Chapter 75 Taken Away

Chapter 75: Chapter 74: Taken Away

About half an hour later, all the targeted seeds had been collected.

After taking stock, the group had gathered a massive haul. They had about thirty pounds of various rice seeds; twenty-five pounds of corn seeds and twenty pounds of wheat seeds; and about ten pounds each of miscellaneous grains like soybeans, peanuts, and mung beans. They also found five to ten bottles or bags of common vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, cabbages, spinach, and radishes. Furthermore, there were seeds for cash crops like cotton, as well as flowers and medicinal herbs, filling two entire crates.

Six heavy, airtight plastic crates were placed before Han Ning. These were seeds intended for experiments, not sold in massive bulk bags like those found in commercial stores. In addition, there were four crates filled with various lab supplies. The bulky equipment couldn’t be moved, but the smaller experimental apparatuses were easy enough to take away. This would make conducting experiments much more convenient. With so many seeds, he had enough to research for quite a while.

Han Ning waved his hand, signaling a few students to help carry the crates. "Let’s head back."

Goal achieved, the group returned to the dormitory. Although they hadn’t stopped to scavenge the convenience stores and small supermarkets along the way, the strongest monster had already been defeated by Han Ning. Aside from the initial fright, everyone was in fairly good spirits.

Back inside the dormitory building, Han Ning gestured for the students to set the crates down beside him and turned to Zou Yu. "As agreed, you need to provide an expert well-versed in agronomy."

Zou Yu nodded. Looking toward the back of the crowd, he called out in a deep voice, "Professor Ye, please come here for a moment."

The crowd parted, and an older man in his fifties stepped forward. His skin was tanned dark, and his face bore the weathered marks of time and hardship.

Zou Yu introduced him. "This is Professor Ye Yuan, a senior professor at our university’s College of Agronomy. He specializes in crop genetics, breeding, and cultivation technology. He also has profound expertise in soil improvement and comprehensive pest and disease control. He is a true expert in the field."

While Zou Yu made the introductions, Han Ning was already sizing up Professor Ye. The man’s dark, rough skin and steady demeanor matched Han Ning’s exact mental image of an agronomy expert who spent his days toiling in the fields.

"Professor Ye, are you an ordinary person?" Han Ning asked, giving a slight nod.

"Yes." Professor Ye nodded.

Han Ning didn’t dwell on whether the professor was an Awakened. He wasn’t looking for a combat partner, anyway. Researching crops generally didn’t require great combat strength; having awakened abilities would be a bonus, but not having them was perfectly fine.

"To ensure you keep your end of the bargain and to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings, Teacher Su will need to accompany me for the time being—at least until I can verify that Professor Ye truly possesses the expertise I need." He glanced at Su Mingke, who stood nearby. "Once I’ve confirmed his skills, I will naturally let her return safely."

"You!" Zou Yu’s expression changed drastically.

"Teacher Su!" Several anxious gasps rippled through the crowd.

Before anyone could react, two vines shot out from in front of Han Ning with a loud WHOOSH, instantly wrapping tightly around the waists of Professor Ye and Su Mingke.

"What are you doing?" Su Mingke subconsciously struggled, but the immense strength of the vines rendered her completely immobile. Professor Ye, on the other hand, appeared unusually calm. His body tensed slightly, but he allowed the vines to bind him.

Han Ning wrapped one arm around Professor Ye, who had been pulled close by the vines, and used his other arm to secure the struggling Su Mingke. The remaining vines seized the crates beside him. With a swift, agile maneuver, he leaped down the stairwell.

"Teacher Su!"

"Mingke!"

"Professor Ye!"

"Stop him!"

"Halt!"

Zou Yu and several quick-reacting Awakened cried out in alarm, instinctively trying to give chase. However, as they rushed to the entrance of the stairwell, they were met only with the sight of the relentless torrential rain and murky, churning waters. There was no trace of Han Ning and his two captives.

"Bastard!"

"Brother Zou, what do we do?" someone asked, their eyes red with anxiety as they looked at a livid Zou Yu.

"We have to chase him! We can’t let him take Teacher Su and Professor Ye away!" another person shouted emotionally.

"Chase him where? Do you even know where he went?!" a third person replied, their voice tinged with despair.

Chaos erupted in the stairwell. Zou Yu’s hands were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white. His chest heaved violently as he stared in the direction Han Ning had disappeared, his eyes filled with inner conflict.

"Brother Zou, hurry up and make a decision! If we wait any longer, we won’t be able to catch up," a companion urged anxiously.

Zou Yu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them a few seconds later, his gaze had returned to an eerie calm. He turned around, facing the varying expressions of the crowd, and spoke. "Let it go!"

"Let it go?" The crowd stared at him in disbelief.

"You all saw that monster’s strength. We simply can’t stop him. Rushing out and clashing with him is nothing but a suicide mission; it will only lead to more casualties." He paused for a moment, his voice suddenly pitching higher. "The only thing we can do right now is get stronger! Only by becoming stronger than him can we protect the people we care about! Only then can we survive in this fucked-up world and have the right to talk about the future!"

Outside the building, Han Ning controlled his vines to hoist the crates in mid-air. He glanced back at the dormitory building and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"What an act." He had walked right past those people in broad daylight. They clearly had time to stop him, and though they all wore expressions of extreme anxiety, in reality, not a single one had dared to take a step forward. "It seems your friends have no intention of saving you," Han Ning remarked with a smile.

Su Mingke pursed her lips and turned her head away, remaining silent.

"Heh." Professor Ye shook his head and offered a bitter smile.

Han Ning brought Professor Ye, Su Mingke, and the ten-odd heavy crates back to where the *Wind Chaser* was moored. With practiced ease, he first hoisted the seed crates onto the deck one by one.

Seeing this, Xu Ming, Yu Na, and snow cake quickly rushed over to help. Han Ning then grabbed Professor Ye and Su Mingke, vaulting over the ship’s rail and landing steadily on the slick, wet deck.

"Boss, you’re back—" Xu Ming’s words caught in his throat halfway through. His gaze landed on the dark-skinned, steady-looking older man and the pale, disgruntled young woman beside Han Ning. He looked back at his boss in confusion. "Wh... who are these two?"

Han Ning didn’t bother to explain. Instead, he gave a concise order: "We’ll talk when we get back. Put these things somewhere out of the rain. Old Xu, set sail."

Although Old Xu was brimming with questions, his boss’s commands were the highest priority. He immediately nodded. "Yes, Boss!" He hurried over to the helm and started the auxiliary diesel engine, simultaneously calling out to Yu Na to help retract the temporarily dropped anchor.

HOOT!

The deep blast of the ship’s horn echoed once again, piercing through the heavy curtain of rain. The *Wind Chaser* slowly turned around, leaving the shallow waters of the Agricultural and Forestry University behind. It re-entered the relatively open, deep-water channel, moving forward like a Wave Breaker toward Biyun Resort.