CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288: THEY ARE THIN AND UGLY

Tirion Star

Lin Yi thought for a moment and simply listed the items he needed one by one.

"Skill books, electronics, gadgets, tools, anything you have, give me one of each, even antiques."

"Why do you want that junk?"

"Junk... yes, I need cheap junk because I like to study the cultures of different planets."

Lin Yi said nonsensically, portraying himself as a passionate historian.

Of course, the main reason he needed these things was because whenever the shelter acquired an item it never had before, it would gain experience and even a reward.

Sharan looked at Lin Yi for a while and nodded.

"I really couldn’t tell you’re a cultured man. When you were fighting, your heroic posture... okay, I can help with this."

"By the way, what kind of business can make big money here? What does this fortress need?"

"Fuel! Lots and lots of fuel!"

"... I’m already supplying fuel to the fortress, I’m afraid selling privately would affect my reputation. Why don’t you go and talk to the Archbishop and Gailz?"

"You really have fuel?! Damn, that..."

"Changes everything?"

"You can mock me, but yes, it really changes everything!"

According to Sharan, they need oil, natural gas, and a lot of rare earth elements...

Lin Yi didn’t have rare earths, but he could have the British Isles provide them.

As a businessman, reselling is easy.

After the negotiations ended, Lin Yi returned to the tower and summoned Immanuel’s assistant.

He would be responsible for operating the shelter’s branch on Tirion Star and handling trade agreements and such.

Then, he headed straight to the Rusted Fortress.

Before setting off, Zack and his wife offered to accompany him and guide the way.

Lin Yi realized this would simplify his negotiations with the fortress leader, so he agreed.

The Rusted Fortress was 170 kilometers away in a straight line, but the route wasn’t direct, it was a series of complex winding paths.

The troops would take four to five days to arrive, depending on how many zombies they encountered along the way.

Lin Yi planned to arrive within a day because he didn’t need to fight enemies, use roads, or traverse difficult terrain.

He, along with two half-mechanical people in combat armor, rode in a fully armed military vehicle.

After leaving the fortress.

They were dropped off a kilometer away from the city.

"Why did they drop us in the middle of the wasteland? How do we get to Rust City from here?"

Zack’s wife watched the vehicle drive off, confused.

Lin Yi waved, and Solomon with two Daggers appeared.

"One of you can ride with me, the other with Solomon, on the flying motorcycles."

Lira pointed at the Dagger and protested, "Are we supposed to ride that... across the wasteland?"

Zack raised his voice, "Lira! Sit down, have some gratitude! Sorry everyone, Lira can be a bit... confused sometimes."

"I... I’m sorry..." Lira lowered her head, moving towards the other Dagger.

Lin Yi noticed that Lira was wearing combat armor and had a large bag slung over her shoulder, feeling a bit speechless.

"You’re carrying so much junk? Give me the bag."

"We might need it if we’re attacked!"

"I’ll give it back if we’re attacked," Lin Yi said, extending his hand.

The woman reluctantly handed over the bag.

As they climbed onto the motorcycle, Lin Yi reminded them.

"Now hold on tight."

The two Daggers roared to life, speeding forward and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Within seconds, the motorcycles reached a speed of 100 kilometers per hour and continued to accelerate.

Lira held tightly to the handle specially designed for passengers, barely holding back a scream.

In just half an hour, they left the wasteland and reached the desert.

Driving on the sand was tricky.

So Lin Yi switched the Dagger to flying mode, which was energy-consuming, but he currently had over 5,000 Second Level Power Cores.

The Dagger roared, rising to a meter above ground, and surged forward.

Lin Yi asked over the radio, "What do you think of the Child of the Sun, Solomon?"

"Hmm... we plan to evaluate their skills and abilities, but for now... they have potential, but they need a lot of training.

They struggle with long-range combat and actually dislike it."

Lin Yi recalled how the Child of the Sun’s army was wiped out by ordinary Third Level zombies.

"Melee isn’t useful against powerful enemies."

"Yes, but they have their own form of ranged combat, which is throwing spears."

"Let me guess, they throw one spear and then it’s ’bye-bye’, right?"

"...Yes, they would need a lot of spears... but their spears are quite powerful."

"Hmm, we have nearly ten thousand Children of the Sun... obviously, if they all throw spears at the enemy at once, they’d cause some damage.

But if only about three hundred or so do it, then they won’t achieve much.

Spears can be enchanted with Magic, but they’re more suited for targeting single entities..."

Lin Yi had been thinking about the Sun People for a long time.

They were definitely not useless, but working in the fields all the time wasn’t an option either.

They were clumsy, and all of them wanted to be warriors, but learning to shoot was a big problem.

At this moment, Lira suddenly shouted.

"There are mutants and a large group of infected ahead!"

Lin Yi paid no attention to her.

The two "Dagger" aircraft sped past the enemies before they could react.

After encountering enemies for the third time, Lira finally stopped reporting their status.

Once, they saw a nomadic caravan, with vehicles resembling ships.

These vehicles were at least a hundred meters long, surrounded by smaller vehicles.

Judging by the turrets on these smaller cars, these vehicles were meant to fend off or eliminate enemies.

No one wanted to deal with these nomads, so they didn’t slow down and flew directly overhead.

Lin Yi wanted to quickly find a place to rest.

Because on Earth, it was already dinner time.

Two more hours passed.

They arrived at a vast swamp.

The floating "Dagger" aircraft didn’t even need to slow down as it dashed through.

They encountered some mutant animals, some as large as elephants, which leapt out of the water to prey.

Even the birds here were more like fish, and all were carnivorous.

Everywhere Lin Yi went, he could see creatures feeding or about to prey on others.

This swamp was truly enormous.

Judging by the time it took to cross, it spanned about sixty kilometers.

Lin Yi saw several abandoned cities in the swamp, as well as some hidden base.

His entire journey was recorded, so he could review the videos anytime later.

After leaving the swamp, the group entered a forest.

Unlike other forests they had seen, the trees here weren’t completely decayed, and some even had a few leaves.

Of course, the leaves looked sickly, yellow in color.

He quickly found a place to camp overnight, still having plenty of time before sunset, but he wanted to return to the Shelter before dinner.

He had a lot to do.

Finally, they left the two half-mechanical people in an abandoned villa in the center of the forest.

The building wasn’t too old and looked basically intact.

There were a few zombie "residents," but they were quickly converted into materials, and Lin Yi discovered that their bodies were rich in rare earth materials.

"Solomon, I just realized—this planet is practically a gold mine! These zombies are full of valuable metals!"

"Boss, you’re absolutely right!"

In high spirits, the two collected all the remnants of the fallen machine zombies.

Zack held a small device that looked like a badge and asked, "What’s this?"

"A camera. If you need help, it will notify us. Go get some sleep; we’ll set off later tonight."

"Alright," Zack said, pinning the badge to his wife’s chest.

Lin Yi and Solomon vanished.

The two half-mechanical people were left alone in the center of the gradually decaying forest.

However, Lin Yi had informed them beforehand of the challenges they’d face, so they didn’t complain.

Zack first set traps and alert devices, then searched the entire building to check other entrances.

He locked the doors, just in case...

A hearty dinner.

Lin Yi ate the meat voraciously.

After raiding the Plunderer’s camp, the Shelter acquired plenty of spices and sauces.

"Chen Youyou, how’s the Shelter’s government structure coming along?"

"Boss! Everything’s going smoothly. Boria, Alyosha, and Katsya are working hard and learning quickly.

Valerie is designing the government structure; she used to be a mayor, so she’s well-versed in this.

Blaise and Immanuel are assisting her, and they’re recruiting other experienced people as well."

"Great. Well done. How about the aliens? Have we built schools for them?"

"Yes, boss. But... are you sure you want to teach everyone English instead of Chinese?"

"Do we have any Chinese teachers? You can’t expect me to teach them personally, can you? Isn’t English said to be easier to learn? Time is tight now, every day counts."

"Alright, I understand..." Chen Youyou said, pondering for a moment.

"The school can accommodate everyone... except the Children of the Sun; teaching them doesn’t hold much significance yet..."

"That’s pretty much what I expected. Anyway, they all want to become warriors... By the way, how’s their settlement going?"

"Encountered some issues..." Chen Youyou admitted.

"Our way of life is completely new to them, but I’ll start working on ’civilizing’ them tomorrow."

"You’re doing great. By the way, where are my uniforms? And what about the men’s uniforms?"

"Your civilian and military uniforms are at home. Once you approve the design, we’ll start production."

At this moment, Annie cried out.

"Boss! We’re dying to see you in your new uniform! Come on, put it on!"

Her words made all the girls nod in agreement.

Lin Yi was puzzled: "Can’t you have the guys try them on?"

"They’re all skinny and ugly," Annie said bluntly.

...