behind her, turned to explain, “The temperature in August is too high, and this is the time when crops are most likely to mutate. All bases are on high alert now, with more patrols and an expanded range.”
Zhao Linong quickly made the connection. “So that’s why the Fifth Base is offering 50,000 points a week?”
“Exactly,” He Yuesheng confirmed. “You can earn over 7,000 points a day there. Even though the risk of mutation is higher, with more guards on duty, plenty of people are still eager to go.”
He wasn’t wrong. The risk was real, but so was the reward.
When the two of them tried to sign up last month, the network lagged. If Zhao Linong hadn’t been quick, she might not have been able to register in time.
They went to the trading market together. Amaranth was sold by the kilogram, with one kilogram priced at 800 points. Zhao Linong sold just under 7,000 points worth, which wasn’t enough to cover the rent for her two plots of land.
However, she wasn’t too concerned. One of the plots was for watermelons, and the other could be used for planting once school started. Eventually, she knew she would turn a profit.
On August 9th, the two boarded the train to the Fifth Base.
This was the second time Zhao Linong had taken a train since arriving in this world, and the experience felt completely different from her first time. The base post road remained the same—no grass grew along the railway, and barbed wire fenced off the wild mountains and forests in the distance.
After three hours, the barbed wire began to disappear, replaced by tall silver-gray walls on both sides.
Zhao Linong looked out the window and saw groups of workers pouring concrete, while five or six armored off-road vehicles were parked nearby. A helicopter hovered in the air, patrolling from above.
For a moment, she felt as if she had returned to the day she first opened her eyes in this world.
“It’ll take about three years for this wall to reach the Ninth Agricultural Base,” He Yuesheng, seated beside her, remarked. “If we’re lucky, we’ll graduate before then.”
“A wall?”
Zhao Linong realized that these high walls were probably designed to prevent mutated plants from entering the base post road. As the train continued, she gradually saw the entire wall.
The silver-gray structure towered on both sides of the road, emitting a cold, metallic aura even under the bright sun. Cameras and various devices were installed at intervals along the top of the wall.
Zhao Linong guessed that these were likely mechanisms for releasing protective liquid to eliminate any threatening plants near the wall.
Two hours later, an even taller and more imposing silver-gray wall came into view. This one didn’t surround the post road but encircled an entire city.
Beyond the massive wall, Zhao could make out rows of high-rise buildings in the distance, standing tall amidst the clouds and mist. It was a vast, bustling city.
Pressing her hands against the window, Zhao gazed at the dense, majestic skyline. For a brief moment, she was lost in thought.
If these rigid, cold walls weren’t there, the city beyond would look just like her original world—busy, peaceful, and free of the constant worry that plagued everyone here.
“Do you want to go back to the Central Base?” He Yuesheng asked suddenly, noticing how close she was to the window.
“Central Base?” Zhao Linong snapped out of her reverie. The prosperous city in the distance was the Central Base.
She quickly pulled her hands back from the window, remembering that her original identity came from the Central Base.
With a calm smile, she responded, “Yes, a little. I’ll probably return during the winter break.”
He Yuesheng glanced out at the enormous city. “We’re passing the Central Base now. If all goes well, we’ll reach the Fifth Base in about four hours.”
“That’s quite a while,” Zhao Linong commented.
“Yes, a bit long, but there’s not much we can do,” He Yuesheng shrugged. “It’d be faster by plane, but unfortunately, we’re not allowed to fly.”
Planes still existed in this world, but they were no longer for ordinary people. After all, most people spent their entire lives within the base and had no need for air travel.
