“Watermelons for sale! Big, round watermelons!”
In the desert, Su Cha decided to stretch his legs and started pushing the food cart under the scorching sun.
Not long ago, while sharing past stories with the Cold Winter Squad, they were ambushed by a skyborne beast. Naturally, the beast that delivered itself to their doorstep couldn’t be spared, and the Cold Winter Squad completed the trade as agreed.
After the two teams parted ways, while Rong Shao was still speculating endlessly about Fog Star, Su Cha was already tuning him out, his gaze wandering.
When asked his age at the hospital, Su Cha had given a number based purely on intuition. Now he couldn’t rule out that it was a kind of subconscious memory. Time, like the white coats blurred in his memory, had been buried deep in his mind.
“So lucky to have caught them mid-battle with the beast. Otherwise, there’s no way the people I hired could’ve snuck into the gene bank.”
This line he recalled right before fainting last time now connected many dots.
Could it be that the system hadn’t actually made a transmission error? Maybe the people doing live experiments were also coveting powerful genes from other planets—going so far as to commit theft?
“……&*￥％”
Ji Tianjin raised an eyebrow. Beside him, Wu Shui looked over in surprise—if they weren’t mistaken, Su Cha had just cursed.
“I will never share the same sky with those who perform live experiments!”
Su Cha gritted his teeth and pushed the cart forward, muttering under his breath as he went. He wasn’t watching his step and his shoe sank deep into the yellow sand.
Once a freshman beloved by many, now reduced to selling watermelons in the desert—how was that acceptable?
Just then, a white dove Wu Zhi had sent ahead to scout flew back, bringing news: the royal-class beast they were told to avoid had recently been ambushed and killed by a few upperclassmen in a low-lying area.
“It’s only the second day, and some upperclassmen are already switching zones. The days ahead don’t look too promising.”
Wu Zhi’s worries came true quickly.
Zone E was already small. Ever since the upperclassmen arrived, there were hardly any lone beasts left. Even transactions with freshmen had become harder, and now many were deliberately hiding their whereabouts to avoid being robbed.
Su Cha boldly proposed: “Let’s sell in Zone D instead.”
After some discussion, they decided it wasn’t a bad idea. As long as they stuck to the border areas, they probably wouldn’t run into serious trouble.
With that, the mobile food cart no longer wandered aimlessly and began heading toward Zone D.
On the way, they divided up tasks.
Liu Xiqin: “I’m pretty good at drawing.”
Rong Shao, who needed to draw mechanical blueprints and always carried plenty of paper: “I’ll work with you on promotional posters.”
Wu Shui: “My brother and I will hand out flyers.”
Ji Tianjin also joined the flyer team—more people meant more backup.
Di Yuansi wasn’t idle either; he pitched the tent using just one arm.
Su Cha selling watermelons wasn’t a secret anymore—most upperclassmen moving between Zones E and D already knew. The ones who had been in Zone D from the start didn’t believe it at first, thinking it was a trap, until someone sent a spirit form to verify, and found it was true.
The mobile cart even had a banner that read: “Ten-School Tournament: No Killing the Cook.”
Hunger was never a pleasant experience. Since Su Cha’s prices were fair and the food confirmed to be non-toxic, the little stall quickly became a hit.
No one tried to pick a fight with them. Upperclassmen and freshmen had their scores calculated separately, so technically, there was no direct competition. And looks sometimes helped too—like now: Under the blazing sun, Su Cha wiped sweat from his brow, earnestly accelerated seed growth, then politely handed over the goods with both hands, flashing a sweet smile: “Thank you for your patronage, senior sister.”
Adorable.
Ridiculously adorable.
The girl receiving the food smiled back: “I’ll definitely come again.”
In a grueling and bloody competition, someone who could lift spirits like this was exactly what people needed.
Su Cha’s ability to grow plants had limits and he needed breaks. To avoid unnecessary waiting, he always calculated production in advance and handed out numbered tokens on a first-come, first-served basis.
When the last order of the day was done, the stall hung up a sign: “On Break.”
“Can’t believe no one caused trouble,” Liu Xiqin had been bracing for a fight.
In truth, whenever someone approached, Su Cha would burn a calming, non-toxic incense. As long as the person didn’t come with murderous intent, the scent would soothe their mood.
A calm mind naturally led to a better attitude.
Staring at the massive increase in their point tally on the smart system, Di Yuansi laid in the tent and muttered: “I feel kinda guilty.”
Their flyers clearly stated all trades must be in person. Buyers dragged near-dead beasts directly to their stall—they just had to land the final blow and toss the body away.
When people are bored, time slows to a crawl.
Like now—Rong Shao and the Wu siblings were already sitting cross-legged on the ground, playing in the sand. All they were missing was a game of Pat-a-cake.
Su Cha drank two nutrient solutions and played poker with Ji Tianjin while waiting for his spiritual power to recover.
A gust of wind blew past. As if sand had gotten into his eyes, they reddened slightly. “I finally achieved the life I dreamed of… through my own effort.”
Everyone with a dream is amazing!
There were many people following the tournament, but none more so than the schools themselves.
The school operated on a six-day schedule with Sundays off, and today happened to be a rest day. Teachers and students had plenty of time to watch the finals. The sense of honor shared between the affiliated high school and the First Military Academy often overlapped—beyond concern for their own students, they also cared about the First Military Academy’s performance.
The highlight, of course, was Zhou Zhiyuan’s outstanding display. In Zone A, he charged through like an unstoppable force—neither gods nor devils could block his path.
“How many points does Zhou Zhiyuan’s team have?”
“One thousand two hundred and thirty.”
The dean of instruction paused for a beat: “What about Su Cha’s team…?”
“Six hundred.”
Newbies naturally couldn’t compare to upperclassmen. Six hundred might sound unimpressive, but among freshmen, it ranked in the top three. For a “salted fish” team to reach this level—it was nothing short of miraculous.
The teacher who answered then analyzed, “But this is just the beginning. Their advantage won’t last long.”
As time went on, hunting beasts and dragging them back for trade became increasingly inefficient. Aggressive teams would simply steal other people’s nutrient solutions, possibly ambushing Su Cha’s stall directly. If that happened, no one would risk trading anymore.
….
Most members of “He’s Here” team were already injured. For now, they were just scraping by—but business was still viable.
Zone C.
Two teams had just formed an alliance when they simultaneously turned to look south.
A chubby guy muttered, “What, did those people get rabies?”
With strong spiritual power, they could hear the chaotic howling from Zone D even from afar. Imitating wolves and tigers was one thing—but who was out there meowing like a cat?
Such odd behavior was always a red flag. They decided to check it out.
At the border between zones, the two teams intercepted a few people.
“What’s going on?”
Luckily, they were from the same school. Seeing no threat of robbery, the intercepted group explained readily: “There’s an awakened plant-type ability user trading food for goods. The side effects are just… a little dramatic.”
“You call that a little?”
To the unknowing, it looked like full-blown madness.
“At least it beats starving. I heard the food he sells is as effective as a power pill—minus the weakness period.”
Upon hearing this, both teams’ DNA activated instantly.
Exchanging glances, the chubby guy spoke first: “We deserve this.”
To win, what was a little meowing between teammates?
Su Cha was currently bent over, using his power to accelerate growth, when he sensed a shadow fall over him. Looking up, he saw the line of customers had been forced back.
“Come with us.”
Su Cha frowned. Had the incense’s calming effect worn off?
Aside from Rong Shao and Liu Xiqin, everyone else was injured. Just because they were laid-back didn’t mean they were pushovers. Di Yuansi had already summoned his spirit form. Just as tension was about to spike, the seemingly aggressive team spoke again: “From now on, sell in Zone C.”
It was inconvenient for them to keep coming to Zone D.
The chubby leader added firmly: “Pack up. Camp near our supply point. You don’t have to worry about safety.”
Selling was selling—what did location matter?
And in Zone C, they might even raise prices. After a quick team discussion, Su Cha agreed: “Let us finish this batch first—”
But looking around, they realized all the earlier customers had already fled—afraid their nutrient supplies would be stolen.
So they packed up and left.
Watching the mobile cart roll farther and farther away, students hiding behind sand dunes gritted their teeth.
“Forget it, don’t be mad.” One said. “Just wait, it’ll be their turn soon.”
Zone C might be tough, but even stronger teams were already adapting to Zone B—and even Zone A.
“And with the ‘He’s Here’ team with food support, this desert competition isn’t even hard anymore. There’s no way the officials will sit back and do nothing.” Just as he was about to go on, he suddenly froze.
His face went from angry to stunned.
The desert map on his smart system now had a new moving red dot—on the exact same path as Su Cha’s team. It had bold black text above it: “Mini-Mart.”
Only the league organizers could make something like that appear.
Now everyone knew about the Mini-Mart.
Su Cha’s team noticed the announcement too.
It was a double-edged sword. With so much publicity, there would inevitably be people with bad intentions. Ji Tianjin caught on to his thoughts and shook his head: “Don’t worry. Anyone who causes trouble—just offer a bounty of ten watermelons. Someone will beat them up and settle things.”
They wouldn’t even need to lift a finger.
After thinking about it, the others agreed.
Zone C was dangerous. With their injuries, they couldn’t take risks. So—those who were playing in the sand kept playing, and those who were playing cards kept playing.
Rong Shao: “Feels like I’ve regained the joy of childhood.”
Su Cha: “Feels like I’ve regained the joy of retirement.”
Rong Shao assumed he was joking. He finished sculpting a detailed sandcastle and joked: “With how famous you are now, you could make a fortune selling this stuff when we get back. Who knows—maybe you’ll be the next richest person in the empire.”
It was just a passing comment. After all, from observation, Su Cha’s food only had limited effects on those who had already awakened powers. And humans weren’t machines—they couldn’t produce endlessly.
Su Cha held a bucket without changing his expression, thinking back to what the system said before: “You possess legendary-level potential.”
How legendary could it be?
The system was stingy—but it never exaggerated.
At that thought, Su Cha swallowed hard.
If, through sheer effort, he could one day sleep in a bed that spanned hundreds of square meters, be cared for by a personal butler, and look out over a hundred-acre rose garden…
It didn’t seem impossible.
In that moment, he had a new small goal:
Become the richest person in the empire.
