After a simple restful night, early the next morning, Jian Yi set out with Chen Junsheng. Both of them were dressed in rubber shoes, wore cotton gloves, carried backpacks, and were armed with bows, arrows, and two animal traps. They followed a small mountain path leading to the back of the mountain.
Meanwhile, Zheng Lanxin and Zhang Ming stayed at the villa, tending to the two vacant areas in the front and back of the house. They began planting the vegetable seeds they had brought with them.
Observing their activities, Zheng Lanxin could tell that Jian Yi had made up her mind to settle here. To be honest, she was quite satisfied with this new territory. It was far from the city, and the zombies had all been cleared out. There were mountains, land, and a river; they could be self-sufficient.
The only downside was the absence of modern conveniences like electricity and the internet. It seemed like they were going to live a rural life reminiscent of the 1950s or 1960s, with no electricity or electronic devices.
Zheng Lanxin wasn't worried about the physical labor, but rather the mutated animals and plants that might inhabit the mountain. However, Jian Yi had mentioned that she had a solution, so Zheng Lanxin decided to wait and see what the young girl had in mind.
It was late October, and the temperature hadn't dropped significantly into the chill of early winter yet. At noon, it was still around 24-25 degrees Celsius, as if it were still summer. However, the mornings were quite chilly, and once they left the paved road and ventured into the dirt path leading into the mountains, the damp and cold morning dew made Jian Yi shiver.
"Sneezes!"
"Didn't I tell you to wear an extra jacket when we left in the morning? But no, you didn't listen," Chen Junsheng scolded her lightly as he walked ahead, wielding a machete to clear the overgrown vines. He glanced back with a sigh.
Jian Yi rubbed her slightly sore nose, took a deep breath, and rubbed her arms with her palms to warm up. She gestured for Chen Junsheng to continue walking and not waste any time stopping.
After a while, Chen Junsheng couldn't help but feel uneasy and placed the backpack he was carrying on the ground. He pulled out a plastic bag from it and handed Jian Yi a padded jacket.
Jian Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise but soon remembered Chen Junsheng's thoughtful nature. Wasn't he always like this? She accepted the jacket without hesitation and put it on. It indeed made her feel much warmer.
Setting aside this brief exchange, the two of them continued their journey into the mountains.
The mountains in this area were not too large, and the most dangerous wild animals were in the deeper, larger forests. There shouldn't be too many of them around here. In this day and age, large wild animals were either confined to nature reserves or zoos. The mutated animals that had emerged in the early days of the apocalypse would start to reproduce and thrive in the coming spring, but for now, they posed no immediate threat to the people living at the foot of the mountains.
Chen Junsheng kept a close watch, worried about potential dangers as they moved deeper into the forest. However, Jian Yi saw him tense and smiled, explaining, "Not all mutated plants attack humans."
"Don't just stand guard next to me. Go check around nearby. If you find a fern-like plant that bears red fruit, call me."
Chen Junsheng furrowed his brow and looked at her with concern. He glanced around the area to ensure there was no danger before nodding and following her instructions to search the surroundings.
Knowing that she had learned so many things she previously didn't know or care about, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken. If he were by her side, she wouldn't have to worry about all this.
Before long, Jian Yi excitedly called out, "Chen Junsheng, come over here!"
She was holding up a plant covered in red fruit, her eyes sparkling with joy. Chen Junsheng quickly walked over, and Jian Yi pointed to the ground where a cluster of these red-fruited plants lay.
The bright red fruits were the size of grapes, and each plant had twenty or thirty of them, grouped together, glistening like jewels in the sunlight.
Chen Junsheng felt like he had seen them before but wasn't entirely sure. He asked, "What kind of plant is this?"
"Electric Light Grass," Jian Yi replied with a smile as she urged him to start digging them up. "Dig them up with the soil and take them back with us. We'll use them for lighting in the future."
"These plants bear red fruits during the day and glow at night. They have a long lifespan, lasting two to three years. Just make sure Auntie waters them from time to time."
"However..." Jian Yi looked towards the river that divided the village in the distance and warned, "We must use water released by a water-based ability holder. If the villagers down there are smart, we can trade water for food in the future."
Not all water was the same. Contaminated river water could be used for irrigation and even treated for daily use, but it couldn't be consumed directly. Water released by ability holders contained a faint energy that was beneficial when consumed, enhancing resistance against viruses.
It could also be used to water mutated animals and plants, replacing their need for blood as sustenance. After mutations, both animals and humans shared a common trait: a strong craving for flesh and blood. If left unsatisfied, they would go mad.
Fortunately, nature didn't want to push humanity to the brink. After a generation or two of breeding and evolution, all seeds would adapt to the infected soil, producing edible crops.
Jian Yi, who had experienced all of this in her previous life, now knew the shortcut and didn't have to experiment with each plant and crop the way she had done before.
However, the humans living in the base didn't know any of this until her death.
It was possible that some of those in power already knew that humans could evolve to adapt to changes in the natural environment. They just didn't want to reveal this fact to the ignorant masses. If everyone knew that the harsh survival conditions outside were actually a test of human evolution, how could they bring back the old society and become "great" exploiters?
So, should she thank Huo Chengzhang and Mo Xiaoxiao for kicking her out of the base? Jian Yi chuckled at the thought.
By this time, Chen Junsheng had successfully dug up the Electric Light Grass and filled both their backpacks with the plants. Seeing Jian Yi's distant gaze, he gently called her, "Sister, we've dug up more than thirty of them. Should we head back now?"
Jian Yi returned from her wandering thoughts and nodded slightly. "Alright, let's put these traps back on and then head back."
This was entirely within Chen Junsheng's knowledge blind spot, so he followed Jian Yi's lead. They placed the backpacks by the dirt road they had taken earlier and then took the animal traps, venturing further into the lush forest to set them up.