Chapter 79 Farming and Pig Raising in Space: Achieving Complete Self-Sufficiency
Lin Xingwan focused her mind.
The black soil before her rolled like waves, instantly plowing out a dozen neat furrows.
Although she could control the soil, the precise planting ratios and seedling temperatures still required a professional to handle.
"No rush for now; let's get something to eat first."
She turned her head and set her sights on a flock of free-range chickens frolicking on the grass.
These chickens had grown up drinking Spirit Spring water; each one had glossy feathers, and they ran faster than dogs.
Huo Yuan flexed his wrists, a flicker of hunting excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Leave it to me."
Before the words had even left his lips, he darted out like a cheetah.
In less than half a minute, Huo Yuan walked back carrying a large, plump chicken that weighed seven or eight jin and was frantically flapping its wings.
The two set up an iron pot right by the Spirit Spring.
They started a fire with dry wood from the space and scooped up a ladle of clear Spirit Spring water.
Half an hour later, they lifted the lid.
Without any complex seasonings, just a few grains of salt, an intensely savory aroma that hit the senses instantly filled the air.
The chicken soup was an enticing golden yellow, with a layer of glistening oil floating on the surface.
Lin Xingwan impatiently ladled out a bowl, blew on it, and took a small sip.
"Mmm!"
The tenderness of the chicken, mingled with the sweetness of the Spirit Spring, exploded on her taste buds.
After she swallowed, a warm current rapidly spread down her esophagus and into her limbs and bones, dispelling the fatigue of the past few days.
Huo Yuan drank three large bowls.
He clenched his fists in surprise, feeling his muscles filled with explosive power.
"This water... can actually strengthen the body?"
"The Spirit Spring cleanses the marrow; good things are naturally kept for our own people."
Lin Xingwan smiled, tore off a large chicken leg, and handed it to him.
After eating and drinking their fill, their physical stamina and five senses reached an unprecedented peak.
Even their hearing had become extremely acute; they could even hear the sound of piglets chewing on grass in the pen hundreds of meters away.
Satisfied, they exited the space and returned to the top-floor bedroom of The Fortress.
As soon as Lin Xingwan sat back on the sofa, she immediately picked up the internal intercom.
"Wei Feng, come to the top floor."
In less than three minutes, Wei Feng, the head of the Dark Web intelligence division known as "Viper," pushed the door open and walked in like a ghost.
There was no superfluous expression on his cold, grim face.
"Sister-in-law, do you have a mission for me?"
"Go investigate someone."
Lin Xingwan tapped her fingers on the coffee table, her eyes sharp.
"A veteran expert from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Sun Cuihua. She goes by the name Grandma Sun."
Wei Feng paused in surprise.
"Sister-in-law, you're looking for an agricultural expert in this day and age? It's seventy or eighty degrees outside; not even a blade of grass can survive."
"Don't ask about things you shouldn't. This old woman is a living fossil when it comes to hybrid rice and hydroponics."
Lin Xingwan's tone was beyond reproach.
"Spare no cost; dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find her. I want to see her alive."
"Understood."
Wei Feng nodded, accepted the order, and retreated, disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.
After arranging the search for the agricultural expert, Lin Xingwan stretched and prepared to take a hot bath.
Suddenly, there was a flurry of urgent knocking at the door.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
The knocking was heavy, conveying a sense of anxiety.
Huo Yuan walked over and pulled the door open.
Standing outside was Elder Zhong, the master of traditional Chinese medicine responsible for the base's medical care.
This stubborn old man rarely left his room unless he was seeing patients.
At this moment, he had even buttoned his lab coat incorrectly, and his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
"Elder Zhong, what happened?"
Lin Xingwan composed her expression and walked forward quickly.
For this old doctor—who would remain unflappable even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him—to be this panicked, it definitely wasn't a minor matter.
Elder Zhong clutched several lab reports tightly in his hand, his fingers trembling slightly.
He pushed up the reading glasses that had slid down his nose, took a deep breath, and spoke in a raspy voice.
"Girl, we're in big trouble."
He slammed the lab reports down onto the coffee table.
"The extreme heat, combined with the rotting corpses all over the city that couldn't be disposed of in time—the bacteria in the air have completely mutated!"
Elder Zhong's face was ashen as he pointed to a row of glaring red data on the report.
"A super heat-toxin plague has broken out!"
Lin Xingwan and Huo Yuan exchanged a look, their expressions instantly darkening.
After extreme heat, a great plague must follow.
In her previous life, this plague had claimed nearly one-third of the world's survivors.
She hadn't expected it to arrive so quickly in this life!
"Is the inside of the base Infected?"
Huo Yuan's hand rested on the pistol at his waist, his eyes cold and sharp as a blade.
Elder Zhong nodded heavily, his eyes filled with heartache.
"It's the outer living area. Among the laborers we recently recruited, there are five who just finished a patrol mission outside..."
He gritted his teeth, a flicker of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
"They started running a fever last night, and by this morning, they were already coughing up blood and covered in black, toxic sores!"
This plague was highly infectious and progressed rapidly!
Lin Xingwan's brows furrowed tightly.
Although the outer area was separated by a blast door, if it spread through the ventilation ducts, the entire Underground City would be doomed!
"I've used all the specialized antibiotics, but they can't suppress this toxin at all!"
Elder Zhong was so anxious he slapped his thigh, his eyes filled with despair.
"Girl, in twelve hours at most, those five people will die of organ failure!"
The air instantly froze to a chilling point.
Huo Yuan drew his gun without hesitation.
"For the safety of the base, the Infected must be physically eliminated immediately."
He spoke nonchalantly, yet with a terrifying, cold-blooded decisiveness.
At a time like this, killing a few laborers to protect everyone was the most basic survival rule of The Apocalypse.
"No!"
Elder Zhong, like an old hen protecting its chicks, spread his arms to block the doorway.
"I am a doctor! As long as they have a breath left in them, I cannot stand by and watch you kill them!"
"Step aside." Huo Yuan's eyes were cold, his gun barrel unmoving.
"Huo Yuan, put the gun down."
Lin Xingwan suddenly spoke up.
She walked to the coffee table, picked up the lab report, and glanced at it, a glimmer of insight flashing in her eyes.
"Killing them treats the symptoms, not the root cause. The plague has already spread; you can't just kill all the air outside."
Lin Xingwan tossed the lab report aside and turned to look at Elder Zhong.
"Elder Zhong, if I had access to absolutely pure water capable of clearing heat and detoxifying, could you concoct an antidote?"
Elder Zhong paused, then gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Pure water is useless, girl. This toxin is too aggressive; unless we have that legendary spiritual medicine capable of cleansing the marrow and bone marrow to use as a catalyst..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
Lin Xingwan flicked her wrist.
A glass bottle filled with clear liquid appeared in her hand as if by magic.
The cap popped open, and an intoxicatingly refreshing fragrance instantly filled the room.
Lin Xingwan shoved the bottle into Elder Zhong's hands, a confident smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"I don't have a spiritual medicine."
"But if you use this as a catalyst, can you snatch those lives back from the hands of the King of Hell?"