5: Chapter 5: The $30,000 is all gone.

It was already dark when he stepped out of Marys Restaurant.

Jack had eaten three double cheeseburgers, an entire basket of fries, and drank two cups of cola.

He ate quickly, as if afraid someone would steal it. By the third burger, he slowed down, lowering his head and chewing slowly.

Chen Yifei pretended not to notice that the rims of his eyes were red again.

Ivanka drove Chen Yifei back to the Mayors Mansion.

One of the streetlights by the entrance was broken; only one remained, casting a dim yellow light that stretched their shadows long.

"I'll take you to look at tractors tomorrow," Ivanka said, standing below the steps with her hands behind her back, kicking at the gravel on the ground. "There's a used farm machinery market in Omaha, about an hour and a half drive away."

"You know where they sell them?"

"Of course. You think I only know how to collect money at the supermarket?" She rolled her eyes. "My second uncle used to run a farm machinery shop. Even though it went bankrupt, he still knows people."

"Thanks."

"No problem." Ivanka turned and walked a few steps, then looked back. "By the way—the water heater in your backyard is broken. There's only cold water for showers."

"..."

"If you don't know how to fix it, you can come next door and find me. My house has plenty of hot water."

She gave him a quick smile and turned, running off into the night.

Her ponytail flickered under the streetlights.

Chen Yifei stood at the door, his ears feeling a bit hot again.

Are American girls always this direct?

---

Back inside the house, Chen Yifei didn't rush to shower.

He locked the door, drew the curtains tight, and confirmed he was alone in the house.

Then, sitting on the old leather sofa in the living room, he opened the system panel.

```

[town prosperity system · Shop]

Current Balance: $30,141

♦ Seeds (Unlocked)

♦ Technology (Locked)

♦ Talent (Locked)

♦ Buildings (Locked)

♦ Special (Locked)

```

A bit over thirty thousand.

Four days of system income, plus what was left after paying Tom and Jack's wages, and the advance deposit for the road repairs—it added up to this much.

Chen Yifei clicked on the Seeds category.

```

[Seed Category Items]

1. high-yield corn seeds

Price: $500/Batch (Covers 100 mu)

Effect: Yield per mu increased by 50%

2. Drought-Resistant Wheat Seeds

Price: $800/Batch (Covers 100 mu)

Effect: Grows normally under drought conditions

3. Organic Soybean Seeds

Price: $300/Batch (Covers 100 mu)

Effect: Automatically obtains organic certification

4. Premium Fruit Saplings

Price: $5,000/Plant

Effect: Growth cycle halved, top-tier taste

Stock: 3 plants

5. ★ mysterious seed (Random)

Price: $10,000

Effect: Randomly obtain a special crop

Limit: 1 purchase per month, Stock: 1

```

Chen Yifei stared at the last line for a long time.

mysterious seed. Ten thousand dollars. Random.

Isn't this just a damn gacha pull?

Back in China, he had spent quite a bit on mobile games. Every time he pulled a good card, he felt like the chosen one; every time he pulled trash, he felt the game was targeting him.

Now the format had changed—he was pulling for seeds with cold, hard cash.

First, the math. Out of the 120,000 mu of land, he would plant 1,000 mu first—600 mu of corn, 300 mu of wheat, and 100 mu of soybeans.

Six batches of corn for 3,000, three batches of wheat for 2,400, and one batch of soybeans for 300. The seeds totaled 5,700.

That left over 24,000.

He still had one Soil Improver, which could improve 100 mu of land. Combined with the high-yield seeds, those 100 mu would be his 'model field.'

But that mysterious seed...

His finger hovered over 'Confirm Purchase' for five seconds.

Then he pressed down.

Buy the seeds first.

```

[Purchase Complete]

high-yield corn seeds × 6 = $3,000

Drought-Resistant Wheat Seeds × 3 = $2,400

Organic Soybean Seeds × 1 = $300

Total: $5,700

Balance: $24,441

```

Chen Yifei felt some extra weight in his inventory.

He opened his inventory—ten sealed bags were neatly stacked inside.

Each bag was labeled with the seed type, applicable area, and sowing requirements. The bags felt cold to the touch, as if they had just been taken out of cold storage.

He took out a bag of corn seeds and squeezed it through the plastic. The kernels were plump, a size larger than any variety he had ever seen. The color was a deep golden-yellow with a faint luster.

Good seeds.

He looked at the other grayed-out categories in the system shop again. Technology, Talent, Buildings—all displayed 'Requires completion of main quest to unlock.'

Currently, seeds were the only thing he could buy.

But he still had 24,000 in hand.

Chen Yifei took a deep breath.

Purchase—mysterious seed.

```

[Purchase Confirmation]

★ mysterious seed × 1 = $10,000

No returns or exchanges once sold. Confirm?

```

Confirm.

The panel flashed.

A small black box appeared in his inventory. It was palm-sized, without any markings, except for a red wax seal.

Chen Yifei took it out.

The box was light, but it had a slight warmth in his hand, like holding a freshly boiled egg.

He took a deep breath, peeled off the wax seal, and opened the lid.

Inside lay a single seed.

Just one.

It was unlike any seed he had ever seen—translucent, like a piece of amber. Through the shell, he could see a pale golden liquid flowing slowly inside.

Like a living seed.

```

[mysterious seed Identified]

Name: Golden Ear No. 1

Type: Special Corn Variety

Traits:

· Growth Cycle: 45 days (1/2 of ordinary corn)

· Estimated Yield: 1,600 jin/mu (2x ordinary corn)

· Drought Resistance: Extremely High

· Pest/Disease Resistance: Extremely High

· Special Effect: Ears are deep gold when mature, with a luster far exceeding ordinary varieties

· Taste Rating: S-Rank

System Comment: Good luck. However, Golden Ear No. 1 has extremely high soil requirements and will not survive in ordinary plots. Recommended for use with Soil Improver.

Tip: When used with Soil Improver, covers 100 mu.

```

Chen Yifei held the amber seed up to the light.

The light penetrated the translucent shell, and the golden liquid refracted tiny specks of light onto the back of his hand.

Yield of 1,600 jin per mu. Ordinary corn was 800 jin. Double the yield.

And it could be harvested in forty-five days.

If he planted it now, it could be harvested before the end of November, beating Nebraska's frost period.

His mind raced—

Golden Ear No. 1 with Soil Improver for 100 mu of model field. high-yield corn seeds for 600 mu of ordinary field. Drought-Resistant Wheat for 300 mu. Soybeans for 100 mu.

Totaling 1,100 mu. That was enough.

He checked his balance.

```

Current Balance: $14,441

```

Fourteen thousand left. He'd prepaid eight thousand for the road, with twelve thousand still owed. After paying for the road, only twenty-four hundred would remain.

Twenty-four hundred.

Enough for a week's worth of food and supplies, plus a few cases of beer.

Chen Yifei carefully placed the seed box in the innermost layer of his backpack and zipped it twice. He placed the ten seed bags on top; nothing looked out of the ordinary. If someone were to search the bag, they would only see common seed packaging.

Then he leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

The hearing in ten days. Eight hundred and forty-seven people wanted him gone.

He had to do something in those ten days to make them change their minds.

Seeds took time to grow. Golden Ear No. 1 took forty-five days to harvest; the final result wouldn't be visible in ten days.

But a forty-five-day growth cycle meant—the sprouts would break through the soil within the first seven days, and the gene-enhanced seedlings would grow far faster than ordinary corn.

If he planted them tomorrow—sprouts in three days, knee-high in seven, waist-high in ten.

Ordinary corn would barely be breaking the soil in ten days.

If, on the day of the hearing, he could show those who signed the petition a field of waist-high, deep-golden corn seedlings—

That scene—

Chen Yifei chuckled.

He picked up his phone and sent a text to Jack.

"Six o'clock tomorrow morning, take me to the fields. Bring all your strength."

Three seconds later, a reply came.

"Are you crazy? Six?"

"Five-thirty works too."

"...Six."

Chen Yifei set down his phone and stood up from the sofa.

He walked to the window and pushed it open. The October night breeze rushed in, carrying the scent of soil and dry grass.

In the distance was the boundless black wilderness.

Starting tomorrow, something different would emerge from those 1,100 mu of land.

He closed the window, grabbed a towel, and headed to the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet—

Ice-cold water.

Ivanka was right; the water heater was broken.

Chen Yifei stood under the cold water, gritting his teeth as he finished his first shower in Oak Town.

When he came out, his phone lit up again.

It wasn't a system notification.

It was an unknown number.

The message was only one line:

"Mr. Chen, I am Emily Chen. I need to talk to you. Regarding my great-uncle's—which is to say, your great-uncle's—will. There are some things you might not know yet."

Chen Yifei's hand stopped as he was drying his hair.

His great-uncle's will?

Things he didn't know yet?

He replied: "Tomorrow afternoon, is that okay?"

The other party replied instantly: "That works. Come to the clinic. But—don't tell anyone. Especially Old Tom."

Chen Yifei looked at the last three words.

Especially Old Tom.

Why?

He stared at his phone screen for a long time.

Outside, Oak Town was submerged in the night.

A thousand people were sleeping.

And he still had nine days.