While they had seen it on the livestream, the impact of seeing it on their own eyes was incomparable to what they saw on their phone screens.
Standing on this vast fertile plain, both the old farmers and the young people of the new era were struck with deep awe.
Especially the survival experts, full of fighting spirit, who had prepared extensively, expecting to struggle for survival at sea during this land reclamation project. They never imagined they would be directly transported to a vast plain.
After a few minutes of stunned silence, everyone gradually came to their senses. Led by the staff, they headed to their assigned locations while closely observing their surroundings.
During this process, an old farmer born in the 1950s suddenly squatted down, scooped up a handful of soil, and squeezed it tightly.
"I never thought I'd see such fertile black soil in my lifetime. When I went to reclaim Heilongjiang, where you could hit deer with a stick and scoop fish with a ladle, the land wasn't as fertile as this."
Hearing this, Jing Mingqiu, who had just descended, smiled and waved his hand. "Old sir, you're mistaken. This soil is indeed very fertile, with a golden ratio of trace elements, making it most suitable for the growth of most plants. However, due to limited conditions, it severely lacks organic matter. In terms of long-term fertility, it's far from the black soil of Heilongjiang back then, which was truly rich and fertile!"
The old farmer was taken aback by Jing Mingqiu's words, then quickly responded, "Young man, the lack of organic matter is the easiest problem to solve. Let it lie fallow for two years, then plant a few crops of soybeans, burying them roots and all. I guarantee it will be incredibly fertile."
Jing Mingqiu didn't refute him or offer a better suggestion. Instead, he let out two hearty laughs. "Hahahahaha, old sir, you're right. As agreed, starting now, this hundred mu of land is yours. You can plant whatever you wish."
A standard football field covers an area of 7140 square meters, and one mu is 666 square meters. Therefore, one hundred mu is equivalent to ten standard football fields. Although they had heard that participants in the land reclamation would receive fertile land, the old farmer still felt overwhelmed upon receiving over a hundred mu.
"Young man, one hundred mu, isn't that too much? As an old man, even if I've regained my youth, I can't cultivate that much!"
"Hahahaha," Jing Mingqiu laughed even more heartily at the old farmer's words. "Don't worry, old sir. This is the age of technology. Farming doesn't require you to personally furrow the land and sow seeds. The US can have one person manage a three-thousand-acre farm, and China can too. I've already arranged for the relevant machinery and equipment to be delivered to your residence. You just need to follow the tutorials."
With Jing Mingqiu's assurance, the old farmer nodded with a mixture of doubt and belief, and was led by the staff to his allocated large tract of farmland.
Watching the old farmer's receding figure, Jing Mingqiu suddenly remembered something important. "I almost forgot to mention, old sir, if you plant only grain on all this land, we won't be able to eat it all."
"You can plant some flowers, fruits, and vegetables, or raise some chickens, ducks, geese, and fish. We will provide feed free of charge in the early stages."
Despite the assistance of artificial intelligence, upon arriving at his assigned house, the old farmer was overwhelmed by the dazzling array of tools. After much deliberation, he chose a multi-functional plowing and seeding machine and drove it out, intending to plow the land first and then plant some grain.
Unlike the old farmer, the young people of the new century, especially former gamers, quickly figured out how to use these tools. They were already enthusiastically planning which areas to plant grain and which to plant vegetables. They planned to build a small hill in the east for fruit trees, dig a pond in the west for fish and ducks, and plant mulberry trees in the remaining areas to raise silkworms, fully experiencing what a self-sufficient small-scale economy meant.
As China's construction efforts were in full swing, the US naval fleet and military bases were like small animals on display in a zoo. US President Saloyan Primore was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"Assistant, hurry and bring the car over. I need to go to Area 51..." Before Saloyan Primore could finish speaking, Gus suddenly appeared, enveloped in lightning, tearing through the ceiling. The guards, hearing the commotion, rushed in with their guns but were all electrocuted by a bolt of lightning from Gus.
"Saloyan," Gus said sternly, "that guy Jing Mingqiu is up to his tricks again."
"He's outwardly engaged in land reclamation, but in reality, he's likely trying to install various devices on Blue Star in this manner to control the planet directly. We absolutely cannot let his conspiracy succeed!"
Saloyan Primore's face was extremely grim. "Lord Gus, I understand what you mean. The ocean covers seventy percent of Blue Star. If it all falls into China's hands, we will surely be finished. However, we have previously attempted to create floating islands by joining decommissioned warships, but the efficiency was low and the success rate was extremely poor. We spent billions of dollars and only managed to build fifteen to sixteen small floating islands. Later, due to sea wind corrosion and wave erosion, most of them disintegrated. The remaining few are precarious and could turn into scrap metal and sink to the bottom of the sea at any moment. Steel, as a low-level metal material, is indeed a bit lacking in both strength and corrosion resistance. However, you don't need to worry. I've already considered this."
As Gus spoke, he waved his hand, pulling out a mass of black gel-like substance from his embrace and handing it to Saloyan Primore. "Your planet has undergone multiple ecological evolutions, producing a substance called crude oil. This substance is very magical. With a little modification, it can be transformed into a compound that is corrosion-resistant, low-density, and extremely strong. I've named it Tes Gel. We can use this to create floating islands, and they can float on the sea surface without additional power support. However, this gel is very afraid of fire, so fire prevention measures must be taken during construction."
"This is simple," Saloyan Primore said, playing with the Tes Gel in his hand, extremely excited. "We plan to build floating islands at sea, and then we can simply draw water from the sea."
Gus looked out the window. "There's no time to lose. Jing Mingqiu is continuously expanding the islands. We must act immediately to compete with them for control of the sea and even the entire planet!"
"Lord Gus, please rest assured. I will immediately mobilize our forces to build a cluster of floating islands for our great America. Didn't he surround our military bases?"
"We can do the opposite and completely surround the land reclaimed by China from the outside, letting them know what it means to be attacked from both sides, what it means to 'wrap dumplings'!"
With Saloyan Primore's command, the United States also launched a grand land reclamation plan...