Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 34: Light Acquire In Territory

Still feeling a little annoyed, Vikram opened the chat channel, wanting to check what other Survivors had gained today.

Sure enough, the channel was flooded with discussions about supply drops, and almost every message carried a thick layer of sarcasm.

"Great news, brothers! I opened a mobile game recharge card from a box. Finally I can top-up my online game even in the apocalypse."

"Congrats, bro! I got a ₹50 roadside chaat coupon. When I buy a luxury car someday, I’ll take you along to celebrate."

"You people are too materialistic... learn from me. I got five years of prison theory notes and three years of exam mock papers. Once I become a topper, all your stuff will be mine anyway."

"Brother upstairs, I’ll trade you spicy namkeen. Deal?"

"Private message me."

"Hahaha... are you trying to make me laugh to death? I thought getting garbage loot was already the worst fate."

"You’re still worse off." ×4

Four different Survivors sent that exact line at the same time.

The unfortunate fellow who had just complained instantly fell silent — probably going somewhere to mourn his tragic luck.

Watching this chaotic exchange, Vikram couldn’t help feeling both awkward and amused by the creativity of modern netizens.

Yet strangely, his mood improved a lot.

What he got was indeed trash, but compared to what they opened, it seemed pretty good?

"At least my trash can relieve boredom." Vikram rubbed his hands like a fly~

---

Inside his room, Vikram sat by the bonfire, breathing into his palms and rubbing his hands.

Unlike normal weather changes, the temperature remained constant in the days after the natural disaster struck.

The -20 degree Celsius temperature lasted all day, and if he hadn’t been wearing a cotton coat, even Vikram, with his physique, wouldn’t have been able to endure it.

He looked at the trade message from Divya:

Trader: Divya, Trading Item: Fertile Soil X1 (ton), Required Item: Food X1.5 (kg).

Vikram casually clicked confirm and then bluntly sent a message:

Vikram: Any more photos you can send to cheer me up?

Divya: Get lost, you wish. This was followed by a sweating emoji.

Actually, Divya had started to regret it a few minutes after sending the message last time.

Vikram himself had said he didn’t need anything else, but she still took a photo and sent it, immediately wanting to retract it.

Who knew that the Survival Platform’s chat system was exactly like Earth’s V, and once the time was up, it couldn’t be retracted.

Since it was sent, Divya could only let it be.

Later, Vikram saw the photo and replied: ’Thank you, I’m good.’

This left her utterly confused, and she later asked her good friend Anjali what it meant.

Her knowledgeable good friend gave her a thorough crash course in internet slang, and only then did she realize she had been played by Vikram again.

"But I was wearing something so tight..."

Meanwhile, Vikram had already begun transforming the barren ground into usable farmland.

Following his original plan, he selected a section of Territory close to the Treehouse where the soil was relatively level and safe from strong winds.

Based on his rough calculations, the total farming area he intended to develop was about 200 square meters, but considering the harsh weather and limited daylight, he could only complete around 50 square meters for now.

First, he used his shovel to remove the upper layer of frozen, nutrient-poor wasteland soil.

After clearing the surface, he continued digging downward to a depth of half a meter, ensuring the cultivated soil layer would be thick enough to retain moisture and nutrients even during prolonged extreme cold.

Once the pit was ready, Vikram began taking out the fertile soil he had traded for over the past few days. Ton after ton of rich brown earth was slowly poured into the pit.

While filling, he carefully compacted each layer with his boots and shovel handle to prevent future collapse or uneven sinking. When nearly 35 tons of soil had been used, the entire farming pit was finally filled and leveled.

What now lay before him was no longer cracked wasteland, but a stable patch of dark, nutrient-rich farmland.

With this, on the very first day of the Extreme Cold disaster, Vikram’s Territory officially stepped into the age of agriculture.

Yet there was no time to celebrate.

Darkness had already fallen.

Water supply was secured. Farmland groundwork was completed. But a far more troublesome issue now surfaced, territory-wide lighting.

Inside the Treehouse, the Lightfly Vine still provided gentle bioluminescent illumination.

Outside, however, the entire Territory remained swallowed by cold night shadows.

Without proper lighting, night work, security patrols, farming preparation, and construction efficiency would all be severely restricted.

Vikram makes a calculation and he finds out. To establish a complete lighting system, he still lacked several essential components:

Diesel Generators for generating power.

Electrical wiring to distribute generated power

Lighting fixtures such as bulbs or industrial lamps

Protective poles or mounts to install lights safely in snowy wind conditions

Energy control modules or switches to manage consumption

Weather-resistant housing to prevent freezing damage

Unfortunately, such energy-related blueprints were extremely rare at the current stage.

Most Survivors were still trading basic structural designs like ladders, doors, wooden barricades, and primitive traps. Anything involving electricity or modern infrastructure had yet to circulate widely.

That left Vikram with only one practical option, direct purchase from the System Store using Plant Essence.

But till now it was not selling many different things except plant related things.

Lighting, though important for long-term development and quality of life, had always been pushed down the list.

Now, with Extreme Cold beginning to reshape the rhythm of survival, Vikram could clearly feel that the time for hesitation was ending.

Perhaps, with the Survival Platform’s recent supply adjustments, advanced blueprints would soon start appearing in treasure chests or trade channels.

Until then, his Territory would still have to endure the long, freezing nights, half illuminated by plant light, half swallowed by the silent wasteland darkness.

But he didn’t want to wait any longer.

Vikram had endured more than ten days of dim shadows around his territory. Now, he wanted his Territory to finally step back into something that resembled civilization.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the Plant System Store.

Rows upon rows of strange botanical items appeared before his eyes. Seeds, vines, roots, spores, and luminous buds that pulsed softly with green energy.

Originally, his goal had been simple, buy something like light bulb.

However, just as he was about to search for lighting equipment, something unexpected caught his attention.

A new category had appeared.

Utility Illumination Plants.

Curious, Vikram tapped it open.

At the very top was a Green-grade seed that instantly drew his focus.

---

Lumen Reed Seed (Green)

Type: Territory Illumination Plant

Growth Time: 3 hours

Upgradeable: No

Daily Plant Essence Generation: +3

Description:

A subterranean adaptive plant that burrows into the soil after planting.

Upon maturity, it resurfaces vertically like a natural street lamp.

Current Functions:

• Absorbs sunlight during daytime and stores bio-energy

• Automatically emits stable white illumination during night

• Light range: 6–8 meters radius

• Wind-resistant flexible stem

• Requires no fuel or electrical connection

Role: Basic outdoor lighting infrastructure for territory development.

---

Vikram blinked twice.

"...A living street light?"

He crouched slightly, rereading the description to confirm he hadn’t misunderstood.

Unlike electric bulbs, this plant charged itself in daylight and released stored energy at night. It didn’t consume diesel. It didn’t require wiring. It even produced Plant Essence daily.

For someone struggling with energy scarcity, this was almost a perfect solution.

The price was not cheap for a green-grade item, but compared to electrical lighting infrastructure, it was far more economical in the long run.

Without much further hesitation, Vikram decided.

This was better than returning to old-world dependence on machines.

He immediately purchased ten seeds.

As the transaction completed, faint green motes of light condensed in his palm, forming slender capsule-like seeds that radiated a gentle warmth.

Looking at them, Vikram felt a rare sense of satisfaction.

The wasteland around him was still frozen and lifeless... but soon, rows of living lights would rise from the earth.

---

Three hours passed surprisingly fast.

At first, nothing seemed to change.

The ten Lumen Reed Seeds Vikram had planted around the Territory remained hidden beneath the frozen soil, leaving only faint circular cracks on the surface as signs of their presence.

A cold wind swept across the hills, carrying fine snow that slowly covered the newly dug ground.

Then, the earth began to tremble.

Soft vibrations spread outward from multiple points across the Territory.

Tiny fissures widened, and slender green shoots slowly pushed upward through the hardened soil. They rose steadily, almost gracefully, as if guided by an invisible hand.

Within minutes, each shoot elongated into a tall, flexible stem nearly two and a half meters high.

At the top of every stem, a translucent bud formed — shaped like a narrow lantern carved from living crystal.

The buds pulsed faintly.

Then, as dusk deepened and the last traces of pale sunlight faded behind the mountains...

They bloomed.

A gentle white glow spilled out from each plant, not harsh like electric bulbs but soft and steady like moonlight condensed into form.

One by one, the ten living street lights awakened, illuminating the Territory in overlapping halos of light.

Shadows that had ruled this land for days finally retreated.

The entrance path became clearly visible.

The outline of the defensive Thornvine barrier appeared sharp and defined.

Even the distant farming ground shimmered faintly under the calm radiance.

From above, the once-dark valley now resembled a quiet settlement, a tiny civilization carved out of wilderness.

Vikram stood silently for a moment, genuinely stunned.

"...So this is what progress feels like."

Meanwhile, his Sprout Team reacted far more vividly.

Guardian Sprout waddled toward the nearest glowing reed, tapping its stem cautiously with the edge of its shield.

Finding no danger, it tilted its head upward, staring at the luminous bud with wide curiosity.

Warrior Sprout circled another plant like a vigilant patrol guard, occasionally poking the light with the tip of its blade, as if testing whether it was an enemy or an ally.

Healer Sprout approached more gently.

Its own green aura resonated faintly with the plant’s white glow, tiny particles of light drifting between them like silent communication.

The three small companions exchanged excited gestures, clearly fascinated by these new additions to their Territory.

Watching their reactions, Vikram couldn’t help but smile.

Just then —

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on becoming the first Survivor in the Wasteland World to illuminate his Territory!"

"Achievement Unlocked: Wasteland’s New Radiance."

"Achievement Gift Pack ×1 received."

The sudden mechanical announcement echoed in his mind, breaking the tranquil atmosphere.

Vikram blinked in surprise.

"Achievement...?"

"Gift pack...?"