Chapter 212
Chapter 212
75%
The base was about two miles across–not huge, but not exactly small either. Besides the villas where everyone lived, there were recreation areas, and nearly 3,000 acres of farmland scattered around.
All the fields were planted with wheat. Liana had developed a new kind of wheat. It was black.
This wheat was insanely cold–resistant. Even a hint of sunlight was enough for it to sprout and shoot up.
Now that the temperature had hit 80°F, it was the final window to harvest the black wheat.
If it got any hotter, the black wheat would end up getting scorched.
The black wheat was five or six times the size of regular wheat, but the taste left a lot to be desired. It was scratchy and hard to swallow.
Still, the sheer amount was huge.
In these tough times, when food and clothes were hard to come by, grain was the lifeblood of everyone. Except for Blaze Haven, everywhere else treated it like gold–once it was gone, there was no getting it back.
If they managed to sell it outside, they’d be raking in serious cash.
Chloe called everyone at the base–all 40 or so people–over.
Looking at the vast stretches of wheat, she couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
There just weren’t enough people, and without any modern harvesting machines, they’d be working their butts off–and even then, they wouldn’t be able to harvest it all.
“Does anyone have any good ideas?” Chloe asked.
Everyone just looked at each other, clueless about what to do next.
“Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work. Sooner or later, we’ll get all this black wheat harvested,” Clayton said, flexing his
arms.
Clayton was an earth–powered human, packed with endless strength, and always the first to jump in when heavy lifting was needed.
“I’m an earth–powered human–trust me, I can harvest wheat way faster than anyone else,” Clayton said.
Emily was speechless and gave Clayton a playful flick on the forehead.
“Are you kidding me? Have you even checked the weather? It’s getting hotter every single day, and this wheat is black–if the temperature keeps climbing, it’ll be scorched in no time,” Emily said.
Mindy nodded in agreement. “Emily’s right. And once we finish harvesting, we’ve still got to dry it and grind it into flour. That’s a massive job.”
With the heat rising nonstop, there was no time to waste on slow harvesting and processing.
“So nothing’s working? What, are we just gonna stand here and watch the wheat get fried by the sun?” Clayton complained.
Clayton turned to the south, his eyes full of worry as the wind rippled through the fields of black wheat.
This black wheat was their food supply. If it got ruined, all their effort would go down the drain.
1/4
<
10:10 Fri, Feb 13 BDB.
Chapter 212
“What did you just say?” Chloe suddenly had a lightbulb moment
Clayton gave her a blank look. “What did I say?”
Chloe’s smile lit up the room, making everyone’s heart skip a beat.
“Clayton, you’re a genius,” Chloe said.
Clayton just stared at her, completely lost.
Chloe gazed out at the waves of ripe wheat. “It hasn’t rained in ages, and the wind’s been picking up lately.
含75%
“Let’s just let the wheat air–dry out in the fields for a couple of days. Then I’ll use my wind powers to gather up all the dried wheat and bring it over here, so we can finish drying it all together.”
Joan, who’d spent her childhood working the fields, had her doubts about the plan.
“Chloe, if we let the wheat dry out in the fields, the outer husks will pop open by themselves. The black wheat will drop to the ground and could start sprouting that very night,” Joan said.
Chloe choked on her words. She thought, ‘Right, with the sun this strong, the husks keep popping open every day, and the grains just drop to the ground and start sprouting.
‘But this weather isn’t right for black wheat to actually grow–it’ll sprout, but won’t get any bigger.
“That’s such a waste, Chloe thought.
Everyone turned to Joan, even Frank staring at her intently.
“Honey, do you have any ideas?” Frank asked.
Out of the 40 or so people at Blaze Haven, everyone else had grown up in the city. Joan was the only one who’d spent her whole life in the countryside, so she was the real expert here.
Joan pressed her lips together and looked at Chloe. “In the countryside, we always harvest wheat using a mix of machines and good old people power.
“Honestly, it’d be best if we could get our hands on a harvester. If that’s not possible, maybe we could trade supplies with other bases or nearby survivors for some extra hands.”
She hesitated, her face uncertain. “The problem is, we don’t even know who around here owns a harvester. It might take some time to figure that out.
“I’m sure there are plenty of survivors out there, but I really don’t think we should let outsiders find out what’s going on. inside our base. That could spell trouble for us down the road.”
Everyone was all about keeping things low–key and raking in the profits without attracting attention.
With survivors and bases scattered all over the world, Blaze Haven was the only place that managed to get back in business in just six months.
If the news spread, they’d be in for a world of trouble.
Chloe had already thought of that.
“Honestly, even though our base doesn’t have a ton of people, weve got a bunch of elite powered humans. We wouldn’t be at a disadvantage against any other base.
“But if we ever run into someone packing long–range cannons or hot weapons, that’s when things get tricky.” Chloe said.
2/4
10:10 Fri, Feb 13 BDB.
Chapter 212
As soon as she finished speaking,
Chloe and Frank’s eyes sparkled at the same moment. They shot each other a look, instantly on the same wavelength.
They blurted out together, “Bluehaven Base!”
They’d already built a solid relationship with Bluehaven Base, and the place was run by the military.
75%
In Clusia, all the heavy weapons, guns, and ammo were strictly controlled by the military. Those secret bases probably had armories loaded with gear.
“Chloe, Graham over at Bluehaven Base might be able to hook us up with that stuff,” Frank suggested.
They figured the military always had its own connections, and with supplies so scarce these days, Graham probably wouldn’t turn down their olive branch.
Chloe thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
“Alright, Renee, you’re in charge of contacting them. Tell them Blaze Haven has a ton of wheat up for trade, and ask if Colonel Graham can get us some heavy weapons or artillery in exchange,” Chloe said.
Renee nodded and hurried back to the villa, firing up the comms system Graham had given them before they left.
“Everyone else—if you’re not a powered human, stick around and help harvest the black wheat. It’s 300 points a day,” Chloe announced.
The ordinary folks‘ eyes lit up, and they eagerly rubbed their hands together, ready to get to work.
300 points were enough to buy loads of stuff at the base store.
Chloe used her spiritual space points to trade for 100 sickles, handing one to each person. The extras could wait for now.
“Frank, Mindy, Emily…” Chloe named a few of the strongest members.
“Let’s team up and go look for survivors nearby,” she said.
“Sure,” Renee replied.
Everyone had their own job, sleeves rolled up and ready to hustle. The fact that the land could actually grow crops again made everyone feel like survival was actually possible.
About 5 miles away, at a lakeside villa, there were even fewer people left. The sound of shouting and cursing drifted out from inside.
“You damn old hag, this is the last bit of food my family has left! Give it back!” a girl yelled.
She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely, clutching a white bag for dear life.
Two burly men stood behind Miranda, muscles bulging, glaring with fierce, round eyes.
“Mia, hand it over, and maybe we’ll let you live,” one of the men growled.
Mia Baker looked about fourteen, dressed in rags, but she was actually pretty–her big, doe eyes were filled with tears.
3/4
