Chapter 39
Upon hearing this, everyone eagerly went downstairs.
There's nowhere to rest here at noon; we have to go back to the tents set up by the mutants to rest.
Jiang Zhi and the other three followed the main group down the slope.
Once they were far away from the mutants, Jiang Shu spoke up, "These mutants are no different from ordinary people."
Jiang Wen disagreed with his statement, saying, "It just looks like that; they could probably crush us with a single finger."
Jiang Shu had only witnessed the mutants' supernatural abilities that night at the night market. Although he thought the various superpowers were pretty cool, he admired the absolute power of people like Niu Dali even more.
"By the way, Brother Dali, did you eat that fish belly?"
Niu Dali walked at the back of them, pulling the cart, which was more than a meter wide, as easily as breathing.
"Mmm, I ate it."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu took a few steps back to Niu Dali's side and asked curiously, "Brother Dali, what changes have you undergone?"
Jiang Shu originally wanted to ask if his strength had increased, but then he suddenly remembered that he shouldn't know the effect of the fish belly, so he changed his mind.
Niu Dali smiled and nodded, "Your strength has increased a lot."
Jiang Shu asked excitedly, "How much bigger?"
Niu Dali scratched his head, "I haven't tested it either."
Jiang Shu stroked his chin. "Brother Dali, try lifting me and Brother Wen at the same time?"
"It should be fine."
Jiang Shu waved to Jiang Wen, "Brother Wen, come quick, let's test Brother Dali's strength."
As a result, Niu Dali lifted them both up with one hand each, easily raising them above his head.
Jiang Shu was incredibly excited: "Wow, that's awesome!"
Jiang Wen was also shocked, "Dali, your strength is no different from that of the mutants over there."
It's even more powerful.
The two brothers tested Niu Dali several times, becoming more and more excited as they watched.
Jiang Shu patted Niu Dali on the shoulder hard, overjoyed: "Brother Dali, you'll be my idol from now on!"
Anyone who didn't know better would think he was the one who got stronger.
Jiang Zhi, who was silently watching the group of childish kids: ...
Niu Dali's strength has increased by at least twice.
He used to be able to easily carry things weighing several hundred kilograms by himself, and now he can probably carry weights of over a thousand kilograms.
I just don't know how long it will last.
Jiang Zhi: "Brother Dali, how long do you last when you start feeling unwell?"
Niu Dali looked bewildered. "I don't feel unwell?"
Jiang Zhi choked and simply stopped explaining, saying directly, "Brother Dali, don't use your full strength when you're not doing anything special. Only use it when I tell you to."
Currently, Niu Dali does not show any tendency to mutate into a mutant, but because his physique is different from that of ordinary people since childhood, he is more adaptable to physical mutations than ordinary people.
As long as he uses the "strength boost" ability sparingly, even if he is a normal person, it shouldn't affect his body.
Although Niu Dali didn't know why, he scratched the back of his head and agreed.
As the group descended into the basin and walked along the ridges, they discovered that the plants in these vegetable gardens were all quite tall.
None of the four dared to be careless. Although there were few weeds on these field ridges because of the short grass, small mutated insects could still be seen scurrying around from time to time.
Not long after they left, they came into view rows of lush, growing chives.
Each one is dark green and slender, making them very pleasing to the eye.
What was once an ordinary leek patch is now dominated by mutated leeks. These giant leeks have stems as thick as an adult's arm, supporting their frighteningly tall leaves, reaching well over two meters in height.
The unique aroma could be smelled from afar.
Chives have a highly distinctive aroma. At first, they have a sharp, pungent fragrance, but upon closer inspection, there is a hint of sweetness. Mutated chives have an even stronger flavor; the intense spiciness can make your eyes and nose run as soon as you get close to them.
Jiang Shu was so choked by the fumes that he couldn't open his eyes. "Holy crap, these chives have mutated like this, are they still edible?"
Jiang Zhi covered her nose. "Why can't I eat it? If I chop it up, I can still use it to make dumplings."
Jiang Shu was taken aback by what she said.
The next second his eyes widened, "Ah Zhi, what you said makes so much sense!"
Dumplings! Especially chive dumplings!
I crave this stuff if I haven't had it for a while.
Jiang Shu couldn't help but drool at the thought.
"Ah Zhi, how about we find something to eat and go back?"
Jiang Zhi habitually scanned the area, and after finding no danger within range, she checked the time.
"Okay, let's gather some food first, and then go pick cotton in the afternoon."
Jiang Shu cheered and, enduring the pungent smell of chives, rushed over immediately.
Chive boxes, chive dumplings, stir-fried eggs with chives...
One leaf can last a long time!
Jiang Shu wished he could grow eight hands so he could take everything he saw into his possession.
Seeing that he had run more than ten meters away, Jiang Wen was a little worried. "Big Tree, wait for us, don't go too far."
Jiang Shu said smugly, "Don't worry, Brother Wen, have you forgotten my clairvoyance? I looked around, and there's nothing wrong nearby."
Jiang Zhi had previously asked him to practice his mental strength using bracken, and Jiang Shu hadn't been lazy at all, practicing diligently all along.
The time spent using these abilities has also increased significantly.
Jiang Wen was relieved to hear this.
They've already started prying down the ginger trees one by one for testing.
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
...
The more Jiang Shu tested, the darker his face became.
"Is there not a single edible chive in this crop?"
Jiang Wen doesn't particularly like chives, and chives can't be a staple food. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We don't need to collect so many chives, do we? I see there are other grain fields behind this chive field. It's not worth spending too much time here."
Jiang Zhi also thought it made sense. "Second Brother is right. We should focus our time on food that can fill our stomachs."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu could only reluctantly put down the chives in his hand.
Just as everyone was about to call out to Niu Dali behind them to leave together, they unexpectedly saw a tall stack of chives piled on the ground.
Jiang Zhi: "...Brother Dali, what's wrong with you...?"
Niu Dali stared at them in bewilderment, "You're not going to take the test?"
Jiang Shu stared in disbelief and said, "...No, Brother Dali, in such a short time, you actually pulled out so many?"
Niu Dali easily pulled out a bunch of these thick, mutated chives.
Now... it would be a shame if something unexpected happened.
Jiang Wen: "...How about we take these tests before we leave?"
Jiang Zhi cleared her throat. "Alright, these won't take much time anyway."
So the four of them sat down on the ground and began to perform the tests.
A single leek plant has about 5-10 leaves, while the stalks of *niu dali* (a type of chive) pulled out number about 20-30.
The quantity is quite considerable.
The chive leaves were as smooth as before, but they were covered with a lot of dust, and they left marks when you touched them.
However, the smell was so strong that everyone's eyes turned red from the fumes.
Despite the stinging in her eyes, Jiang Zhi casually examined a leaf.
"Drip—Highly toxic, not for consumption."
As expected, Jiang Zhi was not disappointed and continued testing the next piece.
"Drip - Moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
Wow, she won the lottery so quickly this time! Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "What a great start!"
Unexpectedly, they were both lucky today; Jiang Wen next door also tested positive for a moderately toxic leek leaf.
Jiang Shu complained, "Why am I always the one who falls behind..."
Jiang Wen joked, "Or you could say 'goodbye'?"
Jiang Shuzhen clasped his hands together and said, "Jade Emperor and Queen Mother, please bless me to win the lottery! Namo Amitabha!"
Jiangzhi: ...What kind of nonsense is this prayer?
After bowing three times, Jiang Shu picked up a leek leaf from beside his feet to test it.
"Drip—low level of toxin, edible."
The group stared wide-eyed—this prayer actually worked?!
Jiang Shu grinned so wide his mouth almost reached his ears, "Hahahaha! Looks like I'm still the luckiest one, winning the grand prize right away!"
He happily tested a few more samples.
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
"Drip, moderate toxicity, can be consumed in moderation."
Jiang Shu blinked, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
"Grandma Queen Mother and Grandpa Jade Emperor, thank you both!"
Jiang Wen looked at the blazing sun overhead with suspicion—
Is it really that useful?
Jiang Shu looked at the group with a beaming smile, his tail practically wagging in the air. "How about it? I'm pretty lucky today, aren't I?"
Niu Dali said sincerely, "Big Tree, you are really amazing. I have never encountered such a high shipment rate before."
Jiang Shu patted his chest, "What's so special about that? My luck is still ahead of me. Follow me, and I guarantee you'll reap a bountiful harvest!"
Jiang Zhi was speechless at the boasting.
"Hurry up and get tested, don't waste time."
Fortunately, the group gradually got used to the smell of the mutated chives and no longer found it pungent, which helped them speed up considerably.
Jiang Shu was very enthusiastic and then tested a lot more with moderate toxins. The other three also had a good chance of getting the results. In the end, they spent half an hour testing the remaining leek leaves and harvested about 40 kilograms of leek leaves.
It was a pretty good result.
At least these days we can have some variety in our meals.
Niu Dali folded the chives in half, tied them up, put them in a basket, and carried it on his back. The tips of the chives sticking out of the basket were a head taller than Niu Dali, making him look even taller from a distance.
Jiang Zhi: "Let's go. I remember the cotton fields are in this direction. Let's walk there together."
The four people stepped onto the ridges, preparing to leave this field of chives.
After only half an hour, Jiang Zhi felt like she was covered in the smell of chives.
Suddenly, they heard Jiang Shu shouting behind them, "Brother Dali, why aren't you leaving yet?"
Jiang Zhi and Jiang Wen, who were walking ahead, looked over and saw Niu Dali scratching his head with a puzzled expression.
Jiang Zhi walked over and asked, "What's wrong, Brother Dali?"
“Those highly toxic leaves we just tossed aside, I remember they were definitely here, but suddenly they've disappeared…”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen immediately became tense. "Could it have been carried away by something?"
He kept in mind that this was a newly developed collection area, and there were still many low- to mid-level mutated animals that had not been completely cleared out.
Jiang Zhi looked at the spot where she had just thrown the chive leaves, and there wasn't even a scrap of them left, nor any drag marks on the ridge.
For some reason, she recalled the feeling she had when she saw those short grasses from a high place earlier.
Jiang Zhi squatted down and touched the short grass on the ridge of the field.
There were no warnings on the dashboard.
Jiang Wen nervously clutched the pangolin scales that Jiang Zhi had given him before they set off. "A-Zhi, be careful."
Jiang Zhi had a guess in her mind, "Don't be nervous, it should have been absorbed by these short grasses."
Her words sent chills down the spines of the other three.
Jiang Shu, in particular, immediately became wary. "Could that pose any threat to us?"
Jiang Zhi shook her head. "There are quite a few people from the base, and nothing has happened so far. This thing shouldn't be dangerous, and I... haven't sensed anything special about it."
Upon hearing this, the group breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Wen: "No wonder the fields here haven't been cleared or invaded by other plants."
Jiang Zhi touched the short grass, then took out a dagger, intending to dig out a piece of grass. Unexpectedly, when the tip of the knife touched the grass, it felt like it had hit something bouncy, and it couldn't pierce through at all.
She tried to pull it again, but the little grass remained unmoved.
"Brother Dali, can you help me try to dig some out?"
Niu Dali responded.
When I stabbed him, I felt a resistance.
He paused for a moment, then tried again, but it still didn't work. He changed his approach and started pulling, but to his surprise, the little blade of grass remained completely still despite all his effort.
Niu Dali felt a little embarrassed. "Azhi, no, I can't stab it in."
Jiang Shu asked curiously, "What kind of plant is this? It's so amazing! Even Brother Dali couldn't handle it?"
The short grass looked ordinary, and none of them expected it to be so difficult to deal with.
Jiang Zhi had no choice but to give up. "I guess the reason these vegetable plots have been preserved until now is thanks to these short grasses. It would be great if I could take some back to study them."
I had learned from the Huishi Hall before that this place was a provincial agricultural breeding base before the disaster. I originally thought it would be destroyed in the disaster, but I didn't expect it to be preserved because of these short grasses.
Jiang Zhi looked around and thought it was a pity that some of the melon and fruit fields had been occupied and encroached upon by weeds, otherwise more mutated food could have been preserved here.
Jiang Shu didn't think that much about it. After hearing Jiang Zhi's words, he couldn't help but shudder. "Forget it. Although it didn't attack us, the fact that it absorbed so much stuff silently... it's creepy."
Jiang Zhi didn't dwell on the short grass any longer. "Let's go."
There were so many products in the No. 15 collection area that the four of them were overwhelmed by the sheer number of them as they passed by.
Soon, a field of yams and beans came into view.
The field was square and neat, with earthen embankments about half a person's height built around it.
Jiang Zhi tiptoed and looked inside, only to find that most of the yam and bean field was overgrown with weeds.
Upon closer inspection, the rows of yam beans, partially untouched by the silvergrass, resemble a chessboard drawn on the earth. The plants are evenly spaced, each seedling having its own "little territory."
The slender stems of the yam beans curled up and sprang upwards, intertwining with each other.
The vines meandered along the way, twining around the stems of the nearby Miscanthus sinensis, or clinging to neighboring plants, pulling and intertwining with each other.
The leaves were thick and large; one had to lift them to see the clusters of yam beans.
The yam beans had a rough outer skin with light brown spots. Jiang Wen couldn't resist touching it; it was firm yet full of life.
Putting everything else aside, the aroma alone, a blend of soil, new leaves, and tender beans, is enough to bring joy to anyone.
Niu Dali exclaimed happily, "There are so many potatoes here!"
Jiang Wen couldn't help but laugh. Apart from the color, the mutated yam bean did look quite similar to a potato.
He was about to explain to Niu Dali that this wasn't a potato when Jiang Shu interrupted him with a shout, "Come quick, there are several lucky cats over there!"
Jiang Shu had just used his clairvoyance to scan the area, and unexpectedly discovered several fist-sized creatures of wealth at the other end of the land.
Mole crickets, also known as crickets or earth dogs, were once considered a sign of good fortune by older generations. They believed that if a mole cricket entered the house, it meant good fortune was coming, so they were not allowed to step on or kill the mole crickets inside the house.
Jiang Shu looked at Jiang Wen: "Second Brother, should we arrest him or not?"
When they were children, the two brothers often caught insects together to play with. When Jiang Shu asked this question, Jiang Wen had a feeling of going back to the past.
He nodded. "Arrest them!"
They're as big as fists; you could catch a few and stir-fry them like meat.
Jiang Shu: "A-Zhi, how is it?"
His question was rather absurd, and while others didn't understand, Jiang Zhi immediately grasped her brother's meaning.
The dashboard didn't warn of any danger, and Jiang Zhi nodded to Jiang Shu, "No problem."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shu immediately gave Jiang Wen a wink, "Second Brother, I'll flank them from the front. You and Dali go straight ahead, and remember not to let them get away."
Jiang Wen gave an "OK" sign.
After discussing it, the three grown men carefully walked to the place where the mole crickets had appeared.
Jiang Shu poked the vine leaves with the bone stick in his hand, but strangely, there was no reaction under the vine leaves.
Jiang Shu frowned and slammed the bone stick down harder, but still nothing happened.
Jiang Wen: "Big tree, could you be mistaken?"
"How could that be? I used a special ability!"
Just as Jiang Shu finished speaking, the mole cricket suddenly crawled out, startling everyone.
Jiang Zhi quickly said, "Second Brother, stay away!"
The book mentions that mole crickets don't have much offensive capability, but their bites are very painful; a strong bite can even tear off a chunk of flesh.
Niu Dali, with its thick skin and tough flesh, wasn't afraid of this thing at all. It reached out to grab the mole cricket, but with a push from its two thin hind legs, it jumped into the air.
Perhaps it was the mole cricket's actions that triggered a chain reaction.
All the mole crickets that had been hiding under the vines emerged.
Jiang Shu was stunned. "How can there be so many?!"
As the mole crickets bounced around, they bumped into them and took a bite, making Jiang Shu and Jiang Wen grimace in pain.
Jiang Shu quickly swung the bone stick in his hand to try to drive away the mole crickets, but found it useless and was dumbfounded. "What's going on? Why isn't the bone stick working?"
Jiang Wen, clutching his head, shouted, "Don't just stand there! Let's hide first!"
Of the four, only Jiangzhi was not bitten.
She possesses strong mental power; whenever a mole cricket is about to touch her, her mental state fluctuates, allowing her to predict the mole cricket's trajectory in advance.
Niu Dali, however, was hit without feeling any pain or itch, and could even catch a few mole crickets with his hand.
Jiang Shu suddenly remembered something, then ran back to the cart with his head in his hands, and brought back two nets that were twice the size of the butterfly net.
"Brother Wen, let's use this!"
Jiang Wen's expression brightened. "You brought all of this?"
Jiang Shu said, "My second uncle and eldest brother made a lot of tools, and I brought them all with me."
Since they're all foldable anyway, you can just stuff them under the cart—it's convenient and saves time.
The mutated mole crickets were quite large and were jumping around in the air at a moderate speed. With the net, Jiang Shu and his brother, who had grown up in the countryside, were able to catch them with great ease.
In comparison, Jiang Zhi was far more brutal; she killed them one by one with a single blow from her shovel.
Before long, the group had caught quite a few mole crickets.
Jiang Shu and Jiang Wen were bitten several times on the face, and their faces immediately became red and swollen, looking somewhat comical.
Jiang Shu didn't care at all, his mind was only on this harvest: "Come, come, let's test it quickly. These money plants look pretty fat. Maybe they can produce a lot of good stuff like the cotton aphids before."
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