Tong Zhanyan felt nothing, but the group of some three hundred people gathered in front of the small building, preparing for the upcoming harvest, reacted quite differently upon hearing the news.

They all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Tong Zhanyan. Outside, the cheapest crops sell for at least three hundred yuan per gram. A 10% discount means a loss of thirty per gram.

Those infected with the frenzy require a long-term diet of crops. Daily intake varies depending on the situation, but even in mild cases, it never falls below twenty grams. That adds up to nearly five hundred yuan a day.

Saving nearly five hundred yuan every day…The average monthly wage outside is only three to five thousand yuan. The vast majority of those infected with the frenzy simply cannot afford the crops, and even those who can usually have to work themselves to the bone, relying on the entire family’s efforts, just to scrape by.

Saving 500 yuan a day is absolutely no small sum for them. In fact, who knows how many people have been driven to their deaths by that daily 500 yuan…

In the livestream.

Even before the harvest announcement was released, everyone had already guessed roughly which days it would be based on their growing experience. As soon as the announcement came out, they immediately began making preparations.Those who could adjust their schedules did so; those who couldn’t suffered from headaches, footaches, and heartaches.

This was the first harvest of this crop batch. They had originally just planned to watch the spectacle, but then—

“Did I hear wrong, or did I misunderstand? Is Senior planning to lower the price again?”

“You didn’t hear wrong—I heard it too.”

“It was 9.5% off before, now it’s 10% off… Is the senior really planning to slash the price?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Those are crops, not junk.”

“This base is definitely the main export hub for crops within the entire protective shield. If he wants to lower the price, there’s absolutely no way anyone can stop him, right?”

“But those are crops—crops people would risk their lives to buy even if they had no money, and sometimes, crops you can’t even find anywhere to buy even if you have the money.”

“I…”

“Why do I get the feeling he’s actually a bit put off by it?”

“I was just about to say that—isn’t a 90% discount low enough? Those are crops, after all. And he’s actually getting put off by it?”

After finishing his conversation with the Planting Alliance, Tong Zhanyan turned around to find everyone had stopped working and was staring at him. He quickly snapped, “What are you all just standing there for?”

There weren’t many crops ready for harvest at this stage, but with so much land to cover, if they didn’t hurry up, they’d be at it until nightfall.The group slowly snapped out of it.The next moment, they all resumed their work.

When he looked back again, he saw the crops that had just entered the harvesting stage.Their eyes no longer held the anguish of the impending farmwork as before; instead, they were filled with complexity. 

The crops they harvested would all be sold at a 10% discount.The more they harvested, the more crops they could send out; the more people could buy them, and the more people would be able to eat them.

Taking a deep breath, the group moved quickly. Eggplants as tall as a person, cucumbers and string beans climbing along rows of trellises, vibrantly colored carrots, head cabbages, and tomatoes the size of fists…The air was filled with the distinctive scent of the crops.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. The live stream was filled with counts. After a momentary surprise, they quickly realized the logic: the more they picked, the more they could give away, and the more people would be able to buy them.

Many of them actually couldn’t afford the crops; after all, they’d never been cheap. Especially those from the outer city. But if the price could keep dropping…

“Third crate.”

“Fourth crate…”

“What are you counting? Why is it different from my count?”

“Don’t worry about the ones in the field. Just count the ones on the truck. No matter how many crates are picked, they all have to go through the truck to be shipped out of the base.”

“Eighth crate.”

……Everyone was completely focused, not daring to blink. Last time they hadn’t counted correctly; this time, they were determined to get it right no matter what.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t help out. Ning Langdong and the others were already very skilled, and although the students in the back were experiencing the harvest for the first time, they all had over six years of farming experience.

Harvesting doesn’t require any special skills.Whether he was there or not made no difference. Besides, he had plenty of other things to do. Tong Zhanyan first took a walk around the watermelon field and checked on the fish while he was at it.

He hadn’t sold a single watermelon from the last batch; he’d fed them all to Ning Langdong, Yang Hong, and the others, so he still had all the seeds. That meant this batch was quite large; the previous acre had been packed to the brim. Next time they planted, they’d have to clear new land.

While Tong Zhanyan was away, Ning Langdong and the others had already pruned a round of leaves and flowers; the faster-growing fruits were already thumb-sized.

Tong Zhanyan took a closer look and pinched off a few more while he was at it.

Not being ruthless enough—that was a common flaw among Ning Langdong and his group.

He didn’t see any fish floating belly-up in the lake, but the aquatic plants had grown quite a bit.

Especially the reeds along the shore; some were already up to his thighs.

When Tong Zhanyan had previously unlocked the seeds, he hadn’t just unlocked aquatic plants that grew in the water, but also some that preferred to grow along the shore.

Once they grew, they would cast shadows along the water’s edge, providing hiding places for the fish.

The water at the base was too clear.

While there were no external threats at his base, the fish were constantly exposed, which created stress.

Upon returning, Tong Zhanyan contacted the people from the previous fish farm and asked them to help procure some more fish.

In addition, he planned to start raising shrimp as well.

Like fish, shrimp are a vital part of the underwater ecosystem; they feed on aquatic microorganisms while their waste nourishes another group of microorganisms.

While there is a risk of water pollution, the greater benefit is that it revitalizes the water, enriching it with various substances beneficial to plant growth.

Since it’s feasible, he planned to raise a large number of them.

As for the food supply, as long as he wasn’t raising several thousand at once, given their size and appetite, he currently had more than enough to spare.

The people from the fish farm replied quickly, saying they would look into it.

After speaking with them, Tong Zhanyan immediately bought four more tanks and four water pumps to prepare in advance.

After making the purchases, Tong Zhanyan went to check on the two greenhouses.

Since he had never seen them before, Tong Zhanyan had originally intended simply to observe their growth—after all, knowing your enemy ensures victory in every battle.

But the observation turned into a complete shock.

When Tong Zhanyan went to check again, they had already grown another inch, nearly reaching his thighs.

As their bodies grew taller and their leaves multiplied, the leaves themselves became increasingly hard and sharp.

He used to venture into the field to take a look, but now, if he dared to go in, there wouldn’t be a single patch of good flesh left on his legs when he came out.

This gave Tong Zhanyan an even bigger headache.

Hope was slim.

After watching for a while longer, Tong Zhanyan took off his shoe covers and entered the strawberry greenhouse next door.

It had been about ten days since Tong Zhanyan returned, and he had been observing the situation the entire time.

The number of strawberries affected by the cabbage white butterflies continued to rise, and the pace showed no signs of slowing down.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t actually feel sorry for the strawberries—after all, he’d known this would happen before he started growing them—but something was definitely off.

The lacewings didn’t seem to be doing anything.

This wouldn’t do.

Without natural predators, those cabbage white butterflies would devour his entire hundred acres.

Upon entering, Tong Zhanyan bent down and searched carefully, wanting to see if the lacewings were still alive.

Lacewings look somewhat like butterflies, with a pair of wings capable of flight, though they don’t fly very far and are much smaller than most butterflies.

Finding them wasn’t difficult; if startled, they would fly away.

As he walked, Tong Zhanyan tapped the strawberry leaves, trying to make some noise.

In less than three minutes, he spotted the lacewings.

Tong Zhanyan had previously thought they hadn’t survived, so finding them so easily left him feeling a bit bewildered.

If they’re alive, why aren’t they doing their job?

Have they switched to a vegetarian diet over the past few thousand years?

Back then, those chicks didn’t even know the baby bok choy was edible.

Tong Zhanyan felt a headache coming on. If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean he’s just been raising a bunch of crop-eaters?

Tong Zhanyan looked down at a cabbage white butterfly caterpillar happily munching on a strawberry plant at his feet.

The increased infection rate had made them noticeably larger than Tong Zhanyan remembered.

Or perhaps the grasshoppers simply hadn’t won the battle?

Compared to these cabbage white caterpillars, the grasshoppers hadn’t changed much in size. If their food grew larger than themselves…

With that in mind, Tong Zhanyan turned and headed for the door, intending to check what other insect predators of caterpillars might be found among the ancient creatures.

They had sent him a list earlier, and he had saved it.

Tong Zhanyan found it quickly.

Besides lacewings, parasitic flies also feed on caterpillars.

Unlike lacewings, parasitic flies are highly lethal and can be considered natural enemies of most pests.

Tong Zhanyan had seen them before.

The reason he hadn’t chosen them was that they not only parasitized and consumed cabbage white butterflies but also indiscriminately attacked bees.

He could live without the cabbage white butterflies, but he was counting on those bees to do his work.

Tong Zhanyan contacted the team at the Paleontological Conservation Institute.

If he had a choice, he definitely wouldn’t pick them, but with no other options, he had no choice but to compromise.

Before, there weren’t many bees, and they couldn’t withstand the stress, but now their numbers have increased.

The team at the Paleontological Conservation Institute had already learned about the cabbage white butterflies from the livestream and knew they were thriving; they were quite excited.

They were just about to reach out to Tong Zhanyan to see if they could come take a look.

Learning that Tong Zhanyan wanted to raise more parasitic flies, the group immediately agreed and promised to deliver them tomorrow.

Finally, they didn’t forget to recommend red spider mites, mosquitoes, and the like to Tong Zhanyan once again.

Bees, ants, dung beetles, scarab beetles, lacewings—whatever Tong Zhanyan raised, it thrived. They were practically itching to send him every insect in the facility.

Tong Zhanyan was at a loss.

Then, without hesitation, he refused again.

Pests? Keep them away from him.

After the discussion, Tong Zhanyan returned to the small building.

Ning Langdong and his group were working with great enthusiasm.

Above them were over a dozen cameras that had been specially deployed to circle around them.

Tong Zhanyan glanced at another camera in the green manure plot that remained unaffected, focusing solely on the cherry tomatoes.

He simply went over to water those little tomatoes.

The cherry radishes and bok choy in the green manure bed had an infection rate of less than 20%. Tong Zhanyan was determined to push them toward zero infection, so he followed the fertilizer-to-water ratio exactly as he had in his previous world—never skimping on either.

While he was away, after the cherry tomato seedlings were planted, Ning Langdong and the others had watered them a few times using the same ratio as for the cherry radishes and bok choy.

They actually felt a bit sorry about it—if that fertilizer had been used on other fields, it would have been enough to water three or four mu of land.

But that actually wasn’t enough.

Crop fertilizer requirements vary by variety.

Cherry radishes and bok choy are hardy plants by nature, so their fertilizer needs are relatively low.

High-yield varieties like cherry tomatoes, however, require a lot of fertilizer, since they need to continuously flower and bear fruit.

Previously, it was enough for them to bear fruit, but now that Tong Zhanyan was hoping for zero infection rates, he naturally wasn’t going to skimp.

Taking advantage of the fact that Ning Langdong and the others were busy, he used up an entire bucket of rapeseed fertilizer solution in one go.

When he finished watering the last plant, there was still a third of the bucket left.

Tong Zhanyan had intended to pour it at the base of the last cherry tomato plant, but he paused just as he was about to do so.

He added a little water to dilute it to the same concentration as the solution used for the other crops in the fields, then carried the bucket over to the greenhouse and watered the row of wheat near the entrance.

He had originally planned to observe the situation for a while before deciding what to do next.

Now he felt it was completely unnecessary.

After finishing his work, Tong Zhanyan checked the time, said goodbye to Ning Langdong and the others, and headed to the hospital.

___

Qing Jiyue’s condition was gradually improving; he no longer had to lie motionless in bed all day.

This meant he was gradually getting busier.

The front lines were nearing their conclusion, but the time for the beast tide was fast approaching, and no one knew what the situation would be like this year.

Over the past month or so, the experiments at the back gate had continued uninterrupted.

The first Spirit Beast to wake up—the man with the hound—no longer suddenly fell into a state of irrationality.

Although he hasn’t reached the level of Yang Hong and the others—who no longer experience even violent outbursts of frenzy—it is still a significant improvement.

Aside from him, the other two whose periods of frenzy were only slightly longer than his have also recently shown signs of regaining their senses.

One of them has even managed to communicate.

Because of this, the group at the Back Gate has been quite excited lately.

Qing Jiyue was preparing to issue an announcement, and many people were paying close attention to the matter.

Additionally, the pharmaceutical research team had developed a new drug, and Qing Jiyue was also exploring how to conduct trials.

When Tong Zhanyan arrived, the doctor was changing Qing Jiyue’s bandages.

His arms were clearly muscular, his abs completely hidden beneath his clothes, and his well-defined…

Qing Jiyue had been working out consistently for years and was in excellent shape.

Tong Zhanyan forced himself to focus only on the wound in the center of Qing Jiyue’s chest.

The wound had already scabbed over, but the stitches hadn’t been removed yet.

Normally hidden under the bandages, once they were removed, it looked like a giant centipede coiled across Qing Jiyue’s body—quite terrifying.

The doctor finished quickly.

Qing Jiyue took the clothes and began to put them on.

Tong Zhanyan stepped forward to help.

Qing Jiyue tried his best not to pull on the wound, which made his movements seem slow.

After slipping the sleeves on, Tong Zhanyan buttoned the shirt for him.

Qing Jiyue silently buttoned the top button of the collar as well.

He had noticed Tong Zhanyan’s gaze just now.

They had previously shared a dormitory and a bathroom, so it was inevitable that they would occasionally run into each other when they weren’t fully dressed; back then, he had never thought anything of it.

But after that day’s discussion about his fiancé, he now felt self-conscious.

Tong Zhanyan noticed, but said nothing.

Once they were done, he followed the doctor out and asked about Qing Jiyue’s condition.

A moment later, when he returned, the buttons on Qing Jiyue’s collar had come undone again—two of them, this time.

The collar of the hospital gown was loose to begin with, leaving his collarbone clearly visible.

Tong Zhanyan’s breath caught.

Qing Jiyue was writing the upcoming announcement on his terminal with a serious expression.

He could have had someone else handle these tasks, but right now, writing was the only thing he could do.

Tong Zhanyan sat quietly by his side, watching him write and then cross it out, only to write again.

Half an hour later, Tong Zhanyan let him rest. He fetched a wheelchair, intending to take him downstairs to soak up some sun.

Plants need sunlight, and so do people.

A little sunshine lifts the spirits.

This hospital was far from the front lines and treated only ordinary patients.

Qing Jiyue was in a private room, and the small park downstairs was nearly empty, making it very quiet.

After circling him twice, Tong Zhanyan chose a bench bathed in bright sunlight and sat down.

Qing Jiyue rarely had such leisurely moments to bask in the sun; he was already feeling drowsy from the warmth.

When Tong Zhanyan looked over, Qing Jiyue’s eyes were half-closed, and what should have been pitch-black irises appeared translucent.

For some reason, Tong Zhanyan thought of Qing Jiyue’s little tiger.

He used to think it looked like a cat, but now he felt Qing Jiyue looked quite similar too.

Tong Zhanyan felt an urge to stroke Qing Jiyue’s head.

He thought it, and he did it.

Qing Jiyue had lovely hair, and with the warm sunshine, it felt quite pleasant to the touch.

Suddenly having his head stroked, Qing Jiyue looked a bit dazed.

“Let me pet your cat,” Tong Zhanyan said, his spirits lifting.

Qing Jiyue had long ago said he could pet it, but he hadn’t actually done so yet.

Qing Jiyue summoned his Spirit Beast.

When it appeared and saw Tong Zhanyan standing before it, the little tiger’s ears immediately flattened back.

Tong Zhanyan couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth curl upward.

Amid his excitement, he felt a twinge of pity.

Spirit Beasts and their masters are one; while Qing Jiyue’s injuries were hidden beneath bandages, the little tiger’s were clearly visible.

Tong Zhanyan suppressed the urge to rush over. “So cute.”

The little tiger turned and walked toward a spot where the sun was even stronger, wanting to bask in the warmth while keeping a safe distance from Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan’s gaze followed it until it lay down in front of the flower bed across the way.

Tong Zhanyan summoned his Spirit Beast.

Reborn from the flames, its feathers were now a brilliant red, and its tail was three times as long as before. Combined with its no longer disheveled appearance, it looked just like a ball of fire.

Tong Zhanyan found it rather unsightly.

Qing Jiyue’s attention was immediately drawn to it.

He had been wondering before: chickens can fly, but without external assistance, they generally don’t fly very high. Yet Tong Zhanyan’s Spirit Beast could easily reach the rooftops.

“Can it control fire?” Qing Jiyue had already heard about it.

“Yes.”

“Can you control it?” Qing Jiyue looked at Tong Zhanyan.

Spirit Beasts and their masters are one; the Spirit Beast’s power belongs to the master as well. After training, they can use it to some extent even without relying on the Spirit Beast.

However, that wasn’t an easy feat; it had taken him several years to gradually master it.

Tong Zhanyan shook his head. “I plan to set aside some time each day to train. Burning straw should work pretty well.”

Seeing that Tong Zhanyan was unharmed, the chicken—which had been about to find a spot to curl up—stopped in its tracks. A nerve snapped in its brain.

It turned to pounce on Tong Zhanyan.

Tong Zhanyan recalled it before it could strike.

“I wonder where it picked up that rotten temper,” Tong Zhanyan muttered.

Qing Jiyue said nothing.

Tong Zhanyan had always had a knack for getting under people’s skin; his live stream viewers had been driven to howl in frustration more times than they could count.

An hour later, just as Qing Jiyue was drifting off to sleep again, the two of them headed back.

That night, Tong Zhanyan returned to the base.

The next day, as soon as the group from the Paleontological Conservation Institute arrived, they rushed straight to the greenhouse where the cabbage white butterflies were kept.

Seeing those plump little insects, the group was so excited their faces flushed crimson, and their voices even trembled slightly.

They scrambled to take photos and make notes.

Standing nearby, Old Xu and Old Wang looked utterly grim.

Are they really this happy just watching those strawberries get eaten?

The group from the Paleontological Conservation Institute finished their work and looked up, only then realizing the grim expressions on Old Xu and Old Wang’s faces.

They quickly wiped the smiles off their faces.

Of course they knew the importance of the crops; they were just genuinely overjoyed.

They had brought over twenty parasitic flies.

Tong Zhanyan instructed them to release them directly into the greenhouse.

The paleontologists froze.

The next moment, they exchanged glances and tactfully reminded Tong Zhanyan that those insects would eat cabbage white butterflies.

Tong Zhanyan nodded; that was exactly why he’d brought them—to eat the cabbage white butterflies.

The paleontologists immediately lost their smiles.

Beside them, Old Xu and Old Wang’s faces instantly lit up with bright smiles.

The paleontologists debated for a long time, but in the end, the leader gritted his teeth and gave the order to release them.

Tong Zhanyan must have had his own reasons for doing this.

The key point was that he had managed to keep all the others alive.

After releasing them, the group left, looking back every few steps.

Until they saw the ants.

The ant colony had clearly grown in size, and the range of their underground nest had expanded as well.

After checking on the ants, the group went to inspect the bees.

The last time they visited, the bees had already begun expanding their nest toward the outer edges of the artificial hive; this time, the entire artificial hive was no longer visible.

They had originally planned to bring a new hive, but after seeing the condition of the hive via the livestream, they abandoned the idea.

To transfer the bees to a new hive, they would have to destroy the current one.

It had taken them so much effort to build it; destroying it would be a shame, and some bees might even die in the process, which would be an even greater pity.

Tong Zhanyan had no objections.

While they were busy, Tong Zhanyan took a quick look at the orange and tangerine grove.

The orange and tangerine seedlings he had planted himself were nearly a year old.

They grew slowly to begin with, and since it was his first time planting them, they were still only about sixty centimeters tall.

Compared to those, the mature plants purchased from Old Xu were much more impressive.

Half a year had passed, and new branches had already sprouted.

Although the new shoots were still quite thin, they were already about a meter long.

With a bit of luck, they might bloom in another two or three months.

The rootstock was too poor, hindering nutrient transport, so a bumper crop was out of the question, but at least there was hope.

By the time Tong Zhanyan finished his work, the paleontology team had also wrapped up.

After seeing them off, Tong Zhanyan went to attend to other matters.

Old Xu, Old Wang, and their group immediately headed back to the strawberry greenhouse to see if those parasitic flies had wreaked havoc.

The next day, people from the aquaculture farm arrived, bringing the fish and shrimp Tong Zhanyan had ordered.

Tong Zhanyan bought another forty-one grass carp to make it an even number.

As for the shrimp, he bought two hundred all at once.

Since these animals also had infection rates to consider, Tong Zhanyan ended up with a thick stack of inspection reports.

After paying, Tong Zhanyan hauled them back to the small building.

Fish and shrimp cannot have their water changed immediately, and since he had bought only fry, he had to be especially careful.

He had already purchased the tanks and water pumps earlier.

Tong Zhanyan spent the entire morning, adding and changing water in several stages, until he had transferred them all into the tanks.

Yang Hong and the other students—everyone—came to watch the commotion.

In the afternoon, Tong Zhanyan went to check on the students’ fields.

They all had experience, and since they’d been helping out on his fields as well, with the crops on both sides growing at roughly the same pace, they could simply follow his example—so there shouldn’t be any major issues.

That night, just before going to sleep, Tong Zhanyan discovered that Qing Jiyue had already published the announcement he’d been drafting regarding Deep Frenzy.

The internet was in an uproar.

They had long known that people with deep infections were waking up; Qing Jiyue had previously issued a notice confirming the phenomenon.

This notice differed from the previous one in that it provided a more detailed explanation and various follow-up updates.

The most critical point was that Qing Jiyue planned to conduct a test.

So far, the person who has awakened has been consuming crops with an infection rate of less than 20%, and one that is still decreasing.

Qing Jiyue intends to have him switch to other crops—those with an infection rate exceeding 20%, but one that is also decreasing.

At first glance, the difference between the two may seem minor, but there is a fundamental distinction.

Crops with infection rates exceeding 20% are plentiful at Tong Zhanyan’s base; in fact, one could say that aside from a few recently planted varieties, nearly all of them fall into this category.

Crops with infection rates below 20% can only be grown in green manure fields, and so far, only cherry radishes, radishes, and bok choy have been successfully cultivated there.

The cherry tomatoes Tong Zhanyan planted later have yet to ripen even once.

More importantly, green manure plots currently cannot be cleared in batches of dozens of mu at a time like other plots.

This makes it even more difficult to obtain crops with an infection rate below 20%—especially those where the infection rate is still decreasing.

With this experiment, Qing Jiyue primarily wanted to see if a person who had been deeply infected and had entered a state of frenzy could maintain their state after waking up if they were switched to a plot with an infection rate exceeding 20%.

If they can maintain it and no longer revert to a state of complete irrationality, first, it would save a significant number of crops with an infection rate below 20%, allowing more people to receive treatment.

Second, it would further prove that the frenzy condition is indeed treatable.

Qing Jiyue had already discussed all this with Tong Zhanyan in advance.

Tong Zhanyan had no objections—in fact, he welcomed the idea, since he was footing the bill for the crops, and the pressure was real.

Especially for those in the green manure fields with infection rates under 20%.

The next day, Ning Langdong and the others went out to harvest again.

After Tong Zhanyan fertilized the cherry tomatoes in the green manure fields once more, he went to help out.

Harvesting crops other than the cherry tomatoes was incredibly satisfying; they filled a crate in no time.

If Tong Zhanyan felt this way, it was even more pronounced for the others.

Especially for the viewers in the livestream—those who had resolved to count exactly how many crates of produce there were this time—it was only the second day, and they were already in a complete frenzy.

“Forty-two.”

“It’s clearly only thirty-eight.”

“This is already the fourth truck. Each truck has at least ten boxes—no matter how you count it, there’s no way there are only thirty-eight boxes!”

“Isn’t this only the third truck?”

“I recorded a video; I’ll go count them…”

“You guys still have the energy to worry about this? I just want to know when Senior is going to hold the giveaway. It’s been a year, hasn’t it? I haven’t been picked even once so far.”

Because there were so many people, they wrapped up around 4:00 p.m.

Tong Zhanyan, who hadn’t worked this hard in a long time, could barely straighten his back when he finished.

Except for the cucumbers and eggplants on the trellises, most of the harvesting required bending over.

Tong Zhanyan dragged a stool over and sat down under the eaves to rest.

Ning Langdong and his group, meanwhile, retrieved detectors from the warehouse and continued working.

It was time to inspect for earthworms again today.

Unless all the soil was disinfected, it would be nearly impossible to eradicate the earthworms completely.

Therefore, they had voluntarily organized a schedule to inspect the entire base every week, leaving no opportunity for those earthworms to multiply and grow.

Seeing them work so hard, Tong Zhanyan felt a bit guilty about continuing to rest, so after sitting for a while longer, he headed over to the greenhouse.

Even though the parasitic flies were more lethal than the lacewings, they weren’t powerful enough to wipe out all the cabbage white butterfly larvae in just a few days.

The number of affected strawberries kept rising.

After watching from the doorway for a moment, Tong Zhanyan walked over to the neighboring greenhouse.

As soon as he approached—before even stepping inside—Tong Zhanyan couldn’t help but let out a surprised “Huh?”

Several days had passed, and the wheat plants were already nearly waist-high.

Except for the row closest to the door.

Those plants were about five or six centimeters shorter than the rest.

Tong Zhanyan almost immediately thought of that time he applied fertilizer.

But he’d applied fertilizer, not poison—why weren’t they growing?

Tong Zhanyan suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

Could it be that by absorbing normal fertilizer, the abnormal parts within them had been suppressed?

Could the principle that improving crop health lowers the infection rate apply to these wheat plants as well?

Tong Zhanyan immediately returned to the small building, mixed some more vegetable seed fertilizer with water, and carried it over.

He watered the wheat in the first row again.

In addition, he watered the row along the right-hand wall as well, intending to test it again.

He couldn’t get into the middle section anymore.

He slept soundly through the night.

The next day, as soon as Tong Zhanyan woke up, he ran over to take a look.

The wheat in the first row by the door was about the same height as yesterday; it seemed to have truly stopped growing wildly.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the ones on the right seemed shorter than the others as well.

Tong Zhanyan didn’t rush to a conclusion; instead, he patiently waited another two days.

Two days later, Tong Zhanyan was certain that fertilizing had indeed helped the wheat—it had truly stopped growing wildly.

Especially the row near the entrance, where he had fertilized twice, was now clearly twenty centimeters shorter than the others.

The ones on the right also showed a noticeable difference compared to the rest.

Tong Zhanyan hadn’t expected things to be this simple; for a moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of noodles, steamed buns, and dumplings.

Overjoyed, Tong Zhanyan quickly mixed another batch of fertilizer solution, this time strictly following the ratios from his previous world.

Crops need fertilizer, but applying it too frequently or with too high a concentration can burn the roots—though these wheat plants shouldn’t have that problem.

Instead, he wanted to see if a higher fertilizer concentration would yield better results.

The results were indeed impressive—the wheat that had been fertilized had almost stopped growing.

Three days later, while the rest of the wheat had grown to Tong Zhanyan’s neck, the front row had barely reached his waist.

The wheat he’d seen outside the protective shield had been about 2.5 meters tall; these were now just over a meter.

If he could cut their height in half in a single go, reverting them to normal wheat shouldn’t be too difficult.

Suppressing his inner excitement, Tong Zhanyan was just figuring out what to do next when he went to check the next day and realized something was wrong.

The wheat that had only reached his waist yesterday was now nearly at his chest.

None of the other wheat was growing this fast.

Tong Zhanyan had a bad feeling.

He immediately mixed another batch of fertilizer solution and poured it specifically on the front row of wheat.

That afternoon, he went to see Qing Jiyue as usual.

The next day, he went to check on them as soon as he woke up.

The fertilizer solution hadn’t stunted the wheat’s growth like it had the previous few times; instead, it seemed to have stimulated the plants, causing them to grow back with a vengeance.

In just a day and a night, that wheat had nearly caught up to the rest of the crop.

Tong Zhanyan’s initial delight vanished, replaced by helplessness.

Could it be that the fertilizer was truly poison to them?

Had they stopped growing because they’d suddenly been doused with poison?

And once they’d adapted, they’d started growing again?

Just as Tong Zhanyan was feeling helpless, he noticed a crowd gathering near the warehouse.

It seemed something had happened.

Tong Zhanyan hurried over.

From a distance, Tong Zhanyan spotted Old Xu and the others in the crowd.

In front of them stood two empty barrels that had once held rapeseed manure.

They were already short on fertilizer, so they had been using it with extreme caution every time.

This crop was already beginning to mature, and with so little fertilizer left, it had become even more precious.

A week ago, there were still nine barrels of fertilizer.

Today, when they checked, two whole barrels were missing.

Two barrels—that’s two barrels.

The group was so anxious their eyes were nearly red.

Tong Zhanyan quickly stepped forward.

Once they figured out what had happened, the group went from shock to reluctant acceptance, then to holding back their words.

Tong Zhanyan must have had his own reasons for doing this.

But didn’t he think he’d used a bit too much?

The other crops were crops too—Tong Zhanyan had watched them grow as well.

Tong Zhanyan was at a loss for words.

Amidst his bewilderment, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.

That wheat was likely going to be even more trouble than expected.