The Reborn Otaku’s Code of Practice for the Apocalypse – CH175

Chapter 175 — Move It? Or Not?

Through the glass window next door, they could vaguely make out cultivation racks and the outlines of plants growing on them. After a bit of searching, Luo Xun found the wiring connected to the room’s power system. Once he hooked it up to the emergency power supply, the overhead lights flickered briefly before suddenly illuminating the entire room.

“Wow…”

The exclamation escaped almost simultaneously from every member of the Otaku Team.

Standing behind the large glass wall, Luo Xun and the others stared in stunned amazement at the scene before them.

It was a vast cultivation facility filled with planting racks.

The setup looked somewhat similar to the growing racks Luo Xun had built at home, but the scale was on an entirely different level.

The room itself was enormous, nearly five or six meters high. Sprinkler systems covered the ceiling. Mounted above one end of the cultivation racks was a massive machine stretching across the entire structure, though its purpose was currently unknown.

Several large pieces of equipment stood near the glass wall as well, their functions equally unclear.

After carefully studying the crops on the racks, Luo Xun finally said,

“They all look dead. Should we try going inside?”

“Let’s do it.”

“We’ve already come this far. It’d be a waste not to check.”

“Exactly. As long as we’re careful, it should be fine.”

They approached the glass door. Yan Fei used his ability to probe the locking mechanism and then nodded at Luo Xun.

Fortunately, despite being a glass door with an electronic lock, the locking components were still metal.

That alone was worth celebrating.

With a click, the lock disengaged.

Luo Xun slowly pushed the door open.

A suffocating stench of mold and decay immediately poured out.

The enormous cultivation chamber occupied a considerable area and had once contained large quantities of food crops. Nearly two years had passed without maintenance, and after the power failed, nobody had operated the ventilation system.

The result was obvious.

Every plant inside had withered and rotted, yet somehow remained largely intact where it stood.

“Good grief, that smell…”

“Brother Luo, what do we do now?”

“Spread out and look around. There has to be a ventilation system somewhere in here.”

Just as Luo Xun had predicted, there was indeed a ventilation system.

Holding their noses, everyone rushed inside, located the controls, switched it on, and then immediately sprinted back out the door.

After shutting the door behind them, they stood outside breathing the comparatively fresh air while calming their nerves.

After all, they couldn’t be completely certain that everything inside was truly dead.

If even one mutant plant similar to the Devil Vines remained alive…

Well, none of them were eager to test how lucky they were.

As the ventilation fans hummed away, the group took the opportunity to descend to Basement Level Two.

The layout below was similar to the floor above, though the side rooms served different purposes.

The changing room on the upper level corresponded to a control room below.

Computers and monitoring equipment filled the space, allowing operators to track temperature and humidity conditions within both cultivation levels. The building’s central control computer and data storage servers were also located there.

The other room was a laboratory.

Unlike the labs upstairs, this one contained far more equipment and appeared much better equipped and centralized.

Perhaps the upstairs laboratories were intended for student instruction, while this one was dedicated to actual research work.

At the far end of Basement Level Two stood another massive glass-walled cultivation chamber.

Inside were more rows of planting racks.

The primary difference between the two underground levels was the ceiling height. The second basement was slightly lower, around four to five meters tall.

The crops grown there were also different.

Most consisted of low-growing plants that had long since withered, rather than grain crops like those on the upper level.

Since the air upstairs had not yet been fully ventilated, nobody was foolish enough to open the glass doors below and release another wave of concentrated decay into the building.

Once enough time had passed, everyone regrouped on Basement Level One.

After confirming that none of the crops inside had shown any signs of activity, they finally relaxed and cautiously opened the glass doors once more.

The first time they entered, they had only dared slip inside quietly, activate the ventilation system, and flee immediately afterward, barely making a sound.

“Stay alert. Be ready to retreat the moment anything seems wrong,” Luo Xun instructed.

He took the lead at the front of the group.

Beside him, Yan Fei controlled a ring of metal that had been shaped into a series of low shields, protecting everyone from all directions.

Thunk.

Luo Xun fired a crossbow bolt into the dead vegetation.

A rustling sound followed.

Then silence.

After waiting for a while, he fired another shot.

Then another.

The bolts landed in different locations throughout the cultivation area.

“Looks like it’s safe…”

After roughly half an hour of testing, the group advanced little by little. Each time they verified a section was safe, they moved deeper inside.

Eventually they confirmed that nothing dangerous remained.

After conducting the same thorough inspection of Basement Level Two, they finally arrived at a fairly complete understanding of the facility.

This was an experimental agricultural station belonging to a university.

The eight plots of farmland above ground contained crops that had undergone various stages of improvement and testing before being cultivated under natural environmental conditions.

The underground levels, however, housed experimental crops subjected to all sorts of research and modifications—plants that could potentially develop into almost anything.

Of course, despite sounding impressive, these weren’t dangerous genetically engineered monstrosities or crops that could poison people.

After temporarily powering up the computers and examining some of the records, Li Tie and the others discovered that before the apocalypse, the two underground cultivation levels had mainly grown common grains and vegetables.

The difference lay in the fertilizers and irrigation methods used during testing.

Because the crops were underground, the facility relied entirely on advanced centralized computer systems for automated lighting, watering, and fertilization.

And what happens when such a system loses power?

The answer was obvious.

No water.

No light.

No nutrients.

The plants had probably died completely within the first year after the apocalypse.

Even if underground crops had possessed a higher mutation rate than the surface crops, what difference would it have made?

Without a proper soil environment, there was no opportunity for mutation at all.

They simply dried up and died.

Each underground cultivation level contained approximately one mu of planting racks dedicated entirely to growing crops.

The racks had even been designed for use with harvesting machines mounted directly above them.

The rooms also housed numerous agricultural devices: grain dryers, balers, shelling machines, and various other pieces of farming equipment whose functions they couldn’t immediately identify.

Several machines still remained attached to the cultivation racks.

“Brother Luo, these machines aren’t that large. Should we take them all back?” Li Tie asked, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

The facility seemed designed for relatively limited land area, especially the underground sections. As a result, the equipment was compact but highly advanced and efficient.

More importantly, every one of those machines would fit inside their home.

And every one of them would be useful.

How could they not be excited?

Suddenly, He Qiankun’s voice echoed from the equipment room.

“There are more machines here! There’s a pretty big garage above ground. I think there are tractors inside!”

Xu Mei sighed.

“Too bad we wouldn’t have any use for tractors even if we brought them back.”

“Yeah, but we can at least take the smaller equipment,” someone replied.

Then their expressions darkened.

“It’s a shame we’re only using sleds right now. We can’t haul much cargo.”

Throughout the discussion, Luo Xun remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Watching everyone enthusiastically debate what they should bring home, Zhang Su suddenly let out a laugh.

“I think instead of moving the equipment back, we’d be better off moving ourselves here.”

He shot Luo Xun a sidelong glance.

“What do you think, Captain?”

Everyone froze.

Then they turned toward Luo Xun.

Gradually, realization dawned.

That’s right.

They could move here.

Luo Xun smiled helplessly.

Seeing the growing excitement in everyone’s eyes, he nodded.

“I’ve been thinking about the same thing.”

He looked around the facility before continuing.

“Instead of hauling all this equipment back to the base, it might be better to simply move out here.”

“As long as the zombie tide eventually passes… and we can figure out a safe way to travel in and out of the Devil Vines’ territory.”

Exactly.

Hadn’t the whole reason they rushed to leave the base before the snow even melted been to find another way to survive?

The people in power within the base were currently locked in fierce struggles. Nobody knew when those conflicts might spill over and affect them. If someone were to discover that they were secretly growing crops at home, they would instantly become a thorn in certain people’s sides.

And now, beneath this experimental facility, there were two enormous cultivation areas, all kinds of convenient equipment and machinery, and above ground stood those terrifying Devil Vines. If used properly, they could become an incredibly formidable defensive barrier.

“Brother Luo, let’s move!”

“Exactly! This place is huge. We can grow so much food here, and we won’t have to worry about people finding out…”

“Right! If we lived here, we could barbecue meat and stir-fry dishes every day without worrying about anyone smelling it!”

“And don’t forget—the buildings here have so much open space around them. There’s plenty of room for solar panels. We could install as many as we want. Power definitely wouldn’t be a problem!”

Even the people busy working in the equipment room immediately chimed in after hearing the discussion.

Luo Xun raised a hand, signaling everyone to calm down.

Then he explained,

“This place really is excellent, but there are still some problems we need to think through. The most important issue is the zombie tide and the mutant plants outside. The Devil Vines aren’t too difficult to deal with—we just need to figure out a safe way around them. But what are we supposed to do if another zombie tide comes through?”

He paused before adding,

“Especially the ones that can fly. And zombie birds.”

Everyone immediately quieted down.

That was indeed a serious problem.

They could come up with ways to deal with zombie hordes and mutant plants.

But flying zombies were another matter entirely.

“And there’s another issue,” Luo Xun continued. “How do we use solar panels without being spotted by satellites?”

The room fell silent.

The others exchanged glances.

He was right.

Zombie tides and mutant plants were things they could potentially handle.

Satellites, however, were completely beyond their control.

What if they spent all that effort cleaning up the buildings and installing solar panels all over the exterior walls…

Only for a passing satellite to snap a picture?

Everyone knew that while the base didn’t have many helicopters, it still had some.

None of them were willing to gamble on that “what if.”

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