Chapter 76 Professor Ye’s Guidance

Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Professor Ye’s Guidance

"A boat..."

Professor Ye and Su Mingke stood on the deck, looking around the space filled with various supplies, their faces revealing surprised expressions.

When they were still nursing headaches over food and clothing, had this person already found a boat and prepared an evacuation plan?

For a moment, the two felt a mix of complex emotions.

Meanwhile, Xu Ming steered the sailboat to avoid obstacles along the way. Their speed was much faster than when they came. Agricultural and Forestry University was several kilometers away from Biyun Resort. Adding to the careful detours to avoid underwater obstacles, the journey would take some time. The ride was silent.

"Mr. Han, we’re almost there." After a while, Xu Ming’s reminder came from the cabin.

Han Ning looked up.

Near Biyun Resort, in a deeper area of water away from the Fog Area, over a dozen boats of various sizes were moored, Scattered about. This was the fleet led by Chairman Wu. Some figures in raincoats were rowing small boats or simply swimming, slowly transporting supplies from the ships toward the resort.

"The underwater area ahead is full of collapsed low houses and street facilities. If we go further, the water depth will probably be less than two meters. The Wind Chaser has a draft of nearly two meters when fully loaded. With the underwater debris, it could run aground at any time.

"But I estimate that it won’t be long before the floodwaters spread outside the resort. When the time comes, we can sail the boat directly over there," Xu Ming said.

Setting aside the continuous torrential rain, the flood spreading through the city ruins generally flowed from the west, south, and east, slowly submerging toward the north. However, there were some exceptions, depending entirely on the terrain of this Otherworld landmass. The terrain was uneven, so the internal water depths naturally varied.

Xu Ming steadily turned the steering wheel and began to slow down, looking at Han Ning. "Mr. Han, we can only stop here. If we go further, the boat won’t be able to move."

"Yes, let’s stop here." Han Ning nodded in agreement.

Xu Ming maneuvered the Wind Chaser into this temporary anchorage, stopping alongside a few other boats. He blew the whistle to signal their mooring, then shut off the diesel engine and dropped the anchor.

In the distance, the outlines of some buildings loomed in the rain and fog. The figures busy transferring supplies looked like a colony of ants struggling in the apocalyptic flood.

Considering that Old Xu and Yu Na had been exhausted after working for a day and a night, Han Ning didn’t plan to transport the supplies on the boat back today.

"Snow cake, you stay in the water nearby and keep an eye on our supplies. Don’t let anyone get close or take anything."

"ROAR!"

Snow cake raised its large head and gave a low response to show it understood.

It shifted its massive body and jumped into the water. Half of its head poked out from the surface as it secretly observed the boat. Compared to the stuffy indoors, this open water was actually much more suitable for its activities. Snow cake had eaten a lot of crab and fish meat along the way, so its stomach wasn’t too empty right now.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Over a dozen vines extended from Han Ning’s side, wrapping around the sealed boxes containing seeds and experimental equipment. They steadily lifted them up, suspending them half a meter above the water’s surface.

"Let’s go." Han Ning glanced at Yu Na and Su Mingke. Wrapping his arms around Xu Ming and Professor Ye—the two ordinary people—he was the first to jump into the water.

Su Mingke hesitated for a moment but still followed.

Back at Biyun Resort.

Xu Ming let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing. Dragging his exhausted body, he pushed open the door to his room.

"Dad!"

The moment the door opened a crack, a tiny figure immediately rushed out and plunged headfirst into Xu Ming’s soaking wet embrace. It was Xu Yinyin.

The little girl’s eyes were red, and her small face still bore wet tear stains. Obviously, she had been terribly frightened over the past day and night. She tightly hugged Xu Ming’s waist, burying her face in his clothes that smelled of rainwater and sweat.

"Dad, you’re finally back! Yinyin was so scared..." she said, her voice muffled and tearful.

Xu Ming’s heart ached. He quickly squatted down and hugged his daughter tightly. His large, rough hands gently patted her back.

"Be a good girl, Yinyin. Dad is fine. Dad is back.

"I’m sorry for making Yinyin worry," he said in a hoarse voice.

Standing behind them, Han Ning looked around the room and saw a few torn biscuit wrappers and empty water bottles in the corner. He knew these were the food and water Xu Ming had left for his daughter in advance.

"Yinyin is amazing. You stayed alone for so long and even knew how to ration your food."

Xu Ming rubbed his daughter’s soft hair, his tone full of affection. "Dad promises you that I’ll try my best not to leave for so long in the future."

"Mhm!" Xu Yinyin nodded vigorously and lifted her small face. Although her eyes were still red, a relieved smile had already bloomed on her face. "Dad is the most awesome, and Uncle Han is also so amazing!"

"How am I amazing?" Han Ning pretended to be curious and asked.

"Um... it’s just... just," Xu Yinyin tilted her head and whispered, "Uncle Han can command the big crocodile and can also release green branches to protect Dad and me. Of course you’re amazing!"

"Yinyin is also very amazing and brave. You weren’t afraid staying at home all by yourself." Han Ning couldn’t help but reach out and pinch Xu Yinyin’s flushed cheeks.

Receiving Han Ning’s praise, Xu Yinyin shyly shrank back into her father’s embrace, her small face filled with happiness.

Professor Ye and Su Mingke silently watched this scene. This was the first time they had seen such a gentle side of Han Ning.

Han Ning told Xu Ming and Yu Na to go back and rest. He then led Professor Ye and Su Mingke to his own room.

He carefully placed the seed boxes in a relatively dry corner of the living room. This was the luxury suite reassigned to him by Lin Qianqian. It was very spacious, so even with some miscellaneous items around, it didn’t feel crowded.

"You two, there are clean towels and basins over there. You can do a simple wipe-down and change into dry clothes. Well... they are all men’s clothes. Our conditions are limited, so you’ll have to make do," Han Ning said, pointing toward the bathroom, where there were some spare clothes and towels he had collected earlier.

The suite had two bathrooms—one large and one small—with wet and dry areas separated. Professor Ye and Su Mingke were completely soaked and covered in muddy water, which was indeed uncomfortable. The two did not decline. They took the towels and the two sets of fairly clean old clothes Han Ning found, went to the bathrooms for a quick wash, and changed out of their wet garments.

Professor Ye was a man, so changing into a slightly large jacket and sweatpants didn’t look out of place. Su Mingke was a woman, but she changed into a neutral windbreaker paired with sweatpants, which made her look heroic and capable.

By the time the two tidied themselves up and came out, Han Ning was already standing by the small planting area on the balcony. Previously, while hunting on the outskirts of the Fog Area, he had gradually moved the supplies from the apartment building to this place over several trips.

He pointed at the Red Mist Tomato plant, which was flowing with a faint red light in the dim environment, and said to Professor Ye, "Professor Ye, take a look at this."

Professor Ye’s gaze was immediately attracted by this peculiar tomato plant. He quickly walked over, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

As a veteran agricultural expert, he acutely sensed the unusual nature of this tomato. The leaves were thicker and greener, the stem was exceptionally thick, and the thin red mist lingering on the surface of the plant was simply unheard of. A strange aura permeated the air.

"Is... is this a tomato?" Professor Ye’s voice was filled with surprise. "But... how could it..."

"This is a plant I mutated using my ability.

"It underwent a certain mutation. Once mature, it will emit this red mist, which has a significant impact on the Spirit of monsters. The effect is very strong. At the same time, its demand for soil nutrients and water during its growth process has become terrifyingly high," Han Ning explained.

After detailing the tomato’s mutation process, he looked at Professor Ye with a serious gaze.

"To make it mature, I consumed all the nutrient soil I had in reserve. Ordinary soil simply cannot support its growth.

"Therefore, I want to consult you. Given our current conditions, is there a way to artificially produce or improve a type of soil that has extremely high nutritional value, enough to support this kind of mutated crop—and even allow ordinary crops to undergo Accelerated Growth and yield more?"

This was the first question he threw at Professor Ye.

Hearing Han Ning’s explanation, Professor Ye fell into deep thought. He extended a finger and carefully touched the thick, green leaves of the tomato. Then, he pinched a bit of the hardened, nutrient-depleted soil residue from the pot and sniffed it near his nose.

"The reason this tomato is stimulating to monsters is likely due to a mutation in the lycopene it releases. That can be considered a normal direction for mutation," he said, looking up at Han Ning and dropping the soil residue from his hand. "Mr. Han, your ability is equivalent to a powerful, directional inducing factor. It sped up its growth process, extremely transforming and enriching Energy and matter in a short period, which ultimately led to this peculiar mutation.

"As for the soil, in the absence of modern industrial fertilizers and precision instruments, we can only return to the most primitive and reliable method—composting."

"Composting?" Han Ning raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, using microorganisms to break down organic matter and convert it into nutrients that plants can absorb," Professor Ye nodded.

He began to elaborate in detail. "Generally speaking, composting requires the following key materials.

"First, ’green materials’ rich in nitrogen. These are mainly fresh plant residues, such as various weeds we can find along the way, tender leaves and stems of aquatic plants, or even relatively soft, easily decomposable tree leaves. These items are rich in nitrogen Elements and can speed up microbial reproduction.

"Well... assuming that the Natural Rules of this world haven’t drastically changed from our home planet.

"Second, ’brown materials’ containing carbon. These are dry substances with a high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, such as dead branches, fallen leaves, dried weeds, sawdust, and even paper or cardboard. These provide a carbon skeleton, balance the nitrogen, and prevent the compost from stinking.

"Third, ’additives’ containing minerals. Wood ash, crushed eggshells, fish and animal bones, or even mineral-rich soil and rock powder. These provide plants with essential trace Elements."

"Professor Ye, I have an idea..."

Listening to Professor Ye talk about the three elements, a thought immediately struck Han Ning. Plant residues, tender leaves of aquatic plants... Wasn’t that exactly the Seaweed Fruit he had just obtained?