Seeing the glimmer of curiosity in Kim Haru's expression, Gang Yuwon quickly pounded his chest in assurance. "They're edible, really! Hehe, I just had a little nibble earlier, and aside from a bit of dirt, they tasted great! Crisp and tender, with a nice chew!"
The rest of Shin Woncheon's squad exchanged sideways glances.
Wow, this guy! Quietly sneaking food from the boss's crops? He really bold!
Realizing what he had just admitted, Gang Yuwon quickly explained, "Sir, I wasn't stealing your vegetables! I just ate a small piece of the root that you didn't want. I wouldn't dare steal your stuff, not even with a hundred guts!"
Kim Haru looked at the small holes in the ground and saw that, indeed, the cabbage roots had been torn off in places, with little bits left behind.
He hadn't planned on collecting those parts anyway; they were just going to be discarded.
It turns out Gang Yuwon had been nibbling on those leftovers.
Kim Haru had never seen anyone eat cabbage roots before, so he wasn't entirely comfortable letting people consume them. He didn't have any living creatures, like pigs, around to test if the roots were safe, either. Seeing that not only Gang Yuwon but also Shin Woncheon, Ryu Hyunwoo, and Ra Jinho were all looking at him with hopeful expressions, as if these cabbage roots were incredibly important to them, Kim Haru's heart softened, and he nodded.
"Do as you wish."
"Thank you so much, sir!" Gang Yuwon immediately bowed several times in gratitude, setting the sickle far away and cradling the cabbage like a treasure as he carried it to the pond for cleaning.
These were normal, virus-free vegetables! Even leaving a bit of the root meant they would have just that much more food to eat. Even if that extra bite didn't go to their Delta Squad, it could be given to other survivors who were on the brink of mutation.
They had eaten mutated plants; why should they fear eating the roots of perfectly normal vegetables?
Gang Yuwon planned to clean these cabbages thoroughly and then return to the cabbage patch to dig out any leftover root bits. If he was careful enough, he might even gather a whole bunch of them.
Shin Woncheon and the others had the same idea. The thought of having even just a little more food energized them as they worked.
After handing over the vegetable-harvesting task to the Delta Squad, Kim Haru had things of his own to take care of.
Before leaving for the safe zone, he wanted to plant the next batch of crops.
The seeds from the beginner's gift pack were all used up, and Kim Haru didn't have any other seeds on hand. He searched through the system but couldn't find any way to restock them. So, for his next round of planting, the only option was to use the vegetables he had just harvested.
He had pulled up all ten cabbages, leaving none behind for seeding. He would have to wait until he found a way to get more seeds through the system before he could plant cabbages again.