Apocalyptic Flood: Sexy Beauty Neighbor's Midnight Plea for Food Chapter 1103 - 448: Tempting Tofu

"Goodness, what is all this?"

"Are those soybeans?"

"My heavens, the entire field is overrun with them?"

"Damn, that has to be over a dozen acres, doesn't it?"

...

Stretched across the terraced hills of Meishan, mutant soybean plants—growing significantly taller than a human—stood in lush, vibrant clusters. Each stalk was heavily burdened with pods, stuffed to capacity. The beans themselves were huge, each one the size of a thumbnail and roughly double the scale of ordinary soybeans.

Zhou Wanxi and her companions gawked at the mutant crop, completely stunned. An excited buzz of questioning rippled through the group. Everyone present understood the gravity of this discovery. These plants represented food. And throughout the age of the Great Flood, food was synonymous with survival.

Wen Xiao turned to face them, wearing a confident grin. "Everyone, these are the Xiangyun Beans belonging to our Yangshan. They are a specific mutant variety of soybean. Your mission for the day is to harvest these and transport them to the food processing factory."

"Can these actually be consumed?" Zhou Wanxi inquired, unable to mask her exhilaration.

Wen Xiao chuckled. "Of course. Why else would we exert the effort to cultivate them if they weren't edible?"

Zhou Wanxi’s eyes welled with moisture, her voice thick with emotion. "They’re edible... they actually are! If we had possessed such soybeans back on the ship, so many lives could have been spared."

Li Chongming felt his own eyes burn with tears as he murmured, "No wonder—it all makes sense now. Mr. Liang mentioned that we’ve achieved self-sufficiency. With a yield like this, our needs are fully covered."

Xiao Mingtian was equally charged with adrenaline. "This is what a true shelter looks like. Mist City may be impressive, but it lacks resources on this scale."

Unable to contain his curiosity, Meng Qin leaned toward Wen Xiao. "Instructor, we have a processing facility here?"

Wen Xiao bobbed his head, smiling. "Indeed. Once the harvest concludes, you'll be assisting at the factory, so you will see for yourself soon enough."

The group exchanged eager looks, their spirits buoyed by the prospect of visiting the facility.

Then, the real work began. In the days before the Great Flood, harvesting Xiangyun Beans would have been a grueling chore, but for these superpower users, it was remarkably simple. A unit of twenty was formed: the Speed Ability Users handled the rapid reaping, while the Strength-type Superpower Users took charge of hauling the haul. The Elemental Ability Users had the easiest time of it, using their skills to neatly contain the harvest without losing a single bean.

Once harvested, the Fire Attribute Superpower Users incinerated the stubble, and the Earth Attribute Superpower Users broke the soil for the next cycle. Finally, workers from the ranch and slaughterhouse moved in to apply fertilizer. It was a seamless, well-oiled operation.

By the afternoon, Wen Xiao’s squad finished their assigned section. Given that veterans like Li Chongming, Zhou Wanxi, and Xiao Mingtian already carried main attributes exceeding forty-five points, such farm work proved effortless. Even when the labor ended, they remained energetic, having barely burned through half of their reserves.

Wen Xiao clapped his hands to grab their attention. "Good work. The soil-prep team is taking over now, so follow me to the soy product processing factory."

The group let out a cheer and scrambled to follow him. The facility was situated near the Jieshi Academy, not far from the fields. Though compact, it functioned like a massive, high-efficiency warehouse. The interior was a hive of activity, ringing with the rhythmic clatter of machinery.

Zhou Wanxi and the others peered inside to witness the assembly line: beans were washed until pristine and tumbled into huge, dual-millstones. These stones, riddled with feeding holes, were driven by massive wooden stakes acting as a giant wheel. Strength-type Superpower Users pushed the stakes, spinning the stones while Water Attribute Superpower Users occasionally added streams of water. Before long, fresh, rich soy milk poured from the grind into large wooden barrels waiting beneath, which were swapped out the moment they hit capacity.

The full barrels were either hauled away or shuttled to an adjacent hall where workers crafted tofu, fermented bean curd, dried bean curd, bean ribbons, and tea-flavored varieties. The entire system was mature and fully optimized.

The group looked on in awe. "Is this truly the processing factory?" someone asked. "Yangshan is actually producing its own tea-flavored bean curd and tofu? To think I’ve forgotten what tofu even tastes like!"

Even the Captain, a person of status in Mist City, had been denied the pleasure of warm soy milk or fresh tofu for a long time. Greed and longing burned in their eyes; they were ready to rush over and drink directly from the barrels. Wen Xiao blocked them, sternly warning, "No scavenging while on duty. Your points will be credited after the shift, and you can purchase your share then."

"Didn't you mention needing a points card?" Xiao Mingtian asked quickly.

"The cards take time to process, and your details must be registered," Wen Xiao explained, his tone lightening into a laugh. "But you can start a tab for now; our accounting staff will settle it automatically once the cards are issued. If you prefer not to spend points, the communal cafeteria serves tofu at dinner, though it lacks the freshness you see here."

The group swallowed hard, their hope for a future in Yangshan bolstered significantly. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and it wasn't hard to imagine how the lower-ranking crew members felt. They were all genuinely eager to become full-fledged Yangshan citizens.

Having been tortured all afternoon by the aroma of fresh tofu, the group was famished by the time the workday ended. As they walked out under Wen Xiao’s guidance, complaints about their ravenous hunger were audible everywhere.

"I’ve been drooling all day," one said. "I swear I could eat three bowls of rice once I get my hands on some tofu."

"Wait, you're a Strength-type—only three bowls?" someone joked back.

"I'm talking about back in the day, before the flood!"

As the chatter continued, the group decided they couldn't wait. Meng Qin took the initiative: "How about we pool some points and grab some tofu now?"

Xiao Mingtian agreed immediately. "Great idea. We earn points to spend them, don't we?"

Zhou Wanxi hesitated. "I'm just worried we'll need these points for something more essential later."

"How much can tofu cost?" Xiao Mingtian countered. "With our abilities, are we really worried about being unable to earn more?"

Zhou Wanxi looked to Li Chongming. "What’s your take, Old Li?"

Temptation clearly winning out, Li Chongming cleared his dry throat. "Let’s ask the price first."

"It's only five points a pound," Meng Qin said excitedly. "If we all chip in one point, we can buy nearly a pound for the four of us. How about it?"

The consensus was immediate. They quickly settled their tab and bought a small portion. When they divided the steaming pieces, the scent of the soybean product hit them like a physical blow. After years of eating nothing but mutant fish, this was a revelation. Without a word, they dug in. The rich, sweet, and fragrant flavor exploded across their palates, sending them into a dreamlike state. Before they realized it, the portion was gone.

"Hell, how did we finish it already?" Zhou Wanxi shouted, bewildered. "That was too delicious, but far too little!"

"Shall we go back for more?" Meng Qin suggested with a wicked grin.

Li Chongming looked at him, confused. "Wait, Meng Qin, aren't you from the Spiritual Ability Sect? Don't you guys have tofu?"

Meng Qin rolled his eyes. "Do you think mutant soybeans just grow on trees? All land held by the Three Great Sects is strictly controlled—you can't just plant your own garden. It seems Yangshan is the same, with unified planning for all land."

Li Chongming nodded. "That makes sense. In a world where the flood is choking away our living space, centralized management is a necessity."

"The Three Great Sects preach this, yet they never actually cultivate food, leaving their people starving," Meng Qin sighed. "They’ll collapse eventually."

Li Chongming shook his head. "I wouldn't be so certain. Their followers are trapped on their islands, and those in power benefit too much from the status quo to challenge it. However, a thriving place like Yangshan poses a threat to their control. They’ll likely try to destroy it before they let it succeed."

"They'd destroy it just because they can't compete?" Xiao Mingtian frowned, realizing the grim reality. "Damn, you're probably right."

As they discussed the geopolitical landscape to distract themselves from their cravings, they merged with the rest of the group and trekked toward Yunquan Temple.