Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

The Scavengers' Alliance was quite efficient. The upgrade and renovation project of Camp C-361 was in full swing the next day, and a simple construction plan was posted in front of the camp.

According to the construction plan, the camp will be expanded by one-third to strengthen the protection of the camp's core energy and warehouses; two stone walls, each about 30 meters high, will be added in front of the protective netting around the camp to effectively block the advance of the zombie horde and provide a buffer distance and time for the camp's defensive firepower.

However, in order to save costs, the materials used to build the stone walls were all remnants transported from the city ruins. Anyway, once they were built, no one supervised the quality.

In addition, the number of towers in the camp was increased to twelve, with twelve fully automatic heavy machine guns providing complete coverage of the 300-meter radius around the camp. The original ten camp guards were increased to fifteen.

This is the limit the alliance can do. After all, the cost pressure is there. There are only about 100 scavengers in the entire C-361 camp. If more guards are added, the camp's output value will not be able to offset the cost. It would be better to just shut down the camp.

Old Xu at the supply station wasn't exaggerating; he said he'd renovate the "courtyard house" Leng San wanted in just three days. Leng San was generally satisfied after inspecting it, so he paid 600 contribution points for rent and officially moved in.

This courtyard house is even larger than Bi Lang's, and it faces north and south, so sunlight shines in from morning to evening. It's the perfect place to grow crops.

Chenxi seemed to really like the new home, and even took the initiative to help with tidying up and decorating. Although she often ended up making things worse, she never tired of it, and Leng San indulged her in her own way.

Just as the two were busy decorating their new home, there was a knock on the door. Chenxi frowned, clearly not wanting to be disturbed at this time.

Leng San was also reluctant, but he still went to the door and looked through the peephole. He saw that the person who came was Zhou Chen, so he opened the door and said, "Oh, it's Brother Chen. Come in and have a seat."

"No need, no need!" Zhou Chen quickly waved his hand, then looked around the courtyard house with envy and said with a smile, "It's still more comfortable to live in a detached house like this. When I save up enough money, I'll get one too. Hello, Chenxi, I'm your brother Zhou Chen."

Zhou Chen forced a kind smile and waved to the morning sun in the yard, but the latter ignored him, poured a bottle of Grade A clean water into a basin, and then put her little hands in to wash.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Chen gasped as if his teeth were aching. A bottle of Grade A clean water costs 70 contribution points, which even the boss wouldn't drink. This little brat actually used it to wash her hands. Tsk tsk, spendthrift girl. She's only Leng San. How can anyone else afford to support her?

Leng San asked, "Did Brother Chen want to see me about something?"

Zhou Chen then snapped out of his daze, cleared his throat, and said, "Little San, I'd like to borrow your Jialing motorcycle for a few days. The rental fee is 50 contribution points per day. Is that alright?"

Leng San used to live in a single room for only 30 contribution points a month, but now Zhou Chen rents motorcycles and gives 50 contribution points a day, which is not bad. Most scavengers can't even earn 10 contribution points a day.

Leng San didn't plan to go out for a while, so he generously tossed the keys to Zhou Chen and said, "Take it. You can skip the rent and stuff. Just put the gas back in when you're done."

Zhou Chen said happily, "Thank you, Xiao San. By the way, aren't you going to ask me why I borrowed the motorcycle?"

Leng San chuckled and said, "What's there to ask? You're not a minor. Do whatever you want, just don't lose or damage my car."

Zhou Chen chuckled and said, "The mistress is the best."

Then he sighed with some worry and said, "The boss's internal injuries are more serious than we thought. Our camp's medical facilities are inadequate. He needs to go to a Class B shelter to find a professional doctor for treatment and rehabilitation. The nearest Class B shelter is more than 100 kilometers away, so we'll have to borrow your motorcycle."

Leng San suddenly realized, "I see. Anyway, I don't plan to go out for a while, so you can take it and use it. There's no need to rush to return it."

Zhou Chen said gratefully, "Okay, thank you, Xiao San. I'll definitely fill up the tank for you later." After saying that, he took the keys and rode away on the Jialing motorcycle.

Leng San closed the door and turned around, just in time to see Chen Xi cut her finger with a dagger. She was startled, rushed forward with lightning speed, snatched the dagger from her, and frowned, saying, "Chen Xi, what are you doing... Huh?"

Just as Leng San was about to reprimand her, he saw a drop of blood drip from Chen Xi's finger into the water in the basin. Immediately afterward, a miraculous scene unfolded: the three potatoes soaking in the water sprouted instantly and grew into three seedlings at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing until they were half a foot tall before slowing down.

—Drip!

Another drop of blood fell into the water, and the potato seedlings, which had already slowed down, began to grow rapidly again, not only reaching a foot in height but also sprouting a large number of roots.

"This is……"

Leng San was completely dumbfounded, staring at Chen Xi with nothing but shock on his face. He remembered that in the cultivation world there was a divine object called the Fountain of Life, which had the miraculous effect of promoting plant growth and even reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bones.

Besides possessing purification abilities, Chenxi's blood can also promote plant growth. Just how many secrets does this girl hold? No wonder the Church of Light is hunting her down. No, if the fact that Chenxi's blood can stimulate plant growth were to be exposed, the five major powers in the ruins would probably all be scrambling to seize Chenxi!

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime," especially since Chenxi herself is a treasure. In this wasteland world where plants struggle to grow, Chenxi's special ability is undoubtedly priceless and defies the heavens.

Thinking of this, Leng San was not happy at all; instead, he broke out in a cold sweat. With his current strength, if he attracted the attention of the five major forces, he would not only be unable to protect Chenxi, but he might not even be able to protect himself!

Leng San hurriedly took out a band-aid from his backpack and applied it to the small wound on Chenxi's finger, while sternly warning, "Chenxi, you must never display this kind of ability in front of outsiders again! Remember! Remember!"

Chenxi looked at Leng San with some confusion, seemingly not quite understanding, but still obediently nodded.

Leng San took a deep breath, quickly calmed himself down, then found three discarded water jugs, cut off the top half, leaving only the half filled with soil, and buried three potato seedlings in the soil... No, he shouldn't call them potato seedlings anymore, because after being catalyzed by the blood of dawn, the three potato seedlings had grown to a foot tall, and were definitely mature plants.

Next, Leng San poured the remaining water in the basin onto the roots of the potato plants. Just an hour later, all three potato plants sprouted several small yellow flowers. It was truly amazing.

Leng San had been squatting next to the three potato plants, observing them, and didn't notice that Chen Xi was yawning repeatedly. After a while, the little girl actually fell asleep on his back.

Leng San carefully carried Chenxi to the bed and laid her down, feeling a little worried. It seemed that the blood-dripping to catalyze plant growth was also taking a toll on Chenxi's mental health. He hoped it wouldn't damage her vitality.

Leng San carefully checked Chen Xi's pulse and found it to be stable, indicating that there was nothing seriously wrong. He was slightly relieved, gently covered Chen Xi with a thin quilt, and then sat cross-legged beside her to cultivate.

Even while asleep, Chenxi continued to release spiritual energy, and the rate of release did not change much, indicating that the two drops of blood had little effect on her.

For the next few days, Leng San did not leave his residence. He cultivated in the real world during the day and went to Chenxi's spiritual world to cultivate at night.

As for Chenxi, she accompanied Leng San in his cultivation during the day, tending to the three potato plants, and at night she accompanied Leng San in his cultivation in the spiritual world, tending to the seedling in his divine sea.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and the reinforcement work at Camp C-361 was basically completed. Under Chenxi's careful care, the three potato plants were growing well, and the small yellow flowers they had produced had already fallen off.

On the fifteenth day, Leng San finally couldn't resist pulling up one of the potato plants, and as a result, he harvested eight fresh potatoes the size of oranges.

Leng San was pleasantly surprised but also a little regretful. He had pulled them up too early; if he had waited a few more days, these potatoes would have grown even bigger.

That day, Leng San went to the supply station and bought an iron pot and some firewood. He cooked a pot of fragrant smoked meat and potato slices. It was so delicious that Leng San and Chen Xi almost chewed their tongues into their stomachs.

The aroma of stir-fried potatoes and meat wafted out, making all the scavengers in the camp drool. Fortunately, everyone knew that Leng San had recently scavenged and brought back several pounds of smoked meat, so it wasn't surprising that they smelled it; they were just drooling with envy.

A few days later, Leng San pulled up the other two potato plants and harvested more than twenty plump, white, fresh potatoes, about the size of a small fist in the morning light. They were so fresh and juicy that they made one's mouth water.

These potatoes look and taste almost exactly the same as before the nuclear war. It seems that these potatoes are resistant to nuclear radiation and will not mutate due to soil contamination.

It's unclear whether these potatoes have inherent resistance or are due to the blood they've absorbed during the morning sun.

Leng San thought the latter possibility was more likely, after all, Chenxi had the ability to purify, which could purify all filth and then release spiritual energy, and her blood could resist radiation, so it was not surprising at all.