In the pitch-black night, a lone figure sat motionless on the ground. A faint breeze lifted her shoulder-length wet hair, covering most of her face.
Tonight, Jiang Luokui had set her sights on Plot 147.
While cultivating and filtering spiritual energy, she simultaneously poured it into the soil, turning herself into a conduit for it. Her body hovered constantly on the brink of complete exhaustion. The frantic cycle of absorbing and expelling energy filled her with an intense sense of emptiness.
Time ticked by. Level 3 radiation gradually transitioned toward Level 2.
Around midnight, Plot 147 was fully purified to Level 2 radiation.
Three more hours passed, and Level 2 dropped to Level 1.
But that was far from enough.
What Jiang Luokui wanted to grow were spiritual plants.
Even if the soil wasn’t spiritual-grade, it at least had to be completely free of contamination.
She took a deep breath, stopped channeling spiritual energy, and stood up to stretch her stiff limbs.
On the first day of school, fourth-year Combat Department students were dragged out of bed and temporarily assigned to a nighttime 10-kilometer weighted run at the experimental fields.
The group started from Plot 1, running along the outer perimeter for ten laps in total.
The combat students varied greatly in strength—so it wasn’t unusual to see the strongest and weakest running side by side.
“Bro Pu… how many laps have you lapped me?” a shorter, sturdier guy panted.
The tall, lean figure beside him replied calmly, “Two.”
“Then doesn’t that mean you’re about to finish—”
As they passed Plot 147, they caught a glimpse of a stiff, shadowy figure performing strange movements. As if sensing their gaze, the figure turned its head, revealing a face obscured by dark hair.
Was that… a person?
Suddenly, the figure vanished.
A chill ran down their spines.
“…Bro Pu, did you see that? Was there just a shadow—”
“Yeah.”
“I heard this place used to be a graveyard. Could that be—”
“…”
Pu Qing suddenly accelerated, leaving his classmate and roommate Zheng Fa behind.
Zheng Fa shuddered, his voice trembling as he called out, “Bro—! Bro, wait for me!!!”
Jiang Luokui, who had instinctively cast an invisibility spell: “…”
What kind of students go running in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? She had been so absorbed in cultivation that hearing voices suddenly nearly scared her to death!
She dispelled the spell and wiped her sweat.
Break over. Back to purification.
After a full night of hard work, Master Jiang finally purified all the soil in Plot 147 into normal, radiation-free earth.
At 6 a.m., as the first rays of purple dawn energy arrived—prime time for cultivation—she continued practicing without wasting the opportunity.
An hour later, she felt completely refreshed.
Compared to this purified soil, even the nutrient soil she had bought seemed inferior. Before leaving, she replaced the soil in her pot and buried the drowsy BuBu back into it.
“Judging by your color, you should recover after another day and night of sleep.”
She glanced at the brown soil with slight regret. Selling it might be profitable… but that would violate school rules. If discovered, the land would be confiscated.
She picked up her water cup—still two-thirds full of bathwater—and left.
Next, she needed to buy some jars for scallion oil.
Carrying her small pot, Jiang Luokui went to the cafeteria for breakfast and stopped by the unmanned convenience store inside.
“Three buns again?” The cafeteria lady seemed to recognize her and kindly gave her a free bowl of clear soup—it looked plain but had a faint egg aroma.
After eating, she headed to the store.
It was about 40 square meters, divided into two sections. The left side sold regular goods, well-stocked with all kinds of items.
The right side had three shelves displaying items consigned by students. A warning sign read: Beware of scams. The store is not responsible after purchase.
She excitedly checked it out—then fell silent.
There were zombie crystal cores priced lower than market value, but their color looked suspicious—probably fake.
There was also homemade fermentation starter for plant-based alcohol, likely from a Food Science student, gathering dust from lack of interest.
Between them stood a sign:
“Whatever you want or want to know—I have it! Scan the QR code to add me. Add me and get one free piece of information!”
This… counted as a product?!
…No wonder the warning sign existed.
Forget it. Time to check the glass jars.
Since Linhai Base had its own glass factory, prices were relatively cheap—10 yuan for a 250ml jar.
Still too expensive.
She turned to the discounted defective ones—slightly misshapen but usable.
Perfect.
Ten jars for just 50 yuan!
The store didn’t provide free bags, so she reluctantly spent 0.5 yuan on a plastic bag.
Just as she was about to leave, her communicator exploded with messages.
[Wang Meng]: Junior! You’re a god!!!
[My corn actually recovered!!!]
[My roommate said your ability is only D-rank—how did you do it?!]
[This is nothing like any D-rank ability I know!]
[Is your ability some kind of special type?!]
Wang Meng barely slept the night before. Her roommates had warned her to beware of scams.
“People aren’t always what they seem! Remember how Plot 147 got contaminated?”
“The cafeteria even posted anti-scam signs! It’s only 500 yuan, but still—report her!”
Report?
If verified, Jiang Luokui might be expelled.
“Don’t act rashly!” Wang Meng insisted. “Let me check the field tomorrow first.”
Deep down, she had already assumed she’d been scammed. But 500 yuan wasn’t enough to keep her up all night.
Her real worry was her graduation thesis.
At dawn, she rushed to Plot 136, ready to cry—
“My corn—!”
—and froze.
The mutation had completely stopped. The corn had returned to normal—and was even growing better than before.
She dropped to her knees in shock, tears still in her eyes.
Wait… could she actually graduate now?
“…Is it possible… that D-rank geniuses really exist?”
Meanwhile, Jiang Luokui replied while carrying her jars:
[Jiang Luokui]: Glad I could help. As for my ability, I’d rather not say.]
[Also, could you keep this mutation reversal a secret?]
If she got labeled a scammer, combined with forum rumors, things could spiral badly—even to expulsion.
She just wanted to keep a low profile.
[Wang Meng]: Don’t worry! I won’t tell anyone! I’ll handle my roommates.]
After a pause, Wang Meng added:
[Wang Meng]: I used to be the Student Union president. If you need help, let me know.]
She could even get the forum posts deleted.
But Jiang Luokui declined.
Strong mentality?
Not really.
Even after two lifetimes, she still wanted to punch those idiots online.
But then she remembered—
She was making money off them.
The betting pool: 2 yuan per bet, max 10 bets per person.
Nearly 100 participants already.
That was hundreds in profit.
Even split with Lin Zihan, she’d still get over 300.
Boys’ Dormitory
“Chen Fatty! Wake up! Our betting business got stolen—!”
The chubby blond shot up in bed, staring at the highlighted forum post in disbelief:
[We Must Not Encourage Corruption! Bet Now: How Long Will a D-Rank Last in the Agriculture Department?]
OP “Cute Bunny”:
“The hype is perfect—how can we not bet? I say she lasts until midterms! Pick 3 months if you trust me!”
“Betting closes in 3 days—don’t miss out!”
Gripping the bed rail, he roared:
“Damn it—that’s MY script!!!”
‘The hype is perfect’? YOU built the hype?!
“I spent half a month hiring bots to build this momentum—and someone swoops in and steals it?!”
“Cute Bunny, huh… don’t let me find out who you are!!!”