Chapter 240 - Three Years to Blossom, Three Years to Bear Fruit
Chapter 240: Three Years to Blossom, Three Years to Bear Fruit
As soon as twelve o’clock passed, the green color of the moon in the sky quickly receded and turned into a normal silvery-white.
At the same time, the grass on the ground began to grow like crazy, to the extent that it was visibly obvious!
A welfare disaster was also a disaster!
As long as the word “disaster” was added, it was both a great opportunity that human beings could use to develop themselves, as well as a punishment on another level.
Those shelters directly built by using the cores provided by the game would be fine, as the power of the core had already cleared out all the plant seeds below the shelter.
The core had also kindly swept away any “threat” within ten meters of the shelters.
However, for those who built their own houses, especially for those who did not clear the land before construction, this disaster could be a real disaster.
After a mere ten minutes, the foundation under countless self-built houses had already turned unstable.
Some people, who had been trying to save time, used wood to build their houses. Now, plants grew from the wood, forcing the wood to break apart and fracture into pieces, resulting in the collapse of the house.
This happened on the plains surrounding the Candlelight Shelter as well.
Shrubs that were originally only one or two meters high surged upward as if they were on steroids.
If this continued without human intervention, these shrubs could rise to at least five or six meters high within these three days.
The grass on the ground was also growing rapidly, adding a millimeter or two in height every thirty minutes, and four or five centimeters within a day.
“Fortunately, this crazy rate of growth only lasts for three days. If things really happened according to the whims of those people, the duration of the welfare disaster would have been extended to half a month or a full month.”
“If that happened, then I’m afraid that the horror that this welfare disaster brings will far exceed that of the flood!”
After carefully observing the speed of the grass growing underfoot, and the process of shrubs and trees growing, Su Mo was a bit anxious about the other hidden changes that this disaster might cause.
Plants that had not undergone human cultivation were of ordinary-quality and would grow 50 times faster.
The foreign races, humans, and mutant creatures could not consume the excess oxygen on the wasteland. There would be a large surplus of oxygen, resulting in an increase in the oxygen content of the wasteland’s atmosphere and a decrease in the levels of carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. The decrease in the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would lead to a rapid drop in temperature.
At the same time, the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere would rapidly increase, recreating the Carboniferous Period on Earth.
95% of the continent was covered by plants during that period. There were dragonflies with the wingspan that measured the height of a regular human, and even spiders the size of a small truck.
Of course, within these three days, humans would only feel more energetic despite the crazy growth of the plants. After the end of the crazy growth, they would feel discomfort again, as if there was a lack of oxygen.
“Don’t worry. Two days ago, experts predicted the changes in oxygen concentration and the possible impacts from this disaster.”
“Although it’s only a data model, it’s quite credible.”
“Most people don’t care about these other additional impacts though. Even if they wanted to think about it, it would definitely only be after they get their stomachs filled first!”
Zhong Qingshu spoke those words softly while looking at Su Mo, who was slightly nervous while thinking about the problem. Her words were reasonable, and seemed to possess some kind of “magic” that could make people calm down quickly.
Listening to Zhong Qingshu’s words, and looking at the refugees who were shouting in extreme surprise, Su Mo felt that he had overreacted a little. He could not help but touch his head.
No matter what this disaster would bring to the human beings living in this wasteland, they could rely on the effects of this welfare disaster for now. They had to eat well and survive.
In the fields, the spring wheat had begun to sprout within an hour. The plants were green and lush, making for a sight that could easily cheer people up.
The people could not help but patrol back and forth in their own areas, caring for the crops.
The people in charge of logistics also carried up several large buckets of wild vegetable soup and began to distribute bowls of soup.
After thinking about it, Su Mo came to the buckets, pulled out about a liter of psychic energy water from his storage space, and poured equal amounts of it into each bucket.
Then he took out a bucket of half-used vegetable oil and poured a hundred milliliters into each bucket.
The refugees in the wasteland were too weak!
The first wave of refugees who had been transported here were now weak. Even if they were strong and sturdy men, their physique now was not even comparable to that of teenagers back on Earth.
Every day they only consumed clear wild vegetable soup. Occasionally, they consumed dry rations and supplies scavenged from the kobold castle.
It was fine if their usual workload was not heavy, but some people were already looking pale. If not for their excitement, they would have keeled over right then and there.
If they remained in this state for a day or two, they would become very sick and perhaps die.
“Make sure to distribute the same portion to each person. Don’t give some people more and some less!”
After sweeping a glance at the women carrying the buckets and looking at their continuous nods, Su Mo relaxed. He walked back to his Earth Tiger, following the trail.
The Candlelight Shelter was now back on track.
With the assistance of the machinery, they would obtain a good harvest even if a few accidents occurred.
The next thing Su Mo had to do was to ensure the provision of sufficient fuel, and that the rotary tiller and flour grinder were in place and ready to operate.
“I’ll go back first. I’ll find a way to bring the flour grinder and rotary tiller here. Meanwhile, you have to help watch over the refugees here.”
Almost everyone in Candlelight Shelter knew that there was an unspoken relationship between Su Mo and Zhong Qingshu.
In addition, Zhong Qingshu’s strength was outstanding. She was also clever, so everyone wordlessly agreed that she did not need to work.
“Don’t worry, I’ll watch over things on this side. You can go on ahead!”
After Zhong Qingshu nodded solemnly, Su Mo gestured toward Moore, who was holding a Type-80 machine gun in his arms, in the distance, who scurried out from the darkness in which he was hiding.
Oreo also opened the car door without being noticed and scampered into the car’s backseat.
Sitting in the car, Su Mo waved his hand once again as he looked at the vast field. As Moore put his foot on the gas pedal, Earth Tiger roared forward!
The first round of seed sowing and harvesting had been completed. If the rest time in between was counted, the second round of sowing should be around noon the next day, at eleven o’clock.
The earlier the rotary tiller arrived, the more manpower and time could be saved.
After teaching Moore how to drive, Su Mo was happy to become a passenger on the way back and continued to study the design of the unfinished rotary tiller.
The general framework of the rotary tiller was completed but, after observing the physical capabilities of the refugees in the Candlelight Shelter, Su Mo had some new ideas regarding the rotary tiller.
“I must increase the machine’s power. Either that or I can build two machines so that they can work in tandem!”
A rotary tiller was not expensive to build, and no technical expertise was needed to operate it. Operators only needed to lower the rotary blades, drive forward, and keep on going.
If there was only one rotary tiller, the physically weak refugees currently at the Candlelight Shelter would need to work alongside it.
That would reduce the efficiency and speed of the work. It was better for him to use some Survival Points and construct two units.
Before Su Mo could begin considering if he also had to increase the numbers of the other machinery, the Underground Shelter appeared at the end of his field of vision, thanks to Moore’s driving skills.
“Master Su Mo, we have trees near our home!”
As Su Mo had been looking downward, contemplating those matters, he had not observed his surroundings. After hearing Moore’s words, he looked up and was instantly stunned by the sight before him!
“Crap…”
The area around the Underground Shelter was barren. There was only yellow soil around. By that logic, nothing should have grown here.
However, aside from a circular space surrounding the Underground Shelter, the rest of the area was visibly verdant, even when seen from a distance. The most horrible thing was that…
The trees were growing!
“This is too outrageous! What kind of tree is this? Why is it growing so fast?”
The Earth Tiger kept on hitting tree trunks, making banging noises. Looking at Moore’s excitement as he looked for trees to hit, Su Mo hurriedly stopped him and got out of the car for a closer look.
Compared to the shrubs on the Hope Plains, the saplings near the Underground Shelter were growing much faster.
If this went on without human intervention, the trees would definitely grow within these three days to the same level as what he had seen in the talisman’s simulation.
Pulling out a shovel, Su Mo tried to dig out the root of a sapling under the illumination of Earth Tiger’s headlights.
With just one dig, he felt a headache coming.
The roots of this unknown species were even more horrible compared to the small trees outside.
Only two hours had passed, but the roots, which were about as thick as a finger, were now tangled together. They frantically drew nutrients from the barren land in order to provide for the trunk above.
Su Mo stood up and used all his strength as he tried to pull up the tree trunk twice.
However, this sapling was extremely tough. Thanks to its roots, Su Mo could not pull it out despite his strength. Even if he chopped off the trunk, the parts below would still remain.
“God, this thing is really stubborn. Moore, come over to work!”
Moore’s strength was extremely terrifying. This strength was not only apparent while he was farming; Su Mo could also feel Moore’s strength in daily life.
After calling on Moore’s strength, the two of them worked together and finally got all of the roots of this sapling out.
The previous unresponsive appraisal system flashed.
“This thing should be classified as dead after it is pulled out, and thus can be identified by the system!”
Su Mo’s movements were not slow despite his thoughts. As he focused, the system’s identification process concluded, and the true nature of the sapling was revealed.
[Source Energy Fruit Tree (Rare)]
[Description: Fruit tree seeds that have absorbed psychic energy water for a long time. After its growth was induced by unknown forces, it sprouted out from the ground. The Source Energy Fruit Tree takes three years to grow, and then three more years to grow flowers and then a further three years to grow fruits. It takes nine years to mature. The more psychic energy water it absorbs in the process of its growth, the stronger the properties of its fruits become. If it does not absorb psychic energy water in the process, it will only flower but not grow fruit.]
[Special Ability (Stage I)]: Immaculate (Eating the fruit can strengthen the body’s metabolism, and expel more than 90% of “waste” in the human body. It is a good treasure that can prolong life and heal internal injuries. It can also be widely used for medicinal purposes; adding it into concoctions will enhance the effectiveness of the medicine.)]
[Special Ability (Stage II)]: Evolution (The Source Energy Fruit is unparalleled in its attractiveness to wasteland creatures. Feeding the fruit to wasteland creatures can greatly enhance their goodwill and there is a certain probability it can assist in the evolution of wasteland creatures.)]
[Special Ability (Stage III)]: Energy (The Source Energy Fruit can replace damaged cores in the development of the shelter’s structure. Each fruit can increase a shelter’s area by 10 square meters, or can unlock other effects.)]
[Comment]: I’ll buy a few Source Energy Fruits. Stay here, don’t move!