Chapter 34: Soilless Cultivation

"Sorry for the abruptness. My apologies for any inconvenience we have caused," Bai Jiengyan expressed apologetically. Then, he took out a pen and notebook from his pocket, quickly wrote down a series of numbers, tore off the paper, and handed it to Li Tianran, saying, "This is my phone number. If you change your mind anytime, feel free to contact me."

Li Tianran remained silent for a moment, then reached out and took the note from Bai Jiengyan.

"Sorry! Goodbye!" Bai Jiengyan nodded slightly to Li Tianran, then turned and walked towards the Mercedes parked nearby.

Li Tianran's eyes narrowed.

He increasingly felt that this person was dangerously cunning.

As the saying goes, judge a dog by its owner.

He had just beaten Bai Jiengyan's men in front of him, yet instead of getting angry, Bai Jiengyan calmly gave him his phone number with a smile...

This kind of person was either a coward or... a typical wolf in sheep's clothing!

Judging by the way he slapped the two strong men decisively just now; he wasn't a coward. Besides, were there any cowards among the people of Tianrun Company?

So, only the second possibility remained.

"...," Li Tianran took a deep breath. He wasn't afraid of those violent and crazy enemies, but he didn't want to be targeted by such a cunning two-faced person.

However, at this point, he had to respond accordingly.

"You're the first person who dared to decline business card," at this moment, Ren Xiaozhi suddenly spoke, her voice cold.

"Perhaps... your business card is not as valuable as you think?" Li Tianran shrugged and smiled after thinking for a moment.

Ren Xiaozhi's eyebrows twitched, a hint of anger appearing in her eyes. "I'll remember you!"

"At your age, why are you using childish and vicious words that kids use when they lose a fight..." Li Tianran looked at Ren Xiaozhi, sighed as if disappointed, and shook his head slightly, "Saying mean things to scare people is what a five-year-old does. Can't you be a bit more mature?"

"You, you, you!" Ren Xiaozhi couldn't stand it anymore. She felt that if she stayed here any longer, she might not be able to maintain her cold demeanor and might end up scratching Li Tianran's face like a shrew.

Snap!

She angrily slammed the car door shut, pulled down the sunshade on the car window, making Li Tianran disappear from her sight.

"Drive," Bai Jiengyan said with a gentle smile, instructing Da Kui, who was in the driver's seat.

Vroom!

The Mercedes started, turned around, and drove away.

Watching the Mercedes fade into the distance, Li Tianran suddenly smiled.

"Access the location of Hummingbird Commando Unit 01!"

Li Tianran spoke, and the system immediately presented a series of images in his mind.

It was an interface resembling an electronic map, with a red dot moving rapidly like a GPS.

That was the Hummingbird Commando Unit 01 that had secretly infiltrated the Mercedes while Bai Jingyan and his group were negotiating with Li Tianran!

At this moment, it was acting like a GPS, constantly providing Li Tianran with the locations of Bai Jiengyan and his companions.

Yes, Li Tianran doubted their intentions.

Since he heard Ren Xiaozhi mention the identity of Tianrun Company, he had been suspicious of their true motives.

This time, he decided to take the initiative!

...

After a whole day of hard work, Li Tianran had completed about a third of the pond excavation work before dinner.

It was a massive project that couldn't be finished in a day.

So, Li Tianran had no intention of working overtime, especially considering his lazy nature.

And now, it was time for dinner.

Back in the small building, the TV was broadcasting the day's news.

"Hello, viewers in front of the television!"

"Today marks the tenth day after the Great Catastrophe. The accumulated death toll on Blue Star is 38.6 million!"

"The death toll in the Yanhuang Federation is 4.7 million!"

"At present, the federal government is actively mobilizing reserves. Citizens, please do not panic, and there is no need for large-scale looting of supermarket food. Only through unity and obedience can we overcome this global natural disaster!"

The host's opening remarks were still a bunch of uninspiring motivational words.

"Today, we have invited expert Liang Tian from the Agricultural Bureau to talk about the current situation and how to win this non-combative war."

An elderly expert with white hair sat in front of the camera, adjusted his collar, and smiled, "Hello, everyone! Hello, host! I am Liang Tian from the Agricultural Bureau!"

"The earth has been undergoing radiation disaster for ten days. In this period, we have encountered an unprecedented disaster! The land has been contaminated by radiation, causing all plants and crops to become highly toxic, especially their fruits!"

"After our analysis and research, we found that the toxins in these irradiated crops are fatal to humans and animals."

"So far, we have not found a single case worldwide of survival after consuming toxic crops."

Li Tianran, upon hearing this, thought of Xiaotian. However, he was already dead now...

Expert Liang Tian continued, "As everyone knows, the ancient saying 'Food is the paramount necessity of the people' has been around for a long time. No matter when, food is the primary resource for human survival."

"Now we face a huge problem, the issue of supply resources!"

"And through our testing, the current land is no longer suitable for cultivation! This is very unfortunate news! It means that from now on, green plants, including grains and vegetables, can no longer grow in the soil!"

"But! Everyone, don't be discouraged, don't despair!"

"We, the Yanhuang Federation, have matured soilless cultivation technology. After our overnight research, we have come to a conclusion!"

"Three months, at most three months! The first batch of large-scale cultivated soilless crops can be harvested!"

"By then, the problem of food shortage will be solved!"

At this moment, countless people sitting in front of their televisions were excitedly jumping.

They finally saw the dawn!

Even the host had red eyes, applauding, "This is truly a tremendous piece of good news! From this moment on, let's quietly wait. The dawn is waiting for us not far ahead!"

At this moment, the whole nation was jubilant!

But Li Tianran, alone, had a very solemn expression.

He didn't believe that the problem of food shortage could be solved in three months!

Because although soilless cultivation didn't require seeds to come into contact with toxic soil, it still required nutrient solution to sustain plant growth. And this nutrient solution needed a large amount of water for dilution!

Li Tianran remembered it very clearly.

The second catastrophe was related to water!

Humanity had already lost the land, and if they lost water as well, there might be a catastrophe leading to extinction!