Chapter Summaries

News of Fairy Bean Soybean's approval sent markets and social media into upheaval, while American consortium leaders concluded they could no longer stop Seres from expanding its food industry. The chapter ended with Noah A. Rockefeller reconsidering Jiang Miao and suspecting that forces opposing him had repeatedly suffered setbacks.

• Observing Animals Website explained Fairy Bean Soybean's adaptability, drought resistance, yields, soil benefits, and susceptibility to Root Rot Fungus, while online commenters discussed its economic and political consequences.
• Foreign social media users argued over the soybean's safety, environmental effects, and potential benefits, while reports spread that Handong might reopen the Du Case involving Lin Shuya.
• ABCD and the American consortiums held an emergency video conference, assessing their losses and acknowledging that Seres could not be stopped through food, chips, or iron ore.
• John Morgan urged the consortiums to let Seres companies enter South America's food industry so they could preserve the food sectors in the United States and Australia.
• Noah A. Rockefeller reviewed an investigation report on Jiang Miao and began to suspect that his opponents' repeated misfortunes were connected to him.

Liu Zhiben defended Hai Lu Feng Company's desert development plans and answered questions about Fairy Bean Soybean at a press conference, while the company rejected Bungie Company's attempt to draw it into South America. Jiang Miao then focused on expanding the company's online store and product range.

• Liu Zhiben described Hai Lu Feng Company's plans for the Horqin Sandy Land, addressed environmental and food-safety concerns, and said the company would use its soybean oil to make Biodiesel.
• Authorities announced extensive desert-development and agricultural plans, prompting grain exporters to prepare for negotiations with Seres.
• Jiang Miao rejected Bungie Company's proposal to develop South American assets with Hai Lu Feng Company, suspecting it was a trap, while Bungie turned to COFCO Group and other companies.
• Zhang Xinyi reported that the specialty store app had gained nearly five million users and that several products had sharply increased in sales.
• Jiang Haibo and Zhang Xinyi discussed adding fish-product varieties, and Jiang Miao asked Zhang Xinyi to prepare a plan for selling locally sourced agricultural products through the company's platform.

After the food futures crash, Fairy Bean Soybean drove down feed and food prices while creating new agricultural jobs and investment opportunities. The chapter followed Du Xiaoming’s family as their affordable fried-food shop benefited from cheaper ingredients and rising sales, while Mo Nan and the northwest emerged as major destinations for workers and development.

• ABCD sold much of its South American agricultural industry at low prices, and soybean prices fell despite the authorities’ announcement promoting genetically modified soybean imports for biodiesel.
• Fairy Bean Soybean’s low production costs and ability to grow alongside wheat and corn reduced feed costs and contributed to falling meat and food prices.
• At Xinfadi Produce Market, Boss Du bought cheaper chicken, fish, and shortening before returning to Happy Chicken Cutlet, where Du Xiaoming and Tang Like prepared food for customers.
• Du Xiaoming’s fish and chips and twelve-yuan set meal helped the shop increase its daily revenue as customers sought inexpensive meals.
• Hai Lu Feng Company and other businesses recruited workers for Mo Nan, while the authorities planned a one-trillion-yuan agricultural development initiative for Mo Nan and the northwest.

Li Xiaoli won cheese sticks in Hai Lu Feng Company’s Mid-Autumn lottery, then bought lamb ribs and morel mushrooms at a nearby store and discovered that the lamb was unusually sweet and free of gamey odor. The lottery drew millions of new app users and boosted store sales, while competitors began adjusting to Hai Lu Feng Company’s growing impact.

• Li Xiaoli won a package of Hero Premium Cheese Stick in the Hai Lu Feng Specialty Store APP lottery and collected it from a nearby physical store.
• Li Xiaoli bought lamb ribs and fresh morel mushrooms, cooked them for her family, and Yang Dong and Xiao Hu were surprised by the lamb’s lack of gamey odor.
• Yang Dong and Li Xiaoli searched for information about Hai Lu Feng Company’s sheep farm and found its explanations and independent product reviews.
• From September 5 to September 25, the Hai Lu Feng Specialty Store APP’s registered users rose from 36 million to 57.36 million as the lottery boosted online and physical-store sales.
• Hero Dairy’s Pure Milk sales helped it reverse its losses and reach near break-even, while local dairy companies and other businesses began changing their strategies in response to Hai Lu Feng Company.

Jiang Miao opened Hai Lu Feng Company’s new headquarters, reviewed its finances, and inspected the newly operational Ji Long Mountain salmon farm. On October 1, Shu Ya gave birth to a daughter, and Jiang Miao learned that both mother and child were safe.

• Jiang Miao held the opening ceremony for Hai Lu Feng Company’s headquarters at Xiao Nan Mountain and inspected its offices and employee housing.
• Ye Meijing reported that September revenue was about 3.49 billion yuan and expenses totaled 2.229 billion yuan, leaving a surplus of roughly 1.2 billion yuan.
• Jiang Miao inspected the Ji Long Mountain aquaculture base as it began raising two million salmon fry.
• Li Zixuan told Jiang Miao that researchers would visit the Mo Nan Branch on October 15, but Jiang Miao hesitated because Shu Ya was due to give birth.
• Jiang Miao rushed home after his mother called to say Shu Ya’s water had broken and found that Shu Ya had safely delivered a daughter.

After Shu Ya gave birth to Jiang Lingxuan, Jiang Miao traveled north to inspect Hai Lu Feng Company's farms and plan new research bases. He then met Jiang Xia in Qingdao, advised her on expanding the company’s stores and guiding Zhang Xiaolong, and continued on to Jerim League City.

• Shu Ya recovered after giving birth, held Jiang Lingxuan for the first time, and planned to resume research while Jiang Miao stayed home with them for ten days.
• Jiang Miao traveled by a new coastal route to Chongming Island, inspected Yu'an Farm and saline-alkali tidal flats, and proposed research bases for East China agriculture and a Spirulina-seepweed bioenergy system.
• Jiang Miao met Jiang Xia in Qingdao and learned that Hai Lu Feng Company had secured 430 storefronts, with plans to expand to 600.
• Jiang Miao asked Jiang Xia to arrange trained employees for the stores and suggested that Zhang Xiaolong work alongside his parents instead of continuing school; Jiang Xia agreed to consider the plan.
• Jiang Miao toured Qindao and then boarded a northbound high-speed train directly to Jerim League City.

Jiang Miao inspected the growing Taminchagan Base, reviewed employee housing and welfare plans, and ordered stricter rules against gambling and misconduct. He then checked the cafeteria and livestock facilities, including cattle breeding and experimental organic fertilizer operations.

• Jiang Miao arrived at Taminchagan Base and discussed heating, apartments, and employee services with Liu Zhiben.
• Jiang Miao ordered the branch to establish an internal clinic and a kindergarten and to formalize conduct rules banning gambling and other illegal activities.
• Jiang Miao inspected the cafeteria, identified poor fruit and vegetable storage, and ordered a cold-storage facility arranged.
• Jiang Miao inspected the livestock base and noted that crossbred Angus cattle showed marbling suitable for future breeding stock.
• Jiang Miao visited the organic fertilizer plant, where earthworm and black soldier fly breeding were being tested on a small scale.

Jiang Miao hosted the Fairy Bean soybean harvest-opening ceremony, where researchers verified a yield of 313 kilograms per mu and praised the varieties’ oil and protein content. The results spread nationwide, promising greater food security and threatening international soybean exporters as public attention shifted to Jiang Miao and Hai Lu Feng Company.

• Academician Jiang shared test results showing that Immortal Bean No. 1 had balanced oil and protein, No. 2 had especially high oil content, and No. 3 had especially high protein content.
• Jiang Miao announced the start of harvesting and yield testing, and the first hectare of Immortal Bean No. 1 produced 4,660.5 kilograms, or 310.7 kilograms per mu.
• Dr. Sun and Academician Jiang explained that Fairy Bean Soybean could lower feed, oil, and livestock costs, while Jiang Miao said he would preserve the first soybean vine for Hai Lu Feng Company’s exhibition hall.
• The full harvest of 27,000 mu yielded 8,451 tons, averaging 313 kilograms per mu, and the results showed that replacing existing soybean crops could sharply raise Seres’ production.
• News coverage brought Fairy Bean Soybean and Jiang Miao widespread attention, drove up Hai Lu Feng Specialty Store APP registrations, and unsettled foreign soybean interests.

After expanding the Mo Nan Research Center and inspecting the soybean deep-processing base, Jiang Miao considered how to prevent a glut of soybean protein and ordered plans for a novel Artificial Silk industry. He then put the project on hold at Taminchagan Base, deciding to develop it instead in an isolated region where Hai Lu Feng Company could protect the technology and control production.

• Jiang Miao stayed at Taminchagan Base for three more days, signed research cooperation agreements, and expanded the Mo Nan Research Center to five institutes with 226 research personnel.
• Jiang Miao inspected the soybean deep-processing base with Liu Zhiben and warned that rising production could leave soybean protein facing overcapacity.
• Jiang Miao told Liu Zhiben to prepare a design for a 500-mu Artificial Silk plant with annual capacity of two million tons, then explained his plan to modify soybean protein until it resembled natural silk.
• Jiang Miao put the Artificial Silk project on hold at the Mo Nan Branch because he feared the soybeans and technology could not be kept secret in Jerim League City.
• Jiang Miao chose isolated sites in the Taklamakan Desert or near the end of the Shiyang River for future cultivation and production, aiming to monopolize high-quality Artificial Silk and protect domestic clothing jobs.

Jiang Miao inspected Mulan Base’s soybean fields and discussed the potential climate effects of Fairy Bean Soybean with researchers from the Naiman County Desertification Research Station. The chapter ended with the researchers preparing to report on a proposed humidity gradient while Jiang Miao returned to Taminchagan Base before his next inspection.

• Jiang Miao inspected the Mulan Paddock soybean fields and told Liu Zhiben to let nearby livestock farmers harvest substandard vines themselves for 500 yuan per mu.
• Jiang Miao reviewed Mulan Base’s winter preparations and continued with his team toward the Gubao Tu Desert.
• Jiang Miao met Zhao Xueyong, Luo Yongqing, Zhang Tonghui, and other researchers, who asked whether Fairy Bean Soybean could reduce local air humidity and increase fire risks.
• Zhang Tonghui proposed planting Fairy Bean Soybean along a westward route from the Liao River Estuary to draw Bohai water vapor toward arid inland regions.
• Jiang Miao and the researchers agreed that the humidity-gradient idea needed theoretical study, supercomputer simulations, and small-scale experiments, and Zhao Xueyong’s team prepared a report.
• Jiang Miao told Liu Zhiben that Fairy Bean Soybean’s expansion would continue despite possible side effects, then returned to Taminchagan Base.

Andy and Old Man Jimmy planned to use a marriage alliance to lure Jiang Miao to Hong Kong and steal valuable porcelain, while their buyer coerced Liu Tonghai into arranging the match. Jiang Mingzhu and He Saimei began negotiating the marriage, as Jiang Miao noticed Jiang Mingzhu’s online searches and added her accounts to surveillance.

• Andy told Old Man Jimmy that security around the porcelain thwarted his efforts, and Jimmy proposed drawing its owner to Hong Kong through his relatives.
• Jimmy and Andy arranged for the buyer to broker a marriage alliance, then sent Andy to place agents inside the wealthy family before the wedding.
• A buyer’s agent threatened Liu Tonghai through his sons and family, and Liu Tonghai agreed to arrange his daughter Liu Xiaowen’s marriage in exchange for money and immigration promises.
• Liu Tonghai showed Jiang Mingzhu a paternity report and told her to marry Liu Xiaowen to a son of the Jiang family connected to the White Truffle business.
• Jiang Mingzhu met He Saimei for tea, learned about the Jiang family’s wealth, and both women welcomed the prospect of a marriage alliance.
• Jiang Miao inspected phosphorus-mining test wells, then spotted Jiang Mingzhu’s searches about him and his relatives and added her accounts to his surveillance list.

As Frost's Descent approached, Mulan Farm sold immature soybean vines to livestock farmers preparing for winter and arranged sales of higher-quality silage and dried forage. The chapter left Huo Ba and Lao Luo Bu discussing soybean cultivation and plans to help a friend expand a sheep operation as farmers watched the harvest.

• Mo Lao San contracted 200 mu of soybean vines, paid a deposit, and arranged harvesting after confirming the plots yielded about 1.43 tons per mu.
• Livestock farmers from Naiman County and neighboring Hongshan City booked all 250,000 mu of substandard forage soybeans within five days, while Hai Lu Feng Company began harvesting its 150,000 mu of higher-quality crop.
• Wu Bin sold a group from Hu City 5,000 tons each of soybean silage and dried forage, and gave them guidance on heat-treating soybean hay to prevent bloating.
• Huo Ba and Lao Luo Bu compared forage prices and discussed whether Fairy Bean Soybean could be grown in their region.
• Huo Ba asked Lao Luo Bu to find lambs and breeding rams for a friend who wanted to raise two or three thousand sheep.

Jiang Miao reviewed the Mo Nan and Gannan branches’ harvests, seed plans, and dairy finances while returning to Shanmei City, as Hai Lu Feng’s Gan Province stores began operating. At a Hero Dairy farm, Lao Bao started a new job and learned the company planned to give shares to eligible employees.

• Jiang Miao reviewed the Mo Nan Branch’s soybean harvest, seed-coating formulas, retail seed pricing, and revenue, then checked the Gannan Branch’s oil tea and Hero Dairy reports.
• Hai Lu Feng’s one hundred Gan Province specialty stores began formal operations, and customers flocked to the Yuzhang City locations for discounted goods.
• An elderly customer bought groceries at a store, rejected his estranged eldest son at the door, and did not realize the man had quit gambling and moved his family near the dairy farm for work.
• The eldest son, Lao Bao, settled his family into the dairy-farm dormitory, gave his wife household money, and began working at the farm.
• Lao Bao learned from a coworker that headquarters planned to issue shares to employees who had worked for the company for a full year.

Jiang Miao uncovered Ferryman Organization’s plan to assassinate him at his cousin’s wedding, then secretly passed intelligence about the organization to Seres and Lucia. Back home, he discussed Shu Ya’s discoveries about using Electricity-Generating Bacteria to decompose plastics and extend fuel-cell output.

• At Guangzhou East Railway Station, Jiang Miao detected Li Wuyang watching him and recorded his identifying information.
• After returning home, Jiang Miao traced Li Wuyang’s digital records to Ferryman Organization and uncovered its plan to send two deadmen disguised as bridesmaids to attack him at his cousin’s wedding.
• Jiang Miao reconsidered security for himself and his family, then anonymously sent Ferryman intelligence and other information to Seres and Lucia before erasing his traces.
• Shu Ya told Jiang Miao that Electricity-Generating Bacteria could decompose several plastics under adjusted conditions and that plastic pellets could extend a fuel cell’s generation time.
• Jiang Miao considered the potential use of the plastic-decomposition findings in waste recycling but decided the technology needed further development to address household garbage’s toxic components.

Jiang Miao reviewed Shu Ya’s research and Hai Lu Feng Company’s finances before establishing a new division to manage contracted farmers and setting strict controls on agricultural products. He left the company’s cooperation program limited to regions with nearby oversight and laboratories, while planning to challenge misleading claims about organic food.

• Jiang Miao reviewed Shu Ya’s progress in microbial fuel cells and bio-mining, and told her to apply for bio-mining patents by year’s end.
• After reviewing October’s finances, Jiang Miao created an Agricultural Cooperation Division, appointed Kong Keji to lead it, and reassigned Liu Changqing and Du Liheng.
• Lu Weibin reported that Hai Lu Feng Company had signed contracts with egg producers and growers, and described its inspections, testing, and purchase-price standards.
• Jiang Miao ordered regular and cross-inspections to prevent lax oversight of contracted farmers and livestock producers.
• Jiang Miao designated eastern Guangdong, Gannan North, and Hebei East as the initial regions for agricultural cooperation.
• Jiang Miao resolved to write articles criticizing false organic-food claims and planned to expose companies using organic labels as a marketing gimmick.

Jiang Miao inspected durian blossoms and Rubber Grass breeding experiments while explaining how improved crops could reshape tropical agriculture. Meanwhile, the Security Department prepared to warn his relatives about security risks, Li Wuyang was captured, and Luther Brooks was assassinated, leaving Liu Tonghai alarmed after discovering the killing.

• Jiang Miao and Shu Ya toured Yandun Mountain Farm, where grafted Golden Pillow Durian branches had begun flowering on Transgenic Ceiba trees.
• Jiang Miao examined experimental Rubber Grass varieties and planned hybrid breeding to improve their yield, growth, and rubber composition.
• Ke Yong and Wang Ke reviewed a security document and discussed sharing part of its contents with Jiang Miao's relatives after approval.
• Agents seized Li Wuyang at Guangzhou Airport and rendered him unconscious before carrying him away.
• Intruders confronted Luther Brooks at his Hong Kong villa and shot him dead after naming Liu Tonghai.
• Liu Tonghai saw police investigating Luther Brooks's villa and grew visibly nervous when he learned the owner had been killed.

Liu Tonghai and Old Man Jimmy were killed as a sweeping purge dismantled the Ferryman Organization and struck secret groups and Morgan Consortium assets across Asia. Old Morgan ordered an internal search for a traitor and coordinated with other consortium leaders, while Noah A. Rockefeller began suspecting Jiang Miao was connected to the attacks.

• Liu Tonghai collapsed and died after drinking from a poisoned glass, while an observer monitored his study with a sound-restoration device.
• A caller threatened Lisa with evidence of her theft, and she fled the villa with her passport and valuables.
• Old Man Jimmy was abducted from his fishing boat, questioned about a missing person, and forced to reveal intelligence about the Ferryman Organization and Jiang Miao.
• The Ferryman Organization was wiped out overnight, and secret groups and Morgan-linked forces across East Asia suffered widespread losses.
• Old Morgan ordered Carl Morgan to investigate a possible mole, directed countermeasures, and joined the leaders of ten major consortiums in a conference that produced no effective response.
• Noah A. Rockefeller obtained reports on the purged assets and suspected Jiang Miao was connected to the attacks.

Jiang Miao's security tightened as the Nuwa System underwent secret testing at a research base near Taminchagan Base. Researchers discovered the system could identify genetic targets and expose faulty papers, while its breeding simulations promised major gains; the base kept its capabilities hidden from foreign powers.

• Wang Ke arranged two lookalike stand-ins and separate security routes to protect Jiang Miao from an assassination threat.
• Researchers at the Monan Branch Center used the Nuwa System to find a new Malassezia target and identify eighty-nine gene-therapy papers with serious errors.
• The base director ordered that erroneous foreign papers remain unexposed while fraudulent domestic research was dealt with severely.
• Fang Shaolin used the Nuwa System to simulate dairy cattle breeding pairings and project the traits of second-generation cattle.
• Officials restricted access to the Nuwa System and disguised its use as supercomputer analysis to keep its capabilities secret.

Hai Lu Feng Company’s procurement network attracted thousands of suppliers while its specialty store continued focusing on agricultural products. After testing sample ceramic liners in a microbial fuel cell pilot plant, Jiang Miao chose Tan’s Ceramics for an order that gave the small factory a chance at sustained business.

• The three major e-commerce platforms recognized Hai Lu Feng Company as a growing threat, but their revised Double Eleven promotions failed to revive consumer enthusiasm.
• Tan Gaoming found Hai Lu Feng Company’s request for 5,000 insulated ceramic liners and asked Old Huang and Lu Dafeng to prepare samples.
• Tan Gaoming and Lu Dafeng delivered ten samples to the Gongping Town Bioenergy Experimental Base, where technicians assembled them into microbial fuel cell boxes.
• The ten test boxes reached stable peak output, and Jiang Miao inspected the pilot plant during the following experiments.
• Jiang Miao selected Tan’s Ceramics’ No. 4 liner at 500 yuan each, and Li Guoguang told Tan Gaoming to begin production while maintaining quality.

Hai Lu Feng agricultural technicians Lin Yuan and Gu Man Cang inspected Shizhou Village’s broccoli fields and collected crop and soil samples as the first harvest approached. Their visit also revealed how the company’s direct purchasing was changing local produce sales and competing with middlemen and wet markets.

• Zhang Da Shan welcomed Lin Yuan and Gu Man Cang, but they refused his cigarettes and accepted only drinks allowed under company rules.
• Lin Yuan and Gu Man Cang sampled the cooperative’s broccoli and soil, while Zhang Da Shan confirmed that the first twenty mu would be harvested on the sixth of the following month.
• A vegetable trader called Bald Head offered eighty cents per jin for the broccoli, but Zhang Da Shan said it had already been ordered and took a cigarette while asking about market prices.
• Lin Yuan explained that Hai Lu Feng’s purchase price of 1.8 yuan per jin made a secret sale unlikely, then considered how the company’s direct sales model and online platforms were reshaping produce distribution and threatening wet markets.