Zuo Ling traded two crossbows with Professor Jin using bamboo that could be used to make 3,000 bamboo nails.

Professor Jin's crossbows can adjust the size and thickness of the nails, and can use iron nails, as well as wooden or bamboo nails.

It's a step above Tang Fei in terms of practicality, but the materials used are much inferior.

It's likely that Professor Jin didn't have suitable materials, so it's already quite an achievement that he was able to make it at all.

The bamboo was left outside for more than half a month, and apart from its color becoming slightly dull, it still looked very fresh.

Professor Jin was preoccupied, and although he was surprised by the quality of the bamboo, he didn't ask any further questions.

Zuo Ling never had a chance to utter the words she had prepared.

"Miss, I know this is an unreasonable request..."

Zuo Ling thought to herself, "If you know that, why did you say it!"

"If you could come with us, feel free to take anything you like from the Agricultural Research Institute. We promise we won't interfere. I'll also have your aunt teach you how to cultivate mushrooms and hydroponically grow vegetables."

We know the girl is capable and doesn't lack those supplies. But we don't know when the natural disaster will end, and cultivating mushrooms and hydroponically grown vegetables are survival skills that will come in handy.

The old man is too cunning, giving away agricultural research institute stuff for free to do her a favor. If it weren't for her spatial ability, she would definitely have been very interested in the old man's suggestion, but...

Fine, I'll let it go for the sake of the mushroom cultivation and hydroponic vegetables.

"I want half of what you brought back."

Professor Jin hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course."

They would be willing to go with Zuo Ling and share the profits 60% or 70%.

The two agreed to set off in the early morning.

Despite the polar night, most people still maintain their original daily routines.

The early morning hours are when people are most likely to feel sleepy, making travel relatively safe.

For safety reasons, the three of them drove the doomsday theorist's pickup truck off-road vehicle, with a trailer attached to the back.

After the polar night, the community gates are closed at 10 p.m., and in principle, they cannot be opened again.

Zuo Ling bribed the security guard on duty with two packs of instant noodles and a pack of biscuits.

Before the apocalypse, instant noodles and biscuits were nothing.

But now, the supermarket has been closed for a long time, so everything looks good.

Taking the items, the security guard smiled obsequiously: "Sister Zuo, please hurry back, I'll hold the door for you."

He wondered to himself, "It's so chaotic outside. Can two old people with a girl really make it back?"

Even in peacetime, Zuo Ling rarely walked at night, and in the polar night... walking at night was a first for her, especially for a young woman.

It was pitch black all the way, and all three of them were wearing thermal imaging night vision goggles.

Afraid of attracting attention, I dared not turn on my high beams, resulting in a very narrow field of vision and a snail-like speed.

Occasionally, sporadic gunshots could be heard, and each one made Researcher Tang shudder.

The journey, which normally takes 45 minutes, took an hour and a half to get there.

Not wanting to attract attention, Researcher Tang led them through a side door.

Upon arriving at the side door, they found it heavily locked, and not only that, but a small mountain of clutter was piled up in front of it.

With the spatial cheat device at her disposal, Zuo Ling wouldn't spend much time cleaning up the clutter.

But she couldn't do that with Professor Jin and his wife; she couldn't exactly perform magic tricks in front of the elderly couple.

The three of them discussed it and decided to climb the wall.

The walls of the Agricultural Research Institute weren't very high, and Zuo Ling could climb them as easily as playing a game.

The two elderly people, panting heavily, crawled for more than ten minutes before finally landing safely with the help of Zuo Ling pulling them.

The Agricultural Research Institute was huge. Researcher Tang led them through a maze of turns, so much so that Zuo Ling almost lost her way back before they finally arrived.

For those with keys, Researcher Tang would open the door; for those without, Professor Jin would pick the lock. The elderly couple worked together seamlessly.

Zuo Ling was stunned. She thought to herself, "Luckily, those two old guys don't think much of the thief profession, otherwise they would definitely be top-notch thieves."

The apocalypse was still in its early stages, and everyone's attention was focused on food, non-staple foods, and warm clothing. Few people thought about supplies like seeds, and all the warehouses of the Agricultural Research Institute remained intact.

Under Researcher Tang's direction, the three of them took a lot of vegetable seeds, nutrient soil, nutrient solution, antifreeze, growth agent, planting pots of various sizes, and many other things that Zuo Ling couldn't name.

The seed warehouse of the Agricultural Research Institute is very meticulously categorized, with each bag labeled with the type of seed, the date of receipt, the place of origin, and so on.

There are many types of potting soil, nutrient solution, and growth agent, but the ones that Tang Research Institute uses are all suitable for growing vegetables at home.

After she finished taking everything, Zuo Ling finished up, taking about a third of what she could carry.

The Agricultural Research Institute is responsible for the survival of many people; whether they can live or die depends on them. Zuo Ling didn't want to push things too far.

Besides vegetable seeds, Zuo Ling took some grain seeds and a dozen or so fruit tree saplings. The saplings were planted in large flowerpots, and several of them have already borne fruit.

There were supplemental lights everywhere in the greenhouse. Zuo Ling took a few, but didn't dare to take them all.

There were still many fruit trees and crops in the shed. If they were all taken away, the remaining ones would not survive. Zuo Ling did not want the hard work of the researchers to go to waste.

Even if Zuo Ling had a shred of goodwill, she would still be severely criticized for doing theft halfway through.

They've almost finished gathering them; there are dozens of large bags in total. It would be exhausting for the three of them to carry them all out, even if they were to vomit blood.

After going out for a drive, Zuo Ling drove back in a large van. The two elders were very happy and didn't even ask Zuo Ling where she found it.

Back at the wall, they helped each other transfer the items to the pickup truck.

On the way back, we encountered several robberies, all of which were armed.

We were through a hail of bullets, like we were crossing a blockade.

Unless the doomsday theorist's car has been specially modified, it would be difficult to return unscathed.

The car was going much faster on the way back than it was coming, speeding recklessly and hardly ever braking.

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