Chapter 228 Exclusively published on Jinjiang Literature City: Achievement of 500 Million Fans
That night.
It has been more than a month since we entered the hottest season. Temperatures in the north have already reached over 40 degrees Celsius, occasionally even 45 degrees Celsius. In the Jiangnan region, it is even more extreme, with temperatures still exceeding 40 degrees Celsius even late at night.
In addition, the Jiangnan region is rich in water. Even though the water level has dropped significantly over the past few months, the air remains unbearably hot and humid, and annoying mosquitoes are everywhere.
In such an environment, there is hardly any sign of human habitation outside.
In contrast, in a corner of the greenhouse where the crops were growing lushly, a fluorescent area was where someone was comfortably enjoying the air conditioning, yawning and dozing off.
In the darkness, a figure flashed into the greenhouse at incredible speed and appeared before the guard. The guard felt a gust of wind blow against his face, opened his eyes, and upon seeing the dark figure before him, instinctively exclaimed, "What—!"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw a pair of eyes that appeared even deeper in the light of the glow stick, and then he fell into a deep sleep, completely unaware of what was happening.
Lu Xuan casually tossed the fast-sleeping person out of the greenhouse and scanned the dimly lit room with his enhanced eyesight.
Having confirmed that the crops inside would indeed need a few more days to fully mature, he unconsciously moved his wrist and murmured in the night:
"Let's begin then."
As the words fell, a vast and invisible wood-based power swept towards all the plants in the greenhouse.
The crops, which were already growing quite similarly, ripened completely in an instant, their leaves rustling, and the greenhouse filled with an even stronger, more distinctive plant fragrance.
After ripening hundreds of acres of rice and wheat in one go, Lu Xuan moved on to the next location.
Corn, sweet potatoes, yams, potatoes, and large fields of rapeseed planted specifically for oil extraction, as well as lotus roots in a lotus pond covering hundreds of acres, all grew overnight.
Each time he arrived at a greenhouse for a different crop, Lu Xuan would first hypnotize the guards and then throw them out. He threw out dozens of people in total.
Midway through, due to the excessive amount of energy generated, Lu Xuan consumed a lot of his special abilities. He took out several level-four crystal cores and one level-five crystal core to restore his powers.
It was at this moment that the system's backend messages flashed again, and two new achievement notifications popped up.
[Achieve the achievement of 'receiving gifts totaling 10 billion Star Coins' to receive one standard-issue mech and an increased energy stone pack. Next stage achievement: receive gifts totaling 100 billion Star Coins.]
[Achieve the '500 Million Followers' milestone, rewarded with 72 hours of all-Star Alliance pop-up recommendations, 1 holographic capsule, and 5 million points. Next milestone: 5 Billion Followers.]
There's not much to say about the gift achievement; the reward mech system can be purchased in the shop. The designs aren't anything special, but it'll be perfect for the hunting team to practice with in the training room.
The rewards for fan achievements are a pleasant surprise, especially the referral bonus this time.
In the past, the recommended spots for random stars, whether for 24 hours or 72 hours, rotated every 3-6 hours, and during that time, they were only recommended on the live broadcast channel of one specific star, so in total, they didn't get to be recommended on too many stars.
The biggest benefit of recommending the capital star is that it can bring in more wealthy viewers who spend money on in-game purchases, but the growth rate is not as good as that of the random star.
This time, however, it's a recommendation for the entire Star Alliance. In other words, during the same time period, all the planetary live streaming system channels will recommend his live stream. Without needing much explanation from the audience, Lu Xuan knew that this was undoubtedly one of the best recommendations.
Not to mention, there's an additional reminder that comes with the achievement description.
This recommendation can be limited to 24 hours and divided into three parts, with him free to choose the specific recommendation time.
This right allows Lu Xuan to schedule recommendations during times with more compelling content, maximizing the benefits of the recommendations.
If you don't want to go through that trouble, following past practice, it's fine to be featured for three consecutive days starting tomorrow.
Lu Xuan naturally divided the recommendations into three parts without hesitation. The first round of recommendations would be put on hold until tomorrow, while the rest would be put on hold for later.
Lu Xuan glanced at the rewards from the holographic capsule, opened the system shop, and finally saw the previously grayed-out holographic capsule light up. Also unlocked were the purchase permissions for medical capsules, large cruise ships, and hundreds of other daily necessities, weapons, equipment, and machinery.
Lu Xuan refreshed the daily discounts several more times and found that medical pods, holographic pods, and other items that he hadn't seen before were now available.
Without hesitation, Lu Xuan bought both at the discounted price, using up his daily refresh attempts. He now had three more medical pods and two more holographic pods.
He planned to refresh the page every day for the next few days and try to get all the available cabin classes.
·
Early the next morning.
Lu Xuan found a spot in the greenhouse, set up a bed, and made do for the night. After having a simple breakfast, he turned on his live stream.
At the same time, a pop-up recommendation for his Ancient Survival live stream also appeared on Star Alliance's live stream channel.
Capital planet, agricultural planet, tourist planet, marginal planet—countless interstellar citizens who happened to be browsing the live streaming channel saw the recommendation and entered the live stream room.
The number of online users has seen an unprecedented and terrifying surge.
Almost every blink of an eye, the number of new fans would increase by tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, and the number of new fans would increase rapidly. In addition, a large number of new fans who were unfamiliar with Lu Xuan appeared on the barrage after a long absence.
[An ancient livestream? Or a survival livestream? What kind of survival? Palace intrigue or political maneuvering?]
[Huh, it's a disaster survival game? That seems a bit niche. I'll follow it.]
[Ah, the streamer looks familiar. Isn't he the one with the clone-type superpower mentioned on StarBlog before?]
[Isn't the streamer with the ability to replicate supernatural powers the same Lu Xuan who proposed that mutated plants could be contracted?]
[What are you going to stream today? I heard you've contracted a level seven mutated vampire vine, can you show it off?]
[Has the streamer copied several special-type superpowers? I want to see!]
Because so many new people joined at once, and the number of people sending gifts was astonishing, Lu Xuan unusually experienced a brief pause in the live chat.
Lu Xuan was satisfied with the results of the recommendation, but he remained calm and said with a smile, "There's no rush to show off my abilities, but today's live stream will be very exciting. New viewers can look forward to it."
He glanced at the sky; by now, the guards he had thrown out should have been discovered.
And that is indeed the case.
When Lu Xuan threw people away, he didn't deliberately choose a secluded and deserted place. The greenhouse was of great significance, and every day the stewards of various noble families would come to inspect it.
As soon as it got light, the guards who were sleeping like dead pigs were gradually discovered.
The managers' hearts sank when they saw these people being thrown out of the greenhouse. They had a bad feeling and tried to go into the greenhouse to check, but they found that they couldn't get in!
It was as if some kind of transparent barrier had appeared out of thin air around the greenhouse, preventing them from going any further than three meters from the greenhouse door. If they tried to force their way through, it would feel like they were hitting an invisible wall.
The stewards were shocked: "What's going on?"
Someone with sharp eyes noticed something amiss inside the greenhouse and exclaimed, "Why do the crops inside look even taller than they did yesterday?"
The others looked closer and were even more shocked. "It looks to me like the rice is already fully ripe and ready to be harvested?"
But yesterday they consulted an experienced farmer, who said it would take another four or five days for the crops to reach their peak yield.
How could things change so much overnight?
A group of supervisors circled around the different greenhouses for a long time, trying to figure out how the anomaly had occurred. Finally, they found the target in one of the greenhouses.
"Hiss—there's someone in the greenhouse!" a tall, thin steward exclaimed.
The other managers quickly gathered around, and one of them recognized the person inside. His expression changed drastically. "Isn't that Lu Xuan?"
The others' eyelids twitched. "Lu Xuan? Which Lu Xuan? Could it be the one who provided the greenhouse?"
Last time, they directly exposed two outsiders from prominent families!
"It's him!" The steward, recognizing Lu Xuan, twitched uncontrollably. "How did he get here so quickly? Is it his doing that we can't get into the greenhouse?"
The steward, recalling the plan the head of the family had previously revealed, felt a sense of foreboding and shouted almost in a hoarse voice, "Quickly, go and inform all the heads of the families that something has happened in the greenhouse!"
New viewers, unaware of the backstory, found the reactions of these people strange.
The longtime fans immediately explained the situation in Jiangnan to them.
After the newlyweds had a general idea of what was going on, they saw the managers' panicked expressions and immediately realized that the show the host had mentioned was about to begin. They immediately perked up, and those who had managed to snag some natural food from the StarNet immediately prepared candies, snacks, and melon seeds, waiting for the show to start.
...
Inside the wealthy street in Licheng, where prominent families congregate.
The heads of various households, who were leisurely enjoying various exquisite breakfasts at home, sleeping with their beloved concubines in their rooms, and practicing Tai Chi in their courtyards, were all interrupted by the stewards of their mansions.
At first, the heads of the household thought that these stewards were too ignorant of the rules, but when they found out what had happened, they immediately forgot about cursing and hurriedly went to the greenhouse with sullen faces and full of anger and anxiety.
The anxious stewards, sweating profusely, came over to report when they saw the head of the Feng family arrive: "Lu Xuan did not come alone this time. In addition to him, there are dozens of other people in the greenhouse."
Another member of the Fan family, who had arrived by carriage, overheard this and asked, "Where are they?"
The foreman, his face pale, said with difficulty, "They are harvesting the grain."
"What?!" Patriarch Feng roared, "Didn't they say the grain wouldn't be ready for harvest for a few more days? And why should he take our grain?! You idiots, didn't you know to stop him?!"
The managers were on the verge of tears. "But he used some kind of underhanded trick, and we can't get into the greenhouse at all!"
The head of the Fan family tried to take two steps forward and found that his feet and hands indeed touched an invisible 'wall'.
He was silent for a moment, then said to the servants and guards who had followed him with a grim face, "Go find some sticks and thick logs, and break them open for me!"
The guards sprang into action, and soon they found several thick logs and dozens of machetes and iron bars, which they used to smash and ram the invisible wall.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The guards charged with all their might, their faces contorted in agony, veins bulging all over their bodies. Unfortunately, the protective shield was far too strong for them to break through with such a small object. Instead, the recoil left them numb and unable to recover for quite some time.
Lu Xuan heard the sound and slowly approached the edge of the greenhouse. He watched the spectators outside making a mess of things with a mocking look in his eyes, as if he were looking at clowns.
As the head of the Fan family ordered the ramming to begin, the heads of prominent families such as the Shi and Yu families also arrived one after another.
Upon seeing Lu Xuan's expression, everyone felt that their authority had been greatly offended, and their faces were filled with humiliation and anger.
The head of the Shi family said angrily, "What is Boss Lu trying to do? This is not what we agreed on before."
Viewers in the live stream complained: "[They still have the nerve to mention what we agreed on beforehand? Do they really think the streamer is stupid enough not to know about your despicable schemes? Pah!]"
Lu Xuan scoffed lightly: "Isn't this just the right time? The grain is ripe, and I was entitled to a share of it anyway, so I might as well harvest it for them. This will also prevent some people from taking advantage of me and then going back on their word."
As he spoke, the abortion tillers, harvesters, and farming robots that looked no different from humans were ruthlessly harvesting rice and wheat, and digging up countless potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams buried in the soil behind him.
The family heads, who were initially both angry and heartbroken, changed their expressions again upon hearing Lu Xuan's words, their faces filled with surprise and uncertainty.
"How did you know—" The head of the Yu family suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
The other family heads' eyes flickered, their faces twitching incessantly.
Their plans were only discussed privately with the heads of the various families. Other people who knew about them were just a few close confidants. How could Lu Xuan, an outsider, have received the news in advance?
Could someone have tipped them off?
The heads of the families all began to imagine conspiracies and schemes, and their eyes showed a clear increase in suspicion when they looked at each other.
However, the group knew that now was not the right time to expose the traitor; the most important thing right now was to preserve the food supplies.
As a prominent family in Jiangnan, they indeed had a rich heritage and plenty of grain. However, the disaster caused almost no production in the fields outside the greenhouse. Even after Lu Xuan came last time and brought dry ice, which could keep some fields at a certain temperature and allow some crops to grow, the yield was still far less than that of the greenhouse.
They had already had it estimated that this batch of greenhouse crops would yield at least 36 million catties of grain and vegetables.
Such a large amount of grain is a considerable fortune for a prominent family. They are waiting for the income from the greenhouse to make up for the expenses from last year to now, and they must not let Lu Xuan take the peaches away!
Suppressing his displeasure, the head of the Shi family gritted his teeth and said, "I don't know what Mr. Lu has misunderstood, but the greenhouse belongs to all the noble families of Licheng. Isn't it a bit too much for you to interfere and forcibly seize it at this crucial moment?"
They completely disregarded them!
Although the other family heads did not speak, their gazes toward Lu Xuan were exceptionally gloomy, and some even openly revealed their murderous intent to get rid of him.
The head of the Fan family said, "Boss Lu, this is our territory after all. It's not a wise choice for an outsider like you to act so arrogantly."
Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow in surprise, his eyes icy as he said, "If I were to become truly arrogant, none of you would have had the chance to stand here and speak to me."
[Exactly! The streamer just struck them dead with lightning and drained them dry with blood-sucking vines. They wouldn't have a chance to whine and complain.]
[These local tyrants have been ruling for so long they really think no one can control them! They're like frogs in a well!]
Lu Xuan said, "The Zhao family seemed to have said something similar to me last time, and even sent people to intercept and kill me. Now... are all the Zhao family members dead?"
The heads of the various families understood the threat in Lu Xuan's words, and their anger intensified.
That bastard is too outrageous!
The heads of the various families did not believe that they would end up like the Zhao family.
Last time, the Zhao family was too careless. This time, with all their families united, how could the mere Zhao family compare?
The head of the Shi family swept his gaze around the greenhouse.
The commotion caused by the Fan family head's attack was quite large, and the nearby disaster victims all gathered around to watch the spectacle. Most of them were lowly people whose land and even their indentures were in the hands of the authorities.
The head of the Shi family and the others exchanged glances, reaching an unspoken consensus.
A moment later, the head of the Fan family stepped forward.
He ignored the treacherous schemes hidden in each family and incited the disaster victims around him who were still confused about the situation: "The greenhouses and the crops inside were all built and grown by the disaster victims in the city with great effort. Now, Boss Lu is taking away all of everyone's food without doing anything. He clearly wants to starve you to death on purpose."
The expressions of the disaster victims changed, revealing hesitation, wariness, or anger on their faces.
Lu Xuan chuckled, took out the recording the robot had given him and several large speakers, and played the recording at an extremely high volume from all 360 degrees.
—To prevent us from defaulting on our debts, that guy surnamed Lu will definitely come a day or two in advance. We'll collect the grain three days in advance and hide it away, leaving him to starve.
—Just arrest him. If he wants to live, he'll naturally hand over the supplies. Then you can have as many as you want.
The head of the Fan family, who was still trying to incite the disaster victims to break through the strange wall, froze.
When the other family heads heard their voices suddenly coming from all directions, revealing their previous private conversations, their faces turned pale and then red.
The disaster victims who had initially felt a sense of crisis after what the head of the Fan family said were also stunned, their eyes filled with strangeness and disdain as they looked at them.
Lu Xuan said coolly, "Before coming to Licheng, I had many business dealings with other X towns. With the help of the many supplies I provided, the disaster victims in those places still faced a constant stream of disasters, but their lives continued to improve. As for Jiangnan, which should have been extremely wealthy, well, it really opened my eyes."
Lu Xuan glanced at the greenhouses around him. "What do you think? Should I just take over the greenhouses after I finish harvesting the grain to make up for the loss of the supplies I traded with you before? You don't seem very welcoming to me, so next time I might just skip Licheng and go to other towns to trade?"
The disaster victims, who were initially hesitant, changed their minds instantly.
They're even taking away the greenhouse? That won't do!
Even if the majority of the crops in the greenhouse are taken by the powerful families, they can still get a small share.
If they lose even their greenhouses, won't they be left to starve?
It won't work if Lu Xuan never comes again.
Those cooling patches and inexpensive medicines were of great help to them, saving countless lives.
They finally saw a glimmer of hope; how could they let it slip away?
Thinking that this situation was caused by the greed and untrustworthiness of the powerful clans, and considering how the various families had exploited them after the disaster, the refugees looked at the heads of the families with anger and resentment.
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Author's note: When I reached the 100 million fan milestone (Chapter 151), I wrote that the next milestone would be 1 billion, but I have changed it to 500 million.
——
Thanks to "Changyushan" for throwing a landmine. Throwing time: 2025-06-08 01:29:02
Thank you "Yan" for the nutrient solution!
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