Chapter 359 - 174: The Eve

Chapter 359: Chapter 174: The Eve

Watching the back of Wang Fa as he hurriedly got in a car and left.

Manager Liang stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Academician Li, Zhang Zhiyong, and the others had also walked a few hundred meters ahead.

Before he knew it, by the time Manager Liang caught up, the group had arrived at a pasture area formed by three large sand dunes.

In a relatively flat area, the fodder soybeans had already been harvested, leaving only about ten centimeters of stubble.

Academician Li squatted down again. He looked at the soybeans that had been harvested once, noting that the bottom stalks had already sprouted anew. Many of the freshly emerged vine shoots had one or two true leaves.

"It’s resprouted?" a researcher to the side said, his eyes wide.

"It has indeed resprouted." A balding researcher also squatted down, carefully observing the second-growth soybean vines around them.

Zhang Zhiyong said with a smile, "I’ve heard General Manager Jiang mention before that the Immortal Bean series can overwinter, making it a perennial."

Academician Li felt he had experienced more shocks today than in the past several decades combined. "This variety can overwinter and is a perennial?"

"Yes. From the current situation, being a perennial shouldn’t be a major issue. After all, these fodder soybeans were harvested four or five days ago and have already resprouted. This shows the variety does indeed have perennial characteristics." Zhang Zhiyong took a sip of water to soothe his dry throat, then continued,

"As for overwintering, that’s something we need to verify further. If the root systems of the Immortal Soybeans can sprout again next March or April, then we can basically confirm it."

"No," Academician Li Peiwu said, shaking his head. "Even if the overwintering part isn’t possible, this variety is still immensely valuable."

"Indeed."

"I also think this variety has enormous potential."

The crowd of researchers discussed animatedly amongst themselves.

Having just caught up, Manager Liang came to Liu Zhiben’s side and asked in a low voice, "Manager Liu, you also plant forage grass?"

"It’s just soybeans. The terrain of this sandy area is quite uneven. The project would be too massive if we were to level it, so we’re using it directly as a pasture," Liu Zhiben explained with a smile.

"Manager Liu, how many tons of forage did you harvest from the first cutting?"

"2.3 tons of fresh forage per mu."

"That much? And what about the crude protein content?"

"Around 27%."

As a business manager for the Beidahuang Group, Manager Liang was naturally familiar with forage cultivation and the nutritional metrics of various types of fodder. He was utterly astonished. "That high?"

Liu Zhiben didn’t hide anything and explained directly, "The variety used as forage is Immortal Bean No. 3. If this variety reaches full maturity, its soybean protein content is typically around 52%. It’s a high-protein type and also one of our higher-yield varieties."

"52% protein content?!" Manager Liang was stunned again. ’No wonder the overall protein content is so high when it’s used as forage.’

Just then, Academician Li noticed Manager Liang and Liu Zhiben whispering to each other. He walked over and asked sincerely, "Manager Liu, would it be convenient to answer a few questions for me?"

"No problem." Liu Zhiben nodded first, then added, "As long as it doesn’t involve company secrets."

"If it involves your company’s confidential information, Manager Liu, please feel free to let me know." After a moment of consideration, Academician Li asked, "Your company must have research reports on this Immortal Bean variety, correct? I’ve reviewed your application materials for the variety registration, and they didn’t mention anything about it being perennial or able to overwinter."

"These three varieties were registered last year. At that time, we had only conducted preliminary cultivation and hadn’t discovered these other characteristics. Later, after small-scale planting, we found some unexpected traits. After another round of experimental cultivation, we decided to conduct large-scale trials in the desert region of Monan." Liu Zhiben smoothly recited the lines Jiang Miao had prepared for him.

Academician Li continued, "I’m very curious, why can your soybeans be grown in the desert? Do you have a detailed research report? Would it be convenient to provide us with a copy for our research?"

"No problem. Our boss already gave instructions. If you want to know, we can give you a copy of our internal research materials." As he spoke, Liu Zhiben had his assistant retrieve a pre-printed copy of the "Immortal Bean New Variety Phase Two Research Report."

The moment he saw the research report, Academician Li couldn’t help but grow excited. He quickly took it and began to browse through it carefully.

The other researchers also crowded around, their attention fixed on the report’s contents.

A short while later, Academician Li handed the document to one of the other researchers. Then, his expression grew solemn. He pulled Manager Liang and Liu Zhiben over to the base of a distant sand dune.

He asked with a serious expression, "Manager Liu, can your company’s soybean variety truly reclaim soil?"

Liu Zhiben nodded. He then squatted down and dug away the sand at the base of a soybean vine. "Academician Li, take a look!"

Academician Li dug up several potato-like tubers from the soybean vine’s roots. His expression became even more grave and serious. "Incredible. This variety of yours is incredible." ℯℯ𝘭.

As a senior executive from a major agricultural enterprise like the Beidahuang Group, Manager Liang also snapped back to reality. His expression was equally grave as he looked at Liu Zhiben with a mixture of shock and suspicion. "Your Hailufeng Company and the Monan State-owned Assets Operation Company’s joint venture, United Mining Company... you aren’t really planning to plant Immortal Soybeans across the hundreds of millions of mu of desert, are you?"

"We’ll see how it goes," Liu Zhiben answered ambiguously.

"That’s too much! The global soybean market would collapse in an instant." Manager Liang could almost see the future collapse of the soybean industries in America, South America, and Lucia.