Chapter 53: Someone Has Broken In

By the time Jiang Yan finished her meal at a leisurely pace, it was already eight in the evening.

But in this space, there was never any real distinction between day and night—right now, it was still bright and sunny.

After more than twenty days of cramming and intensive training, she decided to give herself a break tonight.

For example, she could use this time to test what she’d learned about agricultural planting.

The main thing was, the patch of black soil outside the apple pod had been left fallow for quite a while.

There was only a single rose bush she’d brought in from the villa for testing, blooming all alone and looking rather pitiful.

She wasn’t lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables, but she wanted to put her knowledge into practice.

With that in mind, Jiang Yan focused her thoughts and took out some vegetable seeds from the [Storage Area].

These included cabbage, bok choy, tomatoes, peppers, corn, cucumbers, Chinese broccoli, and chives.

If you plant chive seeds directly in the soil, the germination rate is very low.

Following what she’d learned from a video, she took a small bowl, added a shallow layer of water, and soaked the seeds.

After soaking for two or three days, she could plant them, and then enjoy the endless cycle of harvesting and regrowth.

The other seeds—cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, corn—were much easier. She simply scattered them lightly over the soil and planned to spray them with water each day.

Once the seedlings sprouted, she could pick the stronger ones and transplant them to designated areas.

Jiang Yan thought that, when she had time, she should look for some bricks or white nursery fences to divide up the large patch of black soil.

Something like a fruit area, a flower area, a vegetable area, and a medicinal herb area.

That way, not only would it look neat and pretty, but it would also be easier to manage.

She’d already checked—the black soil was naturally a bit moist, so she only needed to sprinkle a little water when watering.

But for now, she could only use stored tap water, maybe adding some nutrient solution.

Actually, this kind of water wasn’t great for planting.

Over time, the soil would easily become compacted and clumpy.

If only she could find some natural spring water.

That thought reminded her—she’d definitely heard the sound of water in this space before.

But strangely, she’d never actually seen a river anywhere.

The sound seemed to come from the border between the white [Living Area] and the black [Planting Area], and sometimes, near the edge of the white mist at the top, she could faintly hear the gurgling of water.

It felt like there was a spring and a slender stream somewhere.

But right now, they were completely invisible.

Jiang Yan suspected that this space still held mysteries she hadn’t figured out—just like the thick white mist encircling it.

How could she make them visible?

How could she disperse the white mist?

Could she expand the area of her space?

She puzzled over these three questions, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

She decided that in a couple of days, when she wasn’t busy, she’d read a few post-apocalyptic novels to see if she could get any inspiration.

The vegetable seeds were quickly sown. She then took out a small packet of rose seeds and soaked them in a bowl of water as well.

She planned to plant these soaked rose seeds in a ring around the black soil in two days.

That way, when the vines grew and bloomed, she could weave them into a fence—not only beautiful, but pleasantly fragrant.

If she added a white or green nursery fence, it would be perfect.

The area of black soil closest to the apple pod, Jiang Yan planned to turn into a garden.

That way, when she woke up in the morning, she could look out the window at the flowers and greenery, and it would lift her mood.

With a thought, she took out peony, tulip, lily, daisy, hyacinth, gardenia, peace lily, bird of paradise, and rose bulbs and seedlings from the [Storage Area].

These were all ready-to-plant bulbs and saplings.

Jiang Yan used a small trowel to dig holes, planted the bulbs and seedlings, and covered them with soil using a little rake.

She planted a small patch of each.

She’d already seen the black soil’s miraculous effect on roses.

But when she planted the peonies and saw their leaves suddenly turn a deep, lush green, she was still stunned for a moment.

After all, peonies are notoriously hard to grow, very picky about soil and climate.

As far as she could remember, the only place in Anming City where peonies were professionally cultivated was a small patch in the city’s botanical garden.

Jiang Yan suddenly felt like she was taking an agricultural exam, but the black soil was constantly helping her cheat.

In short, no matter how poor her technique, these seedlings would thrive as soon as they touched the soil.

Well, she might as well focus on getting familiar with the planting process.

By the time she finished all this, two hours had passed.

The black soil patch was about a third the size of a soccer field, but she’d only planted vegetables over an area about a quarter the size of a basketball court.

As for the garden area, it was at most a third of a basketball court.

It wasn’t that she didn’t have the energy to plant the rest—she just wanted to wait until these vegetables sprouted and the flowers bloomed before continuing.

After all, this was her first time ever planting anything.

Standing beside the black soil, looking at the small patches of land she’d watered, Jiang Yan felt a real sense of accomplishment.

If you don’t treat planting and gardening as work, it’s actually quite healing and relaxing—just a bit hard on your back and legs.

Jiang Yan put away her gardening tools, took off her muddy rain boots, and headed straight for the bathroom.

After washing up and drying her hair, she lay on a lounge chair by the outdoor pool and read for a while. When it was almost eleven, she finally left the space.

Outside, it was pitch dark, with thunder and lightning and torrential rain.

But she still decided to sleep outside tonight.

For many people, this was destined to be a sleepless night.

Some were worried that this rain, like the previous heatwave, would only get worse.

But others were still caught up in the excitement and adrenaline of having survived the heatwave.

For Jiang Yan, though, what she felt most was the realness of being back in the world.

After turning off the softly glowing nightlight, she got up and pulled open the blackout curtains in her bedroom.

Out of habit, she glanced outside—and noticed some figures darting around the central garden of the complex.

Yes, darting.

And the direction they were heading was toward Building A, the tallest building in the whole residential area.

The rain was coming down so hard and thick that you wouldn’t notice anything if you weren’t looking closely.

But Jiang Yan’s senses had been enhanced by the space, and the people outside were moving in a relay, one pulling another, making them stand out.

Otherwise, at this distance and from a low floor, she would never have noticed.

Besides, at this hour…

It was definitely suspicious.

She picked up her pad and pulled up the first-floor surveillance feed.

Sure enough, the main entrance of Building A, which had been locked by property management, had been pried open.

The water level had already risen above the three layers of sandbags at the door, flooding up to about an adult’s calf.

Judging by that, the water in the garden outside must be at least waist-deep.

Inside the entrance, a group of people with families and luggage were hunched over, wading through the water and sneaking toward the stairwell.

From the way they moved, they clearly weren’t residents of this complex.

And all heading straight for the tallest building—way too obvious.

She frowned slightly, picked up her binoculars from the nightstand, and looked toward the entrance of the complex.

Sure enough, there were still people climbing over the wall into the community.

At the gate, people were tossing suitcases and all sorts of luggage over the fence.

Those who’d already climbed in were waiting below to catch them.

It looked organized and disciplined.

Normally, the perimeter of the complex was lined with electrified, spiked wire and surveillance cameras.

But now, both were basically useless.

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