Chapter 53: Harvest

"Control Center!" Li Qingxuan immediately clicked to view.

Beep!

The control panel lit up suddenly, real-time data refreshed; beside the lettuce and carrot icons, the growth progress marker instantly leaped several nodes, directly entering the "Rapid Growth Phase".

Even more shocking was the progress bar—the original remaining time of 240 hours plummeted like an avalanche to……0 hours!

One use of the ability directly shortened the maturation time by ten days! "Seeing this again still shocks me; the effect is fantastic!" Li Qingxuan's voice trembled with shock, "Although your ability's coverage area is still small, each use can cut 240 hours……Feifei, this means we can eat fresh vegetables every day!"

Li Feifei stood in place, feeling the drain of spiritual power; this time the coverage area was small, the drain was also small, far from reaching yesterday's exhaustion level.

She only felt that a noticeable small portion of her spiritual power had been siphoned off, like after a short sprint, slightly out of breath, but her sea of consciousness remained solid, far from depleted.

"The drain is within tolerable limits!" she exclaimed, panting excitedly, her face breaking into an uncontainable radiant smile as she looked at Li Qingxuan, "Brother Qingxuan, I feel……I can do it again! Let's also accelerate the wheat!"

Li Qingxuan saw her eager yet spirit-full appearance, then glanced at the panel showing the wheat's remaining time of 560 hours, and decisively nodded: "Alright! Cover the entire wheat field! If it feels strenuous, stop immediately!"

"Mm!" Li Feifei, full of confidence, locked her gaze onto that patch of wheat already lush and grown considerably taller. She took a deep breath and again gathered spiritual power.

This time, the mighty spiritual power surged forth like a flood released from a gate, instantly covering the entire wheat field.

A rich green halo, like a solid dome, enveloped the entire area.

Under the catalysis of this powerful life energy, the wheat sprouts began to grow even more frenziedly!

The stalks visibly elongated and thickened, leaves rapidly unfurled, widening and thickening, color shifting from tender green to deep green, even beginning to form tiny wheat ear primordia!

The whole wheat field seemed to breathe, to cheer, green waves rolling, teeming with vitality!

The halo's duration seemed a few seconds longer than the previous two times; when it finally faded, the entire wheat field had "grown taller" by a large margin, the green deep and lush, brimming with the promise of a bountiful harvest.

Beep! The notification sound from the control center seemed to carry joy as well.

The wheat's progress bar changed dramatically again—remaining time dropped from 560 hours straight to 320 hours!

"320 hours!" Li Feifei looked at the panel; although she was slightly out of breath from this large-scale, high-intensity casting, fine sweat beaded on her forehead, yet her face broke into a smile brighter than sunshine, "Brother Qingxuan! We……we will soon have flour!"

One casting shortened the maturation time by ten days! And tomorrow she can do it again! Harvest has never been this close!

Li Qingxuan gently steadied Li Feifei, whose body swayed slightly from excitement and a bit of drain; his gaze swept over the field that in just two days had transformed from barren to lush, now even more vibrant, then turned to the woman beside him, her face glowing with increased strength, and his heart likewise surged with waves of emotion.

"Yes, Feifei," he replied in a low, powerful voice, his eyes sweeping over the vibrant greenhouse, "Our spring is arriving at an unprecedented speed upon this frozen wasteland."

Next came the moment for the mechanical arms to harvest vegetables; a series of silvery mechanical arms, under the control center's command, precisely probed into the lettuce and carrot plots, emitting a faint hydraulic sound.

The sharp cutting edges flashed with a cold light, yet they conveyed a reassuring precision and composure.

Only saw it nimbly enter the dense lettuce patch; the broad, thick leaves were cleanly sliced off, as if gently lifted by an invisible hand, then steadily placed into the adjacent collection basket.

Then it turned to the carrot zone; the mechanical claw gently scraped away the surface soil, accurately clamped the plump orange-red root, and with a slight pull, the carrot, fresh with earthy scent, was cleanly pulled out, its root hairs distinct.

"Look, Brother Qingxuan!" Li Feifei pointed at the rapidly piling fresh vegetables in the harvest basket, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, "So much! So fresh! We really did it!"

Li Qingxuan's gaze also closely followed the mechanical arms' motion, watching the green and orange symbolizing hope for survival continuously feed into the basket, his heart equally stirred and unable to settle.

He quickly pulled up the control panel to check the harvest quantity and quality: "Lettuce estimated yield……all up to standard! Carrots……roots plump, appearance perfect! Feifei, we succeeded! This is entirely food we grew ourselves, the freshest!"

When the last carrot was steadily placed into the basket, the mechanical arm retracted to its original position, emitting a soft "beep," marking the completion of harvesting.

About ten or so full metal baskets sat quietly in the warehouse, filled with crisp lettuce and carrots dotted with moist soil, exuding a rich plant fragrance that blended with the greenhouse's original vital aura, forming an intoxicating, harvest-like aroma.

Li Feifei could no longer hold back; she rushed forward in two quick steps, carefully cradling a head of lettuce.

The icy touch, the weighty heft, the tiny droplets on the leaf edges—all of this felt utterly real, far more impactful and satisfying than the numbers jumping on the panel.

She buried her face in the leaves, inhaling deeply; that fresh scent, as if it could cleanse the soul, made her eyes rim warm.

"So great……really so great……" she murmured, her voice tinged with a sob.

Li Qingxuan walked to her side, looked at the full basket of harvest, then lifted his gaze to the already lush wheat field where wheat ears were just beginning to show, and his plans for the future instantly became much clearer.

"This is just the beginning, Feifei," he said in a deep voice, his tone full of resolve, "With this batch of vegetables, our food supply will become more stable. Once the wheat matures and flour is secured, the fortress's foundation will truly be solid. Your enhanced ability is our greatest confidence."

Li Feifei nodded firmly, put the lettuce back in the basket, and fixed a burning gaze on the wheat field: "Mm! I feel my condition is excellent now, and my spiritual power recovers quickly too. Brother Qingxuan, tomorrow……tomorrow we can use 'Accelerated Growth' again! 320 hours……another acceleration would leave only 80 hours! Three days! At most three days, we'll be able to harvest the wheat!"

Thinking of those golden wheat grains, the fragrant aroma of flour, and the food source soon truly under their control, the two exchanged smiles, their fatigue seemingly washed away by this immense joy and hope.

The fortress's future, amidst this vibrant green expanse, is becoming clear and bright at an unprecedented speed.

(PS: Please donate for free to keep the author motivated; your support will give them more drive, please!)