The earth trembled with thunderous rumbles.
As it turned out, when danger struck without warning, humans couldn't react effectively within three seconds.
Lin Fan's mind went completely blank.
At that critical moment, Little Black let out a fierce roar and dashed out from beside his legs like a blur.
The size difference between the two was immense. If they collided, the outcome would be obvious.
But Little Black was like a fearless knight charging at a dragon, sword drawn, to protect his king!
Instead of grappling head-on with the mutated yellow bull, it used its smaller size and agility to weave around the beast like a swimming fish, its sharp fangs constantly tearing at the bull's already-ruptured flesh.
The yellow bull, enraged, changed targets and turned to trample the pesky wolfdog first.
Just then, a metallic figure flashed from the side.
Boom!
Under Lin Fan's command, Hound-01 launched like a tiger pouncing on its prey. It tackled the mutated bull to the ground, jaws wide, its five-centimeter steel fangs glinting menacingly as they clamped down on the bull's neck!
Splurt!
Crunch!
With a sickening crack of bone, the bull's skull was crushed under Hound-01's bite. It died instantly.
Lin Fan exhaled deeply, then called,"Little Black, come here!"
After carefully checking that Little Black hadn't been wounded by the mutated bull, Lin Fan finally relaxed.
That was way too close.
In this apocalypse, danger lurked everywhere. He had to deal with all potential threats around him immediately.
If what happened today had involved Xin Xin…the consequences would've been unimaginable.
Five minutes later, smoke rose from within the farm.
Lin Fan set fire to all the radiated plants, reducing them to ash. The meat of the mutated yellow bull had also changed. While eating it wouldn't cause mutations in humans, it was still poisonous—anyone who did would suffer violent vomiting and diarrhea.
After completing everything, the farm was nothing more than a barren patch of scorched earth.
Lin Fan tried planting his stockpiled regular seeds, but they quickly withered, turning yellow and shriveled. Digging them back up, he saw new data:
"Corroded Seed: This seed has been poisoned by contact with radiated soil and can no longer grow."
"Sigh…looks like all my stockpiled seeds are useless now…"Lin Fan muttered.
But soon, he took out a few radiation-resistant seeds from the system's storage.
He carefully planted them in the soil, closely monitoring the data.
Radiation-Resistant Rice Seed
* Growth: 1% (100% = mature, ready to harvest)
* Needs: Sufficient sunlight, sufficient water
* Growth cycle: 72 hours
Five minutes later, the seed hadn't withered.
And the growth percentage had increased to 2%.
They could grow!
Not only that, but the growth cycle was far shorter than regular rice—he could harvest once every three days.
Lin Fan calculated silently. At least for now, he and Xin Xin's basic needs were secured.
Though he had stockpiled lots of food, vegetables and fruits couldn't be preserved long. Within ten to fifteen days, they'd rot.
Once gone, they couldn't be replaced.
Over time, he and Xin Xin would suffer vitamin deficiencies, leading to disease or a weakened immune system.
Xin Xin woke to the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat.
Still in her Peppa Pig pajamas, she wandered out of her room in a near-sleepwalking state. But as her eyes managed to open and glimpse the kitchen, her brain instantly rebooted!
"Big bro, are we having grilled lamb today?!"she cried, sprinting on her short legs to the kitchen and peeking around the door with big, expectant eyes. Drool nearly dripped from her mouth as she saw the golden, oil-dripping skewers roasting over the fire.
Lin Fan didn't allow her in the kitchen—it was full of dangerous utensils and open flames.
And, well…Xin Xin had always been a bit silly.
Back when she was four, Lin Fan had also been grilling meat. He'd stepped into the living room for just a moment to grab seasoning, only a few steps away. He'd warned her not to touch the skewers because they were hot.
Xin Xin had listened. She obediently tucked her chubby hands into her sleeves and didn't touch the skewers.
Instead…she stuck out her little tongue and licked one.
She'd screamed bloody murder.
Since then, the kitchen was strictly off-limits.
Lin Fan turned and smiled,"Almost ready. Go wait in the living room…"
After the temperature drop, most of the cattle and sheep on the farm had frozen to death. The few that remained wouldn't survive the night either—and even if they did, Lin Fan feared they might mutate from eating radiated plants. After some thought, he slaughtered the remaining sheep and stored the meat.
He could already foresee a surge in the value of fresh food—vegetables, fruit, meat, and rice.
Once word of the land's radiation spread, cold-stored produce in merchant warehouses would skyrocket in price—an apple might cost fifty yuan, a single cabbage one-eighty!
But none of that would affect Lin Fan.
After discovering the radiation-resistant seeds could grow, he spent 20,000 points to purchase 10 kg each of radiation-resistant vegetable and fruit seeds: lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, scallions, grapes, strawberries, and more.
Using his semi-automatic seeder, it took him about an hour to plant all of them in the farm's 10-acre greenhouse.
In three days, the first harvest would be ready.
Soon, the fragrant lamb skewers were grilled to perfection. Lin Fan sprinkled salt and sesame seeds over them, then stir-fried some vegetables from his preserved stock.
Since these veggies hadn't touched the soil, they were still safe to eat.
The fruits stored in the warehouse, however, had already begun to rot due to radiation.
From today onward, the earth was no longer pure—it had become a source of toxic radiation.
The vegetables were cooked, the millet porridge ready. Dinner was served.
Lin Fan wasn't a Michelin chef, but since inheriting the estate, he'd learned to cook reasonably well.
The lamb skewers were crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The simple stir-fried greens tasted clean and sweet.
Xin Xin's mouth was covered in grease, and she kept placing big chunks of lamb into Little Black's bowl. Girl and dog both feasted happily.
During dinner, Lin Fan logged into the forum.
It was in total chaos.
"The sun is shrouded—apocalypse confirmed!"
"D*mn those'experts'who said it was just an astronomical event!"
"Help! All the jujube trees in my yard suddenly withered! One of my sheep ate a dried fruit and died vomiting blood in under three minutes!"
"Giant rat kings the size of dogs are attacking people in the South District!"
"Fields ruined, plants dead…tens of millions of acres of farmland lost!"
"D*mn it! People are looting the supermarket near me. Fruit and rice are insanely expensive—50 bucks for an apple, 180 for a cabbage!"
As Lin Fan scrolled through post after post, one suddenly caught his eye.
"Calling all sleuths! About 10 hours ago, someone posted:'A Natural Disaster is Coming—Prepare Yourselves!'Does anyone remember that thread? Huge reward for clues!"
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.
That was his post—deleted within three minutes by forum moderators.