Chapter 23: Return, Organize, and Reap the Harvest
At first, the administrator didn’t notice anything unusual about the two of them. On the contrary, he was quite gratified to see them step up and protect the farm under such circumstances.
He even promised Su Ning and Fu Qingge, “Once the battle is over, I’ll definitely improve your compensation.”
Arrows flew rapidly from Su Ning’s hands, while Fu Qingge fought hard on the other side.
Unknowingly, they moved to the side of the Starfruit Tree behind them. In others’ eyes, the two were risking their lives to protect the tree.
But only Su Ning and Fu Qingge knew it was just a cover.
Su Ning had little reaction to the administrator’s promise. Her mind was taut with tension, always observing the countdown to exit the instance.
She silently counted every passing second in her mind.
Suddenly, the system’s voice rang in her ears:
[Ding! The instance is about to end. All players, please prepare! Countdown begins!]
[10..9..8!]
Su Ning paused — this was the moment she had been waiting for.
She and Fu Qingge stopped and exchanged a look. A flicker of determination flashed in both their eyes.
They decided to stop hiding their strength and go all out — to gather as many Starfruits as possible in the final moments.
They turned simultaneously. The administrator had no time to react.
It wasn’t until the moment Su Ning and Fu Qingge picked a Starfruit that he realized their true purpose.
But it was too late. Su Ning and Fu Qingge gave him no time to respond. Not only did they stuff the fruit directly into their mouths, but their hands also continued working swiftly, using nearby branches as cover to stash the fruits into their Scavenger Backpacks.
“Damn it! You damn thieves!”
The administrator roared with fury, unable to believe his own employees would dare betray him and steal the Starfruits.
He struck toward them with a terrifying palm strike.
But Su Ning wasn’t afraid at all.
Because — at that moment — the countdown hit zero!
Time felt as though it had frozen. Su Ning looked at the furious administrator in front of her and curved her lips into a satisfied smile.
The administrator was trembling with rage, but there was nothing he could do.
Su Ning and Fu Qingge vanished without a trace. He could only watch helplessly as they escaped.
This chase ended in Su Ning’s victory, leaving the administrator as a pitiful loser.
[..2..1..0! Instance Ended!]
Su Ning’s figure vanished in an instant.
In the next second, she returned to the scorching post-apocalyptic world.
“That was close. He almost landed a hit.”
Though her face remained calm, Su Ning felt a bit tense inside.
But more than anything — she was thrilled.
Thanks to the Scavenger Backpack, she managed to gather five Starfruits in the final seconds (not including the ones she had already eaten).
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Fu Qingge was also ecstatic.
“Only got two Starfruits. I’ll use one for myself, and the other can help awaken another useful talent for Yaoyao.”
Fu Qingge thought about Su Ning:
“I wonder how much she got. Not sure if she managed to gather any, but if there’s a chance, I’d love to collaborate with her again.”
The two had focused entirely on picking the Starfruits, so they had no idea how much the other had gained.
At that moment, Su Ning was already immersed in awakening a new talent.
She felt a warm current flow through her body, followed by a lightness — Then, the sensation vanished in an instant.
She opened her personal interface and saw her new stats:
[Player: Su Ning]Talents:
Scavenger: Scavenger’s Eye, Scavenger Backpack, Scavenger Venom
Self-Healing: Strong regeneration ability
Skill: Perfect Aim
To her delight, Su Ning had awakened a brand-new healing talent — Self-Healing.
This ability allowed her to rapidly recover from injuries, which was extremely practical.
Though it wasn’t an offensive talent like she had hoped, it was a unique and crucial survival skill.
Overjoyed, Su Ning immediately pulled out a small knife from her backpack to test the talent.
Without hesitation, she sliced a small cut into her palm.
The moment her skin broke, the self-healing talent activated.
Only a single drop of blood leaked before the bleeding stopped.
Then, the wound rapidly closed — within a blink, it had completely healed as if it had never existed.
Su Ning was stunned, and then thrilled, “Amazing! With this ability, my chances of surviving danger are way higher!”
However, just as she returned, her neighborhood was filled with even more horrific screams than the first time she’d come back.
Su Ning ignored them and started organizing the spoils of her instance run.
This time, she had gained a massive haul.
First, there were the animals from the breeding farm. During the final attack by the Storm Clan, Su Ning had picked up many dying animals from the farm.
They became her meat reserves.
11 adult meat chickens — all food, not a single one spared.
3 meat chick hatchlings — one male, two females — she planned to raise them herself for sustainability, and a steady supply of meat and eggs.
Meat chicken eggs were the most abundant item she collected; A total of 1323 eggs.
In terms of fruits and vegetables: 35 Juju Fruits; 51 Jade Dew Fruits; Several branches from the broken Jade Dew fruit tree — Su Ning hoped to grow them herself.
She also gathered 4 living Juju Flowers to try cultivating.
Then there were several Dead Worms — ideal, nutritious feed for the meat chickens.
Afraid they’d run out, Su Ning planned to raise some herself. The worms reproduced at an insane rate, so there was no need to worry.
At the breeding farm, she hadn’t just worked — she also learned a lot of animal husbandry knowledge.
“Only knowledge will never betray you.”
“Still have 323 Emerald Bees in the backpack, plus many dead ones. Also harvested over 200 jin of honey.”
Su Ning’s heart ached when she saw how many Emerald Bees had died from the explosion shockwave — nearly ten thousand. Each one could’ve generated wealth.
She also had Giant Fertilizer from the Moko tribe — A substance that could shorten plant growth cycles and increase output.
She collected plenty during the farm’s destruction since this stuff couldn’t reproduce like the worms. Once used, it’s gone.
But her biggest gain?
Treasure chests.
She acquired a Worm Refining Pot, the title of Breeder, and a Body-Enhancement Pill that upgraded her Scavenger talent.
“The Breeder title fits me perfectly now. I can use it to raise many things at home.”
Still, Su Ning worried that raising animals and plants in her room might attract unwanted attention.
“Looks like I need to find a way to move into a shelter!”
Though Shelter No. 6 was still under construction, some special personnel had already moved in.
As one of those staff, Su Ning might now have a chance to earn residency rights.
(End of Chapter)
