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 46: Professionalism
Business was booming thanks to the grand opening promotions. Although a few minor incidents occurred during the event, they were quickly resolved and didn’t dampen the customers’ enthusiasm in the slightest. At 8:00 p. m. Time to close up shop. Li Ba sat in his executive chair, crossing one leg over the other, a cigarette hanging from his lips, looking utterly content. On the desk in front of him lay a pile of grain coupons of various denominations. Zhou Yan, accompanied by the “Sisters,” as well as Yan'er, Dangfang, and Xiaofang, were all counting the coupons with excited expressions on their faces. Far from being affected by this morning’s commotion, business had actually boomed, with the place packed to the brim. That bastard Li Chao—with Han Xue and Ding Qianqian keeping him in check—would definitely not dare to come by and cause trouble again. That was one headache temporarily resolved. As for the Public Security Squad, Deputy Captain Ning Chunming had pounded his chest and guaranteed before leaving that no one would cause trouble again. To express his gratitude, Li Ba had prepared plenty of fine liquor and cigarettes as a token of appreciation. Besides them, there was also Luo Jianguo. This so-called cousin, upon hearing about the disturbance, was furious and immediately went to the Management Committee to file a complaint. With him stepping in, those with ulterior motives would surely think twice. The trouble was temporarily averted! Glancing at the pile of grain coupons on the table, a faint smile played on Li Ba’s lips. As long as Harvest Trading Company stayed in business, it wouldn’t take long—within a month—for him to amass a substantial fortune. By then, with money in hand, he could freely hire some Evolvers to man the shop, bolstering his own strength and striking fear into the hearts of petty troublemakers. “Li Ge, we’ve finished counting everything.” Before long, more than a dozen thick stacks of grain coupons were neatly arranged in front of Da Fang and Xiao Fang. “How many?” Li Ba asked lazily. “A total of 16,842 jin and 6 liang of grain coupons!” Zhou Yan answered without hesitation. Looking at the stacks of grain coupons on the table, her eyes sparkled with joy; she was overjoyed. “Mm-hmm.” Li Ba nodded. This figure was right in line with his expectations. On the first day of business, with big opening-day discounts, the store was packed with customers—they sold over 1,600 jin of bean sprouts alone. They’d sold in a single day what he’d originally planned to sell over three days. They’d sold over 4,000 jin of rice, and large quantities of ham, daily necessities, firearms, ammunition, and other items had also flown off the shelves. The store’s warehouse was nearly half empty. At this rate, it would take no more than five days to sell off all of Li Ba’s current stock. Of course, with Luo Jianguo as his contact, supplies could be brought in continuously—and at the lowest market prices. By evening, Li Ba had already notified Luo Jianguo. As dusk fell, Luo sent men to deliver two large truckloads of supplies. The shipment included a full range of in-demand goods—rice, meat, knives, firearms, and more—all at very low prices. As agreed between the two parties, Li Ba settled the payment for the firearms and ammunition delivered yesterday. As for today’s shipment, he would pay in full after sales were completed. By settling one shipment’s payment as the next one arrived, Li Ba’s Merchant House would have sufficient capital to keep operations running. “This is just the beginning. The days of making big money… are still ahead.” Li Ba took a deep drag, exhaled a wisp of smoke, and smiled broadly at Zhou Yan and the twin sisters. “Give up your restaurant and come work with me. I guarantee you’ll live the high life!” Compared to the Merchant House’s daily turnover of over ten thousand jin in grain coupons, there really wasn’t much point in Zhou Yan continuing to run her restaurant. “Well… how much will you pay us each month?” Zhou Yan’s eyes sparkled as she spoke; in her heart, she had already agreed. “Zhang Ting and Zhang Jie will get the same pay as Da Fang and Xiao Fang. As for you…” Li Ba stroked his chin, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “You’re all mine anyway, so let’s not talk about pay—it’ll just ruin the mood!” “I knew you’d be talking nonsense!” Zhou Yan spat out, though inside she was over the moon. Yan'er stood nearby, her big eyes blinking as if she hadn’t quite grasped what Uncle Li meant. Once she realized what he’d said, she lowered her head, a hint of sulkiness flitting across her face. Li Ba, of course, didn’t notice! With Zhou Yan and the “Sisters” on board, the task of sprouting bean sprouts was entirely handed over to them. Da Fang and Xiao Fang were in charge of store operations. Yan'er stuck to her old trade, watering the vegetables grown in the courtyard and tending to the poultry. Zhao Hongyun and his nine-member security team handled security. Li Ba acted as the mediator, keeping the big picture in check. The core team of the Bountiful Harvest Supply Store was taking shape! The Management Committee Building. Zhao Laifu paced back and forth in his office with his hands behind his back, his face dark with anger. “Uncle, we can’t just let this slide. We have to bring down the shop run by that slut Zhou Yan’s lover—otherwise, I’ll never be able to swallow my pride!” Zhao Shoudong stood by, fanning the flames and exaggerating the situation, egging Zhao Laifu on to take action against that group. He’d lost face today and had been given a stern warning by Ning Chunming, so he’d been seething with anger for quite some time. Zhao Laifu stopped in his tracks. A flash of malice crossed his greasy, plump face as he said slowly, “If it were just that kid Ning Chunming and Luo Jianguo from the Supply Department, I wouldn’t give them a second thought… But now that people from the Research Institute are involved, things have gotten complicated. We can’t act rashly!” Zhao Shoudong was displeased upon hearing this and said, “Second Uncle, you’re a member of the Management Committee, and with Zhao Kang’s influence in our family, giving us face is a courtesy, but not giving it is their right. Even if people from the Research Institute get involved, so what?” “You can’t put it that way!” Zhao Laifu waved his hand. “We can’t afford to offend the Research Institute… At the very least, we can’t fall out with them right now!” “Why?” “The evolution serums!” As Zhao Laifu uttered those four words, a burning desire couldn’t help but show on his face. Upon hearing this, Zhao Shoudong scratched his head and asked, somewhat puzzled, “Second Uncle, didn’t they say the Research Institute had already developed this stuff…? Not only is it outrageously expensive, but it’s only available to the higher-ups in the settlement. My rank isn’t high enough to get it, so I was actually planning to ask you to see if you could help me get a dose!” Zhao Laifu chuckled and said, “The Evolution Serum has indeed been developed, but it still has some significant flaws. The probability of helping an ordinary person evolve is only 20%, and this serum can only be taken once—after that, the body develops immunity to it. In other words, you only get one chance. If you don’t become an Evolver the first time, taking more of the serum won’t do any good.” “I see,” Zhao Shoudong said, a lightbulb going off in his mind. “Rumor has it that the Research Institute has begun developing a more perfect evolution serum, and they’ve made significant progress. I believe they’ll succeed very soon.” At this point, Zhao Laifu walked over to the window and gazed out at the afterglow of the setting sun. After a long while, he slowly added, “Since we only have one chance, why not wait until the perfected evolution serum is developed? We’ve got plenty of time…” Three days later. Near the southern part of the city, close to the mountains, lay a fertile grain field covering over a thousand mu. Most of it lay fallow, overgrown with weeds. A small section, however, was planted with crops such as rice, wheat, and sorghum. Under the scorching sun, these crops stood sparse and wilted, looking as though they were struggling to thrive. To the north stood a cluster of buildings—the official Research Institute established by the settlement’s authorities. Surrounded by high walls and a large compound, the area was heavily guarded, with Armed Police officers visible everywhere. Inside one of the Research Institute’s courtyards stood more than a dozen rows of greenhouses, each filled with various kinds of vegetables. Han Xue, wearing a mask and a white lab coat, stood beside a row of vegetable beds, her mind filled with astonishment. The entire row was planted with beans; in a large section of the plot, the bean seedlings looked listless, sparse, and lifeless. However, in a small section, the bean seedlings were thriving—vibrant green and full of vitality. “Axue！” Another young woman wearing a mask hurried over—it was Ding Qianqian. “What are the test results?” Han Xue asked immediately, her tone slightly urgent. “No signs of genetic mutation, but the cellular activity is extremely high—twice that of ordinary beans!” Ding Qianqian said as she handed Han Xue a lab report. “In other words, whether in terms of growth cycle or resilience to harsh environments, these bean seedlings are twice as robust as the varieties we’ve cultivated!” Han Xue glanced at the lab report and muttered to herself, “I really don’t get it. With the resources he has… how did he manage to breed such an outstanding bean variety?” “It’s easy—we’ll just go there and ask him!” Ding Qianqian said with a smile. That day, when they went to support Li Ba’s Merchant House, he gave her a few jin of bean sprouts as a parting gift. The bean sprouts were fresh, with their roots intact. Out of curiosity, Ding Qianqian transplanted all of them into the experimental greenhouse. To their surprise, in just three days, all the bean sprouts had taken root and were thriving, leaving both her and Han Xue utterly astonished. Subsequent lab tests yielded results that were even harder for them to believe. At that moment, they made up their minds to go to Li Ba’s place to get to the bottom of things. “Let’s go!” Driven by her professional dedication, Han Xue didn’t hesitate. Even if it meant enduring humiliation, she was determined to go to that detestable guy, get to the bottom of things, and find out the truth.
