Compared to this sterile, high-tech environment, Wu City was a dump. Their technology wasn't nearly as advanced, yet they still managed to cultivate a variety of medicinal herbs through trial and error.
Before the apocalypse began, America had been one of the world's top leaders in drug research, boasting the highest cancer survival rate on the globe. In China, certain types of cancer had survival rates of barely fifty percent, but in America, it could reach as high as ninety-five or even ninety-nine percent. That alone showed how powerful their medical system and laboratory technology once were.
Jing Shu and the others had come here to find work as a cover for their infiltration, and only after seeing the internal data did they realize how desperately Austin needed professionals who could cultivate medicinal herbs.
Eiffel shrugged, her shoulders rising under her white lab coat. "Now you see it. Austin's biggest shortage isn't high-end equipment or extraction facilities; it's raw materials. As long as we have enough herbs to process, we can produce all kinds of urgently needed medicine for the citizens."
That caught Jing Shu's curiosity. To be honest, she had already planned to bring some American medicine back home to her family. Domestic supplies were scarce in Wu City, after all. Having real American drugs would sound more convincing to her neighbors than claiming she had some kind of family secret formula.
Still, it was a bit sad to see. only to discover they had been made in China all along. Austin City had no shortage of power. Machines roared endlessly in the processing wings as dried carrots, tomatoes, eggplants, and other vegetables were processed and packed nonstop into vacuum-sealed containers.
"This floor is mainly for drying and preserving produce as strategic reserves," Eiffel explained while nodding to the passing supervisors and workers. "Of course, the best-quality crops go straight to Austin's upper management. Every day, we process several tons of fresh produce through these lines."
There's over a hundred square meters of linked production systems here," she muttered quietly to herself. "Taking it all would be a huge operation. I wonder if Qian Duoduo ever managed to get his hands on a full set like this in the last life."
She snapped a few discreet photos with her device, ensuring the angles captured the machine labels. She would talk it over with Yang Yang once they regrouped.
They were then led up a wide ramp to the second floor, where a soft, glowing material embedded in the ceiling illuminated a vast planting area spanning hundreds of square meters. More crops were growing on the raised, multi-tiered platforms above the main floor. But instead of being impressed by the scale, Jing Shu frowned.
The vegetables here were all mutated, and they looked horrifying to her eyes. Huge tomatoes sprouted clusters of tiny, parasitic-looking seedlings from their own skin. Eggplants grew conjoined like twisted purple chains, and sharp mushrooms pierced right through the stalks of other plants.
Some fruits were fused together into lumpy masses, and some leaves grew straight out of the center of the fruit; it was a grotesque mess of biological contradictions. Their colors were off too, spotted with strange green hues that normal crops didn't have. Even Xiao Dou, who had been happily following her around, scratched the hard floor and glared at the vegetables. The hen didn't seem interested in eating them at all and even spat twice on the floor in disgust.
"These are newly developed crops?" Jing Shu asked, her voice filled with doubt. "It doesn't look like you have mass-produced much of this variety."
Eiffel shook her head, her expression a mix of pride and frustration. "No, these grow naturally. That's part of why we can't cultivate medicinal herbs properly.
Dr. B said the material he used to make this glowing light still has defects. It gives off mild radiation, which caused the mutations. But the radiation is harmless—we have tested it professionally. There's plenty of everyday radiation that doesn't hurt humans. These vegetables are perfectly safe to eat once they are sterilized at high temperatures."
The researcher sighed as she looked at a twisted tomato. "Still, while vegetables can survive here, medicinal herbs are much pickier. Only a few hardy ones grow. Most cannot take this specific environment."
Her instincts screamed that these light-grown crops weren't as harmless as the scientists seemed to believe. But since the Americans had already tested them and claimed there were no side effects, she kept her thoughts to herself. For some reason, she suddenly remembered the nuclear radiation leak on that island years ago—how the locals wouldn't eat the crops near the area, yet sold them abroad. So many people had fallen ill or died of cancer from it.
"You mean the guy who developed these wall materials is... Dr. B?" she asked.
Eiffel nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! He is a genius. Lately, he has been worried sick about the herb issue too. If you can help us, I will introduce you to him myself."
"If it's because of the radiation, then why not plant the herbs outside instead?" she asked.
Eiffel led the group further into the rows of platforms, replying, "Because all the seeds we have have already been exposed to the radiation in storage. It's nearly impossible to find any new, untainted medicinal seeds now."
"Wait, what is that short tree? It looks really lush," Jing Shu asked, pointing at a small tree fenced off with reinforced glass and carefully protected by its own climate system.
It was just one little tree, but it was treated like royalty. Despite being only about human height, it was the healthiest and most vibrant plant in the whole agricultural base, its branches heavy with dark fruit.
"Oh, that's our leader's beloved Geisha coffee tree," Eiffel said proudly, her eyes brightening. "It's the most expensive coffee in the world—three hundred fifty dollars per pound before the end. It was transplanted here years ago for a fortune and was almost dead, but ever since it came here, it's been thriving like crazy. She is the queen of this place."
It sounded impressive, but Jing Shu thought, It's just a coffee tree, isn't it?
Eiffel's eyes sparkled as she looked at the fruit. "Its aroma blooms like fireworks, evolving with every sip. You can taste lemon, citrus, even strawberry juice. It's fruity rather than bitter, with floral notes that linger forever. I was lucky enough to try it once. It was divine! Unfortunately, we still lack proper coffee-roasting technology."
Jing Shu wasn't that interested in the luxury aspect, though she did think about planting one in her Rubik's Cube Space. Maybe someday she would get to drink her own coffee. But something about the tree's vibrant, aggressive health nagged at her. The feeling was oddly familiar, a sensation she had felt recently. She checked her Cube Space to be sure.