The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 69

“The area ahead is full of collapsed low-rise houses and street facilities underwater. Further ahead, the water depth is probably less than two meters. The ‘Wind Chaser’ has a draft of nearly two meters when fully loaded, and with the underwater debris, it could run aground at any time.”

"But I estimate that it won't be long before the floodwaters spread outside the resort, and then we can drive the boat directly over there."

Xu Ming said.

Leaving aside the continuous torrential rain.

The floodwaters in the city ruins spread gradually from the west, south, and east, slowly inundating the area towards the north.

However, there are some exceptions, depending entirely on the terrain of this otherworldly land.

The terrain is uneven, and the water depth inside varies.

Xu Ming steadily turned the helm to slow down the ship, and looked at Han Ning at the same time: "Boss, we can only stop here. If we go any further, the ship will not be able to move."

"Okay, let's stop here." Han Ning nodded in agreement.

Xu Ming maneuvered the "Wind Chaser" into the temporary anchorage area, where it docked alongside several other boats.

He sounded the horn to signal the ship to stop, then turned off the diesel engine and lowered the anchor.

In the distance, the outlines of some buildings were faintly visible in the rain and mist, and the figures busy transferring supplies looked like a group of ants struggling in a doomsday flood.

Considering that Lao Xu and Yu Na had worked hard for a day and a night, Han Ning decided not to move the supplies back from the ship today.

"Snowcake, you stay in the water nearby and keep an eye on our supplies. Don't let anyone get close or take anything."

"Hooo!"

Snowcake raised its big head and responded softly, indicating that it understood.

Its massive body shifted slightly, and it jumped into the water.

He poked half his head out of the water, secretly observing the ship.

Compared to the stuffy indoor environment, this open water is actually more suitable for its activities.

Xuebing ate a lot of crab and fish along the way, so she's not very hungry now.

Chi chi chi~

More than a dozen vines emerged from Han Ning's side, wrapping around the sealed box containing the seeds and experimental equipment, steadily lifting them half a meter above the water.

"Let's go." Han Ning glanced at Yu Na and Su Mingke, then put his arms around Xu Ming and Professor Ye, two ordinary people, and jumped into the water first.

Su Ming hesitated for a moment, but still followed.

……

Back at the resort.

Xu Ming let out a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.

He dragged his tired body and pushed open the door to his room.

"father!"

The door had barely opened a crack when a small figure rushed out and buried herself in Xu Ming's wet arms.

It was Xu Yinyin.

The little girl's eyes were red, and her face still bore traces of tears; she had clearly been terrified for the past day and night.

She clung tightly to Xu Ming's waist, burying her face in his rain-soaked and sweat-smelling clothes, her voice muffled and trembling with tears:

"Daddy, you're finally back! Yinyin was so scared..."

Xu Ming felt a pang of sadness and quickly knelt down, hugging his daughter tightly. His rough hands gently patted her back, and his voice was hoarse:

"Yinyin, be good. Daddy's okay. Daddy's back."

"I'm sorry, I made Yinyin worry."

Standing at the back, Han Ning looked around the room and saw several torn cookie wrappers and empty mineral water bottles in the corner. She knew that these were food and water that Xu Ming had left for his daughter in advance.

"Yinyin is great. She's been alone for so long and still knows to eat sparingly."

Xu Ming gently stroked his daughter's soft hair, his tone full of affection.

"Dad promises you, I'll try not to leave for such a long time in the future."

"Mmm!" Xu Yinyin nodded vigorously, lifting her small face. Although her eyes were still red, a relieved smile had appeared on her face.

"Dad is the best, and Uncle Han is amazing too!"

"How powerful is it?" Han Ning asked, feigning curiosity.

"Um...that's right...that's right." Xu Yinyin tilted her head and whispered, "Uncle Han can command the big crocodile and release green branches to protect Dad and me, of course he's amazing!"

"Yinyin is also very capable and brave. She's not afraid to stay at home alone." Han Ning couldn't help but reach out and pinch Xu Yinyin's blushing cheeks.

Upon receiving Han Ning's praise, Xu Yinyin shyly snuggled closer to her father, her little face beaming with happiness.

Professor Ye and Su Mingke watched this scene silently. It was the first time they had ever seen Han Ning so gentle.

……

Han Ning told Xu Ming and Yu Na to go back and rest, and then led Professor Ye and Su Mingke to his room.

He carefully placed the seed box in a relatively dry corner of the living room.

This room was a luxury suite that Lin Qianqian had reassigned to him. It was very spacious, and even with some miscellaneous items, it wasn't crowded.

"Gentlemen, there are clean towels and basins over there. You can wipe yourself down and change into some dry clothes."

Han Ning pointed towards the bathroom, where some spare clothes and towels he had collected earlier were placed.

"Hmm... these are all men's clothes. We have limited resources, so please make do."

The suite has two bathrooms, one large and one small, with separate wet and dry areas.

Professor Ye and Su Mingke were both soaked and covered in mud, which was really uncomfortable.

The two did not refuse. They picked up towels and two sets of relatively clean old clothes that Han Ning had found, went to the bathroom to wipe themselves down, and changed out of their soaking wet clothes.

Professor Ye is a man, so changing into a slightly oversized jacket and sweatpants didn't look out of place.

Su Mingke, being a woman, changed into a neutral-toned windbreaker and sweatpants, looking dashing and capable.

When the two of them finished getting ready, Han Ning was already standing next to the small planting area on the balcony.

While hunting on the outskirts of the foggy area, he moved the supplies from the apartment building here in several batches.

He pointed to the red mist tomato plant that shimmered with a faint red glow in the dim light and said to Professor Ye:

"Professor Ye, look at this."

Professor Ye's eyes were immediately drawn to this peculiar tomato plant.

He walked quickly closer, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

As a seasoned agronomist, he keenly noticed that this tomato plant was unusual.

The leaves are thicker and greener, the stems are unusually thick, and the thin red mist that swirls around the plant is something never seen before.

A peculiar aura permeated the air.

"This...this is a tomato?" Professor Ye's voice was filled with surprise. "But...how could it be..."

"This is a plant that I mutated using my abilities."

"It has undergone some kind of mutation, and when it matures, it emits this red mist, which has a significant and powerful effect on the monster's mind. At the same time, during its growth process, its demand for soil nutrients and water becomes abnormally terrifying."

Han Ning explained the process of tomato mutation in detail.

"To make it mature, I used up all the nutrient soil I had stored; ordinary soil simply couldn't support its growth."

He looked at Professor Ye, his eyes serious:

"So, I would like to ask you, given our current conditions, is there any way to artificially create or improve soil with extremely high nutritional value that can support these mutant crops, and even accelerate the growth and increase the yield of ordinary crops?"

This was the first question he posed to Professor Ye.

Professor Ye listened to Han Ning's explanation and fell into deep thought.

He reached out his finger and carefully touched the thick, green leaves of the tomato plant. Then he picked up a bit of the hardened, nutrient-depleted soil residue in the pot and smelled it.

"The reason why this tomato is irritating to the monster is probably due to a mutation in the lycopene it releases, which is a normal direction of mutation."

He looked up at Han Ning.

"Mr. Han Ning, your ability is equivalent to a powerful directional inducing factor that accelerates its growth process, causing extreme conversion and enrichment of energy and matter in a short period of time, ultimately leading to this peculiar mutation."

"As for the soil..."

Professor Ye put down the dirt in his hand.

"In the absence of modern industrial fertilizers and precision instruments, we can only return to the most primitive and reliable method - composting."

"Compost?" Han Ning raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Professor Ye nodded.

"Microorganisms are used to decompose organic matter and convert it into nutrients that plants can absorb."

He began to elaborate:

"Generally speaking, composting requires the following key materials."

"First, nitrogen-rich 'green materials' are mainly fresh plant residues, such as various weeds, tender leaves and stems of aquatic plants, and even some relatively soft and easily decomposed leaves that we can find along the way. These things are rich in nitrogen, which can accelerate the reproduction of microorganisms."

"Well... that is, the natural laws of this world and the planet we live on have not changed much."

"Second, carbon-containing 'brown materials,' dry materials with a high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, such as fallen leaves, dried weeds, sawdust, and even some paper and cardboard, provide a carbon skeleton, balance nitrogen, and prevent compost from smelling bad."

"Third, mineral-containing 'additives,' such as wood ash, crushed eggshells, fish and animal bones, and even some mineral-rich soil or rock powder, provide plants with essential trace elements."

"Professor Ye, I have an idea..."

Upon hearing Professor Ye's explanation of the three key elements, Han Ning immediately thought of them.

Plant remains, tender leaves of aquatic plants... isn't that the seaweed fruit he just obtained?

Chapter 77 Microorganisms Under Nature's Blessing

There are also fish bones and animal bones, which can be replaced with the flesh and bones of extraordinary monsters.