From the People! They Finally Had a Home of Their Own

Saturday morning at nine o'clock, the sky was clear and blue.

Illyana stood in the open space in front of the headquarters, holding the broadsword in one hand, and slashed a path through the air.

Space was torn open, blue light patterns appeared, and a circular portal was revealed before everyone.

The gate connects to the Ankang mountainous area at the junction of Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces, which is home to the 749 Ecological Agriculture Demonstration Base.

Geggebu, who had been waiting for a long time, waved enthusiastically to his colleagues who came out of the teleportation portal.

"Come, come in and take a rest in the yard!"

"See that row of bungalows with big courtyards made of blue bricks up ahead? They have underfloor heating; you'll be sweating even in short sleeves inside during winter!"

Baobao followed behind Geggebu and called out, "Everyone, come inside and have some hot tea! I made some red date and goji berry water this morning!"

Sing Sing was just about to beckon the group of young people to go inside.

A cold glint suddenly flashed across the sky above the back mountain, the sound of it cutting through the air growing louder as it approached.

Are there enemies?

Lao Zhou narrowed his eyes and reached down to touch his lower back.

A familiar figure spread out steel wings nearly three meters wide, swirling up fallen leaves as it landed in front of the group.

Luke Shaw folded and retracted the metal wing bones on his back, raised his bionic right arm, and waved to Sing Sing.

"Director Zhou! I'm here too!"

Sing Sing quietly withdrew his hand, stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and cheerfully introduced him to the people behind him.

"Look everyone, this is your bureau's senior colleague, Comrade Luke Shaw, codename Mayfly."

"The parts on his body are top-notch engineering achievements. Anyone who fails mechanics class should ask him for tutoring."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Toby Green, nicknamed "Sprout," with his brown curly hair, was craning his neck to look at the glass greenhouse in the crowd.

"Director Zhou, may I go into the greenhouse to see the seedlings?"

"Go ahead, Flower Bud came over a couple of days ago too."

"She's probably inside working on her treasures right now. You agricultural students can get together and chat."

Sprout thanked them and quickly pushed open the glass door of the Number One Sunshine Greenhouse, where a wave of humid heat rushed out.

Flower Bud Olivia was squatting by the seedbed, her face covered in two specks of black mud.

She turned her head at the sound, a smile spreading across her clear eyes.

"Hello, I'm Olivia. You must be Toby, the Director Zhou mentioned?"

"Hello Olivia! I took a course in plant genetics and breeding when I was studying in Detroit. Are these wild Panax notoginseng plants from China planted in these seedbeds?"

Sprout crouched down, staring at a few seeds on the soil surface, her fingers glistening with a layer of grassy green.

"Yes, the seed coats of this batch are too lignified. Using conventional germination methods, it would take a full four months for them to sprout. I'm worried about how we can transplant them in time for spring planting."

"Senior, how about we give it a try? I'll soften the seed coat to accelerate cell division, and you can guide the roots to absorb nutrients?"

Olivia nodded slightly, pushed the bracelet around her wrist back a little, and held her palms three inches above the black soil.

As the Sprout pressed its fingertip into the moist soil, two gentle streams of bioenergy converged beneath the soil, causing the originally shriveled seed to visibly swell and crack open.

In less than three minutes, tender green stems and leaves pushed through the black soil particles and emerged, unfurling three glossy little leaves.

What do you think of this art style? Do you like it?

Toby withdrew his finger, his eyes stinging.

"My parents farmed their whole lives. The wind blew Monsanto's genetically modified pollen into our farmland, and they sued us, fined us until we were bankrupt."

"They locked the seeds in a safe and modified them into sterile crops that could only be grown for one season. Anyone who dared to keep the seeds was forced to die!"

"But here... the soil and seeds of China are all under our control as farmers?"

He stood up and bowed to Sing Sing, who had just strolled in.

"Director Zhou, aside from attending required courses at school, I'd like to apply to be stationed at the farm for the rest of my time. I want to work with everyone to cultivate the world's highest-yielding, disease-resistant grain variety that doesn't require any patent fees!"

"No problem! We always put people first, so I've approved your application!"

Sing Sing raised his hand and glanced at his watch.

"It's ten o'clock now. Do you want to go down the mountain together to buy barbecue ingredients? If not, you can stay here and study the crops."

After gathering all the men, Lao Zhou led them to the entrance of Wangjiayu Village, ten kilometers away.

It was market day, and the roadsides were teeming with people, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Bright red jujubes, persimmons covered in white frost, bundles of bamboo shoots, and rows of bright red Qinba smoked bacon hanging above the street stalls.

Foodie Sofia stared at a pot of mutton soup bubbling in the distance, her mouth practically watering.

Jiafeite was trembling as he went out for the first time, and the two Symbiotes on his shoulders, Ini and Mini, shrank into his clothes.

"Director Zhou... maybe I should just go back to the car and wait? This blue suit of mine is always a nuisance..."

Across from the stall, a burly man emerged from behind the cured meat stand, slamming his cleaver down on a wooden stump.

"Hey, Old Bu! You've gone down the mountain to shop again today? And why did you bring a few foreign actors from a theater troupe with you to the market?"

The man scooped out a skewer of fried potatoes and waved it at Geggebu.

Geggebu chuckled and stepped forward to take it.

He stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it until his mouth was full of oil, then turned and winked at Sofia was still standing there in a daze.

"Brother Zhao, this is a new intern we just recruited. We brought him here to show off the best dishes at our Shaanxi market!"

The uncles and aunties carrying bamboo baskets all gathered around, and an old lady with a blue headscarf circled around Jiafeite halfway, giving him a thumbs up in amazement.

"Wow, this young foreigner is so well-dressed! What little pet is he holding?"

"Like a giant blue silkworm, it's a rare sight!"

Jiafeite's blue face turned a deep purple, and he looked extremely uncomfortable.

Next to it, behind the stall making hot noodles, there were four or five discarded bamboo baskets stuffed with rotten vegetable scraps and torn plastic woven bags, blocking most of the aisle.

The stall owner, an elderly woman, was squatting on the ground, sighing as she looked at the earthen stove.

"Director Zhou, that passageway is blocked by waste. I... can I go over and clean up that garbage?"

"Do I even need to ask permission? Just lend a hand to the villagers with some chores, and I'll give you extra points for moral education later." Sing Sing tilted his cigarette holder to the side.

"But be quick, don't bite through someone's tin bucket."

Having received approval, Jiafeite quickly walked to a corner and squatted down with his back to the crowd.

Ini and Mini jumped out of my arms, opened their mouths, and swallowed the pile of rotten vegetable leaves and tattered plastic bags clean in a few bites.

I don't know why there are no words; taming failed.

Tar Leo Gorr also came over, placing his palm on the outer wall of the furnace.

Soon, the fruitwood and firewood burst into bright flames.

"Wow, amazing! Young man, you can even do magic tricks and light fires! You've helped this old lady a lot! Here, take this bag of freshly baked sesame flatbread and eat it while it's hot, no charge!"

The old woman ignored the two worms and enthusiastically grabbed the oil paper package and stuffed it into the two people's arms.

Holding the piping hot, fragrant steamed bun, Jiafeite's eyes welled up with tears.

On the other side, Baobao, already familiar with the place, squatted in front of the dried goods and mountain products stall, picked up a few peppercorns from Hanyuan, and smelled them.

"Uncle Li, are these Sichuan peppercorns freshly harvested this year?"

"And these bundles of star anise, cinnamon, and Qinling Mountains gastrodia elata, I'll take them all for you. It'll be thirty-three yuan in total. How about we round it down to thirty?"

"You little rascal, your bargaining and rounding skills are even better than mine!"

"Thirty it is, I'll give you an extra handful of genuine Ankang dried chilies!"

Bao Bao happily Baobao the code and paid, her eyes sparkling, all traces of her former gloom gone.

"Director, look! I saved the bureau three yuan in expenses today. All the ingredients for tonight's stewed chicken are ready!"

Sing Sing reached out and ruffled Baobao's hair, a smile playing on his lips.

Who says these outcasts, treated like expendable resources across the ocean, can't integrate into the Pyro?

The people of China are gradually accepting the existence of the Awakened.

From the masses, to the masses.

Whether it's the popular Storm, Riptide, and Polaris, or the quietly contributing characters like Full Bars, Longneck, and Geggebu.

In the end, they all become family members who live a down-to-earth life.

Make China great again!