Chapter 3: Level 1 Crop – Blueheart Potato Seed

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Li Ye focused his gaze and counted six people stepping down from the vehicle. Five men, accompanied by a striking young woman. The woman appeared to be just over twenty, sporting short hair, dressed in a jacket and jeans, with a short knife and pistol holstered at her waist, exuding an air of competence. Judging from their demeanor and actions, it seemed she was the leader. Before she could speak, Li Ye waved his hand and spoke succinctly, “I saved you. I expect payment.” The men exchanged glances, while the woman smiled softly. “Don’t worry, we understand.” Li Ye nodded gently upon hearing this. In truth, this was precisely why he had rescued them. He believed his request would be granted—after all, they had not fled immediately after being freed but instead stayed to help clear the corpses nearby, clearly not ungrateful. “I believe this item is sufficient to express our gratitude.” The woman retrieved something from her backpack and handed it directly to Li Ye. His pupils dilated instantly upon seeing it. [Item Name: Blue Heart Potato Seeds] [Item Level: 1] [Special Effect: Grows fully in one week after planting] He had never expected the gift to be a level one crop. Compared to ordinary crops, level one crops mature faster and yield more produce. They were also the primary food source for mobile cities. Clutching the bag of Blue Heart Potato seeds tightly, his heart raced uncontrollably. With this level one crop, the Tomorrow could solve its food supply issues, allowing him to recruit more personnel and compensate for the shortage of manpower. Not only him but also everyone behind him was overjoyed. After stowing away the seeds, Li Ye carefully observed the group. Only then did he realize that all their equipment was level one, even the two off-road vehicles were level one. “No wonder they survived so long amidst the corpse tide...” he mused. This convoy was not merely a survivor group but evidently hailed from a mobile city. They had set out to scavenge supplies but were unfortunately trapped by a level one corpse tide en route. Li Ye also cast a lingering glance at the level one pistols holstered at their waists. In the wasteland, such level one weapons were the most practical—allowing one to maintain a safe distance while inflicting effective damage. That said, if it were up to Li Ye, he would rather have a level one heavy machine gun or cannon. “Our haul in the Rotting Lands was decent, but we didn’t expect to encounter the corpse tide on the return trip. Thank you for saving us...” The woman began. “By the way, we come from...”

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Before she could finish, a man gently tapped her shoulder as a reminder. Li Ye was not surprised by this. In such a harsh post-apocalyptic world, where human nature was treacherous, they were nothing more than strangers crossing paths. Yet, to his amazement, the woman insisted on finishing her sentence. “We are from Roland Fortress. I am Lin Xia, daughter of the lord of Roland Fortress.” She smiled warmly. Surprised, Li Ye nodded to her. “I am Li Ye, lord of the Tomorrow.” After a moment’s hesitation, one of the men removed his backpack. “If you feel the reward is insufficient, you can have this pack as well...” Li Ye waved his hand and shook the level one crop in his possession. “No need. This is enough.” With that, he turned and led his group away. After a brief moment of stunned silence, the man recovered and muttered, “Looks like the folks outside aren’t as bad as we imagined. At least this young man seems decent...” That level one crop was their most significant gain on this journey, so giving it up was not so painful. After all, Roland Fortress already had level one crops. Their concern was that Li Ye’s group might be insatiable, but the leader’s reaction surprised them. Recalling the harrowing encounter with the corpse tide, a flicker of relief shone in the man’s eyes, though he remained cautious as he spoke to the woman, “Miss, leave the wilderness exploration to us next time. It’s far too dangerous for you to go out yourself.” “And you don’t think you’re in danger?” the woman replied softly. She brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her eyes clouded with complex melancholy. “I must grow stronger quickly because… my father’s time is running out.” ... Returning to the Tomorrow, Li Ye immediately instructed Old Zhou and the others to plant the Blue Heart Potato seeds. The Tomorrow had farmland, though as a level one mobile city, its space was limited, and so were the fields. The scale of the farmland was small, producing insufficient food, so they mostly relied on scavenging and trading to supplement supplies. The fields were originally planted with ordinary crops like potatoes and corn, tended by slaves. Besides gathering resources in the wild, Li Ye also managed the farmland. When the lord and his enforcers passed by in good spirits, they would call him over for a few lashes as amusement—more if they were displeased. Upon taking charge of the Tomorrow, Li Ye found a new shirt in the warehouse and changed out of his blood-stained white shirt. Since his wounds had not healed, he occasionally tugged at the back of his shirt to avoid irritating them.

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Old Zhou and the others were far more excited than Li Ye, almost shouting as they tilled the fields. Li Ye stood by, stroking his chin thoughtfully. Once the first batch of Blue Heart Potatoes was harvested, they could produce new seeds by cutting the tubers and replanting, thus securing a continuous food supply. In the apocalypse, the more food you had, the more hands you could employ. Now, the Tomorrow would soon resolve its food shortage in the short term. As he contemplated this, a sense of relief washed over him. With this pressing problem solved, he could recruit more people. Hope made this week more bearable than he had imagined; they could endure it. Although subsisting mainly on potatoes was hardly ideal, in this barren wasteland, filling one’s stomach was already a blessing. Meanwhile, Li Ye suddenly remembered something and muttered to himself, “Speaking of which, the fifth piece of intelligence should have updated by now.” During this time, he had frequently opened the intelligence system to check that epic-level intelligence, full of anticipation. After all, superior-level intelligence was already quite valuable; this epic-level intel was bound to be extraordinary. When he opened the system panel, he found the epic-level intelligence had indeed refreshed. Its content was... [In three months, the Wasteland Zone will be completely destroyed.] Li Ye’s expression changed immediately. He had never expected such news. In three months, the entire Wasteland Zone would be utterly annihilated—monsters, survivor villages, towns, scavenger convoys, fortresses, and mobile cities alike. And Li Ye was currently the only person in the Wasteland Zone who knew this. Looking at the “Epic” label on the intelligence, he nodded in reluctant agreement. This information truly lived up to its level; without it, he would have unknowingly perished in three months. Then, a profound question arose in his mind: “What exactly will cause the destruction of the entire Wasteland Zone?”