Her roommates meant well, so Jiang Luokui accepted everything without protest.
But before she could even say “thank you,” she saw Lan Ya and Bai Xiang slam their chopsticks down with a snap. Their whole demeanor tightened, as if they’d instantly switched into combat mode.
Bai Xiang took a deep breath, showing a rare calmness that didn’t match her usual personality.
“Combat division, assemble. You guys keep eating—we have to go first.”
With that, the two of them hurried off.
Lin Zihan blinked wide-eyed and muttered, “Isn’t today Sunday?”
The combat division was terrifying!!! Thank goodness nothing weird ever happened in the agriculture department.
Ding dong—you have received a group notification.
Lin Zihan: “…”
Jiang Luokui opened her messaging app. The moment she read it, her brows furrowed.
Du Li: Just received a notice from Teacher Li for the agricultural lab. Tomorrow morning’s lab location has been changed from the test field to the outskirts near the base. We’ll gather at the school gate at 8 a.m. and take a bus together. Also, please bring your own protective suits and review Chapter 3: Crop Morphology Survey.
The two of them fell silent for a moment.
Lin Zihan gave an awkward laugh.
“So the agriculture department isn’t that chill either, huh? We’ve only just started school and we’re already heading outside the base for class…”
Outside the base…
Her smile slowly faded.
Even if it was just the outskirts—and even with a teacher leading them—it wasn’t completely safe. Radiation was everywhere.
Inside the base, radiation had mostly been purified during construction. But outside? Levels were still dangerously high. Once exposed, people could die… very quickly.
Most people in the group chat were excited about tomorrow’s field class outside the base. But Lin Zihan had once seen someone die of radiation sickness right in front of her as a child…
She knew she would leave the base one day—but she hadn’t expected it to come this soon.
Just thinking about tomorrow made her lose her appetite.
Jiang Luokui found it surprising. Lin Zihan was usually carefree—who would’ve thought she’d be afraid of going outside?
Swallowing her food, Jiang Luokui comforted her,
“It’ll be fine. There are so many of us, and a teacher too. Besides, sooner or later we all have to go out and see the world beyond the base. Don’t overthink it.”
Lin Zihan nodded. “I’m just a little nervous.”
With the butterfly effect unfolding, Jiang Luokui’s life had already diverged drastically from her previous life. This sudden change of lab location had never happened before.
Still, getting familiar with the outside wasn’t a bad thing. She was still thinking about the fertile land Bubu had mentioned—tomorrow she could finally pinpoint its exact location.
The only downside? The money she had just earned was about to be spent.
If she remembered correctly, the most basic protective suit cost 1,500 credits. She had specifically checked last night.
But some expenses couldn’t be avoided.
Since she was already spending 1,500, she couldn’t forget the new “bed” she had promised Bubu either.
She picked out a nice two-gallon pot online, in Bubu’s favorite dark green. A bit pricey—30 credits.
After paying, she switched back to the class group chat to check for useful info.
[Someone]: There were zombies invading the sewer system over the summer. Wonder if there’ll be any near the outskirts—so exciting! I’ve never seen a real zombie before!
[Another]: Besides zombies, you might even run into mutated animals!
Everyone—guys and girls alike—seemed oddly excited about zombies.
But Jiang Luokui glanced at Lin Zihan. She was clearly reading the same messages, her face full of worry.
Fortunately, Du Li soon stepped in to calm everyone down. As the top student in Agronomy Class 2, she had been elected class monitor just three days ago.
Du Li: The outskirts are among the first areas where the Restoration Plan was implemented. About 80% of the region is already safe. It hasn’t been opened for habitation only because radiation levels still exceed Level 3.
Du Li: Tomorrow we’ll likely visit a small farm under the agricultural department, focusing on radiation-resistant crops.
A farm under the agricultural department?
In her previous life, Jiang Luokui had entered the agricultural system on her own merits. Despite only having a D-grade ability, her rare [Growth] skill had landed her a position at Forward Farm, which happened to be near the outskirts of the base.
Before joining a collection team, she had spent one of the most peaceful periods of her life there.
Could the farm Du Li mentioned be Forward Farm?
If so, there was even less to worry about. Its security system was a perfect replica of Jiangnan Base—ordinary mutated plants and animals couldn’t get anywhere near it.
While she was thinking, Lin Zihan had already adjusted her mindset. She quickly finished her meal, wiped her mouth, and said energetically,
“I’m going to the restroom, then to buy a protective suit.”
Even though two people had left midway, the table was still cleaned up completely.
Before leaving, while Lin Zihan was in the restroom, Jiang Luokui quietly wrapped a ball of rice in a napkin—planning to bring it to Plot 147 later for Bubu to try.
Because the soil had been purified too thoroughly, the lettuce and bok choy she planted had recently been plagued by insects.
She hadn’t bought pesticides—not because she was stingy, but because pesticides would ruin the rating of spirit plants. Plot 147 could only produce low-grade Yellow-tier spirit plants; using pesticides would likely disqualify them entirely.
So Bubu had volunteered. Since the day before yesterday, it had been living in the field catching bugs.
…A form of biological pest control, in a way.
The cafeteria had three floors. The first floor was run by Aunt Chen, where most students ate. The second floor offered made-to-order dishes, popular with teachers.
The third floor, however, was reserved for school officials hosting meals.
Jiang Luokui had already planned it out. With the boost from [Growth], her lettuce and bok choy could be harvested between Wednesday and Friday next week.
Selling directly to the wholesale market would be easy—but too cheap.
If she was going to sell, she’d sell to the contractor on the third floor.
Leaning on the glass railing, she curiously looked toward the third floor across from her. It was all private rooms, likely equipped with air purification—no aroma of food escaped.
Lin Zihan returned from the restroom and tapped her.
“We need to hurry. I’m afraid Class 1 will come and clear out the stock.”
“They won’t.”
Jiang Luokui snapped out of her thoughts and headed toward another staircase.
“They won’t?” Lin Zihan pointed to the closer one. “This way’s shorter.”
“Chen Pan is over there. I’d rather not deal with him again for now.”
After today’s 500-credit purchase, their grievances were settled—but Jiang Luokui had no intention of working with him. She had already rejected his probing message.
Lin Zihan nodded. She remembered him—the big shot she had referenced in her betting post—but his character was questionable. Best to avoid him.
“Good call. By the way, why won’t Class 1 come?”
Jiang Luokui glanced at her.
“They probably already have high-end gear from home.”
These days, anyone with money valued their life too much to rely on cheap supermarket equipment.
The suits sold in the store could last maybe 7–8 uses in the outskirts. But in farther zones, they’d barely survive three.
High-end suits, on the other hand, lasted months—but cost at least 5,000 credits.
Jiang Luokui wished she could buy one outright—but she simply couldn’t afford it.
Lin Zihan, however, had her parents’ support.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Luokui advised,
“You should ask your parents. If you can get a high-end suit, it’ll be better long-term. We’ll be going out a lot.”
Lin Zihan clutched her head in despair.
“A lot!?”
Jiang Luokui chuckled and patted her head.
“Wait here. I’ll go buy mine—it won’t take long.”
The supermarket was nearly empty. Jiang Luokui grabbed a protective suit and headed out—when she noticed someone standing silently by the consignment shelf where the scallion oil had been.
She stepped back slightly and peered through the shelf gaps.
A senior student stood there, his face covered in small scabbed wounds. From the combat division?
He took out a small pouch and poured its contents onto the empty shelf—
Clatter.
More than a dozen crystal cores spilled out.
Against the real ones, the fake cores beside them looked laughably obvious.
…So not a customer interested in scallion oil.
Losing interest, Jiang Luokui continued toward the exit—only to nearly collide with someone stepping out from behind the shelves.
At first glance, the person looked barely human—but her keen observation quickly identified him.
“Li Jueyan?”
She was shocked.
What happened to his face…? Even Li Jueming wouldn’t beat him this badly, right? His face was swollen like a pig’s head.
And his leg seemed to be limping.
Who hit him this time?
The moment he saw Jiang Luokui, Li Jueyan clenched his fists.
She stepped back cautiously. “What do you want?”
The senior who had placed the crystal cores calmly walked past them and went to the counter to register his items.
Li Jueyan glanced at him—then slowly loosened his fists. He spoke, sounding both aggrieved and restrained:
“Li—Little Aunt… since you’re family, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
…What did he just call me?
Little Aunt!?
Though the first word had been quiet, Jiang Luokui heard it clearly—but she couldn’t believe her ears.
“What did you just call me!?”
The senior at the counter suddenly looked up and added, deadpan:
“He called you ‘Little Aunt.’”
Li Jueyan looked even more miserable.
“You really are my little aunt.”
You might dare say it—but I don’t dare accept it!
Jiang Luokui pressed a hand to her forehead in silence.
“…How about you explain?”