Chapter 106

The investigation into the ship hijacking didn’t last long. Under immense pressure from nations around the world and Longxia’s firm stance, the Shuilan Alliance released its findings: the Seven Major Grain Enterprises were indeed involved in the hijacking. A total of seventy-three senior executives were implicated. According to Shuilan Alliance law, the Seven Major Grain Enterprises were ordered to pay Longxia 22.7 billion in contract damages. In addition, Longxia has permanently blacklisted the Seven Major Grain Enterprises from any future business dealings.

“Support Longxia’s decision—boycott all grain under HHSA!”

“A foolish and arrogant act of piracy.”

“The arrogance of the grain conglomerates.”

…

As soon as the Shuilan Alliance made its announcement, a wave of international support flooded in. Many global citizens applauded the decision. The outcome was more unexpected than anyone had imagined. While the public didn’t know all the details, it was clear—the glory days of the Seven Major Grain Enterprises were over.

“Name?”

“Kaanter.”

“Age?”

“Forty-seven.”

“Position?”

“International Vice President of HHSA…”

…

8:00 p.m., February 17. Inside a high-security detention facility of the Shuilan Alliance, Kaanter sat across from his assigned officer, answering questions one by one.

Kaanter was the Vice President of HHSA and had appeared three times on the cover of Global People magazine. In recent years, HHSA had risen to the top of the global food industry, with its market value multiplying fiftyfold in just two years. Despite his endless wealth, Kaanter still craved more profit. And so, alongside other corporations, he helped orchestrate the Ship Hijacking Incident.

As one of the world’s top food conglomerates, their grain had reached every corner of the globe. He believed Longxia wouldn’t dare touch him. He believed the Shuilan Alliance wouldn’t dare act. And even if things went south, he was confident his own government would protect him…

The Seven Major Grain Enterprises were blinded by arrogance. It wasn’t until fifty-three nations launched coordinated sea searches and 223 countries issued joint statements that they realized the situation had spiraled out of control. In the past two days, they had tried to reach out to the Longxia government in private, but Longxia remained unyielding—there was no room for negotiation.

Kaanter, the olive branch of HHSA, knew his fate was sealed. But what he couldn’t understand was why the world had chosen to stand with Longxia. Even if it was about food aid, how had things come to this?

Half an hour later, the interrogation was complete.

The officer finished organizing the documents and asked, “Anything else you want to say?”

Kaanter thought for a moment and asked, “Why are they supporting Longxia?”

Beyond international pressure, the five major powers were also facing immense domestic backlash. Since Longxia’s public statement, twenty protest marches had erupted in Natal alone. The demonstrations condemned the government’s inaction in the Ship Hijacking Incident and demanded a full investigation into the grain companies involved. That’s what led to the current outcome.

After Kaanter’s question, the officer answered with certainty: “Because of peace.”

Longxia is one of the few nations in the world that possesses superweapons. Had the hijackings continued, the consequences would have been inevitable: Longxia would halt all maritime transport, greedy grain conglomerates would push the world toward war, Longxia would unleash its superweapons—and the world would burn.

In the past, some hot-blooded youths might have welcomed war. But after two years of crisis, people had come to understand the true pain of disaster. Longxia’s grain couldn’t be stolen, and even if it could, it wasn’t worth the cost. Compared to the brutality of war, people now longed simply to live in peace.

Today, aside from a few impassioned radicals, 90% of Natal’s citizens support peace.

A stable ecosystem. Peaceful development.

That’s what the people of the world desperately need.

…

“February 20th: 350 nations of the Shuilan Alliance sign the Anti-Piracy Coalition Charter, pledging to crack down on maritime attacks with maximum force.”

Global Daily: “Survey of 30 million respondents worldwide shows 98% oppose war.”

“Build safe sea routes. Build the lifelines of global survival.”

…

In the following three days, countries around the world signed the Anti-Piracy Coalition Charter. Peace had become the global consensus.

…

“World peace, huh.”

On February 22nd, Liu Wensheng set down the latest international newspaper. After a flurry of negotiations, the compensation from the Seven Major Grain Enterprises had finally arrived. Though the companies had shown a cooperative attitude afterward, Longxia had no intention of trusting a crocodile’s tears. All partnerships with the grain conglomerates had been terminated—permanently.

It was now ten in the morning. After reading for a while, Liu Wensheng looked up at Qin Yun and asked, “How much has it updated?”

Qin Yun was organizing documents at the table beside him. Hearing the question, he replied, “Ninety-eight percent.”

Five days ago, the Hope Tree had borne fruit, and the farm received three rewards: [Building Upgrade Card], [Virtual Simulation Laboratory], and [Hope Tree’s Gift]. The [Hope Tree’s Gift] granted research access to the Hope Tree. After reviewing the options, Qin Yun had clicked on the [Building Upgrade Card].

The system responded: System upgrading. Upgrade card currently unavailable.

So Qin Yun turned to the [Virtual Simulation Laboratory].

Again, the system prompted: System upgrading…

During the system upgrade, the new cards couldn’t be accessed yet, but existing projects on the farm remained unaffected. So, the farm continued its research at its usual pace while waiting for the system update.

[Ding, congratulations Host on completing farm upgrade. Farm optimization permissions: System Points exchange rules, mall purchase rules, mall gift pack wish rules…]

At 3:00 p.m., just as Qin Yun was preparing to organize a new batch of documents, the system finally completed its update. The moment it was done, Liu Wensheng immediately contacted all farm departments.

By 3:30, everyone had gathered in front of the Seed Laboratory.

The [Building Area Card] was a self-select card. After analyzing the farm’s infrastructure over the past period, the team had decided to use the [Building Card] on the Seed Laboratory. The Seed Laboratory covered fifty mu and had been in use for two years. It was also the farm’s most critical research facility.

Now, as everyone stood outside the lab, Song Yueshan was the first to speak. “Are we starting now?”

Song Yueshan was the project lead of the Agricultural Group. Ever since news of the lab upgrade broke, the members of the Agricultural Group had been walking around practically glowing with pride.

“Once it starts, we better take a good look at the upgraded lab,” Xiang Qingchuan said sourly from the side. Xiang Qingchuan was the head of the Biology Group. Last year, they had successfully developed a new bio-fertilizer and had been hoping to acquire a Biological Laboratory. However, the purchase requirements for such a lab were extremely strict, so they had pinned their hopes on the system lottery and the Hope Tree Fruit.

Now that the fruit had appeared, it turned out to be an exclusive item for the Agricultural Group… He couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. So sour.

“Once it’s upgraded, I’ll lend you a workstation,” Song Yueshan said, seemingly reading Xiang Qingchuan’s mind.

“Thanks in advance,” Xiang Qingchuan replied with a wry smile, clearly still feeling a bit bitter.

Amidst the light teasing, Qin Yun tapped on the [Area Upgrade Card].

“[Area Upgrade Card], Intermediate Item. Upgrade Area: Seed Laboratory. Confirm?”

“[Confirm].”

…

As soon as Qin Yun confirmed, a rumbling sound echoed in front of them. They watched as the Seed Laboratory swelled like rising dough, transforming from a modest lab into a full-blown Laboratory PLUS. The upgraded lab now spanned a hundred mu. Fortunately, they had reserved space when selecting the original site, so the expanded lab didn’t feel cramped at all.

Everyone headed inside. Compared to the exterior, they were even more curious about what awaited within.

On the southern side of the lab were rows of glass research rooms, with a central control station in the middle. After walking for about half a minute, they arrived at a newly added section in the north—larger glass rooms that were clearly different from the earlier ones. Each room was labeled: [Soil], [Propagation].

There were sixty of these large glass rooms, each covering over twenty square meters. Inside each was a sleek, silver-white workstation, giving off a futuristic, high-tech vibe. Song Yueshan walked around the nearest one before checking its details.

[Off-site Seed Propagation Room]: 100% simulation of non-native environments for Acid Rain Seed research. Due to environmental simulation limitations, Off-site Seeds are viable for up to two generations.

The [Off-site Seed Propagation Room] was a bit complex, but in simple terms, due to soil and climate constraints, Acid Rain Seeds could only be cultivated within Longxia. However, seeds produced in the [Off-site Propagation Room] could be planted elsewhere. These seeds, however, couldn’t reproduce, falling under the [Seed → Plant → Grow Food → Food Cannot Breed New Seeds] category.

“Does this mean they can be grown in other countries?”

“Yes…”

…

Currently, most seeds on the market are Sterilized Seeds. Though they can’t reproduce, they can still grow and be consumed normally. The moment they saw the [Seed Propagation Room], everyone present had the same thought: Longxia’s food pressure had just been eased.

There were too many disaster survivors worldwide, and Longxia couldn’t feed them all. With the advent of the seed propagation rooms, Longxia could now export Off-site Seeds to other countries. Given the global food shortage and Longxia’s limited seed production capacity, these seeds wouldn’t affect Longxia’s food export dominance for at least the next twenty years. This was a survival-level reward.