The Next Day
Lin Fan was awakened from his sleep by a series of pleasant notification chimes.
"Radiation-resistant rice has matured. Please harvest in time!"
"Radiation-resistant cucumbers have matured. Please harvest in time!"
"Radiation-resistant strawberries have matured. Please harvest in time!"
*(Third reminder—reminder occurs every hour!)*
These notifications worked like an alarm clock, quickly clearing the grogginess from Lin Fan's mind.
He had returned from the greenhouse planting area around eleven o'clock last night. Exhausted and sleepy, he had hastily washed up before collapsing onto the bed and falling sound asleep.
"It's already 6 a.m.," Lin Fan said, glancing at the clock on the wall.
The crops, accelerated by the system, should have matured around 3 a.m., but because he had been sleeping so soundly, the earlier reminders hadn't woken him.
Only on the third reminder did he finally wake up.
Wearing his pajamas, he stood by the window.
Outside, the sky was still a murky gray, with only a few stars faintly twinkling.
The pitch-black sun hung in the sky like a dark stone, reminding Lin Fan that everything that happened yesterday wasn't just a dream.
Xinxin and Little Black were still sleeping soundly.
The little rascal seemed to be dreaming about the cartoon she had watched yesterday, giggling foolishly in her sleep and murmuring,"Xinxin is pink, big bro is blue…"
Little Black let out a whimper and snuggled closer to the radiator.
Seeing this, Lin Fan smiled fondly.
In this apocalypse, they were the reason he kept fighting.
The Morning After Doomsday
The temperature drop was even more noticeable.
Wrapped in a thick cotton coat, Lin Fan walked out of the building, feeling as if the cold wind were slicing his face like a knife.
"After harvesting this first batch, I must exchange some points for better cold-resistant clothing," he muttered, heading toward the greenhouse.
Lifting the flap and stepping inside, he was immediately greeted by a refreshing, clean fragrance.
Inside, the vegetable garden was lush with fully ripened crops!
These crops were visibly larger and juicier than their normal counterparts.
For instance, the strawberries at the front, which were usually only as big as a ping-pong ball, were now the size of a fist—nearly as big as apples.
Besides strawberries, corn, rice, cabbage, cucumbers—every crop had grown significantly in size, nearly two to three times larger than usual.
And the yield was extraordinary!
A single half-meter-tall tomato plant was densely covered with fruit—Lin Fan counted around 187 tomatoes on just one plant!
The heavy fruits drooped to the ground like crimson gemstones.
To Lin Fan, these fruits were worth more than any gem.
In the post-apocalyptic world, luxury items would soon be worthless, while the value of food would skyrocket.
He believed that soon, not even a gemstone the size of a tomato could be traded for a single one of these real tomatoes.
Staring at the abundant harvest before him, Lin Fan felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and stretched out his arms as if proclaiming, "This is my kingdom."
A series of data appeared before him:
Radiation-Resistant Tomato: Nutrient-rich, contains 128 trace elements. Long-term consumption can effectively enhance physical fitness. Storage time: 30 days.
Radiation-Resistant Cucumber: Nutrient-rich, high in vitamin C...
Lin Fan quickly reviewed all the crop data. Besides their radiation-resistant trait, these crops were far more nutritious than ordinary vegetables.
The variety and richness of their nutrients could be compared to medicinal herbs.
The most important note in each entry:
Long-term consumption can effectively enhance physical fitness.
Simply put, even someone as weak as Wu Dalang could grow taller than Shaquille O'Neal and stronger than Xiang Yu after eating enough of these.
He could knock out Ximen Qing with one punch and perform aerial stunts with Pan Jinlian...
*Cough cough!*
Getting carried away.
Looking at the crops in front of him, Lin Fan's heart thudded in excitement.
With the doomsday upon them, a shelter was important, but he knew he couldn't hide in the farm forever.
To survive outside, he would need strength.
And with these crops, hunger and weakness were no longer concerns.
And this was only the radiation-resistant level.
There were still Ancient Herb, Divine, and Super Divine tiers of crops yet to come, each likely with even more terrifying bonuses.
Who knows—after eating those, maybe he really could become Superman.
Suppressing his excitement, Lin Fan began harvesting the crops.
Although there were harvesters in the farm, harvesting was far more time-consuming than planting.
By the time he finished gathering all the crops, it was already 10 a.m.
Inside the greenhouse, mountains of cucumbers, radishes, strawberries, tomatoes, and over a dozen kinds of fruits and vegetables were piled up.
In another greenhouse, there were stacks of corn, rice, and wheat—crops for staple food production.
A batch of radiation-resistant cucumbers: 300 kg
A batch of radiation-resistant strawberries: 100 kg
A batch of radiation-resistant tomatoes:…
One by one, data floated into Lin Fan's mind.
Total yield from all 10 greenhouses: 6000 kg!
Twelve thousand jin! *(\~13,200 lbs)*
If stored purely for food, it could probably feed Xinxin until she grew up.
But that was just a theoretical calculation—food couldn't be stored that long anyway.
Looking at the harvest, Lin Fan's expression turned a bit complex.
Before the apocalypse, this 6000kg of produce could maybe fetch 30,000–40,000 yuan at best, and only after half a year of hard work.
After deducting all expenses, maybe 10,000 yuan in profit.
Ten thousand in six months…
That was why many people, including some of his own relatives, looked down on him or even cut ties.
But this farm was the only inheritance left by his parents—the place where they had poured all their efforts. Lin Fan simply couldn't give it up.
That's why he had held on all these years.
But now, everything had changed.
Lin Fan was confident that if he took these fruits and vegetables to the market now, they could sell for at least 600,000 yuan!
And the prices would only go higher.
Still, Lin Fan didn't plan to sell them.
At this moment, system points were far more valuable than depreciating money.
So after some thought, he decided to keep 100kg for food storage, and exchange the rest for points.
"Confirm recycling of 5900kg radiation-resistant crops?"
The system prompted.
Lin Fan decisively chose Confirm.
"Ding! Recycle successful!"
"Congratulations, you've received 59,000 points!"
"Congratulations on completing your first recycling. Achievement unlocked: Recycle Master. Reward: 3 Agricultural-type Intelligent Work Robots!"
A bonus for the first recycle?
Nice!
So nice!
Looking at the flood of points in the system store and the three robots that suddenly appeared before him, Lin Fan felt completely fulfilled.
In his excitement, he didn't notice that in a greenhouse corner, over a dozen Ancient Herb-level plants had already begun to sprout finger-length green shoots.
Unlike the radiation-resistant crops, these were a dazzling emerald green, translucent and beautiful—like works of art.
They exuded a faint herbal fragrance…
Like a lone, proud snow lotus blooming on a glacier.
City Central Hospital
"Mr. Liang, thank you for your donation!"said Director Wang, looking exhausted as he shook hands with the young man in front of him.
"Your company's donation of twenty ventilators has been a huge help!"
Liang Tianyu stood still, expressionless as he briefly shook hands with Director Wang.
If not for Vice President Ren's insistence—willing to risk conflict—he would never have agreed to this donation and forfeit profit.
"Director Wang, I'd like to ask: is there any treatment for the acute symptoms caused by consuming these toxic vegetables and meats?"Liang asked.
"To be honest, we're at a loss. All we can do is maintain vital signs using ventilators and stimulants, but that only extends their life for a few hours at most…"Wang sighed.
"So…in other words, it's basically a death sentence?"Liang asked.
"That's right,"Director Wang nodded."Since yesterday, there have been 189 critical cases in South City alone, and tens of thousands globally! Once on the operating table, the fatality rate is 100%. Not a single patient has survived."
Liang Tianyu narrowed his eyes at the grim news.
Strangely, a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"I have something to take care of. I'll take my leave,"he said, nodding as he turned and walked out of the hospital with his assistant.
Director Wang only caught a few fragmented words from behind:
"…at all costs…find…give it a try…might lead to…enormous fortune…"