After arriving at the destination, Yue Hengyi had already traveled a considerable distance from Yuzhou. It was still pitch black all around. Normally, work was done during the day, but here, it was done in the early hours of the morning. Someone found a diesel generator from a mud-filled truck bed. With a pull of the rope, the diesel generator immediately roared to life, powering a light bulb. The dim, yellow light illuminated the limited surrounding land.
For Yue Hengyi, a powerful esper, being made to do manual labor here was a gross underutilization of his talents. His strongest abilities were meant for the battlefield, not for doing odd jobs in the rear.
However, Yue Hengyi needed to understand the general sentiment of most people around Shen Feng. Otherwise, even if he met Shen Feng later, he would be driven away before he could even present his plan, just like before.
Thus, Yue Hengyi began to work. It was pitiful that a top esper on a global scale now had only the option of doing menial labor. He himself didn't have many complaints, as he knew he was just experiencing life here. He wouldn't be working here forever.
Yue Hengyi held a hoe, wielding it with surprising agility. As an esper, even when doing manual labor, his strength was considerably greater than that of ordinary people. Seeing him work like this, the foreman nodded in satisfaction.
While working, Yue Hengyi overheard the discussions of the people around him. Many were talking about the future while working.
"Have you heard? It's a complete mess outside. God knows how many people have starved to death. Although it's hard for us to get enough to eat here, at least we won't starve. It's just a pity for my relatives back home; most of them probably won't survive!" someone exclaimed while swinging his hoe, seemingly grateful to have come to Yuzhou.
As this person spoke, the situation seemed to open up like a floodgate, and everyone began to discuss future matters.
"Who's not saying that? I never expected Yuzhou to be the last sanctuary. But everyone has to work hard to produce food."
"I heard the production base is still expanding, but it's lacking plastic, which is preventing rapid expansion!"
"There's nothing that can be done about it. After all, at this time, the oil production in the south has reached its limit, and there isn't enough sand here to easily make glass. I heard the City Lord plans to build wind power stations and food production bases in the future. This won't incur too much expense!"
Listening to the chatter, Yue Hengyi gradually understood that even ordinary people had their own judgments about the current situation. These ordinary people now yearned for a peaceful and stable life; nothing else mattered.
"It seems most people wish for this kind of life to continue, but they haven't considered how much happier they would be if they could return to the good old days!" Yue Hengyi made a basic judgment in his mind.
After digging for a long time, the sun had already risen from the east. As the sun emerged, the distant sky showed morning clouds, which were exceptionally red and vibrant, looking like a distant conflagration.
Under normal circumstances, morning clouds wouldn't be this vibrant during the day. In reality, this phenomenon was caused by a large amount of volcanic ash entering the stratosphere. This volcanic ash had formed an aerosol, which wouldn't settle easily and could block direct sunlight. After several refractions, when the sun rose, the distant morning clouds appeared even redder and more vibrant.
Yue Hengyi suddenly thought of a serious problem and quickly asked his father beside him, "Why aren't we using excavators to dig this soil? Wouldn't that be much faster? Is it because we're short on gasoline?"
"Look at our surroundings, and you'll understand why we have to dig this soil manually. If it were flat terrain, excavators would have been used long ago. Here, it's mostly hillsides or forests, where excavators are not easy to maneuver. It's also difficult to dig out the soil, so manual labor is the only option in these places," Yue Hengyi's father replied.
Yue Hengyi roughly understood the principle and continued to work hard. He worked for the entire morning, clearing a large amount of soil from an entire hillside, leaving only the hard, solid soil layers deep within. This soil was very tough, and only tree roots could penetrate it. However, due to the climate, many trees had already died, so leaving this soil layer was useless. It was better to send it to the production base.
By noon, food finally arrived. People carried large iron buckets, some containing dishes and others plain rice. Most of the buckets contained white rice, while the dishes were very simple: a lot of stewed potatoes and cabbage, with barely any visible oil.
"This doesn't seem very nutritious, does it? Eating a bowl of white rice and one dish, can this sustain people?" Yue Hengyi felt very uncomfortable upon seeing the food.
The nutrients humans need can be broadly categorized into six types. If any of these six nutrients are lacking, it can cause significant harm to the body. The food presented to him now, apart from starch and cabbage, contained no fat, no protein, and many other essential trace elements. Consuming such food long-term would certainly not be beneficial for the body, only enough to keep one alive.
"Since you know this food lacks nutrition, it means you still have the capacity for normal thought. So, I ask you, if we were to provide grain support to other places, would we still be able to eat this bowl of rice and one dish?" Yue Hengyi's father suddenly asked.
Yue Hengyi didn't know how to answer. He lowered his head and pondered. It was indeed true. Even Yuzhou, which had the ability to produce grain, had fallen to this state. If they were to provide grain support to other places, it would be asking the impossible, and famine could even occur here!
"But even if this is the reality, I don't believe my previous plan was wrong. Because only by ending this chaotic era can people live good lives, and the effort required during this period is worthwhile," Yue Hengyi continued.
"I didn't expect you to still have such thoughts. Then let's continue working. We'll likely head to the production base in the afternoon!" Yue Hengyi's father shook his head, surprised that his son hadn't changed his mind.
Digging up the surface soil on hillsides or hilly terrain was a very arduous task, but everyone worked with great enthusiasm. They knew that only by working diligently could they earn food, and they had to do so to support their families.
In the afternoon, a group of people boarded a truck. They sat on the soil in the truck bed, observing the surrounding scenery as they chatted and laughed on their way to the production base.
Since they all carried temporary work permits, they were not stopped when entering and exiting the production base. Yue Hengyi noticed many soldiers patrolling around the area covered with large plastic films, indicating strict security measures.
"It seems people here attach great importance to grain production, and are constantly vigilant against those with ill intentions approaching this place!" Yue Hengyi mused.
Afterward, people entered the vast production base and found numerous plastic greenhouses. People were entering and exiting these greenhouses. Some were harvesting crops, others were replacing soil, and more were collecting grain to be sun-dried elsewhere.
Therefore, a city with a population of millions was serving this production base. If this production base ceased to operate, it would become even more difficult to produce grain.
"Hurry up and replace the soil! Everyone, dig out the soil from where crops have been harvested and replace it with new soil! Gather the excavated soil and move it to other locations. Speed up, don't keep Qing Xian waiting!" someone was rapidly directing operations from a distance.
The people were now very busy and working non-stop, but even so, the pace was still too slow. After all, growing crops was not a simple matter. Besides replacing soil, there was also fertilization, root development, and the need to control temperature and water, maintaining a constant humidity in the air. Only then could crops survive.
Yue Hengyi witnessed a shocking scene. As he approached a plastic greenhouse, he saw countless crops growing rapidly inside. Many corn plants were planted there, and after sowing, they emerged from the soil within just a few minutes. Someone quickly began watering them, and under irrigation, these corn plants grew rapidly. Someone turned on an electric fan to disperse the pollen, and then these corn plants began to mature.
"This growth rate is truly astonishing! But why didn't Chang Jianyi use this ability to produce grain on a large scale before?" Yue Hengyi couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing the current growth rate of the crops, as it far exceeded human imagination.
As Yue Hengyi was lost in thought, he suddenly felt the atmosphere around him change. The scene of everyone busily working had instantly dispersed, replaced by rows of soldiers surrounding the area, their guns pointed at him.
"Where did you people come from? What are you doing here? Are you trying to cause trouble?" the leading soldier suddenly asked.
"You've misunderstood. We're just trying to earn a living. After working, we can get revenge and support our families. Is there anything wrong with that?" Yue Hengyi quickly defended himself.
"That's nonsense. We don't interfere with ordinary people trying to make a living. But you're an esper, and you're pretending to be ordinary. Speak up! What are your intentions, or we'll open fire!" the surrounding soldiers shouted loudly.
Yue Hengyi realized his disguise had been seen through, so he could only helplessly remove his mask and say, "Don't move. We're all on the same side. I have no ill intentions. I just wanted to see how you produce grain. I am Yue Hengyi, a friend of your City Lord!"
Upon recognizing his identity, the soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had been prepared for a fight with an esper, which might have resulted in heavy casualties. But even so, they would have had to fight, as these production bases represented everyone's hope. If that hope were destroyed, they would truly be guilty of a grave offense.
However, now that they saw the esper appearing in the production base was an old acquaintance, they relaxed.