Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Hongxing Supermarket quickly uncovered the truth, just as the manager had suspected—it was a sting operation orchestrated by rival supermarkets.

However, they hadn’t anticipated that Hongxing Supermarket wouldn’t immediately go after the cultivator but would instead trace the scheme back to them first.

After severely punishing the Weird beings from the other supermarkets, the manager promptly reported the findings and sent the collected corn kernels up the chain of command.

The new variety of Weird Food naturally drew attention from Hongxing Corporation’s employees, who passed it up the chain until it landed in the hands of Gu Yu’s puppet construct.

Though not much time had passed, Gu Yu had already created new puppet constructs. However, these dolls were far weaker in combat and could only assist him with administrative tasks.

“Corn?”

Gu Yu picked up a kernel and examined it, suddenly sensing a strangely familiar energy. After a moment of recollection, it hit him—wasn’t this the same crop grown on Ying Yuanxing’s farm?

If this Weird Food had been produced by any other Weird being, Gu Yu would have followed the company’s standard procedure: first, identify the cultivator, then pressure or incentivize them into surrendering the seeds and cultivation methods, thereby bringing the new Weird Food under Hongxing Supermarket’s monopoly.

But Gu Yu remembered that Zero treated Ying Yuanxing differently. Not daring to act rashly, he immediately sent a message to Zero.

Soon, Zero responded:

"Don't intervene, but don't block the actions of other supermarkets."

Gu Yu was puzzled by Zero’s unexpected position. Had there been a falling out between their master and Ying Yuanxing? Still, he followed Zero’s instructions without hesitation.

Meanwhile, on Ying Yuanxing’s side, the Weird World Consciousness suddenly received a message from Zero, claiming that the world core seemed to be becoming unstable and required Its full attention to stabilize it. The Weird World Consciousness was forced to bid Ying Yuanxing farewell.

Hearing that the Weird World Consciousness had to leave, Ying Yuanxing was reluctant to see it go. Yet, he understood the importance of the world core—after all, everything he'd accomplished so far relied on its stability.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. Here, take this.” The Weird World Consciousness produced a handful of glowing essence, adorned with unintelligible runes that made Ying Yuanxing’s eyes water and his head spin.

“Don’t look. These are cosmic laws. Your current strength isn’t enough to comprehend them.”

The Weird World Consciousness draped a veil over the light, and Ying Yuanxing immediately felt better.

Listening to Its words, Ying Yuanxing realized his dizziness wasn’t just from eyestrain—those laws had been forcing their way into his mind.

If he had been completely ignorant, like a child seeing advanced math, it might have been easier.

But he had learned a little from the Weird World Consciousness. Attempting to grasp higher-level knowledge with only a basic foundation had overloaded his mind.

“Mother, what is this…?” Ying Yuanxing asked hesitantly.

“Think of it as a subsystem of the farming game. Once I leave, I may not be able to assist you with the game in time, so this will allow you to take full control.”

“However, you’ll have to shoulder the Weird Qi costs for any item transfers yourself.”

While It was present, the Weird World Consciousness could shoulder these costs, but in Its absence, Ying Yuanxing would have to handle it himself.

“But don’t worry. I’ve stored some energy within it, and it can absorb Weird Qi automatically. As long as you're not transferring too much, the burden on you won’t be too heavy.”

Though the Weird World Consciousness had claimed Ying Yuanxing would bear the cost, It had still made ample preparations out of concern.

Listening to Its rare, detailed instructions, Ying Yuanxing didn’t offer platitudes. Instead, he silently embraced It.

“Come, let me teach you how to operate this system.” After holding him for a while, the Weird World Consciousness spoke again.

Under Its guidance, Ying Yuanxing quickly learned to operate the system and also came to understand its composition.

This was part of the Weird World Consciousness itself, likely fused with pieces of the world core. Otherwise, many functions of the farming game—exclusive to the World Consciousness—would have been beyond his reach.

Now, the Weird World Consciousness had separated this portion of authority and given it to Ying Yuanxing.

In the past, Ying Yuanxing might have flattered the Weird World Consciousness to please It. But now, he couldn’t bring himself to utter such words.

Faced with genuine devotion, empty words felt distasteful.

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to relinquish the farming game—its significance was too great. It meant that even if he lost the Weird World Consciousness’s support in the future, this system could help him create a different future.

“Mother… thank you.” Ying Yuanxing lowered his head, his voice thick.

“There’s no need for thanks.” The Weird World Consciousness replied. “You’re my child, and you created the farming game to help me. Moving forward, you’ll be the one managing it—I should be thanking you.”

With that, the Weird World Consciousness truly had to leave. Zero’s urging grew more insistent, and lingering further would be unwise.

Yet, seeing Ying Yuanxing so upset at Its leaving, It couldn’t resist adding, “I left a gift inside the system. Once I’m gone, you can search for it. It’ll be very helpful.”

Originally, It had intended to keep it a surprise, but Ying Yuanxing’s melancholy prompted It to reveal the secret early, hoping to cheer him up.

“Mother…” As the Weird World Consciousness prepared to depart, Ying Yuanxing called out once more.

It turned back, waiting for his words.

“Mother…” Ying Yuanxing bit his lip, hesitating before finally saying, “I’ve always felt something isn't right about Zero. Please… be careful.”

In the end, Ying Yuanxing didn’t voice what he truly wanted to say, opting instead for this warning.

It wasn’t something he should have said—if Zero discovered it, their relationship could turn from colleagues into enemies. But he couldn’t suppress his concern for the Weird World Consciousness.

The Weird World Consciousness gave him a resigned look but nodded to reassure him.

This reaction only made Ying Yuanxing more uneasy. Though he sensed something amiss with Zero, he had no proof.

Truthfully, the fact that the Weird World Consciousness acknowledged his warning at all was a testament to Its trust in him. Saying more would be too much.

Ying Yuanxing fell silent, watching as the Weird World Consciousness disappeared.

……

At the planetary core, Zero’s lips curled into a faint smile upon seeing the Weird World Consciousness return—only to immediately stiffen.

His gaze sharpened as he scrutinized It. The Weird World Consciousness had weakened again.

But this wasn’t the frailty of injury. It was a fundamental decline.

“What happened to you?” Zero didn’t bother hiding that he’d noticed the deterioration, confronting It directly.

“I fought with the Blue Star Consciousness. The injuries were severe.” The Weird World Consciousness reflexively offered this excuse and, before Zero could press further, hurriedly added, “You mentioned the core was unstable. I should go stabilize it now.”

With that, It swiftly merged with the core, confirming that it had indeed loosened. Any further delay might have caused it to disperse entirely—and if that happened, certain Weird Domains risked being absorbed by Blue Star.

Focusing entirely on the task, the Weird World Consciousness channeled Its law energy to tightly bind the world core, restoring its cohesion.

With Its attention fully occupied, Zero dropped all pretense, his expression darkening.

He was certain the Weird World Consciousness had lied. If the Blue Star Consciousness had truly inflicted such damage, the injuries wouldn’t be this mild—Blue Star would have taken a significant portion before relenting.

A name flashed through Zero’s mind: Ying Yuanxing.

Apart from him, the only other Weird the Weird World Consciousness had contacted was probably Ying Yuanxing. Could it be him?

The anger in Zero's heart grew stronger. After all, he had long regarded the Weird World Consciousness as his own prey, and now, Ying Yuanxing was trying to snatch food from his plate—and had actually succeeded. How could he not be furious?

Zero never considered that the Weird World Consciousness had willingly given it to Ying Yuanxing rather than being deceived or coerced. Even if he knew, it would only deepen his hatred for Ying Yuanxing.

Though he wished he could rush to Ying Yuanxing and reclaim what had been taken, Zero knew that Ying Yuanxing could still contact the Weird World Consciousness. If he made a move, he might end up confronting the Weird World Consciousness before even acting.

Though confident in his abilities, Zero was still slightly weaker than the Weird World Consciousness. Unless the latter weakened significantly, he couldn’t afford to clash with it.

Nor could he easily act through the Supermarket Weirds of Hongxing Supermarket, as the Weird World Consciousness knew it belonged to him. Moving against Ying Yuanxing through them would be no different from acting himself.

After considering his options, Zero realized he could only wait for other supermarket Weirds to track down Ying Yuanxing and eliminate him—or bide his time until he gained full control over the Weird World Consciousness. Then, Ying Yuanxing would be nothing more than prey within his grasp, ready to be taken at any moment.

The idea calmed Zero—just a little.

……

Ying Yuanxing examined the subsystem, searching repeatedly for the gift left by the Weird World Consciousness, before spotting it tucked away in a corner.

This was…

He realized it was a farming-game hack custom-built for him by the Weird World Consciousness. Perhaps because the latter had been watching him use game skills these days, this hack essentially amplified all his abilities.

For example, when farming before, even with upgraded tools, tilling still required building momentum and covering each plot one by one. Now, with this hack, just using the tool would instantly till the surrounding fields. The faster Ying Yuanxing moved, the quicker the tilling speed.

It functioned like a mod he’d used before in a farming game, where jobs like planting, fertilizing, or harvesting were automated, as were logging and mining—drastically cutting down on tedious gameplay.

Ying Yuanxing remembered bringing this up to Xuan Ying during a conversation. He had tried using machines, but they failed to synergize with farming tools, leaving him with inefficient manual work.

"Xuan Ying, did you… mention this to Mother?" Ying Yuanxing turned to ask.

Xuan Ying nodded. "She asked me about your unfulfilled wishes, so I mentioned it."

Ying Yuanxing sighed.

"Don’t you like the gift?" Xuan Ying asked.

Ying Yuanxing shook his head. Not exactly—even with shared farm labor, he still cherished this gift. It meant he could farm faster or, if the workload didn’t increase, have more free time.

More importantly, if he used a vehicle, he could handle other tasks as long as he didn’t leave.

Yet, the Weird World Consciousness’s kindness only deepened Ying Yuanxing’s guilt.

He knew it was collecting World Cores. He even knew locations of a few—but had kept silent.

"I want to extract a bit of the core," Ying Yuanxing resolved.

He’d never steal another Weird’s core, but his own might be safe to extract, since he wasn’t fully a Weird. It might carry less risk.

Still, he needed to test the Farm Core first. If extracting it harmed the farm, he would only take a fragment only if desperate.

However, the half green core given by Mu Ye could be extracted with the right method. Although the yellow and green cores were already intertwined, separating them would be tough, but not impossible.

But Ying Yuanxing still remembered that Zero had a detector that could sense the cores, so extraction had to be done in a safe and hidden place to avoid being discovered, or he’d be in serious trouble.

...

While Ying Yuanxing was studying the core, the farming game’s Weirds also encountered trouble.

After hearing how Supermarket Hongxing felt, other Supermarket Weirds, though somewhat puzzled, couldn't resist the temptation of the new Weird Food. They investigated further, trying to seize control.

After all, if they could monopolize the sales of such a new Weird Food, who knew how many Weird coins they could rake in?

Some Weirds who secretly sold corn were unlucky. Being novices, their counter-surveillance skills weren't strong enough, and they were quickly found out.

Some were caught, while others fled for their lives.

He Yingqiu's side was slightly safer since she hadn't sold any corn to outsiders—she either consumed it herself or traded it back to the farming game. But she also received the news and started to worry.

"Mom, will they come for us too?" He Xiaomei asked fearfully.

He Yingqiu took He Xiaomei to the Lin family to discuss what to do.

No matter how much they talked, none of the Weirds wanted to stop growing Weird Plants.

After all, ever since He Yingqiu started planting Weird Plants, even though the harvest was small yet, they had already experienced the joy and security of having Weird Food in their own hands.

In the past, because Weird Qi kept dissipating, they had to work odd jobs to earn money, scraping together Weird coins just to buy from supermarkets.

Weird coins were precious as wages, but when used to purchase Weird Food, they barely bought anything.

One could say all their work just lined the supermarkets’ pockets.

But there was no other way—Weird Food was monopolized by various supermarkets. Occasionally, some Weirds would secretly sell a bit, but it never lasted long—they were either forced to join or simply vanished.

As for not eating Weird Food at all, that was an option, but it would only lead to growing weaker. If they had other Weirds protecting them, it might be manageable, but otherwise, they’d be easy targets.

Of course, they could also choose to prey on other Weirds while still strong, but only some were willing to do that. Many Weirds refused to do so.

Moreover, consuming other Weirds would increase the impurities in their bodies, like drinking poison to stop thirst.

Although there was now a treatment room that could remove impurities, they had heard it didn’t accept Weirds who had consumed others—another hopeless situation.

"Has anyone figured out how they were discovered?" He Yingqiu asked. She had just received the news and didn’t know much.

"Some Weirds, greedy for Weird coins, sold it at high prices and exaggerated the effects of the corn, which caught the attention of other supermarkets," Granny Lin explained.

He Yingqiu sighed helplessly. She’d been careful not to draw attention, but now she was implicated anyway.

"Why don’t you ask the Great Weird who provided you with the corn? Maybe he has a solution?" Granny Lin suggested, looking at He Yingqiu.

He Yingqiu hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Seeing her agreement, the Weirds present sighed in relief. The stress was overwhelming—if the searching supermarkets discovered they were also growing Weird Plants, their Weird Plants might be taken, and they could be imprisoned.

Returning home, He Yingqiu opened the light screen, found a contact option, and explained their trouble before clicking send. She waited nervously for a reply.

Ying Yuanxing heard a *ding* in his mind and thought it was a message from his game panel. But when he checked, there was nothing, and he remembered the farming game.

Opening the backend, he found a message from a key Weird. The messaging function had been available for a long time, but no Weird had ever used it before.

After carefully reading the message from He Yingqiu, Ying Yuanxing wasn’t surprised in the least. However, it did surprise him that Hongxing Supermarket hadn’t participated in this hunt.

But soon, Ying Yuanxing understood why. After all, he and Ling were colleagues—though they were pretending at first, now it was genuine. Out of respect for the Weird World Consciousness, the other party couldn’t openly oppress him.

As for the Weirds from other supermarkets, while troublesome, the pressure they brought wasn’t overwhelming.

Still, Ying Yuanxing knew that if things continued this way, sooner or later, even the Weird World Consciousness’s influence wouldn’t be enough to suppress the situation. He had to strengthen himself rapidly while he still had the chance.

Ying Yuanxing swiftly drafted a reply and sent it over.

He Yingqiu was anxious, constantly checking the screen for updates. Time was of the essence—if the game didn’t respond soon, she might have to act on her own.

When the reply finally arrived, she scanned it quickly, her heart racing.

The letter advised her to quickly establish her own Weird Domain, which could then be linked under a secure, larger Weird Domain. However, this domain was limited to farming, not for living.

In short, the farming game could protect her fields, but her own safety remained her responsibility.

He Yingqiu breathed a deep sigh of relief. That was enough.

Her biggest worry had always been her farmland. Though she loved her old neighborhood, Weirds could live anywhere—but while they could flee, the fields couldn’t. That was what truly troubled her.

Now, with the fields linked to a larger Weird Domain, she no longer had to fear other Weirds discovering and destroying her Weird Plants.

She immediately relayed the good news to the Lin family, who were overjoyed. They promptly asked her to turn their shared farmland into her own Weird Domain.

Though the domain was small, it was just right for He Yingqiu. Following the instructions on the screen, she carefully absorbed the domain’s core into herself and felt it attach itself to an enormous Weird Domain.

Strangely, this domain seemed strangely empty of Weirds, carrying an indescribable stillness.

“Is it done?” one of the Weirds asked nervously.

He Yingqiu nodded.

The others burst into cheers.

“But what about these?” He Yingqiu gestured to the remaining corn seedlings, planted by the children. There weren’t many, but her domain had limited space, and these couldn’t be included.

“Don't worry. We’ll gather them in flowerpots later. On sunny days, we’ll bring them out for sunlight, and when inspections come, we’ll stash them away,” one Weird suggested.

They had even prepared flowerpots in advance, ready to act.

Seeing the pots, He Yingqiu suddenly remembered something and quickly opened the screen. In the shop, she noticed flowerpots available.

She had seen them before, but they were expensive—not just in Weird coins but also requiring additional resources—so she hadn’t considered them seriously. Now, however, it seemed that for single-plant crops, flowerpots could be quite useful.

Without hesitation, she brought up the flowerpots and asked if they’d be willing to gather the necessary ores to purchase them. After all, they’d be far better than ordinary pots.

“Can they stay indoors permanently?” one Weird asked excitedly.

He Yingqiu carefully read the description and nodded. Honestly, the flowerpots’ effects were impressive—enough to tempt even her—but the resource requirements were a hassle.

With this confirmation, the other Weirds all agreed. After clarifying what was needed, they got to work.

He Yingqiu also wanted a flowerpot for her daughter. Since only she could enter the Weird Domain, her daughter had no access. If the other children had pots, hers shouldn’t go without.

But before she could act, the other Weirds stopped her, insisting she focus on farming while they took care of it.

Since He Yingqiu had shared this news with them, it was only right they gather materials for her as thanks.

After Ying Yuanxing introduced the domain attachment feature, most Weirds quickly linked their domains—only a few held back.

However, they couldn’t see each other’s domains, a precaution Ying Yuanxing had taken for the players’ safety. Though these Weirds were selected by the Weird World Consciousness, there was no guarantee no bad apples had slipped through. For now, it was best they didn’t interact.

Ying Yuanxing placed these domains at the edge of the ocean, ensuring safety and distance from the farm.

Observing further, he noticed that some Weirds, realizing how risky selling Weird Food was, kept only what they needed and sold the rest to the game. After earning Weird coins, they bought seeds to replant.

Others hadn’t given up but weren’t acting recklessly either—they stockpiled their Weird Food, waiting for the heat to die down before making a big sale.

One Weird even messaged Ying Yuanxing, proposing to collect crops from other Weirds’ farms. The plan was to amass a large batch and release a large quantity into the market, disrupting the supermarkets’ monopoly.

With affordable, high-quality Weird Food available, some Weirds would surely abandon the supermarkets’ overpriced, subpar offerings.

Even if their sales were sporadic and lacked fixed locations, the taste alone would draw customers. Over time, they could build a loyal clientele.

If they could even establish a permanent sales point, as more farming game players produced crops, they might eventually overshadow the supermarkets entirely.

Clearly, this Weird saw Ying Yuanxing as a formidable Great Weird, unconcerned about potential retaliation from the supermarkets.