Su Wei used both hands alternately to insert them deep into the center of the mound, using the strength of his arms to turn the two different types of soil from bottom to top.
[ Substrate Analysis skills are being monitored in real time.]
[Composition analysis: 60% lake shore humus, 40% forest understory coniferous soil.]
[Current carbon-nitrogen ratio: severely imbalanced. Free humic matter concentration is excessively high.]
The red warning sign in the field of vision indicates a predicament.
Su Wei straightened up and brushed off the large clumps of mud from his gloves.
He turned and walked to the front of the Raptor pickup truck, took a small, transparent, sealed bag from the driver's seat, which contained a fine gray powder.
This is a mixture of bentonite and polar snake wood chips.
Su Wei grabbed a handful of powder and sprinkled it evenly on the turned-up mound of soil.
"Add three shovelfuls of coarse sand and gravel to increase overall air permeability."
Su Wei was directing the troops beside him.
Swish.
Three shovelfuls of grayish-white coarse sand and gravel were thrown onto the top of the mound.
The mixing continued for another half hour.
The heavy physical labor caused a fine layer of sweat to seep from Su Wei's forehead, which slid down his defined jawline and splashed into the black mud.
Matt stood two meters away, hands in his pockets.
"Boss, you've spent so much time just adjusting the consistency of this mud?"
He couldn't help but speak up.
"It's not just viscosity."
Su Wei clasped his hands together and forcefully grabbed a handful of the mixed soil from the core of the mound.
The pH value must be stable between 5.5 and 6.5.
"It must be weakly acidic."
Su Wei raised both hands in front of Matt, his clenched fists opening.
The soil was formed into a compact lump under the force of his palm.
Su Wei gently touched the surface of the mud ball with the tip of his index finger.
Splash!
The seemingly solid clump of mud instantly shattered and scattered, turning into even and fine particles that slipped through the fingers and fell back onto the waterproof cloth.
The moment the mud clump dispersed, a string of green data jumped out.
[Matrix condition assessment: Perfect.]
[Water retention, air permeability, and fertility structure have achieved a microscopic balance.]
[The activity of the internal fungal community increased exponentially.]
"Lay the barrier layer, then cover it with soil."
Su Wei stood up, ripped off his dirty leather gloves, and threw them onto the cart.
The workers brought over two large bundles of withered moss fibers and spread them evenly on the bottom layer of volcanic rock, sealing off the large gaps while preserving tiny channels for water to seep down.
Then, the prepared mixed nutrient soil was shoveled onto the fiber layer.
Su Wei took a hand axe and used the flat side of the handle to beat the soil, creating slopes and miniature hills with varying elevations.
The flat riverbanks have disappeared, replaced by undulating natural landforms with varying shades of color.
He walked to a large, temperature-controlled insulated box in the corner and opened the lid.
A huge black rock covered with green plants was revealed, its surface covered with a thick layer of polar star moss.
This is the resilient life beneath Kodiak Island, possessing its own complete and ancient network of microscopic fungi.
Su Wei drew his knife from his lower back.
The thick back of the blade has a matte black coating, and the edge flashes a cold light under the searchlight.
The blade tip, at a very small angle, lay flat against the rock surface and steadily cut into the deepest roots of the moss.
The moment the blade touched the plant.
[ Crafting Module LV2 Derivative Branch.]
[ Ecological Landscaping LV1 activated.]
[System buff activated: Plant stress resistance forcibly increased by 10%, survival rate forcibly increased by 10%].
A strange muscle memory took over Su Wei's wrists and fingers.
The blade moved precisely between the hard rock and the soft plant, avoiding the white, fibrous network of mycelium that sustains the life of the moss.
Sizzle.
With a slight snapping sound, he cut off a whole, undamaged palm-sized patch of moss, roots and all.
Su Wei took the piece of moss and walked to the shaped riverbank slope, kneeling on one knee at the edge of the concrete.
He put his index and middle fingers together and quickly drew several shallow, intersecting grooves on the dark brown soil surface, then gently covered the grooves with the cut moss.
Place both palms flat on the surface of the moss, apply even downward pressure with the heels of your palms, forcing the mycelial network at the base of the moss to adhere tightly to the slightly acidic soil.
Su Wei did not pause.
Turn around, cut, fit, apply pressure.
Half an hour later, a continuous green patch covering an area of more than two square meters appeared on the originally lifeless brown soil slope.
The leaves of the star moss are a translucent emerald green with finely serrated edges, making them particularly striking under the cool light of a searchlight.
Su Wei stood up and picked up a spray bottle that had been prepared in advance.
It was filled with filtered, purified water.
He carried the spray bottle back to the edge of the mossy slope and pulled the high-voltage trigger hard with his index finger.
Tsk
Fine, even white water vapor sprayed out, instantly enveloping the entire patch of moss and the surrounding exposed black soil.
Tiny water droplets fall onto the translucent leaves and are quickly absorbed by the dry plant cells.
The edges of the leaves, which had shriveled from digging, quickly unfolded.
As the water mist seeped deep into the ground, connecting the soil with the underlying fungal network, a blue system notification box flashed rapidly.
[Test complete.]
[The three-layer physical structure—bottom layer for drainage, middle layer for natural barrier, and top layer for weakly acidic nutrients—is now complete.]
[The live microscopic fungal network has been integrated.]
[Survival rate of polar star moss implantation has been verified.]
[Initial hydration met requirements.]
A large-scale, miniature ecological cycle is taking shape...
bite.
[ Crafting Module Derivative Branch - Ecological Landscaping Upgraded to LV2 (140/300)!]
[System-determined item output: Northern Moss River Valley (Miniature Prototype, Stage 1)]
[Current Quality: Excellent.]
[Additional passive effect triggered: Microclimate Intervention.]
[Effect Description: Within this closed-loop ecological area, air humidity will experience a localized and stable increase, independent of the broader environment. The symbiotic network of fungi and plants will continuously release trace amounts of natural negative ions.]
Su Wei casually placed the spray bottle on the cart beside him and exhaled a long breath of slightly white mist.
The effects of Microclimate Intervention were more direct than he had anticipated.
Matt had been leaning against a thick, temporary steel support column, watching Su Wei rummage through the mud and grass like a spectator.
Two minutes earlier, he had lit a cheap cigarette with a lighter.
Suddenly, Matt's right hand, which was holding a cigarette, froze in mid-air.
The old foreman's nostrils twitched involuntarily twice as he took a deep breath of the surrounding air.
The pungent smell of welding, the acrid smell of cement dust, and the sweat of the workers inside the building were torn apart by a powerful force at this moment.
Instead, it has a crisp, moist taste.
It's like the fragrance of soil deep in a primeval coniferous forest after a blizzard, mixed with the unique sweetness of moss.
The pungent air became fresh.
With each breath Matt took, he felt an unprecedented ease, and his mind became clearer.
He stared blankly at the burning cigarette butt between his fingers.