After putting the glass jars back in the dorm and checking on BuBu’s recovery, it was time to head out again.
Today was Tuesday—fully packed with classes.
Jiang Luokui and Lin Zihan usually left a bit early to grab seats in the back row.
They had just sat down when Lin Zihan suddenly sneezed several times in a row. Rubbing her nose, she said, “Did you know the experimental fields for our Agriculture Department used to be a graveyard?!”
“How do you know?” Jiang Luokui pulled out her textbook for the first class and began reviewing.
Lin Zihan lowered her voice mysteriously. “The fourth-year Combat students trained there last night. Someone said they saw a ghost!”
Jiang Luokui frowned slightly. But she hadn’t sensed any sinister energy there…
And last night, she was pretty sure she was the only one in the fields…
“They say it was a female ghost—whoosh! Disappeared on the spot.” Lin Zihan rubbed her arms as goosebumps rose. “Thinking about farming on a graveyard… kind of creepy.”
Jiang Luokui: “……”
Was it possible… that “ghost” was actually her?
She smoothly changed the subject. “First class is Professor Qian’s, right? Aren’t you going to preview the material?”
As one of the first officially recognized academicians, Professor Qian usually only taught graduating students. It was unusual that he was teaching freshmen this year—and the subject was the foundational course Botany.
The textbook was thick and dense.
Without previewing, it would be impossible to keep up.
Lin Zihan groaned. “Ugh! This book is basically a brick—how am I supposed to finish it?!”
To Jiang Luokui, the content felt both familiar and unfamiliar. After flipping through a couple of pages, memories gradually resurfaced, and she found herself learning quickly.
Thank you to my hardworking past self!
Since it was Professor Qian’s class, no one dared to be late. Freshmen arrived early, buzzing with excitement as they discussed his achievements.
Occasionally, a few comments about Jiang Luokui slipped in.
The betting pool had, by coincidence, shifted attention away from how she got into the Agriculture Department. Now, people only cared about when she’d be transferred out.
Still, the stigma remained. She had become the only “negative figure” among her peers, and people discussed her openly without restraint.
“Any math geniuses want to calculate which option has the best odds?”
“I bet on three months. There’s a monthly exam—no way a D-rank passes three in a row.”
“One, two, three months all have similar odds—1:2. But four months is 1:9! Imagine hitting that jackpot!”
“Come on, you think a D-rank can last four months? With Professor Qian’s temperament… I say one month max!”
The buzzing chatter reached Jiang Luokui’s ears, but she calmly flipped through her book, completely unbothered.
Amid the noise, Li Jueming in the front row glanced back at her with a frown. Seeing that she seemed unaffected, he pursed his lips and turned away.
The bell rang.
Qian Ping walked in slowly with a cane.
Though he was seventy, he looked closer to sixty—thin, dark-skinned, with sparse white hair. Without his gold-rimmed reading glasses, he could easily be mistaken for an old farmer.
The classroom fell silent instantly.
Qian Ping set down his thermos, sat, and leaned toward the microphone.
“Hello everyone. I’m Qian Ping. I’ll be teaching you Botany.”
“Botany is a foundational subject. Easy to learn, hard to master. But mastering it can improve your survival rate outside the base. This concerns your lives—don’t slack off.”
For agriculture students, job prospects were excellent—whether in government or private companies.
But there were risks.
Inside the base, infrastructure was complete. Outside, it was still primitive wilderness—filled with mutated plants, animals, and wandering zombies.
Two years ago, the government launched the Revival Plan, aiming to expand the bases and eventually restore the nation.
Teams were formed to clear the wilds, often including agriculture researchers responsible for identifying safe plants and discovering cultivable crops.
What a pity…
Jiang Luokui closed her book slightly, looking at Professor Qian with a quiet sigh.
Four years later, a catastrophic disaster would reduce all these efforts to ashes.
By then, chaos would reign, and even maintaining the bases would be difficult—let alone any revival plan.
Qian Ping blew on his tea. “Do you know the annual mortality rate for Ministry of Agriculture researchers?”
The class was silent.
Li Jueming raised his hand. “It used to be 8%. Last year it rose to 10%.”
Qian Ping nodded. “Correct. The rate is increasing. So value your time here. Learn as much as you can—so you can stay alive.”
The mention of survival made everyone sit up straighter—even Lin Zihan stopped slacking.
Jiang Luokui, however, felt something was off.
The disaster wouldn’t come out of nowhere. Rising mortality rates… Professor Qian teaching freshmen…
These might all be signs—ones she hadn’t noticed in her previous life.
After that, the lecture began.
In less than half an hour—
Chapter 1, Plant Cells and Tissues, was finished.
The freshmen’s hands trembled as they flipped pages.
This pace… was terrifying.
They glanced at each other, hoping to copy notes—
—but everyone’s notes were a mess.
Lin Zihan looked at Jiang Luokui in despair.
Jiang calmly showed her a page filled with neat notes. “Stop writing. Focus on what Professor Qian says next. It’s more valuable than the textbook.”
Lin Zihan’s eyes widened.
Is this what a top student looks like?!
Professor Qian had spent his life traveling between the base and the wilderness. His survival experience and collected plant data were priceless knowledge.
The first half hour left students confused.
But the next hour slowed down, focusing on real-world experience.
The outside world held a powerful allure for these sheltered students.
Everyone listened intently.
Ten minutes before class ended, Qian Ping took out two sealed bags of seeds.
“Your final grade will be based on both your potted plant and your exam scores. These seeds are your assignment.”
“Class One gets rice seeds. Class Two gets mostly dwarf tomato seeds—except for five portions of rice seeds I specially requested. I hope some of you will challenge yourselves.”
What?!
Rice seeds?!
Rice, once domesticated for thousands of years, now mutated violently in the wasteland. High failure rates, poor yields, radiation absorption—
Often, the harvest wasn’t even edible.
Wheat had similar issues.
Staple crops would remain a major challenge for at least a decade.
What kind of bad luck did our generation have to start on nightmare difficulty…
Li Jueming calmly distributed the seeds.
As someone nearing S-rank, he had nothing to worry about.
But most of Class One looked troubled.
Class Two looked even worse.
Dozens of B-rank students hesitated. C-rank students didn’t even consider it—they just waited for someone else to take the rice so they could grab tomatoes.
Qian Ping encouraged the top five students in Class Two. “Choosing rice gives you 30 extra base points. But if you’re unwilling, tomatoes are fine.”
Extra tomatoes?
Jiang Luokui’s eyes flickered thoughtfully.
Lin Zihan whispered, “Only the A-ranks in Class One would dare try rice…”
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her.
She looked up—
Jiang Luokui had stood up.
Lin Zihan froze.
We may be last place, but do you have to be the first to grab tomato seeds?! What will Professor Qian think?!
All eyes turned to Jiang Luokui as she calmly walked to the podium.
“Professor Qian, are there extra tomato seeds? Can I take two portions?”
Qian Ping frowned slightly. “Two portions of tomatoes? That’s… not appropriate.”
“No,” Jiang said seriously. “One tomato, one rice. If you agree, I don’t need the bonus points.”
Oh?
She wanted to challenge rice?
Qian Ping looked intrigued.
Not only rice—but tomato as well?
Interesting.
He smiled. “In that case, I can approve it. What’s your name?”
“Jiang Luokui.”
The smile paused.
So she’s Jiang Luokui… the D-rank student?
Even B- and C-ranks hesitated—but she dared to step forward.
Impressive courage.
He handed her the seeds. “If you encounter difficulties, come to me anytime.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
Class Two stared at her like she was insane.
This is suicide!
Then, almost simultaneously, they thought of the betting pool.
At this rate… if she lasts a month, I’ll wash my hair upside down!