The day after their perilous return from the black market, just as the sky began to lighten, Chen Shouzhou shot up from his pile-of-junk "bed." He was full of energy, his eyes shining with the intensity of a 500-watt lightbulb.
He didn't even bother to gnaw on a piece of rock-hard compressed biscuit before eagerly opening the system interface, repeatedly confirming the mission reward that had arrived last night.
[Ding! Function Unlocked: Basic Farmland (Module)]
[Module Description: A patch of farmland, nourished by the system's energy, can be established on suitable land, increasing crop growth speed and resistance.]
"Farmland unlocked! Welcome to the age of happy farming!" Chen Shouzhou slapped his thigh in excitement, announcing loudly to the others who were still bleary-eyed, "Comrades, the days of eating chaff and wild vegetables are numbered! Our goal is meat at every meal, vegetables every day, and fruit salad for dessert!"
His voice was infectious, as if he could already see golden fields of wheat and a garden laden with fruit.
Su Wan'er and Lin Mo were both amused and exasperated by his sudden burst of enthusiasm. But they had to admit, after so many days of moldy biscuits and canned food, the words "fresh vegetables" held a fatal attraction.
Time to get to work! Chen Shouzhou immediately led the group to an open space on the east side of the warehouse. It was originally piled high with discarded industrial waste, but in his eyes, this wasteland was the future, a field of hope.
The cleanup began. Chen Shouzhou, with his superior strength, was responsible for moving the heavy scrap iron and concrete blocks. Lin Mo, though physically weaker, had a quick mind. He designed a simple lever device that greatly improved their efficiency. Su Wan'er meticulously leveled the cleared land, picking out stones and shards of glass.
Even Xiao Qi and Xiao Hei joined in. Xiao Qi used its sensitive nose to search for potential metal fragments in the soil, while Xiao Hei dutifully stood guard, preventing any clueless zombies from disturbing their "great land reclamation project."
After half a day of hard work, a clean, flat piece of land, about the size of half a basketball court, finally appeared before them.
Chen Shouzhou stood in the center of the plot, hands on his hips, with the air of a general commanding his troops. "Step one, complete!"
Next came the more professional part. Lin Mo took some soil samples back to the warehouse and performed a simple analysis with his precious instruments. Soon, he wrote his conclusions on his notepad and handed it to Chen Shouzhou.
"The soil's pH is a bit high, and there are slightly elevated levels of heavy metals. It's not suitable for delicate crops. I recommend prioritizing drought-resistant, hardy crops, like potatoes, corn, and some mutant root vegetables." He paused, then added, "Although these seeds are common, with the nourishment of the system's energy, their growth cycle can be shortened by at least a third."
Chen Shouzhou, struggling to turn the soil with a "hoe" fashioned from a steel bar, panted and grumbled, "Tilling by hand is exhausting… It would be perfect if we had an automatic irrigation system. I could just lie back and wait for the harvest."
As soon as he said it, the system's prompt actually sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Host's request detected. Follow-up mission triggered: The Source of Life]
[Mission Objective: Establish a basic water purification system to provide clean irrigation water for the farmland.]
[Mission Reward: Unlock 'Automatic Irrigation (Basic)' function module.]
"Holy crap! Is this a wishing well system?" Chen Shouzhou chuckled, feeling his fatigue dissipate. "Alright, after this batch is planted, the next project is a water treatment plant!"
Meanwhile, Su Wan'er was also busy. Using a few long plastic pipes and a large sheet of transparent plastic sheeting she had scavenged from the ruins, along with some wire, she began to construct a simple greenhouse. This would not only shelter the delicate seedlings from wind and rain but also help retain heat and moisture to some extent.
Next to the farmland, she used wooden planks to partition off a small area, where she neatly arranged the medicines and seeds they had brought back from the black market, creating a miniature pharmacy and seed bank. Her meticulousness and organization elevated the entire safe house's logistical management.
Xiao Qi, like a curious child, patrolled back and forth along the newly tilled plot. It would occasionally stop, sniffing at the moist soil with its small nose, seeming to be full of interest in this land that would soon nurture life.
By evening, through their combined efforts, the first row of precious seeds was finally sown carefully into the soil that held their hopes.
Chen Shouzhou stood on the ridge, hands on his hips, looking at this small patch of life they had carved out of the wasteland, feeling a wave of emotion.
"You might not believe it," he said, turning to Su Wan'er and Lin Mo with a self-deprecating smile, "but before the apocalypse, I couldn't even keep a cactus alive. Now, I'm here, farming, trying to feed a whole family."
Su Wan'er walked up to him, picked up her notepad, wrote a sentence, and handed it to him.
It read: "This isn't just farming. This is planting hope. You're already doing a great job."
Lin Mo also nodded silently. On his face, which had been tense with nervousness and anxiety for so long, a rare, genuine smile appeared. Yes, hope. It was the most luxurious, and most coveted, thing in the apocalypse.
Just as the group of two humans and two dogs was about to go back and open a can to celebrate in this heartwarming atmosphere, the unexpected happened.
"Woof! Woof woof woof!"
Xiao Hei, who had been lying on the watchtower prototype, suddenly shot up and began to bark frantically at the distance. Its barks were filled with warning and extreme unease.
A chill ran down Chen Shouzhou's spine, and the smile on his face froze instantly. He grabbed the nearby binoculars and looked in the direction Xiao Hei was barking.
On the distant horizon, dust was flying. The roar of engines grew louder as it approached. A convoy of three modified pickup trucks and several motorcycles was kicking up a storm of dust, speeding aggressively towards their warehouse.
On the lead pickup truck, a shirtless, burly figure carrying a machete was visible. Even from a distance, Chen Shouzhou could recognize him—it was Lei Bao!
"Dammit!" Chen Shouzhou's face instantly turned grim. "That guy is a real leech. He just won't let go!"
He immediately turned to Su Wan'er and Lin Mo, whose faces had also turned pale, and said calmly and quickly:
"It seems our 'honored guest' has arrived just in time for the 'ribbon-cutting ceremony' of our new farm. Dr. Su, Old Lin, activate the highest defense protocol! Tonight, we need to give him a proper reception!"