Chapter 43

Three days—neither long nor short. As the butler put it, if you're serious about preparing, no amount of time is ever enough.

Lin Tu spent the first night sending all the mutated plant data she'd collected from the previous disaster to Dong Huadan. Since they were in different locations, just transmitting the files cost over thirty points. Lin Tu could only hope it was worth it. After sending the data, she went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Lin Tu was woken by the breakfast delivery she'd pre-ordered the night before. Yawning, she endured the delivery guy's curious stare as she picked up enough breakfast for a family of three. Sitting at the table, she finally saw Dong Huadan's messages.

An hour after receiving the data, Dong Huadan had gleefully messaged at one in the morning saying the customer was very satisfied and wanted to meet in person.

At the same time, an unfamiliar number sent Lin Tu a friend request—"Professor Lü."

"Hello, thank you for the data you collected. It's been extremely helpful to my work. The original agreed payment was 300 points, but given the completeness of your submission, I've decided to double it. I hope we can work together again!"

Lin Tu quickly accepted the friend request and pocketed the red packet.

Dong Huadan replied right away: "Girl, if you're in Doomsday Town, you should bring the [Angry Corn] to see Professor Lü. He's an expert in this field. I've already talked to him—he'll tell you for free how to grow it better."

Lin Tu casually said okay.

Unexpectedly, Professor Lü was awake too. Like Dong Huadan, he sent a message, though his tone was a bit more prideful: "Your special plant item isn't growing well, is it? Xiao Dong said you're a complete newbie. If it can't bear fruit... or even if it's about to die, bring it to me right away. It's C-rank, after all—don't waste such a versatile special item."

As Lin Tu bit into a soup dumpling, she glanced at the corn stalk by the windowsill—lush, vibrant, swaying in the breeze.

"It's fine, Professor Lü. It's not in trouble—it's already fruited."

Professor Lü: "Fruited? Are they normal ears?"

Lin Tu finished her dumpling, wiped her mouth and fingers, and walked over to the corn stalk with her phone. Six corncobs with a faint glow sat on the shelf. She snapped a photo and sent it over—

"Haven't used them yet, but they don't look like ordinary corn."

Professor Lü slowly typed a question mark, then his tone shifted to excitement: "These are perfect specimens?! How did you manage that? And why are there six cobs? Did it already fruit twice? How?!"

Once the Angry Corn came into the real world, settling into this remote, stress-free mountain valley, it—like Lin Tu—had all its rage turn to delight and started growing like crazy. Counting the time, Lin Tu would be able to harvest another batch of corn before the next disaster started.

But since it involved the little house, she didn't elaborate to Professor Lü. "I consulted a farmer. Just kept tending it, and it turned out like this."

That wasn't entirely false. Apart from asking Karen, she hadn't done any other research.

Professor Lü's chat kept showing "typing..." until finally he sent a big exclamation mark: "Could you spare some time for a face-to-face meeting to discuss your methods!"

Going to Doomsday Town cost Lin Tu a full hundred and fifty points—the same price as an Anju function.

At that thought, Lin Tu fell into a strange silence for a moment, then declined politely: "Next time, for sure."

Professor Lü—in reality a white-haired man in his fifties—showed up at Dong Huadan's shop an hour later, looking dejected.

"Xiao Dong, how does she grow that corn seedling? Of course, if there's any special trick, you can ask her permission first before deciding whether to tell me. I respect that." Professor Lü kept staring at the photo of six perfect cobs, unable to figure it out.

Dong Huadan was busy with customers, but she greeted him warmly. Then his question stumped her—how did she grow it...?

Her expression turned a bit odd. "There's no special trick."

"Then she's just naturally gifted at farming?"

"Miss Lin doesn't know how to farm," Dong Huadan said firmly. She decided to share what she'd seen. "Her corn grows in a pot, and she uses nutrient soil from the disaster worlds—isn't that a huge no-no? The most baffling part is, she has her underling carry the corn outside to sunbathe, and she clipped a grow light to the pot to keep it lit at all times. You can't imagine the scene, Professor. Honestly, if you saw it, you'd laugh your head off..."

The wild idea was like a genius's casual scribble on paper that somehow became a masterpiece. Professor Lü's body began to tremble, even sway.

Dong Huadan didn't notice. She said approvingly, "Miss Lin is definitely a master at clearing disasters, but when it comes to farming, I'll apologize on her behalf..."

"No need!" Professor Lü quickly waved a hand. Clutching his chest, feeling the blow he'd taken, he muttered, "Impossible... do you think... there's any chance Miss Lin would become my assistant?"

As soon as he asked, his assistant behind him turned pale.

Dong Huadan was about to laugh, but seeing the serious look on Professor Lü's face, she was stunned. "Huh? You're joking, right?" This man was a big shot from the Black Factory.

"You said she's also good at surviving disasters, so she probably wouldn't be interested in this stuff..." The more Professor Lü thought, the more breathless he felt. "Is there really such a thing as talent? Really?"

Dong Huadan was confused, but his assistant's face grew darker.

"Forget it, forget it. These young people nowadays..." Muttering to himself, he left the shop in defeat.

Meanwhile, Lin Tu had already gone out shopping.

Worried about how often she'd been buying rice, flour, and vegetables, she deliberately drove the motorcycle into the city center this time to stock up—and mainly to buy maritime gear, which this two-bit town couldn't provide.

Back at the outdoor supplies store, the owner was surprised she'd returned so soon. Apparently, she was off to the seaside again—he had to marvel at young people's recklessness.

When he asked why she hadn't posted anything on Moments, Lin Tu remembered she'd actually taken quite a few photos during the global zombie crisis—but they were all of zombies, supplies, or locations.

Turning her back to him, she struggled to pick two that looked like scenic shots from the dozens of gut-wrenching photos. After the owner saw them, he gave her a thumbs up—

"You've been to true no-man's-lands! A real warrior!"

Lin Tu: "..." No-man's-land, indeed.

Realizing this young person was about to drift along remote waters, tackle open-water swimming, maybe even diving, the owner decided to give it his all to help this daredevil—easily among the top three he'd ever seen—pick out the right gear.