Chapter 680: Chapter 680: The North

Three days after resigning from the hospital, Evelyn Ford officially began a life of farming from dawn to dusk.

In the blink of an eye, it was May. By now, Eldoria had become too hot to even go outside. The base had to brew large quantities of cooling soup every day to distribute to all residents. Wendy said that more and more people were dying suddenly from heatstroke lately. The medicinal herbs grown by the base couldn’t be harvested yet, so Rhys Chase made a special trip to the small courtyard to borrow fifty tons of herbs from Evelyn Ford.

Evelyn Ford was short on many things, but never medicine. With the base facing a crisis, she decided to help in any way she could. Rhys Chase wasn’t the type to take advantage of others; the fact that he used the word "borrow" meant he would definitely pay it back. Evelyn Ford agreed to lend the medicinal herbs to Rhys Chase, and that very night, she had Ronan Kendrick deliver them to the base’s warehouse.

"June is the rainy season. It has to rain next month. If we don’t get rain in June, this year will be dangerous."

"June is the rainiest time of the year, so it’s bound to rain. I heard mushrooms are already growing on the steppes."

Everyone was a little worried about the base’s situation. Fortunately, the freshwater lake was large enough, so the base wasn’t short on water.

At that moment, Evelyn Ford was busy harvesting wheat. She had already promised the wheat stalks to the base; after all, the farming zone in her space produced plenty of fodder, far more than her livestock could ever eat.

The cotton stalks she had previously given the base for free were already being used to cultivate mushrooms. Rhys Chase had even sent several hundred pounds over, and they still hadn’t finished eating them.

Without an automated harvester, she and the others could only toil away. Luckily, they had a thresher to separate the grain. Staring out at the endless wheat fields, Evelyn Ford couldn’t help but sigh.

’Planting is a thrill, but harvesting is a killer.’

"What should we plant after we finish harvesting the wheat?" For a moment, Evelyn Ford wasn’t sure what to plant either. After all, they weren’t worried about food; the grain in their storage area was enough to last their group a lifetime.

"I suggest we keep planting wheat. No matter what, having a stockpile of grain brings peace of mind."

"We could plant some sorghum or sesame. Or maybe some fruits and vegetables—we do go through our veggies pretty fast. We could also plant some potatoes and sweet potatoes."

Evelyn Ford thought everyone had a good point, but there was no rush to decide what to plant. First, they had to finish harvesting the wheat and corn, and then till the land all over again.

"We can plant everything you’ve mentioned. We also need to plant more ginger, chili peppers, garlic, and scallions... We have thousands of acres, so we can plant whatever we want. We can also set aside a few acres for peanuts and sunflowers. I remember we have a lot of flower seeds in storage, so let’s plant a few acres of those too. And don’t just stay in the space farming every day. You all need to get out and about. The base’s shopping center has everything, and we still have plenty of tickets at home. Go use them."

"Got it."

"After the wheat harvest, there’s no rush to plant the second crop. You can all move out and live outside for a while. They’ve set up a lot of fitness equipment and recreational facilities in the courtyard area. I went to check it out yesterday, and tons of people were there. There’s even a Go room and a mahjong room. If you stay cooped up in the space all the time, aren’t you afraid you’ll go stir-crazy?"

"Evelyn Ford has a point. We need to balance work and rest," Officer Graham said, nodding in agreement.

"Once we finish harvesting the wheat, I’m going out to help Wyatt Vaughn make clothes. His clothing shop’s business has been getting better and better lately, and he’s too busy to handle it all."

Miles Vaughn looked at Joelle Finch. "I think you just miss him. Last night you were just telling me how you’re not used to Wyatt Vaughn not being in the space."

"Well, of course. He and I are usually inseparable."

"Everyone should go out then. It’s fine if the black soil lies fallow for a month or two. Humans are social creatures. Once you detach from society, you start to decline in all sorts of ways. When you get old, you’re more likely to develop dementia."

"Alright, we’ll all go help Quincy and his partner with their work."

Although Evelyn Ford was holed up farming in her space every day, she knew about every little thing that happened in Eldoria. She’d heard that people from the Central Base had come again, this time to borrow cacti. Eldoria’s cacti were still growing, so how could they possibly lend them out? However, the Central Base hadn’t come empty-handed this time; they arrived with forty trucks, reportedly hauling a large amount of ore.

After weighing the pros and cons, the base leadership decided to give them a good portion of the cacti.

The Central Base had found quite a few mines. It seemed their decision to put down roots in the Eastern Steppe was a wise one.

The Eastern Steppe was right next to Rivenia. Rivenia had extensive forest cover, and most importantly, it was far from the desert, with very little wind. Its growing conditions were better than Eldoria’s. With help from the Eldoria Base now, the Central Base would probably be able to develop quickly.

But none of this had anything to do with Evelyn Ford, since there was no way she would go live at the Central Base.

"Oh, by the way, I heard something," Liam Sterling suddenly said, and everyone turned to look at him.

"What is it?"

"Soldiers on patrol sent back a telegram. They found some tracks on the northern steppes, possibly from survivors from the outer regions who are gathering intelligence. Rhys Chase has sent a lot of people over. If these outsiders want to get in, they have to be dealt with. We can’t let them take information about Eldoria back with them."

"Why are those people here again?"

"They’re not planning to steal our grain again, are they?"

"Is there anything those outsiders wouldn’t do?"

"Mr. Chase really is incredible. When he ordered the recruitment of a hundred thousand soldiers, I thought it was unnecessary. We were already short on labor, and he went and took all the healthy young people, leaving behind those who weren’t in good shape. How were we supposed to develop the base? I never imagined that just six months later, these soldiers would already be put to use."

"After becoming the Commander of The Second Base, Mr. Chase read countless books on military strategy. You could say he’s read every useful text in existence, ancient or modern, foreign or domestic. He always prepares for the worst. Even when food and manpower were scarce, he insisted on recruiting soldiers to bolster the base’s defenses." After Liam Sterling finished speaking, everyone’s admiration for Rhys Chase grew even deeper.

"Mr. Chase said before that every year from now on, he will select ten thousand people from the base for training. Ordinary people will also have to be trained, especially in survival skills. He plans to turn everyone in the base, including the elderly and children, into soldiers."

"That’s a grand vision," Taylor Vance said sincerely.

Evelyn Ford furrowed her brow. "If it’s really people from the outer regions, a confrontation is inevitable."

"Yeah, the base is already manufacturing weapons. The whole reason Mr. Chase traded the cacti to the Central Base was because the ore they brought can be used to make explosives."

"Can the base’s helicopters still fly? I think we could send some people to the outer regions to investigate."

Liam Sterling nodded. "They can. Mr. Chase is planning to send an elite team, but he’s hesitating because he’s worried about the risk of nuclear leaks in the outer regions."

"Our base can join forces with the Central Base. I’m sure the Central Base will cooperate. Only by eliminating all potential security threats can we truly live peaceful and stable lives."

Evelyn Ford paused for a moment, then continued, "If there isn’t enough ore, I can provide it."

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