Farming game: Survival for all [StarCraft]

021
Babies are synonymous with future and hope.

Whether before or after the end of the world, people are naturally soft towards babies.

However, unlike before the apocalypse, when people mentioned babies, an image of a chubby, white baby with a toothless smile and clenched fists would automatically appear in their minds, which was so healthy, beautiful and healing. After the apocalypse, when people mentioned babies, their hearts felt as if they were put on a shackle, so heavy, because all the babies after the apocalypse were malnourished.

Although the country has reserved the best things for babies, after the milk powder is consumed, all the babies can get is nutrient solution made from the most tender mutant fish and mutant seaweed. Not to mention balanced nutrition like before the apocalypse, with all kinds of trace elements replenished, this kind of baby nutrient solution can only meet the most basic nutritional needs and ensure that the baby will not starve to death.

However, babies are such fragile creatures. Their organs are still developing. If they only meet the basic nutritional needs and cannot keep up with the lack of nutrients, how can they grow and develop healthily?

The brain development is slow and the physical fitness is poor. Even the medical warehouse cannot treat the infant diseases caused by malnutrition. There are many children who cannot utter a word at the age of two. The difference between them and the one-year-old children who could call dad and mom and seemed lively and clever before the apocalypse is too obvious. It is as if they have fallen from modern civilization to ancient times in an instant. It is heartbreaking to watch.

Under such circumstances, who would dare to have a child?

Does having this child bring them hope or nightmare?

It hurts and is uncomfortable. Every time you see news related to babies, it will bring you a shadow, because there is never any good news. Over time, whenever you see baby-related topics on the hot searches, many people would rather not pay attention to them. This way, they can deceive themselves that there is still hope for the future, so that they don’t lose hope and despair, letting the rainy day syndrome find them, or letting their illness break out.

On the Star of Hope, many people choose to die because they cannot see the future.

However, this time the hot search topics seem to be a little different.

Looking at the topic of #baby milk powder#, some people are waiting and watching, not daring to click in easily; some are eager and click in immediately; while some hesitate again and again, and finally click in after gritting their teeth, or having medicine to treat rainy day syndrome on hand.

Then everyone who clicks in sees a video that looks like a secretly filmed video.

The background environment in the video seems to be in a nursery. A nanny takes out a glass bottle of milky yellow powder from the refrigerator, then scoops two spoonfuls of it into a bottle filled with water in advance, screws on the nipple, shakes it, and the milky yellow powder disappears, replaced by a milky white liquid, which seems to be shaken evenly. The nanny puts the bottle into a similar insulation container and repeats the brewing process two or three times. Then the nanny leaves with the insulation machine.

The video then jumps to a scene where the nanny is holding a baby in one hand and feeding the baby with a bottle in the other. The baby in the picture is a little thin, but seems to be sucking the pacifier with great force, his mouth arching and swallowing mouthful by mouthful, his short and thin hands tightly holding the bottle, his black grape-like eyes reveal a hint of eagerness and satisfaction, as if he has eaten something delicious.

The nanny seemed to see that the baby was eating too quickly and was afraid that the baby would choke, so she wanted to pull the bottle out a little. However, when the nipple was pulled out halfway, the baby actually waved his little hands and held the bottle completely in his arms, and tilted his head up, and sucked the nipple back into his mouth again, looking extremely anxious to protect the food.

Then the scene ended here, but people who watched the video were shocked.

"!!! What kind of picture is this! What kind of picture is this! What kind of picture is this! I can actually see a baby drinking milk powder in my lifetime?! Is this true? Or is this a cut scene from before the end of the world? I can't believe it, someone come and wake me up... No, no, don't wake me up, tell me this is real, please!"
**
"The video pauses at the eighth second and zooms in. It is indeed printed with the words 'special milk powder', not 'infant nutrition liquid'. The milky yellow powder and the color of the rinsed powder really look like the milk powder from before the end of the world."

“When I saw the little baby gulping down milk and guarding her food, I wanted to cry, because her face and eyes were not dull and slow, but lively and colorful, just like a stupid person who suddenly stopped being stupid…

Sorry, I shouldn't use this description. I was just too excited. I recorded this in voice. I was also a nanny before, but I quit in the end because I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand the sluggish look of those babies who were slow to develop. Every time I saw them slowly sucking on the nutrient solution made of some mutant fish or mutant seaweed, they would only give a little reaction after being teased for a long time, and they also had various diseases due to malnutrition...

I was so heartbroken that I couldn't stand it anymore. I really had no choice but to quit. After I quit, I still had nightmares, and my dreams were filled with these heart-wrenching scenes... Can the person who posted the video please tell me, is that really milk powder? Is our child saved?"

**
"For your information, babies have the ability to taste on the second day after birth. They can finely distinguish the taste of solutions. They usually express pleasure for slightly sweet sugar water, pain for lemon juice, and displeasure for salty, sour or bitter liquids. They will refuse by pouting and irregular breathing (Note ①).

Everyone knows what the nutrient solution tastes like nowadays. Even if the nutrient solution for infants is specially formulated, it will definitely have a certain sweet taste, but it can never compare to the taste of milk. And infants' love for the taste of milk is innate. Even before the end of the world on the Blue Water Planet, infants born in incubators had to drink milk.

Of course you can argue that it is because we have followed the ancient custom of feeding babies with milk, but it cannot be denied that breast milk or other milk substitutes are the best for babies, especially newborns.

If the nanny in the picture is really feeding the baby with milk powder, I really have no doubt that the baby can show such a satisfied expression.

So, the question is, is this real milk powder? In the fifth year of Hope Star, all the milk powder has been consumed, right? There are families around me who have given birth to children. When they brought their children back from the nursery, they only received special infant nutrition liquid, not milk powder. According to them, the babies also drank nutrition liquid while in the nursery.

Where did the milk powder in this video that suddenly appeared come from? Are dairy cows still alive and have they made breakthroughs in breeding technology? Or is the birth rate in recent years really worrying, and the country has to use this form of propaganda to stimulate the birth rate? I hope the authorities can respond as soon as possible. Babies are the hope of the future, but if you can't guarantee the growth of children, don't release such videos to disturb people's hearts. If we humans are really at the end of our rope, we shouldn't bring children into this world."

**
"First there was carrot-flavored nutrient solution, then corn-flavored nutrient solution, and now even baby formula is coming out? I don't believe these are all synthetic, and I don't believe these are the food at the bottom of the box. I just want the country to tell me that we have made breakthroughs in planting technology and breeding technology, breaking the cursed fate, and can grow food and raise animals again. Humans don't have to go extinct. Please, please tell us the truth. I just want hope, just hope to see the future."
**
"If you tell me this is the milk powder at the bottom of the box, I will hang myself in front of the government now. Look at my child, he is three years old, he can only call mom, he can't speak a complete sentence, and he can only walk a short distance. If there is still milk powder in stock, why didn't you give it to the child earlier? Why did you take it out at this time?"

**
"Is that really milk powder? Could it be a combination of mutant fish and seaweed with other ingredients added? Is it really good for babies? Or have the sea monsters on the Blue Water Planet mutated to the point where they can produce milk? Oh my god, I feel like my mind is in a mess right now. The hot topics seem to be getting better, but I don't know why I feel panic in my heart. Why hasn't the official statement come out yet? The last supper? The last carnival before the end?"

**
"It's been uncovered. The nursery in the video is in the central area of ​​the Third Base. The video was shot of a parent who was giving birth to a child in a nursery. I heard that she didn't intend to post it online and only posted it to her own family group. Then it seemed that it was posted online by her cousin's boyfriend. The baby in the video doesn't look like the child of the person who filmed it. The topic went viral after it was posted online. They are in trouble now. I'm afraid they will lose credit points." State regulations stipulate that one can take videos of one's own children in a nursery, but one cannot secretly take pictures of other babies, let alone post them online. If one does so, there will be certain penalties, the most basic of which is the loss of credit points.

In Hope Star, credit score is a particularly important score. If the credit score is too low, you will be listed as a key focus object, and the amount of low-priced nutrient solution per month will also be reduced.

However, the focus now is not this. The focus is, is the milk powder that appears in the video real milk powder?
This doubt is not only shared by netizens in China, but also by netizens abroad who have seen the news.

The one that jumped the fastest was the Alliance, which was the most hostile to the Huameng among the four countries. When their leaders saw the topic of carrot, corn-flavored nutrient solution, and baby milk powder appearing in the Huameng, they immediately said -
**
"You are just trying to attract attention! Instead of studying and breaking through planting and breeding technologies, you are doing these trivial things. The Chinese Alliance calls itself a superpower, but it only knows these trivial tricks. Instead of working on these synthetic flavors, you might as well pay attention to the real needs of your people. Did the fishing boats return with a full load this quarter? I heard that not only did one of your ships sink, but you were also attacked by mutant slimy fish. Your spacecraft was scrapped, right? Our fishing boats saw your poor crew huddled on the highest peak, trembling in fear."
**
"Condemn! You, the Huameng, should be strongly condemned! Babies are the treasures of the world, the hope of all mankind, and the continuation of the fire. However, you have stored milk powder but did not take it out early, causing so many babies to be stunted and suffer. This is simply abusing babies and strangling their future, the future of mankind! The Huameng should apologize and repent for this!"
**
"At this critical moment of human survival, all humans on Star Hope should unite as one. If the Huameng really has breakthroughs in planting and breeding technology, we should share this technology with other countries. This is the broad-mindedness that your Huameng should have. Of course, we will also pay you for this."

On the Blue Water Planet, after the Chinese Alliance became a superpower, not everyone in the world learned Chinese, but the top leaders of the Alliance were absolutely proficient in Chinese. I heard that this was a necessary language for them to compete for jobs. After all, if you want to understand and defeat a country, you can't even understand their language. How can you have a verbal battle like that? (After all, you can't win in a real fight).

When they arrived at Hope Star, these alliance leaders were not familiar with this essential language. When they made their statements online, in addition to using their official language, they also specifically used Chinese, as if they were afraid that the Chinese Alliance would translate their meaning incorrectly.

Not only the Chinese Alliance, but also other countries in the world know about this attitude towards the alliance.

The leaders of the Huameng did not particularly care about the attitude of the alliance, but they were concerned about the opinions of the people of the Huameng.

In the conference room, the issue of whether to announce the news of "Cross-Border Manor" now is being discussed.

Some people think that it should be announced now. After all, they have been experimenting for about two months. Currently, all players have no physical discomfort, except Comrade Wu Zhenzhen whose planting space was shattered. But everyone thinks that Comrade Wu Zhenzhen is an exception. Her discomfort is directly related to the shattering of the planting space. After recovery, she is now better and will be able to connect to the manor again soon.

In addition, the grain crops and agricultural sideline products brought back from the alien manor were normal and harmless after numerous tests and analyses by machines. They were also used in the nutrient solution. Except for a very few people who were allergic to carrots and showed allergic symptoms, everything else was normal.

As for milk, it is tested more strictly and processed into milk powder, and then tested before it is fed to babies, so there is no problem.

Since everything is fine, we might as well take the opportunity to tell the news of the manor to the people, so as to prevent them from speculating and worrying, and also give them hope.

Those who hold opposing views believe that now is not the best time to make the announcement. The manor is not completely penniless now, but it is almost the same. Construction work is still in progress, resources have not yet been accumulated, and there are very few places, so they cannot be issued to the public for the time being. If it is announced now, the public will clamor for places to be opened up to them, and it will not be good if the country cannot give them the places.

And based on the information we currently have, the manor is not only a real world where we can obtain supplies, but also a real alien world where other intelligent creatures live. Moreover, these other intelligent creatures may not be humans, but other races that are powerful and hostile to us.

Judging from the information revealed by the game system, after level 5, either immediately or after a while, we will confront these native intelligent races.

This is a race that can attack a manor and force it to trigger its emergency protection mechanism. We cannot underestimate their strength. If we rely solely on ordinary citizens to fight against them, not only will we waste our game spots, but the primary manor that we have built with great difficulty will also be destroyed.

We must mobilize the strongest military force to face these races. This is not a real game, but a matter of life and death. If the manor is destroyed, our Huameng, our people, and our future will all be hopeless.

Of course, opponents also know that the disclosure of the truth cannot be delayed too long, and it cannot be delayed that long, because the Chinese Alliance cannot do without the resources brought out from the manor, whether it is carrots, cabbage, corn, wheat, or milk, they cannot store and hide them and not provide them to the people, because their fishing boats have indeed suffered many disasters and heavy losses this time, and they cannot feed all the people with what they bring back from the fishing boats.

But if it is used, it will be smelled and tasted by the people just like carrots and corn, because they cannot add unnecessary things to cover up the taste of the food itself. Resources in the Chinese Alliance are very scarce now. This is not a joke. All kinds of resources must be used sparingly. Edible food-grade additives are even more scarce and cannot be concealed.

There is also special milk powder provided for babies, which cannot be saved. Ordinary people know that babies are the hope of mankind's future. How could the leaders not understand this?
You should know that the milk produced by the cows in the manor, apart from being sold to the system to earn gold coins, the rest shipped back to the Huameng is made into milk powder for babies. No one else can get it except the babies.

They could have chosen not to engrave the word "milk powder" on the bottle, but the scent of milk powder is irresistible. Just by smelling it, you can guess what it is.

Even if this video incident had not been secretly recorded, other incidents would have been exposed because the orphanage allows parents to enter and exit, and if the baby's physical condition allows, parents will accompany their children to feed them, and then it would not be concealed.

In fact, before the video was released, parents from the same nursery had formed a group to discuss it, but because the official announcement had not yet begun, they didn't know whether it was unique to this base or what, so they didn't dare to release it for the time being.

Now that the video has come out, these parents have come out to testify that it is indeed the smell of milk powder. How did she know? The baby licked the bottle after drinking it. After all, it is what the child puts in his mouth. Even if you believe in the country, parents have to taste it before they can really rest assured.

These things, when used on a large scale, basically cannot be concealed. They are not all like cabbages, and no one would notice them if they were used. After several rounds of discussion, everyone voted and finally decided not to announce it for the time being.

So, now the question is, how long can we keep it secret? Do we really have to say that this milk powder is also synthetic? This seems to be a bit unconvincing to the public.

"Let's publish the photos of the interior of the cattle farm and say that we have raised a few cows." As for whether there have been any breakthroughs in breeding technology, there is no need to state it so clearly.

Moreover, if the existence of the game is to be announced to the public, how can it be done without some preparation?
The country cannot keep deceiving the public, but it can also temporarily not say everything, reveal some signs first so that everyone can have an idea, and then, when the time is right, make it known.

At 7:00 p.m. on the day the topic of infant formula fermented, the national official website released a video in which twelve black and white cows were slowly wagging their tails while eating unclear feed. Then the scene changed to modern tools for milking the cows, with bright white milk flowing into the milk bucket through a transparent tube. The last scene was a hand holding up a full bucket of milk. The caption was just one sentence, "We are still working hard to ensure that all babies can eat healthy formula."

Besides, nothing was said, yet it seemed as if everything was said.

The comments below exploded again.

"Wow, I know the country hasn't given up on us, nor on our children! It's been five years since Hope Star, and finally there's good news!"

"They are living cows! Healthy, plump cows! They are not extinct! That's great, it's really great. After five years of immigration, these cows are finally willing to produce milk!"

"I really want to touch the cows. What kind of feed do they eat? They seem to be very happy. Is it better than nutrient solution? Are you still hiring breeders? I don't need a salary!"

"Oh my god, it's cows! After immigration, I heard about all kinds of animals getting sick, not adapting to the local climate, dying, and becoming extinct. I thought cows had long been extinct, but I didn't expect to see some alive, and they are being raised so well. Did they really immigrate from the Blue Water Planet? Or did the country use cloning technology to revive them? In any case, I praise the country so much! They are still as powerful and reliable as ever! I love the Huameng!"

"The cows are real, so are the carrots and corns real too? They're not synthetic. Can you also show the video of the planting base? I really want to see the crops!"

"The person above is dreaming. If carrots and corn are real, the country will release the video. But it's okay. I don't feel bad at all. I'm excited because the cow is still alive and can produce milk. This means that the so-called land creatures are abandoned and cursed by the will of the planet are wrong. One day, we will break through the planting technology and allow crops to grow normally on Hope Star. Until then, I am willing to wait and drink synthetic-flavored nutrient solution!"

"Are there only 12 cows? Is the milk production high? Can it supply all the babies in the nurseries? When can it be supplied to all children under five years old? In any case, I am very grateful that the country can release this video at this time, letting us know that there is still hope for the future. If one day all children can drink milk powder stably, I think I would like to have children."

"Our child is only two years old and also needs this milk powder. Please, can the government include milk powder in the food supply? It doesn't matter if it's a bit expensive, as long as we can buy it. It doesn't matter what happens to us adults, but we can't let children so young drink nutrient solution and cause malnutrition and developmental delay!"

Subsequently, the official responded to the topic of milk powder supply, stating that in the next few months, milk powder will be gradually included in the supply so that children under the age of 5 can have milk powder.

This reply excited the people again, especially that night, when the rain that had fallen for almost four months suddenly stopped, making all the people firmly believe that there would be a rainbow after the storm. Even if there was no rainbow on this star of hope, they had hope in their hearts.

As long as the babies are still alive, healthy, and growing up normally, their future will be bright.

Now, no matter how tortuous or dark the road is, I have nothing to fear in my heart.

Because their path will eventually lead to light.

Sometimes, ordinary people are so easily satisfied.

**
Once you make a promise to the people, you must do your best to fulfill it.

In the manor, Xia Ji and a group of players are working hard to build a bakery, a chicken farm, and complete other tasks issued by the system.

After the efforts of two hundred players, the manor was finally upgraded to level 3. The biggest experience value contribution, in addition to the one-time 20 experience points obtained for planting each new crop, is the achievement reward.

They obtained two achievement titles, one of which was [Little Expert in Land Reclamation]. After they reclaimed 100 acres of land by themselves, this title popped up on the system and they were rewarded with +100 experience points and +10 blue crystals.

The second one is [Cattle Breeding Expert], which is a title obtained after collecting 10000 barrels of milk, and rewards experience points +50 and gold coins +100.

With these two achievement rewards and the experience points gained previously, Xia Ji was upgraded to level 3 in one go. Currently, the game panel data is as follows -

[Game sub-panel
Player: Summer Festival
Current game: Cross-border Manor
Current race: Human
Current level: Level 3
Current status: Manor owner
Current population: 200/300 (players are not counted)
Current gold coins: 1010 (gold coins can be used to purchase mall items, operate manors, etc.) (2 gold coins will be awarded for upgrading from level 3 to level 20)
当前蓝晶：9（修建仓库后剩余1个；修建玻璃厂+2；成就奖励+10；做触发性的召唤玩家任务+1；修建饲料厂任务+1，本身奖励+2；修建化肥厂+2；升级饲料厂-10）

Current experience value: 39 (corresponding experience value will be deducted for each level up) (experience value +20 for each new crop planted)

当前资产：初级庄园（基础建设包括城堡*1、系统农田*100、玩家自行开垦农田*100、葡萄园*1、牧地*1、林地*1、黏土地*1、砖窑*1、沙场*1、养牛场（每30分钟产奶5斤的奶牛*12）*1、饲料厂*1（每10分钟生产饲料10把））（备注：玻璃厂为玩家自行修建，奖励蓝晶+2）
Completed tasks: 6 (click to view)
Currently available tasks: 3 (click to view)
（任务1：召唤玩家*100。任务完成奖励：金币+50，经验值+2，蓝晶+2。）
(Task 2: Build a chicken farm and raise broiler and laying hens. Rewards for completing the task: Gold +100, Experience +2, Blue Crystal +2.)
(Task 3: Build a bakery and produce wheat bread. Rewards for completing the task: Gold +50, Experience +2, Blue Crystal +2.)
Note: Task rewards are separate rewards and do not conflict with other rewards.

Players are requested to actively complete the tasks and build a beautiful manor~]

After level 3, 100 more player slots were opened up, and the experience points and blue crystals rewarded by the mission were doubled.

In addition, two more seeds, [Beet] and [Potato], are unlocked.

Among them, there are 10 acres of beet seeds and 20 acres of potato seeds. These two kinds of seeds can only be planted on the farmland produced by the system for the first time. If the players want to plant them on the farmland they have reclaimed themselves, they need to upgrade it in advance, with one piece of blue crystal for one acre of land.

This is a bit too expensive. After all, the source of blue crystal is too limited. After reclaiming 100 acres of land, only 10 pieces of blue crystal can be obtained. And the chicken farm and bakery seem to cost blue crystal, and there is also a warehouse that consumes blue crystal. No matter how you look at it, blue crystal is very important and cannot be used easily.

Well, let's wait a little longer. The carrots and cabbages planted earlier will be mature in about a week, and there will still be time to harvest and then plant again.

As for the 100 acres of farmland he reclaimed, except for 10 acres used to plant the seeds brought by Hope Star, the rest were planted with carrots and cabbage.

Unlike the farmlands produced by the system, even though these 100 pieces of farmlands that you have reclaimed yourself have been recognized by the system, when you click on the crops planted on them in the Summer Festival game panel, you cannot see the remaining harvest time.

Xia Ji had thought that if the system's blue crystal was used to upgrade these 100 farmlands, would it be possible to clearly see the harvest countdown like the primary farmlands?

After hearing this, the team discussed and decided to use Blue Crystal on the one acre of land where super sweet potatoes were planted.

The moment the blue crystal was used up, Xia Ji clicked on the sweet potato field on the game panel. As a result, a countdown box really appeared. However, unlike the time displayed in the initial farmland, the countdown box was completely black without any numbers.

My heart sank. What did this mean?
"If there is no countdown display, it means that the crop cannot grow normally to maturity. Please do not waste good farmland and plant new and effective crops."

Xia Ji's expression suddenly turned ugly. "Is it because this seed is not produced by the game, or is it..."

"There is something wrong with the seeds themselves." The system seemed to understand what Xia Ji had not said yet, and explained, "After upgrading the land with blue crystals, regardless of the original geology, it will instantly become fertile farmland, which can maximize the value of the seeds. One seed can be exchanged for countless times of fruit. The higher the quality of the seeds, the more crops you can harvest. The worse the quality of the seeds, the lower the harvest. But as long as it is an effective seed, no matter how bad it is, planting it will yield more than planting it in ordinary land.

But if it is not a valid seed, even if the land is upgraded with blue crystal, it will not have any effect. "

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured on Xia Ji's heart. "Invalid seeds, how can they be invalid seeds? They can all take root and sprout, so why can't they grow to maturity?"

Xia Ji refused to believe it and questioned whether the system had made a mistake. Even with the most advanced technology, mistakes can happen, and system games cannot be without bugs.

"After receiving questions from players, the system is being retested... The test is complete, the game operation is normal, the result remains unchanged, and the seed is invalid."

"Then tell me, what is your definition of an invalid seed? Why do you say it cannot grow to maturity even though it has sprouted and grown leaves?"

"Invalid seeds. From your human perspective, seeds that have lost their activity and cannot germinate are invalid seeds. For example, cooked seeds are invalid seeds in your definition. However, in civilizations from higher dimensions, the definition of invalid seeds also includes seeds that cannot grow normal fruits, seeds that have been frozen by technology and temporarily lost their activity, and seeds that are affected by strong mental power and cannot eventually grow. All of these can be called invalid seeds.

According to the system's detection, the crop was affected by a super-powerful mental force. It had a chance to take root and sprout, but it had only a negligible chance of 0.0000000...1 to germinate, grow, bear fruit, keep seeds, and enter the life cycle. In other words, it was a seed that could not grow normally to the end. It was an invalid seed that was destined to die because it could not resist the fate that the powerful mental force had arranged for it. "

Almost instantly, Xia Ji thought of the curse in the original owner's memory, which was passed down by the people of Hope Star -
[Humans are the former overlords abandoned by the Blue Water Planet, cursed by the will of the planet. The path that fate has arranged for them is that no matter how hard they struggle, they will eventually be extinct, just like the overlords of the Blue Water Planet before humans, who were abandoned by the will of the planet and buried in the dust of history, never to be resurrected! ]

What kind of spiritual power is so strong that all terrestrial creatures cannot resist it? Is it so strong that even the world's latest technology cannot save it? Is it so strong that it still cannot grow normally even if it is moved to another planet?
Unless, it is the will of the planet that gave birth to them and will abandon them!
(End of this chapter)