The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

That delicate emerald green made Ragnar almost disbelieve his eyes. He rubbed them, and rubbed them again, finally confirming that it wasn't a hallucination caused by overwork. This iron-willed man, who had never yielded even in the face of a "false god," couldn't help but have his eyes well up with tears.

"It's sprouting, it's really sprouting!" He trembled as he slowly squatted down, and with his good hand, he carefully brushed away a small clod of soil next to the sprout, as if on a pilgrimage.

His youngest daughter even lay down on the ground, her eyes wide with curiosity and joy, staring intently at the small plant.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the entire "Iron Heart" in less than ten minutes.

Soon, the area around the huge, stuffy cabin, which had been the subject of much ridicule as an "experimental field," was filled with a dense crowd.

They dared not go in and disturb them, but instead craned their necks through the narrow portholes and monitor screens, hoping to witness the "miracle" with their own eyes.

When Hephaestus and Ellie rushed to the scene with their technical team, they were greeted by this magnificent sight: a sea of ​​eager and excited eyes surrounding them.

"Quick! Let me in!"

Hephaestus excitedly pushed through the crowd, like a scientist who had waited decades to finally see his theory proven: "Data! I need to collect its growth data immediately!"

He rushed to the tender sprout and immediately directed his technicians to set up various sophisticated testing instruments—temperature, humidity, soil energy residue, light wavelength… a series of complex data points quickly gathered on the data board in his hand.

"A miracle! It's simply a miracle..."

Hephaestus stared at the string of seemingly "perfect" growth data, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with an alarming intensity: "We've truly grown life in the Steel City!"

He looked at Ragnar's team, who were equally excited, and asked for the first time with genuine admiration, "Mr. Ragnar, how did you do that? The 'soil stabilizer' in this area is clearly at its lowest power!"

Ragnar grinned, revealing a simple yet proud smile.

He pointed to the "black soil" around the sprout, which looked ordinary but was noticeably softer and moister than the other areas.

“We didn’t do anything special. We just cultivated the black soil we brought from that island in the oldest way, following the methods passed down from our ancestors.”

As he spoke, he gently pinched a "strange earthworm" out of the soil. It was slowly wriggling, completely black, but with a row of faintly glowing spots on its back.

"They are the ones who helped us 'eat' the 'toxic' things in the soil and made the soil loose. They are the real heroes."

Those few seemingly insignificant "weird earthworms" instantly became the focus of the entire laboratory.

Hephaestus and his technical team were overjoyed. They carefully took these little guys to a top-level biological laboratory for a comprehensive "physical examination".

The test results, however, shocked everyone once again.

"incredible."

Looking at the earthworm cell on the microscope projection that was breaking down harmful energy substances in the "nutrient soil," Hephaestus exclaimed in genuine admiration: "Its digestive system is simply a miniature biomass energy conversion factory, at least fifteen times more efficient than the 'soil stabilizer' we designed!"

This discovery made the old engineer, who had previously scoffed at Ragnar and others' "retro" approach, blush and fall silent.

Facts speak louder than words.

The evolutionary miracles of nature have indeed surpassed their proud "steam technology" in some respects, but Hephaestus did not deny the efforts of his team because of this.

"No, we did not lose."

He looked at his "soil stabilizer," which was still running steadily, and his eyes gleamed even brighter: "Although our equipment is inefficient, it excels in 'stability' and 'controllability.' It can work 24 hours a day without interruption and can precisely control the energy value of the soil within any range we want."

"The biggest problem with the 'weird earthworm' is that its body is still mutating. Unless it is monitored for a long time, it is very likely to mutate into a dangerous monster."

He slammed his hand on the control panel and excitedly announced to everyone, "I think I've found the real direction! Let's combine them!"

Over the next few days, Hephaestus's technical team and Ragnar's "Naturalist" team sat down together for the first time in a real sense.

They stopped arguing and stopped looking down on each other.

The technicians began to humbly learn from the survivors about the growth habits of different plants and the methods of cultivating different "beneficial insects".

Ragnar and others also began to work hard to learn and understand those complex data charts, trying to use a more "scientific" approach to guide their planting experience.

Under Shen Ge's instruction and Alai's coordination, the "Ecology Department" established two brand-new, closely collaborative teams.

The “Environmental Simulation Group” was led by Hephaestus and Ellie.

Their mission is to use technology to create precise and controllable "microenvironments" that are most suitable for the growth of different plants.

For example, a separate "cave cabin" with constant temperature and humidity was created for moisture-loving fungi; and a more powerful "sun lamp" that can emit a specific spectrum was designed for crops that need strong light.

The “Biobreeding Group” was headed by Ragnar and his most trusted clansmen.

Their mission was not just to plant, but also to "cultivate" and "domesticate" the beneficial plants and animals they brought from the desert island.

They began to breed those "weird earthworms" on a large scale, and even tried to "hybridize" potato varieties that were more cold-resistant and had shorter growth cycles.

In this new and highly efficient collaborative model, the appearance of the first sprout seems to be a signal, followed by the second, the third, the tenth, the hundredth...

Within just one month, the once lifeless "experimental field" was covered with a vibrant green expanse full of life.

The potato vines stubbornly spread through the black soil;

Fluorescent mushrooms thrive in dark corners;
Even a few unidentified fruit trees brought from "Paradise Island" miraculously blossomed with tiny white flowers under artificial lighting and careful cultivation.

The entire cabin was no longer the laboratory filled with strange smells, but had been transformed into an "indoor pastoral" place filled with the fragrance of earth and plants.

Everyone who lives on "Iron Heart" considers visiting it every day as the most therapeutic and hopeful "entertainment activity" outside of work.

They will see Ragnar leading a group of people carefully turning over the soil and weeding the potato vines; they will see Ellie directing small engineering robots to lay out a more advanced "smart drip irrigation system" that can automatically adjust the amount of water sprayed based on soil moisture.

They might even see a usually stern old engineer wearing a straw hat, squatting in the ground, using the most sophisticated instruments to measure the "health index" of a potato leaf, with a silly smile on his face.

In this small "Garden of Eden," people from different backgrounds and with different beliefs found a common goal and rediscovered the long-lost feeling of "life."

When the vines of the first batch of potatoes began to turn slightly yellow, everyone knew that the exciting moment was finally coming. On that day, Shen Ge personally issued the order, declaring a half-day holiday for the entire city.

For the first time, thousands of residents gathered outside the cabin where "Eden" was located, not because of war or crisis, but for a common celebration.

Amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ragnar, the city's "chief farmer," solemnly dug up the rootstock of the first potato with his calloused hands.

As the soft black soil was dug up, round potatoes of varying sizes, covered in mud, were revealed to everyone.

There were no cheers, no screams.

Everyone present, whether they were battle-hardened guards, knowledgeable technicians, or long-suffering survivors, simply watched quietly as their eyes gradually welled up with tears when they saw those unassuming potatoes that represented "food" and "new life."

Alai stepped forward and took the first potato, still warm from the soil, from Ragnar's hands. She held it carefully in her palms, as if it were a rare treasure.

Then she walked up to Shen Ge, who was also present, and solemnly handed him this weighty "fruit".

“We…successfully.” Her voice was choked with barely suppressed sobs.

Shen Ge took the potato.

He looked at the food in his hand, which was so ordinary in the old days, and then looked around at the faces filled with joy, excitement and hope.

Even his heart, hardened as iron, couldn't help but stir a ripple at this moment.

He did more than just save a group of people.

He and his group, amidst the ruins of steel and the boundless sea, rebuilt the foundations of "civilization" with their own hands.

Planting.

He slowly raised the potato in his hand, facing everyone.

"Today, what we're growing isn't food..."

"It's our future!"

……

The joy of the first harvest was like a shot in the arm, immersing the entire "Iron Heart" in an unprecedented atmosphere of optimism and vitality.

The success of the "Ministry of Ecology" greatly stimulated other departments.

A healthy "internal competition" centered on "increased production" and "development" is unfolding vigorously in every corner of the city.

With a stable food source, Alai's "Ministry of Civil Affairs" abolished the strict "rationing system" for the first time, replacing it with a more scientific "work point system" that could better motivate workers.

Each position has a clear work point standard. Citizens can use the work points they earn to freely exchange for food, fresh water, and even... some daily necessities and entertainment items made from recycled materials, such as a set of chess pieces made from gears or a handwritten storybook.

The rudiments of "private property" and "free trade" quietly sprouted in this doomsday fortress sailing on the endless ocean.

Kyle and Roca's "Iron Heart Guard" also saw an expansion in recruitment, with many young people who were well-fed and had hope for the future eagerly signing up to join the army.

The two brothers solemnly established strict selection and training standards, seemingly determined to create the "strongest army in the apocalypse."

Everything was progressing steadily toward Shen Ge's original blueprint, but new problems were also arising.

That morning, Alai and Ragnar walked into the main control room with worried expressions.

"grown ups."

Alai handed a new report to Shen Ge, his face showing a mixture of amusement and exasperation: "We have so much food... we don't know where to put it."

Ragnar chimed in with a simple, honest tone, "Yes, sir. After the chief researcher developed a new kind of weird nutrient, the potatoes and mushrooms have grown too fast. The first phase of the vertical farm's cabin is almost full, and the second batch of seeds is about to mature. If we don't find a way to deal with it, they'll rot in the ground."

"..." Shen Ge obviously did not expect that one day the steel city of "Iron Heart" would be worried about having too much food.

With the almost cheat-like "nutrient soil" provided by the bizarre biological organization and the 24-hour uninterrupted "sunlight," the output efficiency of "Eden" far exceeded everyone's imagination, not to mention that Hephaestus also developed a new type of bizarre energy nutrient agent.

The city's food production has begun to overflow.

"Not just food."

Alai then pointed to another page of the report: "After our fishing and hunting teams replaced the 'sonar deterrents' and 'electromagnetic fishing nets' designed by Hephaestus, their efficiency increased fivefold. The number of low-level strange sea creatures we catch every day is so much that even if our 'food processing plant' works overnight, we still can't process them all."

“We…produced too much,” she concluded.

Shen Ge looked at the astonishing figures on the report that represented "excess," and tapped his fingers lightly on the throne table.

He knew that the problem wasn't with production.

Rather, the level of "industry" has seriously lagged behind the development of "agriculture".

Just like a country that can produce countless grains and minerals, but lacks enough roads to transport them, enough factories to process them, and enough warehouses to store them, these abundant resources will eventually become a pile of burdens rotting in the ground.

"Iron Heart" has encountered its first "bottleneck" in its development path.

"Hephaestus, Ellie," Shen Ge summoned the two top executives of the technology department.

When he placed the report that Alai had handed him in front of the two men, even the usually confident Hephaestus showed a rare solemn expression.

"Sir, you are right."

He adjusted his goggles and admitted frankly, "We are indeed lagging behind. All production relies on a limited number of old machine tools and manual labor by workers. This level of efficiency is insufficient to handle the current 'surplus' resources, let alone maintain the city's daily operations."

“We need an…Industrial Revolution,” Ellie added from the side. (End of Chapter)