The accident site wasn’t too far from the Ninth Agricultural Base, so the rescue vehicle arrived within about 40 minutes.
During this time, Zhao Linong used the optical computer to get a rough understanding of this world. Compared to her original world, this one is full of dangers, with agricultural scientists constantly under threat. Even though their status is elevated, it comes at a great cost.
Zhao Linong didn’t worry about safety but instead focused on understanding the reasons behind the mutations in these plants.
When the rescue vehicle finally stopped, everyone was asked to disembark. Zhao Linong followed He Yuesheng, who, being overly enthusiastic, wouldn’t question her behavior too much. He was the best person to help her understand the rules of this new world.
After everyone got off the bus, the rescue vehicles left, leaving only the freshmen with their suitcases in front of the gate of the Ninth Agricultural Base.
They were greeted by a ten-meter-high silver-gray metal gate with a golden plaque that read “Ninth Agricultural Base.” Thick walls of the same height flanked the gate, with patrols visible atop them, resembling an ancient city wall. 1
Zhao Linong noticed the ground beneath her feet looked like concrete but had something else mixed in, with black round objects embedded at regular intervals.
“New students, please line up for a routine inspection and enter in order,” announced a gentler electronic female voice from the city wall, lacking the urgency of the previous train broadcast.
“After the routine inspection, dormitories will be assigned. Have you decided where you want to stay?” He Yuesheng asked.
Zhao Linong frowned. “Aren’t the dormitories assigned automatically?” The logic didn’t make sense to her.
He Yuesheng gave her a look. “Nominally, the system assigns dormitories automatically, and these don’t require points. But we can also spend points to get better places. After the routine inspection, the assignment information will pop up. If you choose ‘no,’ you can make a second choice.”
“What can I choose?” Zhao Linong inquired.
He Yuesheng leaned in closer and rolled up his sleeves, ready to explain. “There are three circles of buildings in the center of the Ninth Agricultural Base. The outermost circle is closest to the planting area and also the most dangerous. There are 12 buildings in total, each with 10 floors and 15 rooms per floor, with 2 people per room—all freshmen. The middle circle has 8 buildings for sophomores. The specifications are the same, but they aren’t fully occupied, so freshmen can pay to get a place there.”
He paused, prompting Zhao Linong to ask, “And what about the innermost circle?”
“The innermost circle has just one round building with 50 floors,” He Yuesheng pointed toward the base. “Once we get inside, you’ll be able to see it from afar. Teachers, third- and fourth-year students, and the guards live there.”
Zhao Linong quickly understood that the high-rise building in the inner circle was the safest place in the base.
“If I’m lucky, I can pay to live with seniors in the second round and might get some advice from them.” He Yuesheng looked excited. “I’m planning to pay for a dorm in the middle circle.”
The middle circle, surrounded by both senior students and the outer buildings, indeed seemed like a good choice.
As they followed the team ahead, He Yuesheng turned back to her. “New students can stay here for 1,000 points a month. It’s not too expensive.”
The line moved quickly. While they talked, more than half of the students had already gone in, and soon it was He Yuesheng’s turn.
Zhao Linong was stopped outside, watching as He Yuesheng put his suitcase on the security check belt and stood in the middle of a gate resembling those at airports. Instead of a typical body search, the frame emitted a blue light that scanned him.
Zhao Linong glanced at the light computer and quickly searched for “routine inspection.”
—a necessary step for ordinary people to enter the base, including checking for seeds or plants.
“You, come in,” a guard at the gate called to Zhao Linong.
She followed He Yuesheng’s steps, put her suitcase on the belt, and stopped in the middle of the security gate.
After the security check, she could proceed toward the silver metal gate with her suitcase.
Everyone paused briefly on the left side of the gate. When Zhao Linong approached, she noticed a screen there. Following He Yuesheng’s lead, she raised her left hand and aimed her light computer at the screen.
[Major: Agronomy]
[Do you want to choose dormitory allocation?]
[Yes or No]
Remembering what He Yuesheng had just said, Zhao Linong chose “no” without hesitation.
A red box then popped up on the screen: [Insufficient balance; please confirm!]
Zhao Linong: “?”
She suddenly had a bad feeling.
After searching for a while, she finally found her balance: 88.
The small black number felt like a huge mockery.
“How did it go?” He Yuesheng was waiting inside the gate. Seeing Zhao Linong come in, he eagerly asked, “Was I right? Not many people know this information.”
Zhao Linong nodded silently.
“2-5-515,” He Yuesheng said, sharing his room number. “Which building are you in?”
Zhao Linong raised her hand expressionlessly, revealing the room number on the screen: 3-11-111.
He Yuesheng: “Why are you still in the outermost circle?”
The first numbers, 1, 2, and 3, represented the inner, middle, and outer circles, respectively.
“I think the outermost circle is pretty good too,” Zhao Linong replied, unwilling to admit she was broke.
In her previous life, Zhao Linong had never worried about money. Her parents weren’t wealthy, but she excelled academically, earning scholarships every year. In university, her tutors had high demands, but she was well compensated.
This was the first time Zhao Linong had ever been so poor.
88—a lucky number indeed.
“Actually, the base is patrolled daily, and even the outermost circle is a bit away from the crop field, so there’s no need to worry too much,” He Yuesheng reassured her. “Look, building 11 in the outermost circle is right in front of building 5 in the middle circle.”
Zhao Linong glanced absentmindedly at the building distribution map.
Ever since discovering her balance, she seriously suspected she was one of those who, having nothing to lose, came to the agricultural base to try her luck.
“Let’s add each other as friends first,” He Yuesheng suggested. “It’ll make it easier to stay in touch.”
Zhao Linong didn’t refuse and added him as a friend.
The rescue vehicle was already waiting for them inside. Once all the freshmen had gone through security checks and dorm assignments, they boarded the vehicle again and were taken to their residences.
He Yuesheng was right; once inside, the tall round building in the inner circle was visible from afar. It was large and had various helicopters parked on the roof.
The living quarters were in the middle of the base, with large fields surrounding them. Many were empty, with occasional operators using machines whose purposes were unknown.
Guards patrolled regularly, holding rifles and maintaining tense postures.
As the car drove further in, glass greenhouses appeared, each with a sign at its entrance.
Zhao Linong noticed the names of many crops on the signs, along with livestock-related sheds for chickens, ducks, and fish.
This agricultural base reminded her of the agricultural college in her world.
Zhao Linong finally felt a sense of familiarity in this strange world. Whether she wanted to farm or not, agronomy was almost ingrained in her bones.
However, there was one significant difference—no welcoming event.
No one had guided them from the moment they arrived until they reached their residences.
The freshmen were left to fend for themselves in the outermost building, huddled together, uncertain of what to do next.
It wasn’t until some started looking for their assigned buildings that the rest slowly began to do the same.
Each building had a number on its wall, making them easy to find. Using the map He Yuesheng gave her, Zhao Linong quickly found Building 11 on the west side.
She stopped in front of Room 111, touched the door handle with her left hand, and the door opened.
Inside were two beds with desks underneath, a separate bathroom, two large bags in the corner, and a small radio speaker on the wall. Apart from that, there was nothing else.
Zhao Linong pulled out a chair on the right, sat down, and bent over, covering her face with her hands as if trying to hide from everything.
After a moment, she resigned herself to fate, stood up, opened her suitcase, and checked its contents.
She found two sets of spare clothes, a white towel, a thermos cup, a notebook, and a pen.
Hoping to find important information, like a diary, she opened the notebook, but it was blank—cleaner than her balance.
“Beep—”
The door suddenly opened, and a girl walked in. Seeing Zhao Linong, she smiled and asked,
“Are you taking the right side?”
Zhao Linong looked at her, then at the chair she had pulled out, and replied, “Sure.”
“Then I’ll take the left side,” the girl said, placing her suitcase on the left desk. She smiled warmly with dimples and introduced herself: “My name is Tong Tong. Nice to meet you.” 2
“Zhao Linong,” she replied.
“I’m not sure when classes will start,” Tong Tong said, a hint of longing in her eyes. “I heard that when school begins, the base will give out free seeds. We get to choose anyone we want, but this benefit only comes once.”
Zhao Linong didn’t quite understand the significance of this and remained indifferent.
Tong Tong then activated her light computer and showed Zhao Linong a photo. “This is a picture my grandmother left me. My motivation for becoming an agricultural student is to grow this kind of flower.”
A rainbow vine, a climbing rose. 3
Zhao Linong recognized it immediately.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Tong Tong asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Zhao Linong’s gaze shifted from her sparkling eyes to the dimples on her cheeks. In the end, he didn’t say anything; he just nodded vaguely.
In the world of roses, there’s a saying about the beauty and flaws of this flower:
It looks stunning from a distance, but up close, it’s quite shocking.
