Chapter 19
Su Jing stood at the edge of the wheat field in the core area, her fingertips quickly swiping across the touchscreen on the robot's body—bringing up the parameter panel for the "dense harvesting mode," adjusting the opening angle of the robotic arm from 60 degrees to 90 degrees, setting the cutting force to "light" (to avoid flying debris when the wheat stalks break), and fixing the stacking spacing at 2 meters to ensure that the weight of each pile of wheat stalks (with grains) is controlled at around 25 kilograms, making it easier to collect in batches later.
"Start, cover a 10-meter radius of wheat, prioritize harvesting plants with a maturity of 90% or more." She gave the command with her mind and pressed the "start" button on the machine. The robot's "eyes" flashed green working lights, the bottom casters silently slid into the wheat field, the robotic arm "clicked" out, aimed at the first giant wheat plant that was nearly 2 meters tall—the clamp precisely caught the middle of the wheat stalk, and with a gentle bend, a soft "snap" sounded as the wheat stalk and the plump wheat ear were cut off. Then the robotic arm shook slightly to shake off the wet soil attached to the roots and neatly placed them in the pre-designated stacking point.
One pile, two piles, three piles… The robot's movements were so fast they almost left afterimages. Su Jing stood at the edge of the wheat field. Without even getting close, she only needed to lock onto the piled wheat stalks with her mind and silently say "store in space." The entire pile of wheat stalks would instantly disappear, and the accumulated weight on the system panel would increase at a visible speed: "2114 kg → 2139 kg → 2164 kg…"
In less than an hour, the robot completed the first round of harvesting within a 10-meter radius, collecting 12 piles and 300 kilograms of giant wheat. Su Jing activated her spatial perception—in the edible plant area, the small mountain of giant wheat had grown even higher, while the sweet grass roots and honey fruits next to it appeared exceptionally small, their total volume still less than one-fifth of the space. "The efficiency is three times faster than at the edge of the tribe; the core area is indeed denser," she muttered to herself, taking a small piece of honey fruit from her spatial storage and popping it into her mouth. The sweet flesh melted, and a "speed boost of 100%" instantly enveloped her entire body, allowing her to more quickly detect the robot's operational status and adjust commands accordingly.
Midway through, the system suddenly issued a gentle warning: "200 meters to the northeast, a Tier 1 giant is patrolling along a fixed route and will enter the harvest area in 5 minutes." Su Jing immediately gave the robot the "pause + disguise" command—a flash of pale blue light, and the robot instantly transformed into a long, grayish-brown stone, perfectly blending into the pile of pebbles among the wheat; she then crouched deep in the wheat stalks next to her, hugged her knees, and held her breath.
A slight tremor gradually spread through the ground. A 10-meter-tall giant, carrying a stone axe, walked past the edge of the wheat field. His rough, grayish-yellow skin gleamed with dry lines in the light. The dark brown marks on the edge of the stone axe brushed against the tips of the wheat stalks, bending a few ears of wheat. Su Jing stared at the giant's feet—each step leaving a shallow crater in the ground. Only when the giant's footsteps completely disappeared in the southeast direction did she stand up, press the "disarm" button on the robot, and restart the harvesting program.
At noon, the robot's battery level dropped to 30%. Su Jing walked over to the robot, took out 1 kilogram of coal from her storage space, and aimed it at the charging port on the side of the robot. The coal was instantly sucked in, and the battery level "whooshed" to 100%. She leaned against the robot for 5 minutes to rest, chewed on a compressed biscuit to replenish her energy, and then took a bite of Giant Wheat kernels. The palm that had been scratched by wheat stalks during yesterday's harvest was now completely healed, leaving only a faint pink mark. The "double wound healing bonus" was still in effect.
The afternoon harvest went even more smoothly. The giant wheat in the core area grew almost continuously, with very few weeds interfering, so the robot didn't need to frequently adjust its direction, and the robotic arm operated more efficiently. Su Jing even had time to use her mind to organize the resources in the space—grouping the newly harvested giant wheat with the previous ones into one pile, and clearing out a corner of the space to prepare for the sweetgrass roots that might be collected later.
At 6 PM, the cumulative weight on the system panel stopped at 3200 kilograms—of which Giant Wheat added 1086 kilograms, bringing the total weight to over 3000 kilograms, along with the previous 2114 kilograms. Su Jing had the robot pause the harvesting, walked to the nearest pile of wheat, and reached out to touch the ears of wheat—the grains were plump, and when she squeezed one open, the starch inside was fine-textured, indeed suitable for grinding into flour and eating, enough for her to eat for quite a while in the apocalypse.
Just then, a system notification sounded in my mind, reminding me of the dungeon's countdown:
[Countdown to Dungeon: 12 hours remaining. Approximately 70% of the Giant Wheat in the core area has been harvested. It is recommended to head to the outer perimeter of the tribe (800 meters southwest). Dense amounts of Sweet Grass Roots have been detected in this area (estimated reserves of over 500 kg), which can replenish Strength Boost resources.]
Su Jing paused for a moment, then pulled up the system map—the outer expansion collection area was marked as a "low-risk zone," with low giant activity and only a few giant grass worms, perfect for collecting sweet grass roots. She thought for a moment: there was already enough giant wheat in the core area, and sweet grass roots could increase strength, which would be useful for dealing with the dangers of finishing off the dungeon or for stamina depletion in the apocalypse. It was indeed time to expand the collection area.
"Switch modes from 'Intensive Harvesting' to 'Follow Navigation'. Expand the collection area around the target tribe's perimeter, avoiding the giants' patrol routes." She gave the robot a new instruction, while simultaneously taking out an entrenching tool from her storage space and tucking it into her waistband—sweet grass roots might require manual assistance to dig. Although the robot's "mining mode" was useful, it still needed tools when encountering dense root systems.
The robot's "eyes" flashed blue navigation lights, its bottom omnidirectional wheels turned southwest, and its body tilted slightly forward, ready to move. Su Jing followed behind the robot, her steps light and quick.
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