There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

The herbs here are growing in large patches; the harvest should be enough for me for more than half a year.

Seeing the environment here has solved a mystery in my mind.

This cavity in the ground is wide at the outside and narrow at the inside. As you go deeper into the cavity, its diameter gradually decreases. It runs through the mountain wall on the east side of the radar base and extends diagonally downwards, forming a magical place that resembles a sinkhole.

On the way into the valley, I noticed that the plants here were exceptionally lush, with more vibrant colors, a stark contrast to the half-dead landscape outside the valley. These plants, eager and wild, had grown indiscriminately in houses and along roadsides after their original owners left, displaying their vitality with unrestrained exuberance.

From this, I can guess that there are underground rivers or water veins here, nourishing this land from the bottom up and providing precious water for the plants.

The enormous radar, hundreds of meters in diameter, also became a protective umbrella for the plants, shielding them from the scorching sun during the day and protecting them from the cold winds and frost at night, thus maintaining this idyllic paradise.

The most favorable environment here is found in the huge hollows in the mountain walls.

Wild herbs require very specific growing conditions. They need fertile soil, sufficient water, and precise control of temperature, humidity, and diurnal temperature variation.

This cavern, nestled deep within the cliff face, is protected from the harsh sunlight of the wilderness. Meanwhile, the moisture seeping from the cave maintains a constant temperature and humidity, which is why this lush patch of wild medicinal herbs has flourished.

But what interests me more is not here.

I crouched down and touched the soil on the ground. I found that after brushing away the top layer of sand, there was a layer of clay right next to it—these two layers were clearly blown down by the winds of the wasteland and broken off from the caves.

After digging through the clay, you will see a layer of black fibrous soil underneath. It feels very soft when you grab a handful, and it also contains fibers that have been transformed from plant leaves. This is humus.

It's a piece of pure organic land with a dark, shiny color!

Even more amazingly, some white and gold particles can be seen in the thick layer of humus.

Based on my understanding of horticultural planting theory, I can see that the white material is perlite and the golden material is vermiculite nutrient soil, both of which are mixed into the soil to improve its quality.

Perlite particles have a honeycomb structure inside, are non-toxic, odorless, non-corrosive, non-flammable, and resistant to acids and alkalis. When mixed into soil, they help retain fertilizer and water, and enhance aeration.

Vermiculite's main function is to increase soil aeration and water retention. Because it is fragile, it can easily cause the medium to become denser and lose its aeration and water retention properties over time. Therefore, coarse vermiculite is generally used for a longer period of time and with better results than fine vermiculite.

Judging from the exquisite composition of this soil, it's clearly not a product that can be generated naturally. This is obviously soil prepared in a laboratory!

I searched around the cave for a while and sure enough, I found some broken fiberglass and stainless steel debris scattered along the edge of the cultivated soil.

Indeed, the land where wild herbs grow is not naturally occurring. Or rather, the fact that these wild herbs grew here is not an accident.

The radar base back then must have had specialized laboratories or planting boxes for cultivating plants, including this particular herb. However, over the long years, other crops disappeared, leaving only the wild herb, which, with favorable weather, geographical conditions, and perhaps even human assistance, has survived to this day.

I touched my chin, feeling a sense of familiarity with this scene.

This practice of cultivating specific plants using soil seems to be a unique habit of interstellar spaceships. They uphold the inexplicable tradition of hydroponics, seemingly believing that the presence of soil on board will bring misfortune, so even if soil cultivation is necessary, they will prepare it themselves using raw materials such as humus.

Could this be a radar outpost of an interstellar force that was abandoned for unknown reasons?

What kind of complex background lies behind this wasteland?

I picked several of the most mature wild herbs, deciding to take them back to study their components and process them into a truly effective medicine. After I proposed the herbal processing method to Dr. Dort, that unscrupulous doctor also supplemented my knowledge with a lot of practical experience, so I roughly learned how to make qualified medicinal herbs.

It's a pity that the environment and soil here are so perfect, both are indispensable. Even if I dug the soil back, I still wouldn't be able to grow wild medicinal herbs myself...

Suddenly, an idea struck me. I spotted this exceptionally fertile land and immediately brought up the colonist system in the corner of my field of vision.

Welcome to Tynan Sylvester's Colony Simulator!

As Muhammad once said...

Allahhu Akbar?

No... it's that if the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.

I can't move the fertile land and caves, but I can plant right here!

My small-farmer mentality ruined me; I always felt that plants were only truly mine if they were planted on my own land. I should learn more from the pioneering proletarian Hua Nong brothers:

I don't know whose it is = wild = mine, my brother's = mine, my neighbor's = mine, anyway, they are all mine, why be polite?

I set up a planting area of ​​the same size based on the shape of the soil that had been dumped on the ground, and decisively selected the work command.

"Select work command: Plant herbs".

The mature flower buds of the wild herbs were instantly crushed, and the system controlled me to select many black seeds from them, which looked like miniature watermelon seeds.

Then, using the sleeve dart of his right arm armor, he dug holes in the ground and quickly planted a tree every 15 centimeters, rapidly completing the planting area of ​​seven or eight square meters.

"Hehehe..." I grinned smugly. The Colonizer System wasn't just an aid; it could also magically upgrade and transform crops and products. The moment the black seed landed in my hand, I saw a flash of silver light—it must have been transformed into an extraordinary, magically modified crop.

If wild herbs, which are already considered miraculous, are further upgraded, wouldn't they become treasures like ginseng and lingzhi?

But if I leave my crops here, there's no guarantee they won't be discovered by wild horses and carried away to heal their wounds. I don't want to suffer that kind of loss.

So I glanced at the system's building list again...

Building Name: Wooden Fence

Building Description: An old-fashioned wooden fence, impassable.

Cover effectiveness: 35%

Flammability: 100%

Durability: 98”

I think this is a sure thing!

Chapter 291 Post-Apocalyptic Scavenging

With the addition of the system-provided anti-theft wooden fence as an extra layer of protection, most potentially malicious wild animals can be kept away. Unless divine intervention occurs, one can only stare blankly at the fence.

I closed the wooden gate, put a handful of mature herbs into the woven bag of the punk-style wild horse, and let them go out of the cave first and wait for me at the door.

Because I have already noticed that in the face of this hollow, bottomless interior, the three wild horses are all acting somewhat agitated—the characteristic is that the three horses are standing close together, never more than half a meter apart, and they don't go to eat the tender grass growing inside the cave.

This is not a normal situation for wild horses that have been suffering from hunger for a long time.

After the initial shock of witnessing the radar, the bewilderment of entering the ruins, and the joy of discovering the herbs, my emotions gradually calmed, and I regained my usual composed demeanor. The unusual nature of this place was slowly becoming apparent.

For example, this place is lush with vegetation and has a pleasant climate. Wild grass and trees have covered this area, but I did not see any other creatures besides us.

Large creatures not settling in one place can be explained by periodic migrations. But the fact that not a single bird or insect chirped in the entire ruins on a night like this is highly suspicious.

Why has this place become a place where animals have disappeared? What unknown truths lurk beneath this land?

Thinking further, are the wild horses afraid of this bottomless void? Or of this long-abandoned land?

I stared at the dark interior for a long time, but finally gave up the idea of ​​exploring further.

Firstly, I lacked torches, searchlights, and other lighting equipment, making it impossible to move around in the pitch-black cave.

Secondly, if it is a road leading to an underground cave or a desert river, then it will inevitably have many branching paths and slippery roads, making it extremely difficult to escape once trapped.

Third, and most importantly, the ecology here is completely unknown, and the wild horses are behaving very cautiously. There must be something unusual about this place, and we should never enter rashly.

Putting aside other factors, the experiences of the original inhabitants of Mineral Town already speak volumes. Venturing into unfamiliar territory with great fanfare often results in death, injury, and involvement with unspeakable entities.

Anyway, after learning this story, I became somewhat resistant to underground places, mines, and deep pits, and I was very reluctant to go into them.

"Let's go and look at other places."

After turning away from the cave at the edge of the cliff, I followed the principle that a thief should never leave empty-handed and entered the ruins under the radar to begin scavenging for items that might be useful to me.

…………

Once inside the ruins of this radar station and onto the crumbling streets, I realized that the situation was even worse than I had imagined.

The evacuation at that time should have been carried out in an orderly manner, with all the furniture, equipment, and valuables in the house being taken away. Obvious sun damage marks and signs of aging are visible on the walls – it seems a large piece of equipment was placed against the wall for a long time before being moved.

After the first wave of relocation, some equipment that couldn't be taken away remained. Typical examples include the huge overhead radar, and the house's lights, interior decorations, and structural furniture.

But these things were looted even more thoroughly. Light bulbs were removed from the light fixtures, and the steel and composite wall coverings were pried off. Everything usable was violently destroyed and taken away, leaving me with nothing.

What's even more outrageous is that I saw two obvious digging marks on the roadside, connecting the telephones next to the road.

...These heartless people probably even dug up the underground cables!

I opened the door to a room... Ugh, the door had been pried off, and all that was blocking it was a very tall tree.

Entering the two areas that resembled dormitories, they were empty and barren, with a biting cold wind pouring in through the windows and a pale moonlight streaming in. Upon entering the main interior space, the feeling underfoot was distinctly different from outside—the floor was covered in construction debris, hard and creaking underfoot. Outside, however, the ground was soft and silent, like dust beneath one's feet.

The plaster on the walls inside had peeled off, and in some places, large patches of alkali crystals had formed from the efflorescence. This trace hung like a ghost by the window, quiet and without a sound. Through the window, one could see a small courtyard, where a solitary tree was covered with unknown fruits, fermenting decay into creation, and seedlings sprouting from the ground.

As I walked through these ruins, I felt a chill run down my spine. At every turn, it felt as if I might encounter a shadowy figure at any moment.

Just as I was about to give up and leave this deserted ruin, I suddenly discovered that after passing through the hall, there was a room with dilapidated walls.

The walls on all sides were a pale, white limestone color, but this one wall was covered in a ghastly green mold that climbed up the corner of the wall to the roof before suddenly disappearing.

"get mouldy?"

I pondered for a moment and realized that things might be taking a turn for the better.

Mold growth on walls inevitably indicates the presence of internal water pipes or proximity to any leaks. Furthermore, if the wall is solid and thick, the mold wouldn't have seeped in so easily…

I stretched out my left hand and gently touched the wall with my left fist. Sure enough, I felt a dull thud, and the shockwave easily penetrated the wall.

This wall should only be a temporary partition; there must be a separate space behind it!

I gathered my strength slightly, aimed at the center of the wall, and punched it. With a crack, a piece of the wall plaster broke open, revealing the broken lightweight material inside.

You've found the right place!

I threw another punch, the force of which slammed into the broken outer wall. A large section of the wall collapsed inward without any resistance, creating a hole the size of a head, kicking up dust and smoke that instantly obscured the view inside.

Holding my breath, I punched the walls twice more, using brute force to open this long-sealed, unknown secret room.

After passing through layers of dust, I saw a dark and cramped room hidden behind the southwest wall. It had been sealed away for countless years, and both the furnishings and the air had been frozen and preserved with time, until my unexpected intrusion.

The room contained a small table and some uniquely designed instruments. Some time ago, these instruments had completely stopped working, but before the final moment arrived, someone struggled to complete the operation to the very last step.

Don't ask me why I know.

Because the last person who wanted to operate the system was now evenly distributed throughout this small ten-square-meter room, except for one withered hand, which was still tightly hooked on the handle of the control panel...

Chapter 292 The Great Heavenly Dragon

This small workbench has been disassembled into many parts, leaving only the main body and the attached auxiliary platform that were stubbornly connected together.

The withered, severed hand in the secret chamber was gripping the edge connecting the two, seemingly exerting force, but unfortunately, everything came to an abrupt end.

A mangled corpse lay scattered on the ground, ravaged by the harsh and arid environment. The shriveled head stared into empty eye sockets, gazing into the distance, its eyes seemingly still swirling with the deep confusion of its final moments.

On this skull was a gruesome wound, shattered from the top of the head down to the back of the head and neck—clearly a fatal blow. It's unknown how long ago, this unidentified victim was likely focused on dismantling a workbench when he was attacked from behind and killed instantly.