134: Chapter 134 The entire agricultural team is incorporated! Large-scale expansion of greenhouse production.

One o'clock in the afternoon.

The third-floor domed greenhouse.

Under the 14,000-square-meter transparent dome, full-spectrum LED light strips simulated the intensity of midday sunlight.

Twelve sets of nine-layer hydroponic racks were arranged in two rows.

Lin Wan squatted in front of the bottom planting trough of the fifth hydroponic rack, using a homemade bamboo skewer to examine the roots of the potato seedlings.

"The nutrient solution concentration in the seventh trough of the third row is 0.05 too high. Slight signs of salt damage are appearing on the leaf edges." She spoke into the communicator, "Song Ya, which rack are you at?"

"Eighth set, middle layer." Song Ya's voice came through the communicator. "The Winter Wheat has two more tillers than expected."

"What's your nutrient solution ratio?"

"0.28."

"Adjust it to 0.25. Too many tillers will divert nutrients from the main stem."

"Received."

Song Ya squatted in front of the middle planting trough of the eighth hydroponic rack, her hands covered in dark brown nutrient substrate.

She was thirty-one, not tall, with short hair tied back. Her fingers were a size thicker than Lin Wan's—the mark left by eight years of agricultural work.

She had entered the Polaris this morning with Zhao Tiezhu's three hundred people. The moment she stepped into the greenhouse, she stood in the middle of the aisle for a full minute. She didn't speak.

The 14,000-square-meter domed greenhouse, nine-layer hydroponic racks, independent temperature control, independent irrigation, and full-spectrum LED simulated sunlight. This exceeded everything she knew about wasteland agriculture.

"Lin Wan." This was the first sentence she had spoken then. "When you described it to me in your letter, I thought you were bragging."

"I'm not bragging." Lin Wan handed her a bundle of bamboo skewers. "But back then, only two sets of planting racks were in use. Now there are eight. There are still four empty ones. Come help me plant."

"Don't you need to ask your City-State Lord for permission?"

"He said to let you come find me."

Song Ya took the bamboo skewers: "Then assign me a task."

From ten in the morning to one in the afternoon.

Lin Wan and Song Ya spent three hours completing the seeding for the ninth and tenth hydroponic racks.

Potatoes on the bottom layer. Carrots on the middle layer. Cabbage on the top layer.

Song Ya wiped her forehead with the back of her hand: "Two sets are still empty. What do you plan to plant?"

Lin Wan squatted in the aisle, looking at those two empty racks in the distance: "Save them. Use them for expansion after the second-generation watermelon and strawberry seeds come out."

"Do you have experience with second-generation propagation of A-grade watermelons?"

"Yes." Lin Wan's speaking speed picked up a notch. "The retention rate for second-generation improved watermelon seeds is over eighty-five percent. That's nearly twenty percentage points higher than ordinary varieties. The key is pollination timing and temperature control."

"Is the temperature control precision of the domed greenhouse sufficient?"

"I've tested it. The temperature difference between various areas inside the dome doesn't exceed 0.5 degrees. It's enough."

Song Ya nodded: "Then I'll be responsible for all conventional crops except watermelons and strawberries. You focus on watching those precious seedlings of yours."

"Okay." Lin Wan stood up and glanced toward the entrance of the greenhouse. "There's one more thing."

"What?"

"The research team in The City-State's agricultural zone." Lin Wan lowered her voice. "The sixth-floor agricultural zone wasn't directly damaged when Ice Thorn self-destructed. The greenhouses and water circulation treatment plants are still running. But the decay of the auxiliary engines has caused the temperature on the sixth floor to drop from fifteen degrees to eleven degrees."

"Eleven degrees." Song Ya's brows tightened. "How long can the crops in the greenhouse hold out?"

"Thirty days at most. After thirty days, the temperature will drop below eight degrees. Most crops will enter dormancy or die."

"So?"

"So I need to transfer all the seedlings and equipment from The City-State's sixth-floor agricultural zone to the Polaris's domed greenhouse within thirty days."

"All of them?"

"All of them." Lin Wan's gaze swept over the 14,000-square-meter greenhouse. "This greenhouse has enough space, but not enough manpower."

"How many people are in The City-State's agricultural research team in total?"

"There were forty-six people originally. After Ice Thorn self-destructed, thirty-eight were confirmed to be on duty."

"Have them all transferred over." Song Ya straightened up. "Thirty-eight professional agricultural technicians plus the two of us—forty people managing a 14,000-square-meter greenhouse, with each person responsible for 350 square meters. It'll be a bit busy, but it's manageable."

"I'll report this to The City-State Lord." Lin Wan pressed the communicator. "City-State Lord."

"What is it?" Lu Chen's voice came from the communicator.

"A matter regarding greenhouse manpower. I need to transfer the entire research team from The City-State's sixth-floor agricultural zone to the Polaris."

"Thirty-eight people?"

"Yes, thirty-eight professional agricultural technicians."

"Reason?"

"The temperature on the sixth floor of The City-State is dropping; the crops will die in thirty days. Both the people and the seedlings must be transferred; the sooner, the better."

"What conditions are required for the seedling transfer?"

"We need constant-temperature transport boxes and nutrient solution transfer barrels; The City-State's agricultural zone has them ready. With manual labor plus the assistance of the Polaris's Mechanical Arm, it can be completed in two days."

"Approved." Lu Chen's answer was crisp. "I will contact Lin Xiao to coordinate."

"Thank you, City-State Lord."

"Don't thank me." Lu Chen's tone was flat. "The greenhouse is the food lifeline for thirty thousand people. I will give you whatever personnel you need. But there is one requirement."

"Please speak, City-State Lord."

"Before those thirty-eight people enter the greenhouse, they must all complete city resident registration. The greenhouse is a core area of the Polaris; no entry is allowed without registration."

"Understood."

The communicator hung up.

Song Ya stood by and listened to the whole conversation: "Your City-State Lord is quite efficient."

"He's always like this." Lin Wan squatted back in front of the planting trough. "You don't know how severe his OCD is."

"How severe?"

"coal crystals must be sorted by size and stacked symmetrically. Meat bricks must be cut to exactly the same thickness before being frozen in the cold storage. When nutrient bars come out of the discharge port, he checks if they are arranged neatly. The crop labels on the hydroponic racks must all face the same direction."

Song Ya glanced at the neatly aligned labels on the hydroponic rack in front of her. They were all facing left. Even the distance between the edge of the label and the planting trough was perfectly uniform.

"I believe you."