Chapter 239 - Half A Year, The Real Danger of the Flood
Chapter 239: Half A Year, The Real Danger of the Flood
Woo~~
Woo~~
Seeing the dumbfounded crowd in the distance, Moore curiously pressed the horn, and the mellifluous sound of the horn immediately began to echo across the empty wasteland!
The sound of the combine harvester’s horn was, in all fairness, not very pleasant; even a little harsh. However, it was this ear-piercing familiar sound that made the refugees, who had seen a combine harvester on Earth before, react.
“Combine harvester, it’s really a combine harvester! Almighty Su built a combine harvester!”
“God, I heard that the Almighty Su was purchasing blueprint designs just two days ago, and now it’s already made?”
“If there’s a combine harvester, will there be other agricultural machinery?”
The closer the two mechanical monsters were to them, the louder the roars from the engines. The sound thrummed like a melody through the blood of every refugee.
Even Chen Shen, who usually prided himself on his ability to handle things calmly, also had his mouth open wide.
Outside the crowd, Zhong Qingshu was standing under a tree. Her beautiful eyes also flickered as she looked at Moore driving the harvester, indicating a trace of curiosity.
Meanwhile, at the sight of all the refugees who were raring to go, Su Mo did not hesitate to park the vehicle and open the door.
According to their previous plan, Su Mo straightened the hem of his combat uniform and slowly got out of the car after Oreo scampered out from the passenger seat and disappeared from view, like a ray of silver lightning.
Oreo would stand guard while Moore was responsible for clearing the field.
Looking at the expectant crowd, Su Mo simply took the seeds out from his storage space and piled them on the ground.
“I’ve brought the seeds. There’s no time to lose, let’s start planting!”
Excellent-quality seeds naturally had a light fluorescent layer, which made them very conspicuous at night in the wasteland, where there was no light pollution.
“Big Brother Su, now that we have a combine harvester, should we also adjust our division of the harvest, otherwise…”
The efficiency and speed was completely different with the combine harvester and without.
Also, as long as the operator could provide enough fuel, they could also save a lot of manpower and allocate the surplus to the subsequent plowing and sowing efforts.
“There’s no need for that. I’m providing this combine harvester for free, but I have a few requirements. I hope everyone will cooperate with me.”
After taking a look at the nervous refugees in the front row, Su Mo smiled.
“It’s not only the combine harvester. I can also provide the subsequent rotary tiller and the flour grinder for free. However, after four or five rounds of planting, I’ll need everyone to cooperate with me and plant other crops.”
“Such as… cabbage, soybeans, carrots, cotton…”
Su Mo recited the names of seven or eight crops in one breath. Looking at the crowd who was now completely dumbfounded, Su Mo shrugged his shoulders and continued to pull out more seeds.
Su Mo had expected the shock that those tools would bring to the refugees of the wasteland, but the reality of the situation was much more exaggerated than he had imagined.
These people’s faces portrayed what it meant to be thoroughly shocked to the fullest.
After four or five seconds, everyone was still staring blankly ahead and their minds were still wondering what was going on. Su Mo had to wave his hand helplessly.
“Okay, okay, what’s the matter? Let’s talk about this after the first round of harvesting. If we don’t start now, the seeds won’t be sown even after 12 o’clock!”
The refugees, who were still in shock, reacted to Su Mo’s words. Their faces were filled with smiles that would not go away, and they all fist-pumped and formed a long line according to the previous arrangement.
They had 240 mu of land. In the process of tilling the land, Candlelight Shelter had gathered some more refugees who were previously located in the vicinity.
The current shelter had a total of one hundred and thirty-three adults, six 17-year-old teenagers, and one infant.
There were only 46 men among them, so each person’s portion was 2.5 mu of land, sharing a total of 115 mu.
The six teenagers, on the other hand, were given one mu each, sharing 6 mu between them.
In addition to a few necessary logistics to ensure that the people working could have enough food to eat and water to drink, the rest of the women were tasked with 1.5 mu of land each. Combined together, all the farmland had been distributed.
At this time, Chen Shen stood at the forefront. When he called a person’s name, the corresponding person would come forward to receive their own share of the seeds.
Su Mo stood beside Chen Shen. After receiving the attention of every refugee, Su Mo watched as everyone started planting according to their previous allocations. He had been tense, but now he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With the exception of Zhong Qingshu, everyone in the Candlelight Shelter, including the leadership, had to work.
The good thing was that the teachers in the Candlelight Shelter had trained everyone on how to plant. While walking on the path between fields, Su Mo looked left and right, but he did not find any glaring problems.
“During this era of civilization, those who farm well are either very interested in it, or they’ve inherited land that has passed down for several generations. Not many people would be willing to do this kind of work otherwise.”
“Since we’ve arrived at the wasteland, we must either farm the land or die. Given that ultimatum, everyone’s attitude toward learning the ins and outs of farming has become much more serious!”
While roaming the area, Su Mo noticed that the teenagers were also farming diligently. He nodded silently at the sight.
Everything was developing in accordance with the envisioned process. The more they planted, the better the harvest, and the more they would earn.
Even when Su Mo was not standing by and supervising the work, these people exerted their all strength, each one crazier than the next.
“How about it? You didn’t expect that we’d be so efficient, did you?”
“Who would have known that these people, who were white-collar workers and students just a month ago, could adapt so quickly?”
Zhong Qingshu noticed that Su Mo was standing at the ridge, feeling dazed. She came over quietly.
“It’s a pity that the next disaster is coming. Let’s hope everyone here can live well!”
Su Mo shook his head. At the thought of the impending flood disaster, and the future of these people, Su Mo felt a slight headache.
The cause of the punishment disaster had not yet been found.
If nothing changed, all of humanity would have to endure a flood that lasted up to 180 days.
However, the good thing was that they had also triggered a welfare disaster. Most people had no problem putting together a half-year’s worth of food.
“If the disaster is really a great flood this time, whether the human race can survive or not may not be the biggest problem.”
“Oh?”
Su Mo looked over after noticing Zhong Qingshu’s meaningful gaze, and followed the direction of her gaze.
It happened to be on the Candlelight Shelter complex!
“If the upcoming flood lasts for 180 days, and then recedes after the disaster is over, human survival is not a problem.”
“People in low-lying locations will migrate to higher ground, and people at the bottom of the mountain will go to the top of the mountain. If they really can’t, they can spend some points and materials to build a small boat, which will also allow them to survive.”
“But… The shelters that everyone created using their cores will be gone, won’t they?”
Although a small percentage of people had abandoned the game-created shelter, choosing to build their own house and trying not to rely on the game for everything, more than 70% of people still lived in the game-created shelter. They had to rely on the various functions of the game panel to live.
The great flood would be a massive disaster for not only the above-ground shelters, but also for the underground shelters.
These people’s underground shelters were not magically blessed nor did they have the technology required to resist the flood.
After the flood waters receded, all that would be left was wreckage.
As for the above-ground shelters, the ones that had been built on higher ground could still rely on the terrain to resist the flood. However, those in low-lying areas had to be abandoned.
“Yes. After most shelters are gone, they really can’t rely on these magical features to develop any longer.”
“As far as I know, many blueprint designs can only be used if the shelter reaches a specific level. If everyone discards their shelters, it’s the same as discarding the opportunity to use the game’s technology.”
“At this rate, human technology will return to what it once was before we crossed over here. After a decade or two, we’ll reach the limits of our technology again.”
“However, who can say for sure what will happen in a few decades? Maybe Almighty Su will lead everyone in a wave of technological advance!”
Zhong Qingshu seemed to be afraid of giving Su Mo too much pressure. Her last phrase seemed to have been said more in jest than in actual seriousness. After she finished speaking, she tilted her head in deep thought.
“If you really say so, then I will lead everyone.”
“This disaster has not yet arrived, so who can predict the future for sure? Maybe I’ll trigger a different disaster and the flood disaster will vanish into thin air?”
Su Mo never worried about the uncertainties of the future. He noticed the worry in Zhong Qingshu’s eyes, and so he held back. He did not tell her that he possessed the Mountain and Sea Painting Scroll card.
If the human race really fell into crisis, the flood would recede within a day as long as Su Mo used this card.
At that time, mountains and rivers would rise, and oceans would be created. The lands would be transformed into plains that were suitable for human survival.
However, before that, if Su Mo wanted to find his sister and explore the lost satellite base in search of the secrets of this world, he still needed the flood to happen.
The two of them sat on the ridge. After ending this topic, the two began to have a casual conversation.
Compared to the Zhong Qingshu in the ruins of time, the Zhong Qingshu in the main world was more independent, and her thoughts were in line with those who had experienced the full extent of the disasters of the doomsday wasteland.
On many small issues, Su Mo also adopted a slightly different philosophy.
In the fields below, all the refugees were methodically carrying out the final sowing and tilling work according to the schedule.
Time passed by. At this time, no one cried out of tiredness or pain.
Even if their waists were protesting, they still firmly repeated the process of bending, sowing, straightening up, and picking up more seeds.
A green moon, which was different from the usual demonic red moon, crept up into the sky, signalling the arrival of the welfare disaster.
This green was not a fluorescent green, but a very comfortable and eye-friendly green. It was bright enough to illuminate everyone working in the fields.
The more dazzling the green light became, the closer it was to the time of the disaster’s arrival.
By the time the green light was about to fully condense, there were only ten minutes remaining before the welfare disaster commenced.
Two mu was not too large, but neither was it a small area either. Even the teenagers had completed their tasks. They sat next to their land, waiting for the disaster to arrive.
“How nice it is when there are not many worries here in the wasteland.”
“Live in the moment, let’s live in the moment! That’s the most correct way of thinking. Look at them, how happy they are!”
Su Mo stood up, patting the dust off his combat uniform. Next, he pulled Zhong Qingshu up as her legs were numb after sitting for too long. The two of them stood side by side.
Looking at the scattered refugees under the green light, and then at the happy smiles that bloomed on their faces despite their fatigue, Su Mo understood for the first time why someone powerful shouldered the burden every time the sky fell.
The stronger the ability, the greater the responsibility.
At that level, maybe those powerful people would no longer put their personal safety and security as their first priority.
Buzz… Buzz… Buzz…
While Su Mo was thinking, the clock struck twelve on the game panel, and the welfare disaster…
Finally arrived!