Reborn with Nothing but My Farm and Vengeance in the Apocalypse

Chapter 520: Chapter 520: Blue-scaled Prawns

At the villa’s entrance, Melody Summers took one last look at Silas Lancaster.

Silas Lancaster hadn’t heard the conversation between Saul Archer and Melody Summers, nor did he know what awaited him. He just remained curled up on the ground, too scared of Saul and Jay Lowell to make a sound, fearing they would beat him.

When Melody looked at him, he seemed to sense her gaze and lifted his head to look back.

His eyes were filled with despair, indignation, anger, and a sense of being wronged. It was as if he were asking with his gaze—’Why aren’t you saving me? I’m your own brother?!’

Seeing the grievance in Silas’s eyes, Melody thought with disdain, ’I’m just collecting a little interest for what happened in my past life, and he has the nerve to feel wronged?’

’What is there to feel wronged about?’

’It’s not like he’s being exiled to an Ore Star, condemned to a living hell. He’s just going to be tormented for a few days. If he endures it for a bit, he’ll get to die.’

’Isn’t that for the best?’

Saul Archer and Jay Lowell dragged Silas Lancaster away like a dead dog. Melody watched their retreating figures, a little lost in thought. ’If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the last time I ever see Silas.’

’Death cancels all debts. In a way, Silas has now experienced the tragedy of my past life for himself. If there is a next life, I hope we never meet again...’

Melody Summers and Nina Summers had just closed the door and returned to the living room when, a second later, the doorbell rang again.

Nina frowned, tightening her grip on the broom in her hands. "...Don’t tell me he came back?" she said, annoyed.

Melody glanced through the peephole and saw that it wasn’t Silas Lancaster outside, but Sophie Thorne, whom she hadn’t seen in days.

Melody hurried to open the door. The two hadn’t seen each other in almost half a year, and as soon as they met, Sophie Thorne gave Melody a huge hug—

"Surprise~! Long time no see! Did you miss me?"

Sophie let herself in, folding her umbrella, and didn’t notice the subtle flicker in Melody’s eyes.

After taking a seat, Sophie took a glass fishbowl out of her handbag. The bottom was lined with fine gravel, and on top of it sat a beautiful conch shell.

Sophie tapped the fishbowl lightly. Sensing the vibration, two fluorescent blue figures SWOOSHED out from the conch shell.

Pointing at the two beautiful blue figures, Sophie said excitedly, "Look, look! These are the Blue Scale Prawns I told you about! Aren’t they gorgeous?"

The Blue Scale Prawns were a rich, deep color. Their translucent white tails resembled a pair of tiny wings, creating ripples in the fishbowl. They were so beautiful they hardly seemed real.

Even for a wealthy heiress like Sophie, who was used to seeing all sorts of rare treasures, they were a novelty. She had just moved back home today, and the first thing she did was bring this magical creature over for Melody to see.

But Melody wasn’t particularly interested in the two Blue Scale Prawns—her family had eaten them for a month straight and gotten so sick of them that they refused to eat another bite.

Melody tapped the glass fishbowl nonchalantly and asked, "These prawns... have you guys figured out how to breed them artificially?"

Hearing this, Sophie sighed helplessly. "Not yet... The researchers at several institutes have been working on it for months with nothing to show for it. Maybe they really are an alien species..."

Being an alien species, they were difficult to breed on Terra.

Melody watched the two prawns in the fishbowl for a moment, then suddenly said, "If you trust me, leave these two with me. I’ll do some research and see if I can get them to breed for you!"

"You?!" Sophie’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It wasn’t that Sophie looked down on Melody, but...

’Experts at several top biological research institutes have been stumped for months. What could Melody possibly do on her own?’

Melody saw right through Sophie’s thoughts and replied seriously, "You probably don’t know this, but my family used to run a fish farm. We did aquaculture! I was helping manage the fish and shrimp in our ponds before I even graduated."

"Since your professional institutes can’t figure it out, why not let an amateur like me give it a shot? You know what they say—talent can be found in the most unexpected places!"

Although Sophie wasn’t hopeful, she nodded and teased, "Alright, give it a try then. If you succeed in breeding them, you can sell the technology to those institutes. Tens of billions, hundreds of billions—name your price!"

After all, the Blue Scale Prawns were highly nutritious. After studying them, experts from several institutes unanimously agreed that they had properties that could strengthen the body and extend one’s lifespan.

How long has humanity yearned for longevity?

In ancient times, a group of Emperors, in their quest to live for millennia, sought out gifted individuals and mystics, pursued immortality, and concocted elixirs of life, only to literally poison themselves to death with heavy metals.

Even now, there are wealthy people who, in their pursuit of rejuvenation and eternal youth, engage in bizarre practices like exchanging blood with their descendants, or even go as far as the depraved act of kidnapping children to extract adrenochrome.

In short, the rich and powerful would go to any lengths, trying every method imaginable, just to live a few more years.

If Melody could figure out how to farm the Blue Scale Prawns, there would undoubtedly be people willing to pay a fortune for the technology.

However, that wasn’t what was on Melody’s mind.

She changed the subject, pointing to Nina Summers, who was staring blankly at the Blue Scale Prawns. "Tens or hundreds of billions won’t be necessary," she said to Sophie, "but..."

"I heard your new planting base in the reconstruction zone is hiring. Are there any positions suitable for my sister?"

When Nina, who was standing to the side, heard Melody mention her, she jerked her head up and said blankly, "Me?"

She bit her lip and waved her hands helplessly, whispering, "...I... I can’t do it..."

It wasn’t that Nina hadn’t thought about finding a job. On the contrary, she desperately wanted one. So, as soon as the reconstruction zone was established, the first thing she did was check the official website for job postings.

But she hadn’t realized how competitive it was until she looked—and what she saw was a shock.

Someone with her qualifications didn’t even stand a chance!

After three years of natural disasters, most companies had gone bankrupt, leaving a huge number of young adults unemployed. With such a rare and good job opportunity, resumes were flooding the hiring platforms like a snowstorm.

Nina casually browsed the public lists of new hires for a few companies and was so shocked she gasped.

For a place like the planting base Melody had just mentioned, the minimum requirement was basically a bachelor’s and master’s from a Project 985 university. PhDs who had studied abroad were everywhere, and even the security guards at the gate had a few athletic gold medals... How could a bachelor’s graduate from an ordinary domestic university like her possibly get a chance?

Melody ignored Nina and continued speaking to Sophie. "She majored in biology in college, too. If there’s a suitable position, maybe she could try interviewing for it."

Melody wasn’t trying to force Sophie to pull strings for Nina, just to get her an interview—since there was an opportunity, why not try for it? There was nothing to lose if she didn’t pass the interview anyway.

Sophie thought for a moment and replied, "The research and administrative departments are both hiring assistants. The requirements aren’t too high. Your sister can try applying."

Nina’s heart instantly started racing. Thinking of the "clash of the titans" she’d seen on those hiring lists, she asked nervously, "Can... can I really do it? My university is very ordinary, and my major isn’t from a Double First-Class program..."