CH 53

Shu Shuishui carefully counted the energy stones twice and then contentedly stored them in the spiritual storage. At the same time, he began to look forward to purifying the energy stones after reaching the small hill.

In the afternoon, the snowfall intensified, no longer as calm as in the beginning, gradually showing signs of a blizzard.

People in the convoy who were familiar with Cang Zhan Star reminded everyone that once a blizzard struck, any traces on the ground would be quickly erased, which could lead to deviation from the intended direction.

“Leader, we need to accelerate for a while. The other two convoys should not have gone too far. We have Xie Feng’s detectors ahead scouting the way,” communicated Yu Jin through the intercom.

Although long-distance communication was not feasible, short-range communication within a few hundred meters was possible, although it could still be subject to interference.

Moreover, Gu Langu was not someone who liked to chat, so short-distance communication was mainly used for notifications.

As for Xie Feng, he hadn’t joined Yu Jin and Nan Ge’s car in the afternoon but rather buried himself in the RV for research. It all started when he saw the flowerpots planted by Shu Shuishui.

On Cang Zhan Star, some people had considered using technology for cultivation, but unfortunately, most technological methods relied on energy stones for support. The extreme cold on Cang Zhan Star led to significant energy stone consumption, making it an uneconomical approach.

Solar energy utilization was hindered by the perpetual blizzards that blocked out the sun.

Wind energy utilization, too, suffered as nothing could withstand the ravages of a blizzard. Large-scale cultivation using technology became impractical and was eventually abandoned.

However, upon seeing Shu Shuishui’s small farm, Xie Feng had an epiphany. While he might not fully understand effective methods to resist low temperatures, he could further improve Shu Shuishui’s successful farm through modifications.

He could adjust the lighting and temperature, significantly reducing energy stone consumption, which could potentially boost the productivity of the small farm significantly.

Of course, these were just Xie Feng’s speculations for now; practical implementation would require experimentation. Xie Feng searched through his RV for quite some time until he found a few top-tier energy stones. He planned to exchange them with Shu Shuishui for another small farm during the night.

With Xie Feng in the team, there was no need for Gu Langu to operate the detectors anymore. Actually, Gu Langu was a super-intelligent brain, but he lacked the spirit of exploration and was not very diligent. Compared to Gu Langu, Xie Feng was indeed more practical.

However, both Yu Jin and Nan Ge only thought about it but dared not speak their thoughts out loud.

Thanks to Xie Feng’s detectors leading the way, the convoy’s speed increased significantly. Coupled with the intensifying blizzard, the other two convoys slowed down, and before evening, the three convoys gathered again.

Due to the blizzard, the camping time was earlier than the day before. Although it was not yet evening, the light was already dim and unclear.

The heavy snow hit people’s faces mercilessly, ruthlessly robbing them of their body heat. In such an environment, no one wanted to speak, and they couldn’t even start a campfire.

Everyone hastily set up their tents, trying to find shelter from the storm as quickly as possible. The tents were firmly secured into the frozen ground with ropes capable of supporting several tons of weight, ensuring that the tents would not be blown away by the blizzard.

Given the weather conditions, large tents couldn’t be erected, and only one or two-person small tents were used.

After Gu Langu set up his tent, Shu Shuishui voluntarily brought his own small tent and set it up beside Gu Langu’s sleeping bag.

“It seems Shui Shui is going to share a tent with the leader,” commented Yu Jin casually when he saw this scene.

Shu Shuishui paused in his actions of setting up the small tent. “I’m doing it to protect Gu Gu. If Gu Gu isn’t afraid, I can set up the tent outside.”

Yu Jin quickly waved his hands. “No, no, no! You’ll get stepped on by someone or blown away by the wind, your little tent is originally a parachute modification. If that happens, where can we find you? So even if the boss isn’t afraid, Shui Shui shouldn’t…”

“I’m afraid,” came a decisive response, interrupting Yu Jin.

Yu Jin’s words got stuck in his throat, and after a long time, he spoke softly. “As long as you’re happy. I’m going to check on my adorable sweet potatoes. Shui Shui, they’ve really sprouted; it’s truly amazing.”

Gu Langu grabbed Yu Jin and took him outside the tent before closing the zipper. “It’s getting late. Time to wash up and sleep.”

Yu Jin: “…”

In the end, battered by the blizzard, Yu Jin could only quickly return to his own tent. As he lifted the curtain, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “The color of the mouse is deceiving. A good person has learned how to drive people away.”

At this time, there were also a small group of people as excited as Yu Jin. They were the ones who had exchanged for micro-farms. After witnessing the rapid growth of the sweet potatoes with their own eyes, they finally believed what Nan Ge had said! It was truly exhilarating! They had actually grown their own food, and it was winter, on moving vehicles!

More and more people were eager to try and planned to exchange for micro-farms from Nan Ge. Yes, although they heard that the micro-farm was made by a field mouse, they felt embarrassed to trade with a mouse, and Gu Langu was inseparable from that little mouse. They couldn’t withstand the pressure brought by Gu Langu.

Apart from those preparing to exchange for micro-farms, more people set up their tents and then went out to dig soil in the blizzard.

This action truly astonished people from the other two bases. After all, Gu Langu Base’s behavior during the day had already been puzzling, and now they were digging soil in the blizzard. What were they doing? Was there any energy stone nearby?

There were many people with doubts, and many others came to inquire about the situation. However, it was unfortunate that the people from the Gu Langu Base kept their mouths tightly shut, and nothing was revealed.

The tacit understanding among the members of the Gu Langu Base naturally came from the fact that setting up the micro-farm required time and resources, and their own base members must be given priority.

Moreover, the most crucial point was, what if others knew that the micro-farm was built by Shu Shuishui? What if they came to their base to steal the field mice?

Protecting their field mice was equivalent to protecting their own farm. This simple equation was well understood by everyone.

As a result, the camp today was vastly different from yesterday. There was no warm campfire, and no one gathered together for entertainment.

Instead, everyone was busy, and after setting up their tents, the people from the other two bases eagerly dealt with their affairs and hid inside their tents, nibbling on cold and hard dry rations. They then watched the Gu Langu Base members enthusiastically digging in the snowstorm.

“An An, can you understand what the people from the Gu Langu Base are doing?” Fei Luo asked as he looked at the excited but abnormal scene outside.

Shi An’an also furrowed his brow, unable to figure out why the people from the Gu Langu Base were acting so crazy. There was soil everywhere along the way, so what was so special about it? “Besides planting, does the soil have any other functions?”

“That’s impossible.” Fei Luo also thought of this possibility but quickly dismissed it. When Xie Feng was at the base, he had tried it and found that successfully cultivating and harvesting one plant would almost consume a top-tier energy stone. The consumption was too great.

Fei Luo didn’t doubt Xie Feng’s ability. If Xie Feng couldn’t do it, then it was unlikely that anyone on the Cang Zhan Star could plant in the winter.

“Yes, it’s impossible. Maybe we can inquire about it tomorrow morning,” Shi An’an also knew the difficulty of planting on this planet and had seen many people trying to gather information but failing.

Although Shi An’an did not explicitly mention who he was referring to, Fei Luo couldn’t think of a better candidate for gathering information besides Xie Feng. But at this point, Fei Luo unexpectedly resisted the idea, as if trying to salvage a little bit of goodwill.

As a result, Fei Luo did not continue the conversation, fell into silence for a moment, said goodnight, and returned to his own tent.

Shi An’an’s eyes changed, and he found it unexpectedly difficult to pursue Fei Luo. This was a bit different from his initial expectations. Once the system is bound to a pursuer, it couldn’t view other pursuers until the pursuit was completed, and it couldn’t bind to other pursuers.

In a state of vexation, Shi An’an lay down in his sleeping bag, contemplating his next plan. He had already used the system’s weather forecasting function to calculate a relatively safe migration target. Everything had to wait until they arrived there to make plans. With the mainline mission not activated, he really felt helpless.

As for Xie Feng, he is no longer important. A technological genius doesn’t have much use in cultivation, and it seems that Xie Feng has truly given up, making things much easier.

In the eyes of Shi An’an, Xie Feng, who used to create waves, is now standing in the storm, carrying his own equipment, and sneaking into Nan Ge and Yu Jin’s car to get his hands on that pot of micro-farm.

It didn’t take long for Xie Feng to dismantle the micro-farm. Of course, the plants inside were not damaged; he just dug them out.

Fortunately, at this time, Yu Jin was already preparing to sleep in his own tent, and if he had seen this scene, he would definitely be furious.

In order to better integrate his technology, Xie Feng needed a more comprehensive understanding of the micro-farm built by Shu Shuishui. Therefore, dismantling it was a necessary step.

Actually, Xie Feng wanted to find Shu Shuishui and exchange for another farm, but when he saw that Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu had already gone to sleep, he didn’t want to disturb them. However, wasting a whole night like this made him feel reluctant. So, he secretly went to dismantle the one that Yu Jin had planted.

“Strange, I can clearly detect energy fluctuations, and it’s multiple types of energy. Why can’t I lock onto the source of the energy?” Xie Feng turned the soil upside down but couldn’t find the energy stone.

When Shu Shuishui built the micro-farm, Xie Feng had watched it carefully. Those transparent stones buried inside seemed to have disappeared, as if they had merged with the soil.

“The composition of the soil hasn’t changed, so it must be the energy’s effect. Energy waves can merge with electromagnetic waves, yes, this transformation plan is feasible.” Xie Feng was completely engrossed in his research and had no intention of sleeping.

Because he was so engrossed, when a knock sounded on his window, Xie Feng was startled. When he turned around, he saw Shu Shuishui stuck to the glass.

Shu Shuishui had come out to use the restroom and discovered Xie Feng.

Xie Feng lowered the car window and brought Shu Shuishui inside, quickly raising the window again to prevent the cold air from rushing in.

Shu Shuishui shook off the snow and turned into a real furball, successfully shaking off all the snow. “What are you doing so late? Did you dismantle the farm? Aren’t you afraid of Yu Jin dismantling you?”

Xie Feng seemed to have forgotten his fear and was deeply immersed in his research. “Shu Shuishui, what happened to the stones inside before? Why are the energy waves inside different now? The properties of the soil haven’t undergone any qualitative changes, so what has changed?”

Shu Shuishui was quite surprised but still explained seriously. Xie Feng listened attentively and even took notes.

And so, the man and the mouse had a pleasant conversation until Gu Langu came and carried Shu Shuishui back to the tent.

As Xie Feng had Shu Shuishui’s guidance, many of the perplexing questions he had encountered suddenly found a path for further exploration, so he continued his research.

Once in Gu Langu’s hands, Shu Shuishui fell asleep in less than a second.

Gu Langu could only try to cradle his hand, carrying Shu Shuishui back to the tent. After some thought, he ended up placing the little mouse by the pillow and put Shu Shuishui’s tent next to it. This way, he wouldn’t go against Shu Shuishui’s intention of wanting to sleep in the tent.