The light inside the sealed chamber flickered again, and Chen Hao immediately stopped. The plant's leaves slowly closed, as if breathing, or perhaps responding to something.

He didn't speak, but simply hugged the sealed capsule tighter. The three behind him also fell silent, no one daring to breathe loudly. The ease they had felt on the way here was completely gone; everyone understood—this thing hadn't settled down yet.

As soon as the gate at the base entrance opened, Susan came to greet them. Her eyes were fixed on the sealed chamber. "The temperature is changing too quickly; it won't last long."

"I know." Chen Hao strode towards the lab. "Where's Nana?"

“We’re already waiting.” Nana’s voice came from the end of the corridor. Her metal casing gleamed coldly, and her fingers had already brought up the holographic interface. “Prepare the transition chamber. Pressure gradient decreases by two percent per minute, water temperature slowly rises in sync.”

Carl rushed into the equipment room and dragged out a temperature-controlled chamber. "It's a modified old heat circulation system; it should work."

“Don’t say ‘should’,” Susan said while connecting the phone. “We have to stabilize the metabolic rate, otherwise if the cells break down, everything will be for nothing.”

Chen Hao stood outside the cultivation chamber, watching them work. The plant was still glowing, but the frequency was erratic, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, like an irregular heartbeat.

"Is it... going to die?" he asked.

“It’s not that it can’t be done.” Nana said without looking up. “It’s about recalibrating the energy mode. Going from the high pressure of the deep sea to the normal pressure of the base is like a human jumping from a snow-capped mountain into a desert. It takes time.”

"Then what can I do?"

"Don't touch the glass," Susan said. "Your body temperature will affect the local environment."

Chen Hao pulled his hand back and rubbed it against his face. He was a little hungry, but no one was in the mood to talk about food at that moment.

Ten minutes later, the pressure in the transition chamber finally dropped to a safe level. Nana initiated the transfer procedure, and an opening slid open at the bottom of the sealed chamber, allowing the nutrient solution carrying the plants to slowly flow into the main cultivation chamber.

The water flowed still.

The leaves swayed gently, and the blue-green light gradually returned to a uniform state.

"He's alive." Carl breathed a sigh of relief. "At least he didn't die on the spot."

“This is just the first step.” Nana pulled up the data stream. “Next, we need to reconstruct its growth environment. There are chemical fluids continuously released from the original rock fissures, and we need to simulate that.”

"How do we model it?" Chen Hao asked. "We don't even know what that thing actually is."

“Let’s reverse the process.” Nana opened the database. “There are records of hydrothermal vent ecosystems on Earth. A mixture of hydrogen sulfide, methane, and iron ions, combined with a specific temperature gradient, can activate chemosynthetic reactions.”

"Sounds like a poison gas canister," Carl muttered. "Are we growing vegetables or conducting a biological experiment?"

"They're essentially the same," Chen Hao grinned. "They're both feeding people."

Susan has already started drawing up the design. "We'll modify waste heat pipes into miniature nozzles and install them at the bottom of the culture chamber. The flow rate will be controllable, and the concentration can also be adjusted."

“I’ll weld it,” Karl said, rolling up his sleeves. “It’s more interesting than fixing the thrusters anyway.”

The two turned and left. Chen Hao was still staring at the plants in the cultivation chamber.

"Can it really grow here?" he asked Nana.

“If the conditions are right, it will grow,” she said. “But it won’t grow fast. This organism is adapted to extremely stable environments, and any fluctuation will put it into hibernation.”

"Then let it stay stable." Chen Hao patted the cabin wall. "From now on, this will be our family's canteen kitchen."

Several hours later, the modified chemical nozzle began operating. A pale yellow liquid slowly seeped from the small hole at the bottom, mixing with the water flow. The metabolic curve on the monitoring screen rose slightly.

“It’s reacted,” Susan said softly. “The ATP synthesis rate has increased by fifteen percent.”

"That means we can eat now." Chen Hao smiled.

But the good times didn't last long. The next morning, problems arose.

The plant's side leaves began to darken, their edges curled, and the light became weaker.

“Something’s not right.” Susan checked the data. “Nutritional supply is normal, temperature is stable, so why is the tissue dying?”

"Is it because you're lacking oxygen?" Karl leaned closer.

“Dissolved oxygen levels are within acceptable limits.” Nana glanced at it. “It’s more likely oxidative stress. We cut the roots in an open environment, and the air contact caused a burst of free radicals.”

"So it's injured?" Chen Hao frowned.

"To be precise, the wound was 'burned'," Nana said. "Next time, we need to use inert gas for protection."

"Nitrogen will do?" Karl asked.

“Argon is better,” Nana replied. “It has a higher density and can form a stable insulating layer.”

"Alright, I have to go check the gas cylinder inventory again." Carl sighed. "Growing vegetables is more troublesome than writing a thesis."

On the third attempt, everything proceeded according to the new procedure. Susan prepared the miniature culture tanks, each with its own power supply. Nana activated the argon gas shield, and Chen Hao personally stood guard at the observation window.

"Get ready to cut," she said.

The blade slowly cut into the root. There were no bubbles, no discoloration. The cut was clean, with a slight sheen of moisture.

“It worked,” Carl said softly.

Seventy-two hours later, the first lateral bud emerged from the edge of the break. It was small, transparent, and had a bluish-green tinge.

It moved slightly.

Then, it emitted a faint light.

"It's alive!" Carl slammed his hand on the control panel. "It's fucking alive!"

Chen Hao squatted in front of the observation window, his face almost pressed against the glass. He watched the tender sprout slowly unfold, like a baby reaching out for the first time.

"Our vegetable garden," he murmured, "opens for business today."

The entire agricultural module was cleared out and divided into thirty cultivation units. The central main plant remained in the very center, surrounded by newly sprouted seedlings. The walls were covered with surveillance cameras, the floor was covered with an anti-slip coating, and the overhead lights were adjusted to a low-frequency blue-green, mimicking the spectrum of the deep sea.

The name was given by Chen Hao.

“It’s called ‘Deep Sea Green No. 1 Farm’,” he said. “It sounds like a project, but I really just want to call it a vegetable garden.”

“Too corny,” Carl said.

"Down-to-earth is the most reliable," Chen Hao said. "Have you ever seen a Michelin-starred restaurant use 'E-7 Chemi-synthesized Green Particles' as its signature dish?"

Susan didn't participate in the argument; she was busy recording growth logs. The first batch of divisions had an 80% survival rate, stable metabolism, and regular light signals. More importantly, they had begun to absorb the chemicals released by the artificial nozzles and convert them into their own energy.

"At this rate," she said, "we can try to extract edible samples in a month."

"I've been waiting for this day." Chen Hao rubbed his hands together. "Soup or cold dish?"

"Test for toxicity first," Nana advised.

“I know,” Chen Hao waved his hand, “but I’ve tasted it in my dreams. Fresh, with a hint of sea salt, and crunchy to chew.”

“You haven’t even seen what it looks like in its entirety,” Carl laughed.

“I don’t need to see it.” Chen Hao pointed to the cultivation chamber. “It is now my hope vegetable.”

A few days later, the farm entered the trial operation phase. An automated circulation system took over daily maintenance, periodically injecting nutrient solution and removing waste. Each culture tank has an independent alarm mechanism; a red light will illuminate if any parameters are abnormal.

That evening, the four of them gathered in the control room to look at the data.

The curves are smooth, and the lights are dim.

“I never thought it would actually work.” Susan leaned back in her chair. “At first, I thought it would only be able to keep a single plant alive.”

"Nana is amazing," Carl said. "No one else would know that argon gas can protect the blade."

Nana stood in the corner, her machine in low-power mode, the light in her eyes dimmed slightly, but it was still running.

Chen Hao suddenly stood up and walked to the control panel.

He pressed the broadcast button, and his voice echoed throughout the agricultural module: "Everyone, from today onwards, this base officially achieves—vegetable freedom."

No one applauded.

Carl rolled his eyes. "You really think this is a press conference?"

"I'm serious." Chen Hao persisted. "From now on, the food standards will be improved, and each person will be given at least two meals of fresh vegetables per week. No matter if it's steamed, stir-fried, boiled, or deep-fried, it must make me feel happy."

"That is, if we can harvest it," Susan reminded.

"It's nothing." Chen Hao waved his hand. "Once they're a bit bigger, we'll hold an opening ceremony. We'll cut the ribbon, take photos, and record a video to post on the intranet."

"Who are you planning to ask to cut your hair?" Carl asked.

"Myself," Chen Hao said, puffing out his chest. "After all, I was the first to touch it."

“You were also the first one who almost killed it,” Susan added.

Chen Hao choked, then chuckled twice, "Heroes always have to experience setbacks."

As night deepened, the others gradually left. Chen Hao stayed, sitting by the observation window, a notebook in his hand, flipping through the pages of data from the past few days.

Nana stood behind him and whispered, "What are you writing?"

"Diary." Chen Hao didn't even look up. "Chapter 1 of 'Deep-Sea Vegetable Growing Records': How a mediocre student turned his life around with a single blade of grass."

Is the content true?

“Mostly true.” He continued writing, “just with some artistic embellishment.”

Nana didn't speak again. Her sensors showed that the light signal of the main plant was flashing at a fixed frequency, as if responding to some kind of rhythm.

Chen Hao suddenly stopped writing.

He stared at the plant, his brows slowly furrowing.

"Nana".

"exist."

"It just... moved."

"It's been moving."

“It’s not that kind of swaying,” Chen Hao pointed, “it’s that the whole plant turned around and is facing this way.”

Nana retrieved the high-speed camera footage. The footage was played back three times.

Indeed. Three minutes ago, the stem of the main plant rotated slightly, with the tips of the leaves pointing towards the observation window for eleven seconds before returning to their original positions.

"It might be due to the water flow," Nana said.

"The recirculation system isn't activated," Chen Hao said in a low voice. "And... has it been watching me the whole time?"