Li Ba, a graduate of Huaxia Agricultural University, was the sales manager at a well-known seed company in Wucheng before the apocalypse. When the apocalypse struck and order collapsed, the naturally timid Li Ba faced life-and-death situations and managed to scrape by and survive. By chance, he set aside the rules of post-apocalyptic survival to save a grandfather and his granddaughter, and in return, he received a magical bracelet. The bracelet contained a universe within—a plot of land, a stone trough brimming with spring water, and a Tower—all of which opened up a mysterious realm for him. What to do when food runs out? “My Fengshou Group has mountains of grain—I’ll trade it for crystal cores and jade!” Li Ba declared arrogantly. What to do when zombies attack the city? “The mutated plants cultivated by ‘Lord Ba’ can withstand a tide of a million zombies!” Li Ba said with absolute confidence. What if you’re not an Evolver and someone challenges you to a one-on-one duel? “I’ve got talismanic soldiers guarding me. Anyone who dares challenge me will get beaten so badly, even their own mother won’t recognize them!” said Li Ba, his bald head revealing a menacing expression as he spoke viciously. Using the mysterious space and his expertise, Li Ba cultivated crops and tended fields, determined to become a major farmer in the world of *Horse Herding* and pursue a happy life in the post-apocalyptic world.
Chapter 38: Illustrated Encyclopedia
of Mutant Creatures The importance of crystal cores and jade to the bracelet’s storage space goes without saying. With that in mind, Li Ba decided to launch a buying campaign starting tomorrow. Setting crystal cores aside, jade was valuable before the apocalypse, but its worth has now plummeted. With basic subsistence still unmet, luxury items like jade hold limited value. Li Ba had once seen someone at the market hawking a jadeite bracelet for no more than a few dozen jin of grain coupons. With his current wealth, he could certainly buy them up in bulk. This unexpected windfall delighted Li Ba immensely. Afterward, he also inspected the corpse of the mutated dog. The body lay on the ground in front of the Tower; fearing that the crystal core inside its head might be absorbed by the soil, Li Ba checked it several times. Only after confirming that the crystal core inside the mutated dog’s head was intact did he leave the bracelet’s storage space with peace of mind. Not long after, Shitou sent someone over with a book. It was titled *Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mutant Creatures*, an official publication from the Settlement. Upon opening it, he had to admit that the encyclopedia was very well-produced. The first page was the table of contents, which meticulously divided mutant creatures into three major categories. The first category was zombies. The book provided detailed descriptions accompanied by illustrations. Zombies were further subdivided into three categories: ordinary zombies, which were the most numerous; and mutated zombies, which were subdivided into two types—agile zombies and strength-type zombies. The mutated zombie Li Ba encountered today was an agile-type mutated zombie. This type of zombie can continuously evolve by devouring flesh and blood. The lowest level is Level 1; so far, Xibu officials have discovered agile-type zombies up to Level 3. The primary characteristics of agile zombies are their speed, razor-sharp claws and fangs, and extremely powerful attacks. Even the lowest-level agile zombie moves five times faster than an ordinary person, and with claws as sharp as knives, it is an absolute nightmare for anyone who encounters it. It is extremely difficult even for an Evolver to kill one. The Level 1 agile zombie Li Ba encountered today was, fortunately, half-crippled, which greatly diminished its strength. Otherwise, with a speed more than five times that of an ordinary person, it could have taken Li Ba’s life in an instant. He silently thanked his lucky stars. Li Ba flipped through the pages one by one. Agility-type zombies reach Level 3, at which point their strength multiplies—they move ten times faster than an ordinary person, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye, and can even dodge bullets. He cursed under his breath, calling them “freaks.” Li Ba continued reading. Next came the Strength-type zombies. These creatures looked like giants; even the lowest-level Strength-type zombie stood two meters tall. Their skin had evolved into a keratinous layer, giving them extremely strong defense capable of withstanding gunfire. With boundless strength, they charged like human tanks, unstoppable and invincible. In addition to ordinary zombies and mutated zombies, there was a third category: anomalous zombies. These were extremely rare and possessed various mutated abilities; their strength was so great that they were the stuff of nightmares for Evolvers. The illustrated guide doesn’t go into much detail about this type of zombie; presumably, the Settlement authorities don’t have much information on them either. After introducing the zombies, we move on to the second category: mutated beasts. To date, official records list more than thirty types of mutated beasts. “Mutated beasts” is a general term; they are specifically divided into three major categories: mutated beasts, mutated birds, and mutated insects. Among these, Mutant Beasts and Mutant Birds possess a high level of sentience; though they have violent temperaments, they can potentially be domesticated by humans. In particular, pre-apocalyptic human pets such as cats and dogs have an extremely high chance of being domesticated. As for mutated insects, they are classified by settlement authorities as creatures even more terrifying than zombies. They possess little intelligence, acting solely on biological instinct. They are gregarious, and following genetic mutation, they have become immensely powerful. Should anyone intrude upon their territory, they swarm and attack with frenzied ferocity—even the most powerful Evolvers cannot withstand them. The most representative examples of these mutated insects are the mutated wasps and mutated ants. They inhabit mountains and forests and do not actively attack humans, but the moment anyone sets foot in their territory, they will unleash a frenzied slaughter. According to official records, even the most common mutated beasts are more powerful than Evolutionaries or zombies of the same level. Among these, Li Ba specifically looked up the records regarding mutated dogs. The authorities at the settlement spoke very highly of the mutated dogs. Every adult mutated dog possessed the strength of a Level 2 Evolver. A few special breeds could even match the strength of a Level 3 Evolver. “That’s amazing!” Li Ba grinned widely. If that were true, he’d have to treat the puppy better and raise it with care. Based on the maturation cycle of canines, the puppy would reach adulthood in a year or two at most. By then, he’d have a powerful ally. Next came the introduction to mutated plants. Generally speaking, mutated plants fall into two major categories. One category consists of edible mutated plants, which is the collective term for mutated grains and mutated fruits. The other category consists of non-edible mutated plants. There are many varieties of non-edible mutant plants, which are further subdivided into aggressive mutant plants and harmless mutant plants. The most unique are the aggressive mutant plants; their genes have mutated due to viral infection, giving them neural responses similar to those of animals. Once disturbed or attacked, they will launch assaults on intruders in various ways. According to official records from the settlement, there are more than ten types of these aggressive mutant plants. Some emit toxic gases to launch passive attacks, while others, resembling carnivorous plants, launch active attacks to capture prey. They are impossible to guard against, and the danger they pose to humans is even greater than that of mutant beasts. “Aggressive mutant plants…” Li Ba’s interest was piqued. He made up his mind: once he finished his current tasks and had some free time, he would thoroughly study these aggressive mutant plants. Who knows—they might bring him some unexpected surprises. At the end of this official illustrated guide, there is a detailed explanation of Evolvers. In some respects, human Evolvers share similarities with zombies and can be divided into three major categories: ordinary Evolvers, psychic Evolvers, and mutated Evolvers. Ordinary Evolvers are almost identical to mutated zombies, divided into two types: Agility-type and Strength-type. After awakening, Agility-type Evolvers possess five times the speed of an ordinary person. Strength-type Evolvers possess five times the strength of an ordinary person. After awakening, Special Ability Evolvers not only experience enhanced physical capabilities but also gain special abilities such as water, fire, wind, and lightning, making them far more powerful than ordinary Evolvers. The third category consists of Mutant Evolvers, whose numbers are extremely small. According to official statistics from the settlements, there is at most one Mutant Evolver for every thousand Evolvers. Their primary characteristic is that a part of their body has mutated, granting them superpowers beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Official records contain very little information about this type of Mutant Evolver—merely a few brief sentences. This may be due to a lack of data, or perhaps because the superpowers of these Evolvers are considered too critical and are treated as classified information by the authorities, which is why they are not publicly disclosed. All three types of Evolvers can enhance their strength by absorbing crystal cores. According to official records from Xibu, the most powerful Evolver to date has reached Level 4. Li Ba sighed. He didn’t have much ambition; he’d be perfectly content just to become an ordinary Evolver. He thought to himself that once he’d paid off Zhou Yan’s debt, got the supply store’s business up and running, and had some funds on hand, he’d look into it himself to see if he could get his hands on a Purification Potion and try his luck! That night, he read through the *Illustrated Encyclopedia of Mutant Creatures* several times, committing it to memory before finally going to bed. Just before sleeping, he made a trip to the bathroom. There, he found the bean sprouts he’d tried to grow a couple of days earlier. Sprouting beans is simple. Take two large plastic basins, poke countless holes in the bottoms, fill them with soaked soybeans and mung beans, and cover them with gauze. Water them a few times a day, and under normal circumstances, sprouts will emerge in three or four days. Li Ba prepared two batches as a test. He watered one basin with hot spring water and the other with water mixed with a small amount of Spirit Spring water. When he lifted the gauze, he found that the beans soaked in hot spring water had an extremely low germination rate; most of them had rotted and spoiled, filling the air with a sour, foul odor. When the other pot was uncovered, it was filled to the brim with mung bean sprouts. Each sprout was four or five inches long and thriving. Li Ba silently praised the result. The Spirit Spring from his spatial pocket was indeed effective. Before the apocalypse, mung bean sprouts this large were virtually impossible to grow unless soaked in urea-based fertilizer solution. Yet the sprouts he had cultivated were completely natural, without any added hormones or fertilizers. After draining the water, Li Ba weighed the sprouted mung beans on an electronic scale. Two jin of mung beans had yielded a full, large basin of sprouts—nearly twenty jin. In the post-apocalyptic world, fresh vegetables were even more expensive than grain. Under normal circumstances, one jin of vegetables required three jin of grain coupons. In other words, at market prices, the bean sprouts produced from two jin of beans could bring him nearly sixty times the profit! Even if he sold them at a bargain price—one jin of bean sprouts for one jin of grain coupons—he’d still make a tenfold profit. It was practically more profitable than growing mutated crops! “This is a surefire way to get rich quick!” A delighted smile spread across Li Ba’s chubby face. Afterward, he sprang into action. The dozens of large plastic tubs he’d bought earlier at the market were all put to use for sprouting beans, in preparation for the opening of his supply store.
