Chapter 170 – Construction
Xia Lu Nong suspected he might have been mistaken, so he checked several times.
In the end, the conclusion remained the same—The rose had grown!
The growth was so natural that even the rose hadn’t noticed it.
When Xia Lu Nong told the rose the results of his observations, the rose said, “It only grew for a few days. How can you be sure? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“My powers are related to this sort of thing, so there’s no way I’d be wrong,” Xia Lu Nong said confidently. “The meteorite seems to stimulate your growth, but it doesn’t directly give you energy.”
The rose was skeptical.
Later, when Kong Zhi woke up, Xia Lu Nong shared his theory with him.
Kong Zhi looked at the space bamboo tube holding the meteorite and asked, “Should we understand this as the rose’s condition becoming abnormal after coming into contact with the meteorite, entering a rapid growth phase?”
Xia Lu Nong replied cautiously, “You could say that, so we need to be careful and avoid directly touching the meteorite.”
“Then let’s just take these samples back and let the people at White Tower worry about it,” Kong Zhi said. “We’ll rest one more night, and tomorrow we’ll head back to the base.”
“No problem,” Xia Lu Nong agreed. “Should we gather a bit more meteorite samples today? Who knows when we’ll come back to this area again; we should take more while we can.”
Kong Zhi smiled, “Sure, let’s go together this time.”
The rose had no objections either.
To test Xia Lu Nong’s theory, it even sent a different main body this time.
Xia Lu Nong had no objections.
At the rose’s insistence, they tied it to the umbrella again, but this time much more loosely.
After about two hours of work, they successfully collected more meteorite samples.
The rose’s main body dragged the space bamboo tube back to the safe zone, and Kong Zhi, transformed into a golden eagle, swooped down to bring it back.
The three of them reunited halfway up the mountain.
Xia Lu Nong had dreamed of this meteorite many times, instinctively sensing its importance.
Seeing such a large meteorite lying there, the two of them worried that other bases might find it first. After some discussion, they decided to bury it right where it was.
Burying such a large meteorite was simple.
They would just cause a landslide by blasting the nearby mountain, letting the mountain collapse and bury the meteorite below.
Xia Lu Nong had once been an art student and wasn’t familiar with this kind of thing.
Now, faced with the task of blasting a mountain, he couldn’t make the calculations, so he left it to Kong Zhi.
Blasting a mountain required precision.
They had to calculate the angle of the blast, the amount of explosives, and where to place them.
Kong Zhi handled all of this.
Xia Lu Nong watched him sketch calculations on a piece of scrap paper and sighed, “I’m lucky you’re with me. If I were on my own, I’d be completely clueless.”
Kong Zhi didn’t look up, “If you weren’t with me, who would you want to be with?”
“No one. There’s no one else,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “The point of that sentence is how glad I am to have you, not that I want to be with someone else!”
“Got it. I’m glad to have you too. Being out here with you lets me relax a bit,” Kong Zhi replied casually. “I’ve done the calculations. Move back about thirty meters. I’m going to start.”
“Alright,” Xia Lu Nong said, picking up The Rose. “I’m going to retreat. Wrap your ears with something so you don’t hurt them.”
Kong Zhi gave him a thumbs-up to signal that everything was fine.
Xia Lu Nong rarely used explosives, but Kong Zhi was quite experienced with them.
After Xia Lu Nong retreated to a safe distance, Kong Zhi strapped on the grenades and, using his calculations, began blasting the mountain.
From a distance, Xia Lu Nong watched nervously.
Kong Zhi remained calm and composed.
Twenty minutes later, there was a loud boom from the mountain.
Xia Lu Nong watched as a large portion of the mountain collapsed, burying the valley below.
Kong Zhi returned after finishing the job.
Xia Lu Nong leaned forward, looking down, “With that, no one will be able to find any trace of the meteorite. If we hadn’t known beforehand, we wouldn’t be able to discover anything either.”
“The traces are still fresh now. Once time passes, and grass seeds and tree sprouts start growing, no one will be able to find it,” Kong Zhi said.
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment, “Not necessarily. If the meteorite really promotes plant growth, others might notice that the plants in this area are growing unusually well and become curious about what’s buried underneath.”
Kong Zhi hadn’t considered this before. “So, what do you think we should do?”
“I’ll use some of my powers. Later, we’ll turn the meteorite into a solution and spray it on the soil. That way, the plants won’t grow too thickly on top.”
Kong Zhi agreed to this plan.
Preparing the ability-infused solution wasn’t difficult, and Xia Lu Nong quickly used his powers to create a large bucket of water.
Kong Zhi transformed into a golden eagle and flew over the valley, pouring the solution from above.
Although the distribution wasn’t entirely even, it was enough to handle the average vegetation.
The next day, Xia Lu Nong went back to observe and saw that the plants in the area weren’t growing wildly, which brought him relief.
He said, “We can head back with peace of mind now. We’ve been away for so many days. I wonder how things are at the base?”
“Brother Huo Qu and the others should be at the base. We’ll see when we get there,” Kong Zhi replied. “Hurry up and get dressed, pack your things, and let’s head back.”
They took a direct route back to the base.
Kong Zhi, as the golden eagle, flew fast, and by evening, they had already returned to the area near the base.
As they approached, their attention wasn’t immediately drawn to the base itself but to the plain at the foot of the mountain, where people were bustling around.
The plain below the base now had an electric grid installed!
Several large lamps were scattered around, brightly illuminating the ongoing construction.
Sitting on the golden eagle’s back, Xia Lu Nong’s eyes widened in surprise.
They had only been gone a few days, and so much had changed on the plain below the base!
Curiosity sparked, Xia Lu Nong clung to Kong Zhi’s neck, craning his head to get a better look.
Even the rose, from within his backpack, was curious.
The rose asked, “What are you humans doing? They’ve already built walls near my main body!”
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t sure what they were doing but couldn’t resist bragging a little. “Didn’t I tell you earlier? We were going to start building on this plain soon. I wasn’t lying, right?”
The rose muttered, “When did I say you were lying? I’m just curious. By the way, when will the honeysuckle wake up?”
“No idea,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “Maybe it will transfer its consciousness next year, or maybe it’ll stay over there in the library permanently.”
Without much thought, the rose said, “A plant surviving there must be incredibly boring.”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “It’s not so bad. It might’ve already gotten used to it.”
“Used to it, my foot! It was just that there wasn’t any other choice before. If there’s a way, who’d want to stay there forever?” The rose grumbled. “I’ll ask other plants to send it a message, telling it to transfer its consciousness over here soon. It can keep me company.”
Xia Lu Nong was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected bonus. “Is it that easy for you to communicate?”
“Pretty much. We’re in the same area, so it’s a little easier than you humans communicating with it,” The rose said warily. “What are you up to? If you want me to help, you’ll have to pay me in powers.”
Xia Lu Nong, feeling good as he looked down at the plain, bantered back with ease, “Got it. By the way, since we’re already friends, can’t you cut me a discount on the powers once in a while?”
“No way. My powers are essential for survival!” The rose protested. “You humans value your survival resources too, don’t you?”
As Xia Lu Nong continued his playful argument with the rose, he kept his eyes on the scene below.
Kong the golden eagle circled in the air.
Xia Lu Nong clearly saw that, in just a few days, the river below seemed to have widened, and the embankment had been raised with mud dug from the riverbed.
Aside from that, there were several buildings on the ground.
Most of them were metal sheds, which seemed sturdy enough.
Outside the sheds, both humans and transformed beastmen were busily working, though it wasn’t clear what they were doing.
Curiosity burned within Xia Lu Nong, and he couldn’t contain it. Clutching the golden eagle’s neck, he shouted in his ear, “Kong Zhi, let’s hurry back! I want to ask my brother what’s going on down there. So much has changed!”
The golden eagle, in sync with him, had already started flapping his wings toward the base as soon as Xia Lu Nong said the first word.
When they arrived at the base, the guards who spotted them didn’t stop them.
It was already getting dark, and by the time they reached home, the lights inside were on.
Xia Lu Nong immediately knew his brother was there, and his spirits lifted.
Sliding off Kong the golden eagle, he hurriedly found clothes for Kong Zhi, who had turned back into human form, while shouting toward the house, “Brother! I saw what’s happening on the plain below the mountain. What big moves have you guys been making recently?”
“What big moves?” Xia Huo Qu came out of the house. “It’s just what we discussed before—widening and deepening the river, planting rose on top, building a factory, and turning that area into our second base.”
“Still, you guys moved too fast! When we flew back, I saw that the electricity’s already up,” Xia Lu Nong said. “We’re not in a rush, so why is everyone still working after dark?”
Xia Huo Qu explained, “We don’t have anywhere to store electricity, so we use it as soon as it’s available. Plus, we’ve been hiring people from the base to help build it. They’re happy to make some extra cash, so they’ve been pretty diligent.”
“Oh,” Xia Lu Nong said, gesturing animatedly. “By the way, bro, are you guys really building a factory? I saw some sheds down there.”
“Yeah, Old Liu and his group have invested a bit, and they’re joining us in building it. But why don’t you come inside first? Isn’t it cold talking out here?”
