Chapter 260: Chapter 172: Heroic Pride (Part 2)
"That’s right." Claire Chapman scratched her head, then turned to the others. "You all heard that? Relay the message to the other vehicles: full speed ahead! We’re suspending training for two days, so manage your own time. But you all know this is a tough nut to crack, so I expect you to stay in peak condition, ready to fight at a moment’s notice!"
"Yes, ma’am!" the team members in the vehicle responded in unison.
Claire Chapman suddenly bared her teeth in a rather sinister grin. "If anyone slacks off... I guarantee you, you absolutely do not want to know the consequences!"
Everyone shivered in unison.
’Oh, my God! The sharp-tongued instructor just left, and now the great demon king of a captain has emerged!’
’Fate is truly a heartless, cruel, and unreasonable little imp!’
The deeply despairing team members channeled their sorrow and indignation into strength, driving their vehicle with such wild abandon they nearly started running over rocks like a tank.
Meanwhile, Paige Summers and Claire Chapman went over the layout of The Foundry several more times, simulating potential scenarios upon their arrival and how to respond, before finally stopping to rest.
Once it was quiet, Paige Summers closed her eyes, feigning sleep.
She had something very important to do.
She had already tossed the bag of seeds into her space before getting in the vehicle. Now, it was time to test them.
For this first attempt, she didn’t plant all of them, using only a few seeds.
Planting them was relatively simple. Paige had already tilled all the soil with her spiritual power when she’d planted the mutated vegetation before. This time, she just needed to do the same, using her spiritual power to sow the seeds evenly.
The moment they touched the ground, the wheat seeds began to grow at a visible rate...
Paige’s spiritual power "watched" them without relaxing for a second, her feelings a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
’This is wheat!’
The thought of the wonderful aroma of bread and noodles made from the processed grain made Paige’s mouth water!
After Summers Armaments became successful, she could occasionally get to eat a flour-based dish, though it was only a miniature steamed bun. But that was enough to move her to tears of gratitude! And every time that happened, she remembered her past life, when she’d been rather picky about all sorts of pasta and bread, and she just wanted to strangle her former self!
’This time, finally, will I finally be able to eat them again?!’
Under Paige’s fervent gaze, the wheat seeds grew strong and healthy. There was no wind, yet they swayed inexplicably. For some reason, Paige suddenly sensed a smug, triumphant emotion coming from them.
Her heart skipped a beat, but then she told herself she was overthinking it.
’Wheat having thoughts? I’m definitely thinking too much!’
Time passed without her noticing. The vehicle moved forward, and the wheat grew taller.
After about two hours, the five or six stalks of wheat in her space were already bowing their heavy heads.
Paige was a bit dazed.
She had expected that mutated plants would grow exceptionally lush in her space, and that the wheat would probably do the same. But... holy crap, could you still call these fava bean-sized things wheat grains?!
As she stared, dumbfounded, the ears of wheat drooped lower and lower, the stalks bending heavily until they touched the ground.
Then, something incredible happened...
The oval wheat grains, still in their husks, detached themselves from the stalks. Balancing on one end, they hopped and skipped over to an empty patch of ground nearby.
Paige wanted to rub her eyes blind. If she hadn’t managed to cling to her sanity and forcibly suppress the scream stuck in her throat, everyone in the vehicle would have probably thought she’d lost her mind!
’Th-th-this is too terrifying!’
But for the wheat grains, this was far from over!
One ear of wheat had about forty grains, which meant there were at least two hundred-some grains hopping around on the empty ground like little kids. One moment they were clustered in a group, the next they were lined up in a row. After these brief group exercises, about twenty of the grains grew quiet and stood off to the side.
Paige no longer thought she was hallucinating. She could distinctly feel a sense of pride coming from those twenty grains!
The others, meanwhile, began to wiggle their plump little bodies. ’If they were human-shaped, they’d probably be puffing out their chests and sucking in their stomachs...’ After they’d fussed about for a while, Paige finally understood what they were doing, because the husks on the outside of the wheat grains... fell off.
When the now-huskless grains obediently piled themselves up, the twenty proud ones hopped back into the soil and began to sprout and grow. Paige felt as if her old heart had just survived a magnitude-10 earthquake and then settled into complete calm. She figured that no matter what bizarre scene unfolded before her now, she probably wouldn’t be too surprised.
After a long while, a brilliant, radiant smile slowly blossomed on her lips.
That day, everyone could feel her good mood.
She had confirmed that the mature wheat grains were not only edible but also tasted excellent. As for whether they contained any Spiritual Energy, she wasn’t sure, but she definitely felt great after eating them!
For now, though, she didn’t take them out to share with the team. She needed to come up with a plausible explanation for their origin first.
Having a space that could carry items was enviable, but not a huge deal. However, a space that could actually grow food? That was just completely off the charts!
Even if they were all her own people, she couldn’t be sure that every single one of them could keep a secret.
She still had to think hard about how to spin the story.
The others, of course, had no idea such a momentous event had happened to her. They were all gearing up for the coming battle. After two days, almost exactly on schedule, the convoy arrived near The Foundry.
It was very obvious that the scenery outside the vehicles had changed along the way.
Mutated plants and animals appeared less frequently, while the number of Zombies increased.
Fortunately, they were all low-level Zombies, so most of the time the convoy didn’t have to stop. They just sent a few team members out to take care of them. For those team members, catching up to the moving vehicles was no longer a difficult task.
Every time they cleared the obstacles and got back in the vehicle, the team members would recall how Zephyr Mercer had given them a hard time when they first left Central City, and they couldn’t help but share a knowing smile.
Paige Summers saw all of this, and her heart filled with gratification. At the same time, she felt a sense of clarity.
’With a team like this, as long as they give their all for the objective, it will be a success—even if, for reasons beyond their control, they can’t take The Foundry!’
A thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
The world was vast. Her conflict with Sheldon Reid didn’t necessarily have to be resolved in Central City.
She was now a walking granary. If she could have her own base, her own city, and more and more team members like these... what would Sheldon Reid even matter?!
In that moment, her heart swelled with boundless ambition!
