Chapter 187: The Airplane
The wheat that Xia Lu Nong cultivated turned out to be excellent.
It was early spring, and the mountains were covered in greenery as all the plants came back to life. The wheat was growing vigorously.
Looking down from the mountain, the fields were filled with green wheat seedlings, now reaching knee-high. Meanwhile, other plants in the fields had only just begun to sprout.
Accompanied by Yan Ming Qing and a group of research assistants, Xia Lu Nong walked through the wheat fields and clearly saw that the wheat they had cultivated at their base was growing exceptionally well—better than the wheat at the Fireseed Base.
The wheat at the Fireseed Base had barely sprouted, only an inch tall, much shorter than their own crop.
Comparing the two types of wheat side by side, it was as if they were two different species.
Xia Lu Nong examined both types and found no major differences, except that one had a bit more vitality.
While he was investigating, Yan Ming Qing and the research assistants watched him nervously.
Yan Ming Qing blinked and asked, “So, what do you think?”
“I don’t sense any signs of collapse. The traits seem stable and should be able to pass on to future generations,” Xia Lu Nong said after a pause. “But I’m not an expert, so I can only say it looks good. You’ll need to study it more closely yourselves.”
Before Xia Lu Nong could finish speaking, several young assistants pumped their fists and cheered.
After they finished celebrating, Xia Lu Nong added, “This is likely the first successful seed we’ve cultivated at our base, but there will be many more to come. Everyone needs to work together. Each of us has our own specialty, and I can only do so much.”
Yan Ming Qing laughed, “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re doing pioneering work.”
The assistants nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
Xia Lu Nong smiled, “Let’s keep working hard together.”
Cultivating seeds isn’t a simple task, but with Xia Lu Nong’s groundbreaking work, the rest of the process was much easier.
Yan Ming Qing and his team were experts, and more and more talented people were joining their base, so recruiting agricultural talent wasn’t too difficult.
When Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu heard about the progress, they quickly recruited a batch of scientists.
The base not only gained more scientists but also people from various other professions.
By the end of the spring, the base had visibly flourished.
Xia Lu Nong, busy working with Yan Ming Qing in the fields, only gradually realized the changes in the base when more and more assistants began following them.
Yan Xi Nian teased him, “Xiao Nong, you’re so slow! We’ve talked about recruiting more people so many times, and you’re just now noticing that the base has grown?”
“It’s not that I’m just noticing. It’s that I suddenly feel like we’ve really started to develop. We’re at least as big as Yacheng now.”
“Is that all you aspire to? If we’re going to compare, let’s compare ourselves to Black Gold Base. What’s Yacheng compared to that?”
Xia Lu Nong gave him a look and retorted, “We used to have to avoid their officials when we went to Yacheng, not daring to face them head-on.”
“Well, that was back then. Things have changed,” Yan Xi Nian laughed. “Thanks to all of you, we’ve developed now. Today, Yacheng isn’t even a concern, and Black Gold Base doesn’t scare us either.”
Xia Lu Nong raised an eyebrow, “Sounds impressive!”
“It is impressive,” Yan Xi Nian grinned. “By the way, I need your input on something. Our wheat is about ready for harvest, and I want to send some to the Fireseed Base.”
He watched Xia Lu Nong carefully, worried that he might disagree.
Without hesitation, Xia Lu Nong replied, “No problem. Our bases are partners, and I’d love for our wheat to help more people.”
Yan Xi Nian patted his shoulder, “Great!”
The base arranged for Luo Cong Xin and Zhang Shi Hai to deliver the wheat to the Fireseed Base.
Their base was far from the Fireseed Base, and driving there would be a hassle due to the limited capacity of their vehicles.
Since Luo Cong Xin and Zhang Shi Hai had wings and the wheat wasn’t too heavy, flying there was much more convenient than driving.
By the time Xia Lu Nong learned about this arrangement, they had already left.
A bit concerned, Xia Lu Nong asked Yan Xi Nian after dinner, “It’s such a long journey, and there are so many mutated plants and animals along the way. Are you sure it’s safe?”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Both of them are much stronger now, and they’re carrying plenty of defensive weapons. We’ve also cleared out the nearby mutated creatures, so it’s not that dangerous.”
Xia Lu Nong remained skeptical, but since they had already departed, there was nothing more to say.
To his surprise, a little over ten days later, Luo Cong Xin and Zhang Shi Hai returned—this time, flying back in a plane from the Fireseed Base.
This was the first airplane their base had ever seen.
When the plane landed on the plains below the mountain, almost everyone put down what they were doing and gathered around out of curiosity.
It had been a long time since people had seen an airplane.
This mode of transportation, a symbol of human civilization, had its own beauty. Parked in the sunlight, the metallic surface shimmered, reflecting light so bright it hurt people’s eyes.
Xia Lu Nong was also on the plains, swept along by the crowd.
When he saw the plane in front of him, he froze in place.
Kong Zhi reached over from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder, and said, “The level of civilization at the Fireseed Base is beyond what we imagined.”
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