Nourished by the system's energy and under the meticulous care of Old Man Li Gen, the sweet potato field, filled with so much hope, demonstrated a miraculous growth rate.
In just three days, the once-barren land was covered in lush, sprawling sweet potato vines. The vibrant green leaves glistened in the sun, brimming with life.
"They're ready for harvest!"
Early in the morning, Li Gen crouched in the field. He carefully dug away the soil under a sweet potato vine, and when he saw the plump, round tubers, a brilliant, childlike smile spread across his weathered old face.
He personally went into the field, dug up the first sweet potato—as thick as his forearm—and, holding it high, shouted with all his might, "We did it! The heavens have blessed us! We really did it!"
His voice was filled with the simple, profound love and joy of a farmer for the land.
Chen Shouzhou was grinning from ear to ear. He took out his broken phone, which no longer had a signal but could still be used as a camera, and started snapping pictures of Li Gen and the giant sweet potato.
"Uncle Li, smile! Say cheese... oh, wait, sweet potato!" he narrated like a war correspondent while taking photos. "A historic moment! The first Hope Farm Sweet Potato Harvest Festival is now officially open! This marks the transition of our safe house from the 'canned food' era to a new epoch of 'staple foods'!"
Just as he was enjoying himself, the Guide's translucent figure quietly appeared beside him, reminding him in a tone devoid of emotion but chilling enough to send a shiver down one's spine:
"Host, the system has detected abnormal vibration frequencies in the deep soil fifteen meters directly beneath the safe house. This frequency does not correspond to geological activity and is suspected to be caused by a large-scale biological gathering. Recommendation: Investigate immediately."
Chen Shouzhou's smile froze instantly.
He quietly relayed the bad news to A'Jie. The two exchanged a look and, with Xiao Mai, who had the most sensitive sense of smell, they began a thorough patrol along the edge of the farmland.
Sure enough, before long, they discovered signs of slight ground subsidence in a few inconspicuous corners. The traces were so subtle that they would have been impossible to spot without careful observation.
They dug away the topsoil, and the scene beneath made them both gasp.
Under the soil lay a complex, interconnected network of tunnels! The tunnels were exceptionally well-dug, even having simple support structures. They linked together like a giant, invisible underground labyrinth, hollowing out the entire foundation of the warehouse.
"This... this isn't just a rat's nest!" A'Jie said in shock. "These rats... they've built an underground city right under our feet!"
The system's prompt sounded in Chen Shouzhou's mind at the opportune moment.
[Ding! Large-scale underground biological nest detected. Threat level increased. Host is advised to immediately deploy 'Simple Sonic Monitoring Devices' to monitor underground activity in real-time.]
"No doubt about it, we have to set it up!"
Chen Shouzhou immediately had Lin Mo, following a simple blueprint provided by the system, craft a batch of simple monitors using parts salvaged from old radios and speakers. These devices could detect underground activity through vibrations and sound waves. They were then carefully buried in the soil.
That night, the joy of the harvest was replaced by a thick cloud of gloom. Everyone knew that a major battle was inevitable.
In the dead of night, the sensors buried underground suddenly let out a sharp alarm.
"They're here!"
Chen Shouzhou immediately led the group to their pre-set battle positions.
The monitor screen showed a large number of red dots swarming towards their core area from different directions via the underground tunnels—targeting the basement warehouse where a large amount of food was stored, and the pile of newly harvested sweet potatoes.
This time, they were not charging blindly as before. They were divided into three prongs, launching a pincer attack from three different directions simultaneously. This was clearly a well-planned, tactical assault.
"These bastards have even learned the art of war?" Chen Shouzhou responded calmly.
"Dr. Su, Old Lin! Plan B! Treat them to our 'Sleeping Aromatherapy'!"
Su Wan'er and Lin Mo sprang into action. They poured the highly potent soporific and neuro-disruptive scent agent they had prepared earlier directly into the main tunnels of the rat swarm's attack through several pre-set pipes.
At the same time, Chen Shouzhou pressed another detonator button.
BOOM! BOOM!
Several oil barrels filled with fire oil and gravel on the warehouse perimeter exploded instantly! The massive fire and noise successfully disrupted the overall rhythm of the rat swarm, throwing them into temporary chaos.
During the battle, Xiao Mai, the "Special Commissioner for Rodent Extermination," once again performed a miraculous feat.
Like a top-tier assassin, it moved silently through the battlefield, ignoring the ordinary mutated rats. Instead, with astonishing intuition, it precisely located the leader of one of the rat prongs—a slightly larger rat that was emitting "squeaking" command sounds.
Xiao Mai leaped, sinking its teeth into the leader rat's throat, ending its life cleanly and preventing it from issuing any more commands.
Without their leader, this prong of the rat swarm instantly fell into disarray.
"Nice one, Xiao Mai!"
A'Jie seized the opportunity. He lit a huge rope, soaked in oil and alcohol, and threw it into one ofthe main tunnel entrances.
The flame, like an angry fire dragon, spread wildly down the narrow passage, forcing most of the rats attempting to attack from that direction back. Piercing shrieks and the smell of burning flesh filled the tunnels.
Even the elderly Li Gen had now joined the fray, wielding his hoe. Though he lacked the speed and strength of the younger members, every swing of his hoe was powerful and precise, smashing the heads of any rats that slipped through the net.
By the time the battle ended, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
The system's prompt, filled with the joy of victory, sounded once again.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully completing the 'Sweet Potato Defense' mission!]
[Reward: 'Basic Storage Vault' function unlocked, allowing for longer-term preservation of food.]
[Current Safe House level progress: Lv.4 → Lv.4 (70%)]
Chen Shouzhou stood at the scorched entrance of the tunnel, staring into the bottomless darkness, yet he felt no joy of victory.
He murmured to himself, "Something's not right. The tactics of these rats, their organization... there must be someone behind them, commanding them."
At that very moment, from the depths of the tunnel, came a strange, rhythmic tapping sound.
Thump... click... thump... click...
The sound was unlike anything a living creature could make. It was more like... some kind of old machinery, slowly operating in the depths of the earth...