books44 Chapter 278 [Empire] My Classwork
Chapter 278 [Empire] My Classwork
However, the next moment, I witnessed a strange "decay of life".
The soybeans, freshly planted in the soil, shrivelled up at a visible speed. The once plump seeds instantly lost their moisture, their surfaces wrinkled like a dead leaf. I stared at the scene, stunned, my mind blank, barely daring to believe my eyes. Then, my gaze settled on the young green seedling.
It remained quietly in its place, but its droopy demeanor seemed to have dissipated somewhat, even its color appearing a bit brighter. It tilted slightly to one side, its leaves swaying gently, as if offering a... triumphant gesture towards the shrunken soybeans.
My fists stiffened instantly.
"...You're quite capable," I whispered through gritted teeth, staring intently at it. Its repulsive expression was almost a challenge: This was its territory, and no other plant could possibly survive in it.
And the soybeans? If I'm not mistaken, they're definitely good seeds with plenty of potential for germination. After being treated with the improved nutrient solution, germination should be a sure thing. Otherwise, they wouldn't be targeted so harshly by the seedlings. But now, they've become a lifeless, shrunken husk, completely destroyed by the green seedlings in some strange way.
"So, not only are you sucking my 'nutrients,' you're also taking over this place?" I sneered, my irritation rising sharply. It looks harmless, even a little pitiful, but its behavior is more arrogant than any other combat plant. This scene is simply showing me its strength in defending its territory.
The green seedling twitched its leaves slightly, as if responding to my disapproval. I stared at it, clenching and unclenching my fists, a single thought lingering in my mind: This seedling really needs to be dealt with.
I poured the unfinished bubbly sour juice on the table onto the seedlings.
It was a juice squeezed from a fruit that tasted like a lemon from Earth, so tart and pungent it made you gasp for several seconds. Despite being only a few hundred milliliters per cup, the price was just as "tart" and made you wonder if you were drinking juice. I had originally planned to keep it and savor it slowly, but now, this proud young plant had successfully irritated me.
The juice, with its delicate bubbles and enticing tart aroma, splashed over the seedlings. The clear liquid slid down its stems and leaves, seeping into the soil with a faint sizzling sound. I couldn't help but sneer, thinking: What a bargain! This luxurious juice could easily buy a whole bag of modified soybeans.
The seedling showed no obvious reaction and remained quietly standing there, as if my actions had no effect on it. However, as the juice seeped into the soil, I clearly saw its leaves tremble slightly, and the pretense of silence was broken a little.
"Hmph, you're really good at pretending." I sat back in the chair, crossed my arms and stared at it, feeling a sense of pleasure from revenge for some unknown reason.
I felt so refreshed that I even found my lunch particularly delicious, devouring two large hunks of meat. It was one of the most expensive items on the menu—pristine pig genetically restored from ancient Earth. The meat was tender and juicy, melting in my mouth. Each bite was rich and fragrant, making me a little homesick.
Sure enough, a cheerful mood can improve appetite. Thinking of the young plant on the table being "served" by the sour juice, I couldn't help but smile. Even the meat tasted better.
In reality, the ability to afford this level of meat is largely due to Shan Qi's generous "child support." While he rarely appears in my life, let alone a close relationship, he provides me with every necessary material need. The monthly child support payment is more than enough to allow me to live comfortably almost anywhere.
As I cut into the meat on the plate, I wondered if I could even add dessert. After all, today's good mood was worth celebrating; it was one of those rare "victories." With that thought in mind, I couldn't help but take another piece of meat and put it in my mouth. A faint smile drifted over the provocation of the young plant—there was always a way to deal with it, just take my time.
In the afternoon class, my homework became the focus of everyone's attention - it was so terrible that it was almost impossible to look at it.
The teacher stood by my desk, his brow furrowed so tightly that a piece of paper could be clamped between his fingers. His expression was one of bewilderment and resignation. He repeatedly looked at the soybean seeds and my notes, as if trying to find a reasonable explanation. However, no matter how he analyzed it, he couldn't understand why the seeds had become so horrible so soon after I received them.
The soybeans that were once plump and round are now shriveled like stepped-on plastic balls.
The seeds of other students at least remained in their original state, but mine looked like fossils that had been weathered for thousands of years.
"How... did you do that?" the teacher asked tentatively, his voice revealing a sense of disbelief at the person he was teaching.
I glanced down at the pile of withered bean corpses and sighed inwardly. How else could I have done this? Could I blame that strange green seedling on the table? It's been fiercely territorial since morning, sucking away the life force of even the smallest plant. Now, looking at these poor soybeans only adds to my headache.
"Maybe there's something wrong with the quality of the seeds?" I tentatively gave an ambiguous answer, and there was even a hint of hesitation in my tone that I couldn't even convince myself.
The teacher was obviously unconvinced. He stared down at the seeds, frowned, and muttered, "That's impossible! We're from the same batch of seeds, and everyone else's are fine, but yours is the only one that's broken..."
I shrugged, saying nothing more, silently accepting the "honor" of having the worst assignment in class. My classmates glanced over, some covering their mouths with their hands and laughing, some whispering, and even a few staring at the green seedling on my desk. Their expressions varied.
After receiving the soybean seeds from the teacher again, I didn’t dare to take the risk of putting them on the table again.
The green seedling stood there quietly. Although it was motionless, the possessiveness it exuded seemed so strong that it was about to turn into substance.
I glanced at it, then looked down at the seeds in my hand, and sighed deeply. To avoid repeating the same mistake, I grabbed a spare small flowerpot and squatted on the ground to tinker with it.
This posture is really not elegant. The classmates passing by couldn't help but cast some strange looks at me, and some even laughed softly.