In the bottom right corner of the TV screen, Chen Wei noticed the death toll and mutation statistics.
In the span of just one night, the death toll had skyrocketed to 13 million and was still climbing.
The number of mutations had reached a staggering 120,000.
Yet, the number of people who had evolved positively through mutation was less than 10,000—just over 8,000, to be precise.
"Brother, are those people on TV acting in a movie?"
Chen Wei was jolted from his thoughts by the voice of little MeiMei. She was pointing at the screen, where a mutated figure was being shown, and shouting.
Startled, Chen Wei quickly changed the channel.
But the new station was also updating viewers on the unfolding crisis.
"Experts have determined that the deaths of people, animals, and the withering of crops and plants are all due to the blood moon in the sky. The blood moon has emitted an unknown toxin, leading to widespread death and mutation..."
"The toxin has permeated the globe, with mortality rates in various countries soaring."
"Everyone is urged to stay indoors and avoid going out unnecessarily. Trust in our nation, trust in our government; they are equipped to handle this crisis."
"Military forces have taken control of cities affected by the mutations, implementing martial law."
"Our nation's scientists are diligently working to develop an antidote to the toxin. We ask the public to remain calm."
...
As news report after news report flashed across the TV, Chen Wei watched with a growing sense of dread.
It was clear that a global catastrophe had been unleashed.
"Phew... At least my sister and I have taken the toxin immunity medicine. We don't have to fear mutation."
Despite his heavy heart, Chen Wei breathed a sigh of relief. It was fortunate he had activated the system, ensuring he and his sister could survive in this apocalyptic world.
"Big onions, worth a fortune, pick up the phone, pick up the phone..."
Just then, Chen Wei's old cell phone began to ring. Its quirky ringtone was comically out of place.
He checked the caller ID and saw "Boss Li" displayed.
That was Li Depiao, the owner of the local grain depot where Chen Wei usually sold his crops. With Li Depiao calling now, Chen Wei had a hunch about the reason.
After a brief hesitation, Chen Wei answered the phone.
"Brother Chen Wei! You finally picked up. It's me, Big Bro Li! Li Depiao."
As soon as the call connected, Li Depiao's voice, thick with urgency, burst from the phone. Chen Wei listened, his eyebrows arching in response, and asked, "What's up, Boss Li? I know it's you. What do you need?"
Chen Wei's tone was less than friendly.
He didn't have much fondness for Li Depiao. The man was always finding fault with the grain he provided and, on top of that, would nickel and dime him on the price.
If Li Depiao weren't the only buyer in town, Chen Wei wouldn't bother with him at all.
"Here's the thing, Brother Wei, remember the three thousand kilos of grain you were going to sell me? I need it now. I'll come and haul it myself. As for the price, I'll pay double what we agreed on before," Li Depiao blurted out in haste.
Chen Wei couldn't help but scoff. He had suspected Li Depiao would come calling for grain, especially now that the apocalypse had dawned and crops were withering and dying. Food shortages had begun as of today.
"Sorry, Boss Li, that grain's already been sold to someone else," Chen Wei replied icily.
"What? Sold?"
Li Depiao was taken aback. Quickly collecting himself, he pleaded into the phone, "Brother Chen Wei, you're pulling my leg, right? You're still mad at me, aren't you? I'm sorry for any past wrongs, truly."
"Listen, I'll offer five times the price, no, ten times the original price for your grain. How does that sound?"
Chen Wei had no desire to prolong the conversation with Li Depiao. He shot back, "You're that desperate for my grain? You've run out at your granary?"
Li Depiao's voice cracked, almost sobbing.
"There's no grain left at my granary. The military took it all away first thing this morning."
Hearing this, Chen Wei's brows knit together.
The situation was graver than he'd thought. The government had begun to enforce militarized control, and their reach had extended to his small town.
"I'm sorry, it's already been sold," Chen Wei stated, paying no mind to Li Depiao's wails over the phone before promptly hanging up.
In a world where the apocalypse loomed, self-preservation was key. Only a fool would pass their food on to someone else.
Besides, he needed the grains he'd harvested to accumulate exchange points, which he planned to use for his sister's cancer treatment.
Time zipped by, and before he knew it, it was four in the afternoon. Chen Wei was growing increasingly impatient.
"Ding!"
[Alert: Your super farm's premium green vegetables are ripe. Please proceed to harvest!]
[Alert: Your super farm's premium sweet potatoes are ripe. Please proceed to harvest!]
At the sound of the system alerts, Chen Wei grabbed his hoe and dashed to the fields. Harvesting the green vegetables and sweet potatoes took him a solid two hours, as he had to dig out each sweet potato from the earth—a task that was far from easy, even for someone with ten times the strength of an average human.
[Congratulations to the Host: You have successfully harvested 500 kilograms of green vegetables!]
[Congratulations to the Host: You have successfully harvested 2000 kilograms of sweet potatoes!]
Chen Wei opened the system's recycling interface and began selecting items to recycle. He had been anticipating this moment, but he opted to recycle only 450 kilograms of green vegetables and 1900 kilograms of sweet potatoes, keeping the rest for sustenance.
[The system has recycled 450 kilograms of premium green vegetables, awarding you 450 exchange points.]
[The system has recycled 1900 kilograms of premium sweet potatoes, awarding you 1900 exchange points.]
With a fresh total of 2350 exchange points, Chen Wei wasted no time in choosing new seeds to exchange. This time, he was wiser, realizing that waiting 12 hours for a harvest was too slow. An acceleration potion was a must.
[Congratulations to the Host: You have successfully exchanged for two packets of premium cabbage seeds, deducting 100 exchange points.]
[Congratulations to the Host: You have successfully exchanged for four packets of premium sweet potato seeds, deducting 200 exchange points.]
[Congratulations to the Host: You have successfully exchanged for four packets of premium corn seeds, deducting 200 exchange points.]
[Congratulations, Host: You've successfully redeemed 10 bottles of ordinary acceleration potion, with 500 exchange points deducted.]
Cabbage, sweet potatoes, and corn are all high-yield crops. The system processes their recycling by weight, and Chen Wei cleverly exploited a loophole, specifically targeting the heavier crops for exchange.
_____
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