Returning to hometown to farm: The apocalypse system arrived ten years earlier?

Chapter 344 A Thousand Waves of Rice Shake the Universe, A Monument of Extraordinary Strength Settles the World

Given his current status and position, Li Xiang's participation in global aid projects meant he wasn't alone, nor did he fly there by himself; he traveled by private jet, accompanied by a team.

This team consists of over thirty people, all of whom are the cream of the crop. Each one of them is a top performer, having fought their way through the fiercest competition in the civil service exam and honed their skills within the system.

Although Li Xiang is approachable and down-to-earth, these highly capable professionals inevitably feel a bit reserved and pressured when they are with him.

Wherever Li Xiang went, local embassy staff, overseas Chinese, and compatriots would line the streets to welcome him, waving small flags and shouting words of welcome.

As for the local residents, there were naturally quite a few as well. Sometimes it was packed with people.

On one occasion, it was even more outrageous. When Li Xiang arrived in a city full of beautiful women, he had just stepped off the plane when some of the cheering crowd below fainted on the spot from excitement.

Li Xiang: "..."

He looked at his team members behind him, and a secretary said respectfully, "Don't doubt it, you really have that much charm."

Another person said, "The last time this happened was at a Michael Jackson concert."

The fan who had fainted was carried onto an ambulance by security personnel. Li Xiang checked on the fan from a distance with his spiritual power and found that the fan was unharmed. Relieved, he led his team members along the red carpet to the local leader who had come to greet them, shook hands with him, and talked.

His only responsibility was to meet with the leaders, reach an agreement, and use his supernatural powers to help build the underground city; the rest of the specific matters were naturally handled by the team members.

Because of the aid from the major Eastern power, there has always been a series of cooperation and agreements behind it, and these team members specialize in this. Yes, Panda never suffers a loss. If it were truly as foolish as some people say, just sending this and that to others, how could it have grown into the second largest economy today, and most likely already the largest?
Although GDP rankings exist, the algorithms used by different countries are not the same.

Domestically, the production method is used, which means that the GDP of our country is the value of the products actually produced minus the costs required to produce those products.

The US, on the other hand, tends to use the expenditure approach, a method of calculation based on the overall spending of individuals, corporations, and the national treasury. Even many American media outlets (such as The New York Times) believe that this method leads to inflated GDP figures, and they include consumption data from numerous financial and service industries in their statistics. In contrast, we often exclude this type of data from our statistics.

Then, some other countries, like India, include cow dung in their GDP calculations. It's not that they're without reason; after all, cow dung is also a form of wealth.

Besides cow dung, the study also considers the rudimentary dwellings in Bangladesh's Dharavi slum at market prices, even though these dwellings do not actually generate significant rental income. And so on.

In short, GDP data should only be used as a reference.

Li Xiang traveled the world, displaying countless miracles, and gained even more fans.

Previously, many people watched live streams on their phones or TVs, but how could watching from a screen compare to witnessing it live?
……

In the capital city, at the headquarters of the Global Alliance Against Alien Beasts, Li Xiang held a press conference to answer questions from reporters.

A reporter inquired about some technical details regarding the lunar base: "You built a base on the far side of the moon in less than an hour. Does this mean that Saint-level transcendents have surpassed current aerospace technology? Will the lunar base be opened to other countries for scientific research in the future?"

Li Xiang: "The Saint-level capabilities have indeed broken through the limits of traditional engineering, but the construction of the base still relies on scientific principles. For example, the 'Candle Dragon' radio telescope must comply with the laws of astrophysics. Before the Black Mist Starfield engulfs the solar system, the lunar base will prioritize serving my country's scientific research. However, we welcome the international academic community to participate in the research through collaborative proposals, provided that it complies with the principles of the Earth Security Convention."

After all, the apocalypse is still a few years away, so there's still some time to conduct research on the moon.

Another reporter asked about the recent booming underground city construction aid projects: "When you help weaker countries build underground cities, do you require them to sign unequal agreements? Does the aid from this major Eastern power have geopolitical motives?"

Li Xiang: "All aid projects are based on a framework of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, such as resource exchange, technology sharing, or consensus on security guarantees. my country's aid projects are not unwarranted handouts, but rather a practice to promote a community with a shared future for mankind. If some countries believe that 'mutual benefit and win-win' is geopolitics, then they are probably misunderstanding the nature of cooperation."

It has to be said that Li Xiang has matured now; he speaks these polite words fluently, and many of the bigwigs present nodded in approval.

Of course, many people are more concerned about the eligibility requirements for applying for the breathing method.

A beautiful reporter stared intently at Li Xiang: "Dear Li, during the qualification review for the advanced breathing techniques and physical skills, how do you determine if an applicant has any undiscovered criminal activity? For example, someone who committed murder but no case was filed?"

Li Xiang ignored the beautiful reporter's murderous glare. He had a plan in mind and immediately began to speak eloquently: "The standard procedure involves reviewing criminal records, but this only screens for crimes that have already been documented. For crimes that haven't yet occurred, superhumans need to use superhuman methods to resolve them. For example, in the future, underground cities in various places will establish testing mechanisms similar to 'mental image trials,' using supernatural abilities to perceive the applicant's mental fluctuations and karmic consequences. Of course, the specific details need to be formulated in accordance with local laws and ethical frameworks."

Li Xiang's cousin, Shen Wenqian, awakened a rather novel superpower called "Mind Image Judgment," which can determine whether a person is lying. It is more advanced than a lie detector, and Li Xiang plans to hand over this job to his cousin in the future.

Of course, it's impossible for her to do everything herself. There are so many superhumans in the world, and if she had to run around to each and every one of them, and given the inconvenient transportation and numerous crises in the post-apocalyptic world, how could her cousin possibly manage?

Li Xiang has an idea: to combine supernatural abilities with modern technology and Eileen's classical alchemy, perhaps to create a supernatural item with the effect of "mind judgment".

He mentioned this to Eileen and sent his cousin over, partly to help take care of the children and partly to research this thing with Eileen.

Eileen was all alone in France. Although she was very strong, Li Xiang was somewhat worried. His cousin going to France would be a great help.

The reason given was quite legitimate: my cousin went there to study and received an offer from the best university in France, Paris Sciences et Lettres University (PSL).

This school is ranked 24th globally by QS (1st in France) and 42nd by Times Higher Education. Its mathematics, physics, and arts/humanities programs are all ranked in the top 10 globally. It boasts numerous Nobel laureates and Fields Medalists, and its alumni include 71 Molière Prize winners and 3 French presidents.

Shen Wenqian's grades were not actually outstanding, and the university she attended in China was just average. As for how she was able to obtain admission and a scholarship to the Paris Institute of Arts and Sciences, it was naturally because Li Xiang asked Eileen to handle this matter.

Li Xiang's maternal grandparents were naturally very supportive and extremely happy.

Shen Wenqian was also very happy. After arriving in France, she learned the truth and was shocked: "Wow, my cousin actually had an illegitimate daughter here, and the little lover is so beautiful."

Eileen's beauty is beyond doubt; she wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the first rose of France. If she were even slightly less attractive, Li Xiang wouldn't have been interested. Her daughter is a mixed-race baby, as delicate as a porcelain doll.

"This matter must be kept secret. Don't talk about it," Li Xiang instructed.

"Brother, you're such a jerk!" Shen Wenqian gave him a disdainful look.

Li Xiang: "..."

Shen Wenqian was joking, of course. After all, her cousin was now the strongest person on Earth, and his status in the country was incredibly high. Relatives joked that the Li family's ancestral graves were filled with auspicious smoke. He was also handsome and outstanding. It was no big deal for such an outstanding man to have a few illegitimate children.

If she and Li Xiang were not related by blood, she would definitely be tempted.

“Brother, I will take that matter to heart, but have you considered that the breathing technique might be traded in secret?” Shen Wenqian asked.

Li Xiang shrugged: "How can I care about all that? I just hope there will be less burning, killing, and looting in the apocalypse." Private transactions are beyond my control, because even the brightest place cannot eliminate the shadows.

……

Lijia Village, an underground city, an underground farm, is bathed in sunlight as bright as day.

Not only did the villagers of Lijia Village come to the scene, but many people from the surrounding villages also came to watch the excitement. Fortunately, the farm was built to be extremely spacious.

Erhuang, the little fox, and the kittens were also playing on the farm, which was their patrol territory. Because they caught mice every day, the kittens had grown increasingly plump and shiny.

The hybrid rice at the underground farm in Lijia Village has been harvested for the first time, with golden waves of rice stretching out, much to the excitement of the villagers.

Zhao Xueqing was dressed as a farm girl, but with bright eyes and white teeth, she stood in the field with a hint of pride on her face. The rice ears were heavy and drooping, and the stalks were very tall, almost reaching her chest.

Yao Yao and Lei Xiaohui were also present; the three of them were always inseparable.

When the villagers bent down to swing their sickles, they discovered that the rice stalks were much stronger than ordinary rice straw, requiring a special alloy sickle to cut them. Since it was an experimental field, only three mu (approximately 0.5 acres), and the villagers all wanted to experience harvesting this super rice by hand, they did not use a combine harvester.

There were plenty of alloy sickles, all small gadgets crafted by Li Xiang using "Crystal Gold Armor," and they were exceptionally sharp.

Given the significance of the event, CCTV naturally sent reporters to film it.

In the end, after the rice from one acre of paddy field was harvested, it was piled up into a small mountain. When it was dried and weighed, the electronic screen showed "4866 kilograms", and the villagers who were watching were wide-eyed.

An old man murmured in a trembling voice, "When I was young, I would have been grateful if the yield was 800 jin per mu. This number... it must be a miracle! Zhao girl is amazing!"

Facing the microphone handed to her by the reporter, Zhao Xueqing smiled slightly and explained, "Yuan Lao's hybrid rice is the foundation. I used plant-based superpowers to accelerate breeding iterations, and combined with the controllable lighting of the underground farm and the fertility of 'Xirang' (the black soil transported by Li Xiang), I was able to break through the limits."

The villagers sang and danced, and Li Jinyu, Li Yucheng and others couldn't help but start performing Sichuan opera. Unfortunately, Jiang Jianguo, a Sichuan opera enthusiast, was not there; he had gone to Tsinghua University to take care of his grandson.

Almost all the villagers of Lijia Village have now returned to the village, and no one goes out to work anymore. Almost all the able-bodied men have participated in this harvesting work.

Children played and frolicked among the rice stacks, and the golden rice fields and crowds captured by a drone quickly became a trending topic on the internet.

The world is shaken.

The International Agricultural Organization initially questioned the data's authenticity, but fell silent after learning about Zhao Xueqing's extraordinary abilities. She's a high-level superhuman; what more is there to say?

An Associated Press reporter rushed to the scene and grabbed a handful of rice in Lijia Village. He found that the grains were much plumper than those of regular varieties, and the grains were particularly large, four or five times the size of regular rice grains, about the size of small peanuts!

Chinese netizens call it "Fairy Rice" or "Spirit Rice." It's also sometimes called "Ling Rice." But in reality, it doesn't contain any spiritual power; it's just prominently featured.

During the BBC's live broadcast of the weigh-in, the comment section was flooded with messages like "China NO.1" and "Please save starving Africa."

Indian netizens joked, "Our 'cow dung GDP' should be changed to 'rice GDP'!"

At an emergency meeting of the Global Alliance Against Beasts, a representative from an African member state was moved to tears: "If this rice variety is promoted in our arid lands, famine will become a thing of the past!"

Several Southeast Asian countries signed the Food Security Mutual Assistance Agreement on the spot, and the Pakistani representative even shouted in Chinese: "Pakistan will always be our brother!"

Li Xiang participated in a series of meetings, and ultimately, the meetings decided that China would provide basic rice seeds to member states of the alliance free of charge, but on the condition that three commitments be made:

Gene patent monopolies are prohibited; priority is given to ensuring food supplies for impoverished populations; and planting is guided by Chinese agricultural science teams.

Yes, the chief person in charge and chief agricultural scientist of this agricultural science team is Zhao Xueqing.

Currently, among Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui, Zhao Xueqing holds the most and highest official positions and titles. Yao Yao and Lei Xiaohui are naturally envious, but Zhao Xueqing's plant-based superpowers are too practical for them to match.

Yao Yao secretly pondered, "The only right thing to do is to use every means to make my brother happy and cling to his coattails."

Agricultural giants like Brazil and Argentina, who had been observing the situation, hesitated due to concerns about the impact on their soybean exports. However, a petition launched by the public on social media, #WeWantToLive, forced the government to submit its EU membership application overnight.

Japanese netizens sarcastically remarked that "rice seeds are a symbol of East Asian co-prosperity," but were met with a retort from South Korean netizens: "Why don't you share your high-end Wagyu beef?"

In a CCTV special program, images of Grandpa Yuan were displayed alongside data from Zhao Xueqing's experimental fields, with the caption: "The predecessors laid the foundation, and the descendants soared to the clouds."

A reporter asked, "If Mr. Yuan possessed plant-based superpowers, would the yield be even higher?"

Zhao Xueqing solemnly replied: "Only the combination of scientific spirit and extraordinary ability can create miracles. What Yuan Lao left behind is not just rice seeds, but also the belief of 'holding the rice bowl in our own hands'—which is more precious than any superpower."

This statement has been cited by agricultural scientists worldwide, with a member of the French Academy of Sciences remarking: "Easterners have once again proven that the key to the survival of civilization is not plunder, but symbiosis."

After this battle, Zhao Xueqing's fame grew even more.

That night, Zhao Xueqing nestled in Li Xiang's arms. Although she and Li Xiang had been intimate many times, she was still shy every time.

"Congratulations on your remarkable achievement." Li Xiang gently stroked the cloth, praising and expressing his great satisfaction. After all, he had such a capable assistant.

The success of super rice can be called a milestone and is equivalent to a food revolution, not much less significant than the previous helium-3.

"Brother, without you, there would be no Qing'er today." Zhao Xueqing said with deep emotion. If she hadn't met Li Xiang, she would still be a lowly working girl. Unlike now, she's a global celebrity.

Online, many netizens respectfully call her "Shennong Fairy", "Heling Fairy", "Rice Fragrance Goddess", and so on.

She used to envy Yao Yao for having a nickname, "The Ever-Changing Demoness." Well, she has one now too, and it even sounds more sophisticated than Yao Yao's.

The two women have always been secretly competing with each other, enjoying it immensely, but it hasn't affected their harmony.

(End of this chapter)