Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

Lu Mingfei took off his helmet and took a deep breath of the air in the base, which was completely different from the outside world and mixed with the fragrance of plants. The adrenaline from the high-speed drive had not completely subsided, making his heart beat a few beats faster than usual.

His fair cheeks were flushed with a healthy blush from being inside the helmet for so long, and fine beads of sweat glistened in the morning light on his forehead. A few strands of black hair, damp with sweat, clung to his smooth forehead, giving him a delicate, porcelain-like youthful beauty from afar.

Bai Yuekui happened to glance to the side and saw this scene. She paused slightly, her gaze lingering for a moment on that still childish and excited face. As if possessed, she reached out and gently pinched Lu Mingfei's cheek with her fingertips.

Upon touching it, she was surprised to find it to be unexpectedly delicate and smooth, with an excellent feel, like the finest mutton fat jade. A hint of surprise flashed through her mind. What kind of genes could optimize even the most basic skin texture to such an extraordinary degree?

Lu Mingfei looked at Bai Yuekui with a puzzled expression. Her white hair, which looked as fine as if it had been forged from the finest silver bars, was disheveled by the strong wind. Why was she pinching his face instead of fixing her hair?

"Lu Mingfei," Bai Yuekui withdrew her hand, the excessively smooth touch still lingering on her fingertips. Her tone carried a hint of envy and a touch of mockery, "Perhaps you were meant to be a girl, but your parents accidentally gave birth to a boy."

Lu Mingfei was completely dumbfounded, wondering if his ears were hallucinating from the helmet and the sound of the wind, or if Boss Bai had caught a cold from the reckless speed and the cold mountain wind. He, Lu Mingfei, although he was a bit weak and cowardly in the past, was a clear-cut and righteous man when it came to gender identity!

He must have caught a cold and was delirious from the fever to be talking nonsense, Lu Mingfei thought with certainty. He immediately felt a great sense of responsibility and began to mobilize the familiar and warm power within him.

"Don't die," Lu Mingfei whispered. He decided to cure Bai Yuekui's cold, but this time he remembered Bai Yuekui's words that he should control his output. He only output a little power. Although he didn't control it very precisely, it was definitely more than enough to cure a cold.

That familiar miraculous power enveloped Bai Yuekui's entire body, but it quickly dissipated.

Bai Yuekui: "...?"

She felt with perfect clarity that fleeting warmth, like being brushed by the softest feather.

Bai Yuekui looked at Lu Mingfei with suspicion. His usually calm eyes now clearly conveyed the question, "What are you up to, kid?"

Lu Mingfei understood immediately and quickly explained, "Boss Bai, you must have caught a cold from the wind. You're talking strangely. Let me cure you." After saying that, Lu Mingfei looked proud, as if he had accomplished an incredible feat.

Bai Yuekui was exasperated, not quite understanding Lu Mingfei's thought process. She took a deep breath, as if to calm some unspeakable emotion, then extended her long and strong index and middle fingers, bent them, and unceremoniously tapped Lu Mingfei on the head.

"I'm a neuroscientist." She emphasized each word with a hint of helplessness in her voice. "Also, you wait here for the convoy. I'm going to find the manager here."

After saying that, she gave Lu Mingfei no further chance to offer his "brilliant insights," turned around, and strode briskly toward the semi-circular central control room inside the base, her silver hair drawing a slightly messy but still dashing arc behind her.

Lu Mingfei rubbed his head. Bai Yuekui had actually put in some effort. He stared in the direction Bai Yuekui had left and muttered, "So neuroscientists don't get sick?"

He stood there listlessly, taking another look at the ecological base. The morning sun had become bright and warm, dispelling the thin mist and illuminating the entire base clearly.

Everything was so orderly and vibrant, a stark contrast to the wild, dangerous, and distorted world outside. Lu Mingfei's heart gradually calmed down, and a feeling mixed with shock, admiration, and a faint sense of belonging quietly grew within him.

Nearby Lu Mingfei was a large rice paddy. The paddy field was a lush green, with neat rows of rice stalks arranged in the field. When the wind blew, it created a scene of rolling green waves. At this time, the rice paddy was no longer sparse as it was during the seedling stage, but had become dense.

Lu Mingfei squatted down and curiously approached to observe. He had lived a stifling life at his uncle's house before, but he was indeed a true city bumpkin. Not to mention that he couldn't distinguish the different stages of rice growth, even basic concepts such as early rice, mid-season rice, and late rice were just vague terms in his mind.

He reached out and carefully touched a rice leaf, feeling its cool, firm texture against his fingertips. Was this what would become rice in the future? In this post-apocalyptic world, seeing such "normal," even lush, crops gave him a surreal sense of security.

Not long after, the familiar roar of engines came from behind.

Lu Mingfei looked back and saw several reinforced cargo trucks drive in one after another and stop steadily in the open space near the entrance. The doors opened, and Shan Da, Xu Tong, Xia Dou, Mai Duo, and others filed out.

"Hey, Lu Mingfei! You're already here!" Xia Dou was the first to skip and hop over, her round eyes curiously looking him and the person behind him. "Where's Boss Bai?"

"Boss Bai went to find the manager here and told me to wait for you here," Lu Mingfei replied, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Boss Bai is quick on the uptake," Shan Da said in a deep voice, patting off non-existent dust from the truck. "Let's go, let's unload the goods first. Lu Mingfei, you lend a hand too."

"Okay," Lu Mingfei replied, rolling up his sleeves to get to work.

The unloading process was busy but orderly. This time, they not only came to transport ingredients needed for the food festival, but also took the opportunity to transport supplies needed to replenish the ecological base: specially made fertilizer, repair parts, sensors, some living supplies, and several tightly sealed boxes, which, judging from the labels, seemed to be experimental equipment.

Lu Mingfei and Shan Da moved the heavier boxes together, Mai Duo and Xia Dou hopped around checking the list, and Sui Xing and Xu Tong were responsible for sorting the supplies and loading them onto the handcart.

The unloading operation lasted for nearly an hour. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the last item was moved into the warehouse.

Xia Dou stretched lazily: "Done! I'm exhausted! Lu Mingfei, want to go for a walk? This place is huge, with lots of fun things to do!"

Her eyes sparkled, full of a desire to explore. Maido also came over, and Chagai flew down to rest on the perch that had been specially set up for it.

"Yes, it's Lu Mingfei's first time here, he should take a good look around. Boss Bai is going to see Team Leader Lin Yue, and I doubt they'll finish their meeting anytime soon," Mai Duo said with a gentle smile.

Shandong checked the time: "Okay, you guys show Lu Mingfei around, but be careful and don't go to places with danger signs or protected areas. Suixing, let's go check the vehicles and equipment."

Sui Xing nodded silently and followed Shandong University toward the truck.

"Yes, sir! Lu Mingfei, Maiduo, Xu Tong, let's go!" Xia Dou cheered and eagerly pulled Lu Mingfei's sleeve into the base. Xu Tong shrugged, put away his skateboard, and followed.

"I didn't expect there to be so many crops in the apocalypse." Lu Mingfei looked at the different crops distributed in various areas.

"That was a batch of precious seed samples that Boss Bai and her team brought back from the Old World, many years ago, even before I was born, at great risk, from a place called the 'Doomsday Global Seed Vault' in the Arctic Circle," Xu Tong said with emotion.

He gazed at the vibrant fields in the distance, his eyes becoming distant: "It is said that those were Noah's Arks built by the old world's humans in preparation for possible large-scale disasters, preserving the seeds of millions of plants on Earth. Ironically, they really came in handy, although the form of the disaster may have exceeded the original designers' imagination. Thanks to those who worked hard to preserve the seeds before the apocalypse, and thanks to Boss Bai and her team's adventures back then, we now have the opportunity to let these codes of life sprout and grow again on this polluted land."

Lu Mingfei silently processed these words. The Arctic, the seed bank, pre-apocalyptic foresight, the hope retrieved at the risk of life... Behind each of these words may lie a thrilling or even tragic story.

They strolled along the country path and unknowingly arrived at the edge of a carefully maintained pond. The pond was not large, but the water was clear, and they could see the swaying aquatic plants and the shadows of some small fish swimming quickly at the bottom.

Several simple wooden stools were placed along the edge of the pond, clearly designated as fishing spots. Sunlight shone on the water, creating shimmering ripples, a scene of tranquility and peace.

Xu Tong's eyes lit up slightly when he saw the pond. He nudged Lu Mingfei with his elbow, lowered his voice, and invited him with a tacit understanding between men: "Hey, Lu Mingfei, have you ever fished? The fish here aren't big, but they're pretty fresh. Want to give it a try? There's still plenty of time." He pointed to a tool shed by the pond, which seemed to contain fishing gear.

Lu Mingfei had never actually fished properly before. At most, he would watch from the side of a park's ornamental pond or play fishing simulators in games.

Xu Tong's suggestion piqued his interest. This tranquil activity, requiring patience, held a strange attraction for someone accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city and the tension of the apocalypse. He hesitated before nodding, "Never tried fishing before... but I'd love to give it a try?"

"Try what?!" Xia Dou immediately jumped out like a mother hen protecting her chicks, hands on her hips, glaring at Xu Tong. "Brother Xu Tong, are you trying to slack off again! We still have to get back to the village today! Are you going to leave the two of you, one a newbie and the other a complete novice, fishing here? By the time you catch anything, the sun will have already set! No way, no way, you promised to show Lu Mingfei around!"

Maiduo covered her mouth and chuckled softly, adding gently but firmly, "Xia Dou is right, time is limited. By the time you catch any fish, who knows when it will be? If you have the opportunity to take turns guarding this place next time, you can enjoy it at your leisure. Let's stick to the planned tour today."

Xu Tong chuckled sheepishly at the two girls' teasing and raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, no more fishing. I was just saying it casually." He turned to Lu Mingfei, who looked slightly disappointed, and winked, "Looks like our fishing plans will have to wait."

Lu Mingfei laughed too, his regret quickly replaced by curiosity. He pointed to the pond: "Are the fish raised here for eating?"

"Part of it is," Xu Tong resumed his tour guide mode, "mainly fish species with short growth cycles and low requirements for water quality, such as improved crucian carp and loach, to supplement protein. More importantly, this pond is part of the base's water circulation system and has an ecological regulation function. The aquatic plants and fish in it can help purify the water. See those water celery and calamus? Their roots can absorb some impurities in the water."

Leaving the fishpond, they continued deeper into the area. Looking at the surrounding farmland, hydroponic towers, and functional buildings, Lu Mingfei suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, this whole area looks like planting. What about our livestock? I don't see any cattle or sheep raised here. I think the village consumes quite a bit of meat every day."

Maiduo, who was walking ahead, turned around upon hearing this and smiled sweetly: "Of course there is a livestock area, and it's quite large. However, it's not nearby. For hygiene, disease prevention, and odor management, the livestock breeding area is located at the other end of the base, near the leeward slope. It has independent pens, pastures, and processing facilities. Would you like to take a look? But it's a bit far."

Lu Mingfei glanced at the sky and the seemingly endless base, thought for a moment, and shook his head: "Next time, maybe not enough time today." He already had a basic understanding of the vastness and intricacy of this place, knowing that each section was the culmination of countless efforts and could not be fully seen in a cursory glance. Anyway, there was plenty of time in the future, so there was no rush.

Xia Dou's eyes lit up with a new idea: "Let's go check out the 'Symbiotic Nursery'! There are lots of strange but adorable plants there, and it's a place that Sister Tasia and Team Leader Lin Yue take special care of!"

The suggestion was unanimously approved. The group then turned and headed towards an area behind the central control room that was partially enclosed by transparent material.

That place is the so-called "symbiotic nursery," which is dedicated to studying special plants that have not been completely alienated or have undergone benign mutations after coming into contact with the manna ecosystem, and to trying to cultivate some "marginal species" with practical value.

Stepping into the nursery is like entering a miniature, bizarre plant kingdom.

Most of the plants here have unusual appearances. Some leaves have a metallic sheen, some flowers emit a faint light at different frequencies, and some vines have shapes that are clearly different from the norm.

Xia Dou pointed to various plants as if they were her own experts, introducing them: "Look at that one, the one with leaves that look like small shields, it's called 'Ironclad Orchid'. Its leaf fibers are exceptionally tough, and after processing, they can be made into a good protective lining! That little mushroom that emits a pale blue light is a 'guide fungus'. It is said that in a completely dark environment with a high concentration of stigma, its light will be more stable and less easily disturbed, and it can be used as a road sign... but it hasn't been fully verified yet."

Lu Mingfei was overwhelmed by the sights; these plants seemed to have been taken directly from a science fiction movie, brimming with incredible beauty and uses.

In a corner of a constant temperature incubator, he even saw a small clump of ferns with translucent silver leaves and golden filaments flowing through their veins, breathtakingly beautiful.

Through the glass of the incubator, Lu Mingfei quietly watched the beautiful plant that seemed to belong to another world. It grew there quietly, like a silent dream left over from an old civilization, a fragile illusion about purity, order, and harmony.

After visiting the symbiotic nursery, it was nearly noon. The sun was getting quite hot, and the people working in the base began to take a break.

"It's about time we went back to find Boss Bai," Maido suggested, and everyone agreed.

The group retraced their steps, excitedly discussing what they had just witnessed.

Lu Mingfei's mind was filled with all sorts of novel images and knowledge: neat rice paddies, unusual crops, futuristic hydroponic towers, tranquil fishponds, bizarre symbiotic plants...

This ecological base is far more complex, sophisticated, and intelligent than he had imagined.