Chapter 38

Song Zixin stared at the headline for a moment, then clicked in.

On screen: atop a muddy slope left by receding floodwaters, a seventy-year-old farmer clutched a donkey tightly. The donkey was draped with a brown blanket. Around them stood an orange inflatable raft and three flood rescue soldiers.

Song Zixin opened the comments section.

“Wuwuwu! This is such a wonderful surprise!”

“I heard they found it fifty li away on a hillside. The donkey has a birthmark on its ear! It’s the same one!”

“I’ve been following the Longnan disaster closely—this is the most touching news in days.”

…

The comments had shifted from prayers to pure joy.

Song Zixin looked at the image again. It was just a simple photo of a donkey, but paired with the trending topic from ten days ago, she couldn’t help the wave of emotion rising inside her—a restless, inexplicable surge that had nowhere to go.

“What if there’s a second wave of acid rain…”

“The donkey’s alive—we’re not at the end of the world.”

“Sigh, let’s just eat first!”

…

The two girls chatted a bit more, then headed straight for the cafeteria.

Disaster, panic, despair…

That had been their truest feelings during the three days of heavy rain. During that time, quite a few students had written wills, even recorded farewell videos on social media. They had never felt so close to death before—and when the sunlight broke through, they felt indescribably lucky.

They didn’t know whether there would be acid rain.

But in that moment, all they wanted was to stay alive.

As long as there was even a sliver of hope—they would fight to live.

“Everyone, store your supplies and avoid unnecessary panic.”

“Get a household water filter, stock up on bottled water if you can. Boil hot water three times before drinking…”

“Be prepared for disaster. This rain might just pass.”

…

This was only the first wave of rainfall across the country. While people were scared, they still tried their best to stay optimistic.

As long as it wasn’t the end of the world—as long as there was a chance to live—they didn’t want to give up.

…

“Commander Liu, the sapling has grown!” While residents across the nation were cheering each other on, inside Fengshan Farm, Zhang Hu ran excitedly into the sweet potato fields.

“What sapling?”

Liu Wensheng asked with a puzzled look. [Useful Granary] required 1.8 million sweet potatoes. With crops growing in wave after wave, he and Qin Yun were focused on storage tasks.

Just as Liu Wensheng finished asking, Zhang Hu pointed to the south end of the farm. “The Sprouting Tree of Hope.”

Liu Wensheng immediately dropped what he was doing and went over with Qin Yun.

The [Sprouting Tree of Hope] was a reward for reaching 10 million Starlight Points. Since receiving it, they had planted it at the southern end of the farm.

It was a tiny sapling about thirty centimeters tall, resembling a peanut sprout. Since planting, Longxia’s researchers had been monitoring its status. The [Hope Tree] was unaffected by wind and sun, yet two months had passed with no growth—not even a single leaf.

This [Sprouting Tree of Hope] was a new species. So far, neither Longxia nor its researchers had unlocked its secrets…

As all this ran through their minds, Qin Yun and Liu Wensheng arrived at the tree.

“Commander Liu, Secretary Qin.” A man in his thirties greeted them.

His name was Xue Lin, a renowned flora and fauna expert in Longxia.

“Professor Xue.” Liu Wensheng nodded.

“The Hope Tree sapling started growing yesterday. It’s grown one centimeter since last month.” Xue Lin held up a tablet and got straight to the point.

“Could it be a recording error?” Liu Wensheng asked, thinking it over.

One centimeter—barely longer than a finger joint. With soil measurement errors, he had his doubts about the data.

“No chance.”

Xue Lin enlarged the comparison images. Although the Hope Tree had only grown a centimeter, the difference was real.

While they were still puzzled, Qin Yun studied the sapling closely. “I don’t think it’s a mistake…”

Liu Wensheng: ???

Qin Yun shared the System Interface.

[Sprouting Tree of Hope]: Plant one seed, reap the hope of summer.

Attributes: In the face of despair, sow new hope.

…

Previously, the Hope Tree only had the description “Plant one seed, reap the hope of summer.” Now, it included an attribute section.

Liu Wensheng stared at those eight bold characters: In the face of despair, sow new hope.

The system had just updated.