The confirmation of the sediment zone made Zhou Yi consider moving.

Jade City would relocate next to the Mushroom Forest and the farmland, which would allow direct access to the explosive mushrooms of the Mushroom Forest and better radiate the surrounding land, enhancing the safety of the company's industrial output.

However, after much thought, Zhou Yi dismissed the idea.

The sediment zone beneath the Mushroom Forest was indeed precious, but his unique advantage was the remnants of human civilization. Being close to the Dead Sea was convenient for mining, and that was where the greatest treasure lay.

After discussing with Bone Man Sun Chonglai, they decided to have the Black Hand Mushrooms deliver batches of mushrooms to Jade City on a regular basis, using edible mushrooms to conceal the explosive ones inside.

Only the Black Hand Mushrooms were safe to transport the explosive mushrooms.

Once collected, they would return the explosive mushrooms that had reverted to Carpet Fungi to the Mushroom Forest for the next round of cultivation.

Due to the rarity of humans and the harsh environment here, transportation was actually quite safe.

"Please rest assured, Chairman, we will definitely do this well,"

Sun Chonglai pledged, patting his breastbone.

Zhou Yi didn't doubt the Bone Man's years of professional expertise in the Mushroom Forest. He just raised a question he had wanted to ask for a long time, "Your red scarf, does it have any personal sentimental value, or is it a special tool?"

The Bone Man adjusted his scarf, "Chairman, I just think it looks cooler this way."

So it was a matter of personal attire.

Zhou Yi nodded, "Indeed, it's quite eye-catching."

"Actually, I used to have a whole set, with a cloak, long pants, a vest, and a hat, but they're too damaged to wear now due to age, only this scarf remains relatively intact," the Bone Man explained.

"I'll find you a couple of sets next time I go to the Dead Sea."

"Thank you so much! I'll be waiting for the good news!"

Sun Chonglai seemed very happy, shaking Zhou Yi's hand vigorously.

...

In the following two weeks, life returned to a peaceful routine.

After days of reconstruction and repair, Jade City was no longer pockmarked and decrepit. From the outside, it had evolved from a half-demolished neighborhood to an old building complex with elevators.

Inside the walls, stone slabs and gravel paths had been laid out, with stone benches and a pavilion built, as well as streetlights made of Poly Light Stones.

If some more trees and flowers were transplanted, it wouldn't be much different from the residential blocks in Zhou Yi's memory.

One night, Gong Zheng rushed to report.

"Chairman, Mao Valley Town has been disturbed by raiders again recently."

Gong Zheng spoke with a serious face, "Today, as usual, I went there to make trades, picking up materials they'd scavenged... Cao Dayuan told me about an incident."

"He said that in the past three days, four townspeople have been abducted by the raiders. Although they were released, the raiders had inquired about our company's details, it looks like they were targeting us."

Zhou Yi immediately became alert.

Raiders typically prefer easy targets and avoid the strong. Under normal circumstances, they would never want to provoke a Monster Army and a Dead Sea Alien.

He was certain that this was instigated by the Dead Sea Knights.

Gong Zheng continued, "The few villagers that were captured said their heads were covered with sacks, so they couldn't see outside. But they all heard bird cries. The group that came might have trained Scout Birds, skilled in surveillance."

Zhou Yi asked, "What are Scout Birds?"

"Chairman, Scout Birds generally refer to tameable assistant birds of various kinds. Most are small, fast, and agile, capable of detecting danger from afar and sounding the alarm."

Gong Zheng said, "Initially, the Knights were the ones who trained Scout Birds for their own use, but later they became available on the market. However, Scout Bird training is very rigorous, requiring them to overcome fear and not be lured by food or instinct, so they are not cheap. Bringing a few Scout Birds indicates that this group is likely experienced."

So it was animal-based surveillance security.

Zhou Yi gave an order through mental sync: "Red Kestrel, find them."

The drones immediately took off.

"Also, some unfamiliar outsiders dressed as Scavengers have been spotted at the Oasis Side. They pretend to dig in the ground, but strangely, they completely ignore any dry dung they come across, a clear sign of raiders in disguise."

Gong Zheng paused, then added, "Cao Dayuan was pushed forward to act as a representative to request our help in expelling these raiders. The townspeople will continue to support our company as always. Whatever we need, they'll find it."

Cao Dayuan?

Zhou Yi remembered him.

Cao Dayuan, A Feng, and Gong Zheng were all recommended by Ajin. The latter two had come, but Cao Dayuan stayed in Mao Valley Town.

"Chairman, this man is somewhat stubborn and conservative."

Scavenger said with a smile, "But he holds high prestige among the locals. It's just that Mao Valley Town doesn't have the concept of a mayor, it's very loose, otherwise Cao Dayuan would definitely be the mayor here."

"Cao Dayuan's family has been in Mao Valley Town for three generations and is one of the earliest residents. When he was in his teens, he went to Chicken Head Town because he was skilled in mushroom farming and could have settled there. But for his sick father, he came back."

"Chicken Head Town only allows capable outsiders to settle there without charge, but those without skills have to pay a hefty settlement fee. Cao Dayuan had no money and didn't want to abandon his father, so he returned to Mao Valley Town."

"Then he worked for twenty years, and now he is the oldest person still alive here."

"Cao Dayuan told me that the problems of Mao Valley Town can only be solved by the people of Mao Valley Town. If everyone could be fed and become wealthy, then they would no longer be looked down upon, pressured by merchants to lower their prices, or forced to abandon their families to go elsewhere. The key is to stand up on your own."

Gong Zheng slightly restrained his smile, "I've had quite a few dealings with him. He's not very good at beating around the bush, but that's also his advantage."

"These years he has focused on mushroom farming, and the many methods he has figured out have been taught to everyone, significantly increasing the mushroom yield of Mao Valley Town. Without him, there would be even more people leaving this place."

Zhou Yi nodded as he listened.

Even in a place like Mao Valley Town, there were still those with ambition.

Zhou Yi thought for a moment, "What kind of trade relations does the company currently have with Mao Valley Town?"

Gong Zheng produced a diary he carried with him, flipped to a certain page, and then said, "We trade Poly Light Stones, dried meat, bones, and the batch of clothes you provided."

"Under your direction, the company now regularly purchases Mao Valley Worms from them and hands them over to A Feng for breeding Armored Mites. We also pick some of the natural materials or tools they find and buy them at a price higher than the previous merchants. Plus, after the two major battles in the Mushroom Forest and by the seaside, the townspeople are very in awe of us, and their dependency has been increasing."

"Because the items we trade are very valuable, we have also exchanged for a large amount of supplies."

"There's also a situation where several people from Mao Valley Town have been asking if they could come to the company to work as scavengers... but I've refused them all."

Zhou Yi hummed in response.

This was also an adjustment he had made.

Initially, Zhou Yi was short on manpower and hoped to recruit people from Mao Valley Town to clear and farm the land. Later, he realized this wish was somewhat unilateral, as the locals were not farmers and were night owls by nature, making them useless for daytime labor.

After the Agricultural Machinery Brothers arrived and the Mushroom Forest joined the company, the gap in farming labor was immediately filled.

Compared to the new locals, the Agricultural Machinery Brothers and Black Hand Mushrooms were much more specialized.

So Zhou Yi stopped recruiting, unless someone with a special talent like A Feng came along.

"You tell Cao Dayuan and the residents of Mao Valley Town."

Zhou Yi said to Gong Zheng, "I'm aware of the situation now, and it will be resolved soon."

"Yes, Chairman."

...

Gong Zheng left with his cane.

The Red Kestrel's investigation had also been completed.

"Three Scout Birds are active to our west and north, maintaining a distance and observing our situation."

"Based on the Scout Birds' coordinates, I've expanded the search range to the limit and found the habitation of the group behind them."

On the display of the remote control, 14 kilometers northeast of Jade City's outskirts, was the territory of the Claw Pig Clan. And on the beach next to the Dead Sea, two boats were anchored.

They were small wooden sailboats, much smaller than the Organ, but their hulls were also painted black.

But to be able to sail in the Dead Sea, they were certainly not ordinary vessels.

Under normal circumstances, throwing wood or stones towards the Dead Sea would result in them sinking to the sea floor. After all, the so-called Dead Sea was a photic fluid environment formed by the intermingling of Death Light and air.

The two wooden boats, however, were floating quite steadily.

Zhou Yi gave an order.

"Activate 'Bird's Eye View.'"

The Red Kestrel's capabilities unfolded, and the inner thoughts of the raiders on board suddenly became clear.

—This job really isn't for humans, being watched by those clawed pigs every day, I can't even sleep in peace.

—The Dead Sea Knights really are something. Wouldn't it be more useful if their warships came and bombarded the place? Could it be that they want us to come and die so they don't have to pay us our ration? Damn it, those dogs are the real thieves.

—Boss, oh boss, I said I'd wash my hands of this last time, but now I can't even if I want to. How can I move up if you don't retire...

—Is that company really that weird? Five enhancers in a row got obliterated by them without leaving a whole corpse? They send us to die when they encounter such a thorny issue, damn it, this is hard-earned money and hard-eaten shit!

...

Sure enough, it was an outpost sent by the Dead Sea Knights.

The essence of war is speed.

Zhou Yi immediately called his troops, ready to strike first!