Chapter Six

At 9:00 a.m. on July 23, a convoy of vehicles bearing the logo “Jiangcheng Yijian” moved steadily along National Highway 305. This large convoy of thirty vehicles was led by supply trucks loaded with tents and instant noodles, followed by trucks carrying sand and cement. The entire formation was highly professional.

“The world’s big—there’s every kind of investor out there.”

Zhang Daqing, a driver for Yijian, was steering while chatting with a colleague. Jiangcheng Yijian was a key construction enterprise in Gan Province. Three days ago, Yijian had received notice from higher-ups: a large-scale farm was to be built in central Fengshan, and they were to complete infrastructure work within half a month.

With fifty years of history, Jiangcheng Yijian had tackled all kinds of projects. Farm infrastructure wasn’t complex. Still, frontline workers like Zhang Daqing couldn’t figure out why anyone would invest in a farm in Fengshan’s uninhabited zone, given its geographic conditions.

It was two hundred kilometers from Jiangcheng to Lushui Town. According to the plan, they would first reach Lushui Town before heading to the farm, which was located on the border between the shallow and deep uninhabited zones. They were the advance team; other convoys would follow.

“We’re in Lushui Town now, let’s pause the chat.”

An hour later, the convoy arrived in Lushui Town, which sat near National Highway 305 and was the only populated area within a two-hundred-kilometer radius. The farm coordinates lay 130 kilometers east of the town. Once they left Lushui, they’d be stationed at the construction site for a week.

“Everyone take a break—if you need to call home, do it now. Signal will be spotty out there.”

After stepping out of the vehicle, the project manager clapped his hands as he spoke. The uninhabited zone was divided into shallow and deep areas. The shallow uninhabited zone had no permanent residents but showed signs of past human activity. The deep uninhabited zone had none. The farm lay at the border between the two, where signal from base stations was weak. Once there, they’d rely on satellite phones.

There were more than two hundred people in the convoy. Some were fetching hot water; others were buying cigarettes at local shops, and Lushui Town suddenly came alive.

Zhang Daqing bought a pack of cigarettes, opened it, and approached the manager. “Is this a government project?”

He had noticed two military jeeps parked at the town entrance. Mobilizing such a large construction firm in just three days clearly meant there was strong backing.

The manager took a cigarette. “Heard it’s a privately-owned farm with state support.”

“A state-supported farm in an uninhabited zone?”

Zhang Daqing was puzzled. It wasn’t that he doubted national capabilities—he just knew Fengshan’s environment was harsh. The high-latitude region lacked warmth and water, making crop cultivation nearly impossible. At best, you could grow some forage, but definitely not food crops.

“Let’s just focus on doing our job.”

The manager exhaled a smoke ring. Like Zhang Daqing, he also didn’t understand the logic behind this project.

Zhang Daqing stopped overthinking it. The environment was harsh, but on top of their base salary, each worker received a daily hardship bonus of 300 yuan. He just had to do his part.

At 3:00 p.m., the convoy set out again. When Zhang Daqing got back in, he noticed two military jeeps had joined the convoy—likely the same ones he had seen at the town gate.

…

“Here’s the farm layout—take a look.”

While Zhang Daqing was still observing the new arrivals, inside one of the jeeps, Liu Wensheng pulled out a document. Since the signing of the【Fengshan Farm Project】, the Longxia team had been planning the farm’s development.

To prevent ambiguity around the farm’s ownership that could lead to system issues, the Fengshan Farm was registered as a company, with Qin Yun listed as the legal representative and sole employee. Outwardly, the farm was described as a state-supported private venture—an explanation meant to preempt potential future risks.

“This is the infrastructure layout,” Liu Wensheng said, turning to page three of the document. Since future tasks were still uncertain, they planned to build a few basic zones: office, residential, and storage, all located on the farm’s eastern side. Additions could be made as needed.

“Very detailed.” Qin Yun reviewed it carefully. Although these were minor projects, due to high construction costs, the total budget came to three million yuan. According to Longxia’s plan, the funds would be transferred to him under the guise of agricultural support, and he would then handle payments.

“I’ll have to pay it back slowly,” Qin Yun joked as he looked at the figures.

“It’s a fifty-year agricultural support loan—we’ll worry about it fifty years from now.”

Liu Wensheng assured him not to stress. In fact, the funding came from government research budgets. But since the Farm System was still an unknown factor, the Longxia team wasn’t sure if direct state funding would comply with the system’s rules. To be cautious, they opted to label it as agricultural support.

“Shouldn’t take fifty years…” Qin Yun estimated. If the system’s main storyline followed what happened in his previous life, then the Farm System wasn’t just an agricultural aid—it was also a path to sudden wealth.

After chatting for a while, Qin Yun looked out the window. The Fengshan uninhabited zone was composed mainly of gobi, meadows, and karst formations. It was currently the rainy season in Gan Province, but while Fengshan itself wasn’t raining, the sky was overcast. Thirty vehicles moving through this somber wilderness created a spectacular scene when viewed from above.

By 6:00 p.m., the vehicles reached the farm’s location.

The convoy stopped, and Zhang Daqing checked his phone. “No signal.” Internet service had cut out entirely, and only intermittent cell signals remained.

After a short rest, the project manager got out and gave instructions. “Everyone, find your team leaders and check in. Tonight, pitch your tents by team.”

Jiangcheng was the closest prefecture-level city to the uninhabited zone. The project manager had worked at Yijian for years. Though he had never handled a farm project before, he had participated in the construction of National Highway 305 and had some experience in remote infrastructure.

Everyone set up tents according to their assigned teams. Fengshan had a large day-night temperature difference, and before ten o’clock, most workers were already inside their tents. Rotating sentries were stationed nearby. The entire Fengshan Farm was quiet. Liu Wensheng discussed the next day’s construction with the manager, then headed to Qin Yun’s tent.

“Want to go back to the Infantry Camp?”

“No, I’ll stay,” Qin Yun shook his head. Liu Wensheng was heading back on business, but Qin Yun knew his own limits—no need to tag along.

Liu Wensheng did indeed leave to handle other matters. He left behind two soldiers to guard Qin Yun, then rode off in the jeep.

Qin Yun stayed in the tent for a while, then opened the Farm System.

….
Host Name: Qin Yun

Level: Rookie

System Inventory: Primary Selection Pack X1, Random Seed X1

System Points: 0
….

Currently, the System Inventory contains one Primary Selection Pack and one random seed. Based on past experience, the next task should extend from the farm seed…

Early the next morning, Qin Yun was awakened by the sound of engines. He unzipped the tent and saw that ten large trucks had arrived at the base, carrying materials like safety nets and hoisting equipment. Several workers in white helmets were surveying the site.

Qin Yun got dressed and stepped out of the tent.

“Mr. Qin,” the project manager greeted him. He was discussing the construction plan with his team and recognized Qin Yun as one of the project leads from the day before.

“Manager Zhao.”

They exchanged a few casual words before Qin Yun asked, curious, “Is the construction going smoothly?”

“Mixing materials is a bit tricky, but everything else is fine,” the manager said, looking at the blueprints. The farm would have a total of twelve buildings for offices and accommodations. These were all basic one-story structures with two-meter-deep foundations, brick walls, and capped roofs, expected to be completed in ten days.

Over the next two days, construction vehicles continued to deliver materials, and the project manager led the team in drilling for water. Fengshan Farm is located in the central part of the uninhabited zone, where water is scarce. The team was prepared for a tough search, but to their surprise, finding water turned out to be easier than expected.

“This is incredible…” The project manager looked at the small well in front of him. There wasn’t much water, but it was enough for the construction work.

“Just lucky,” Qin Yun said with a smile. The successful water extraction in the uninhabited zone, he suspected, was related to the [Heart of the Farm] BUFF.

With everything in place, the construction team launched full-scale infrastructure work. Qin Yun had studied architecture in school and was familiar with basic construction, but now that he was directly involved, he realized how much harder it was to build in harsh environments.

The uninhabited zone had extreme temperature differences between day and night, and it was surrounded by Gobi plains. Over the next ten days, the team encountered wolf packs twice. Fortunately, they had large numbers and modern equipment, so the wolves merely lingered nearby and eventually left. The crew was extremely cautious, with strict rules forbidding anyone from straying more than 100 meters from the base.

Amid the bustling activity, by August 5, all twelve buildings were completed. Each had a small underground cellar, and the perimeter of the yard was lined with a wire fence. In case of a wild animal attack, these would provide immediate shelter.

As the construction team packed up their equipment, the manager looked at Qin Yun, hesitant to speak. “Mr. Qin, are you really going to build a farm here?”

Based on what he’d heard during the project, he knew Qin Yun planned to establish Fengshan Farm, with government agricultural support. The details of what would be grown weren’t clear yet… But no matter what was planted, the area was nothing but barren soil underfoot, with wolves roaming around—it just didn’t seem suitable for farming.

“Yes…”

Qin Yun felt a little helpless. His public identity was that of the farm’s administrator, and over the past days, he had also considered whether the location was appropriate. The traffic situation wasn’t ideal, but the land was flat and vast. Once detection equipment was installed, they’d be able to monitor any intruders immediately—security would be top-notch.

At 5 p.m., the construction convoy finished packing and left in a grand procession. Jiangcheng No. 1 Construction had signed a confidentiality agreement, and with state oversight, no details about the project would be disclosed. As the crew departed, Qin Yun looked out at the farm.

Though still rudimentary, the farm had finally taken shape.