Wasteland's winter is a dangerous season when most people need to reduce going outdoors, yet it is also an opportunity for merchants to make a profit.

"Now is the peak trading season for our line of business, I need to run around more, wherever there is fighting, there is a demand for weapons."

"I will probably come back in three months, and I will bring some new products, take care."

The young weapons dealer bid farewell to Zhou Yi and drove her truck toward the next customer.

This transaction, in and out, earned Zhou Yi a total of 3658 Light Seeds.

Meanwhile, explosive mushrooms in the Mushroom Forest had a bountiful harvest on a snowy day, and after extraction in Jade City, another 5000 Light Seeds were credited.

Adding the regular fishing income from the sea floor, he now held 10,000 Light Seeds for the first time.

It was considered a modest capital.

Resources need to circulate to realize their value, especially on this wasteland devoid of industry.

Zhou Yi first thought of investing in a farm.

Ever since he hired the Agricultural Machinery Brothers, he had become a hands-off manager and had never visited the site in person.

The Red Kestrel flew next to the Mushroom Forest, acting as Zhou Yi's cybernetic proxy.

In the snowy fields, the Agricultural Machinery Brothers were still busy.

The silent Tong Niu slowly circled the entire farm. Atop it, there was a humanoid stand waving back and forth like an inflated doll in front of a store, occasionally emitting light, creating a festive look.

Tie Ma, on the other hand, detached its body for load-bearing, entering the snow-covered paths between the fields with its front end. A U-shaped antenna extended from each side of its head, scanning left and right across the fields.

Zhou Yi lowered the altitude and asked, "How are things in winter?"

Tie Ma responded through a somewhat noisy amplifier, "The temperature is within an acceptable range, but there are many biological disasters here. We have birds both day and night; they peck at the young sprouts in the field, so Tong Niu has set up a scarecrow for regular patrols."

"These birds are not afraid of mechanical life because they know we won't hunt or eat them. On the other hand, the dummy is effective, because they are afraid of humans who might hunt and eat them."

So, the humanoid stand was an electronic scarecrow.

At that moment, Zhou Yi felt that some things in the wasteland seemed unchanged.

"Beside the birds, there were also sand rats, but they've rarely come out since winter started. The absence of sand rats gnawing has led to insects in the soil becoming a big problem."

"The two most troublesome are the dung-eating larvae and winter mole crickets."

Tie Ma extended a slender mechanical arm, displaying an insect specimen, "This is a winter mole cricket, it gnaws at the roots of various crops."

The image under the camera made Zhou Yi frown.

This ferocious-looking insect, with a conical shell, hook-shaped slender claws, and scythe-like mouthparts, was different from the mole crickets in his memory.

Zhou Yi stared harder as he thought of something, "Is it the larva of an Antlion?"

"To be precise, the Antlion is one of the evolutionary paths of the winter mole cricket."

Tie Ma explained, "During the winter mole cricket stage, it only comes out to feed in winter, and during warm climates, it actually falls into hibernation. Its shell has a good absorption capacity for Death Light, so it can maintain life by absorbing external energy."

"If it can continue to grow and shed its shell, eventually completing its evolution, it will grow into a mature Antlion."

At this point, Zhou Yi finally understood how Antlions came to be.

The relationship between the winter mole cricket and the Antlion also made him realize that the creatures of the Wasteland Era had undergone significant mutations, and past experiences could no longer be directly applied to assess the natural environment and species habits.

He needed to observe more, learn more, and correct his outdated knowledge through practice.

Then, Tie Ma displayed another insect specimen.

The dung-eating larvae looked like a white worm with brown spots—fairly common in appearance.

"These larvae by themselves aren't considered pests because they feed on dung, and even when they evolve into mature dung beetles, their feeding habits remain unchanged. For the farm, they help decompose the dung, allowing plants to absorb it better, which conventionally makes them beneficial insects."

"Unfortunately, the current problem is that there are too many larvae. They're not just decomposing dung anymore, but are consuming and digesting it in large amounts. Previously, they lived in the northern regions and the Oasis Side. The north is the territory of the Claw Pig Group, hunting animals in the northern forests and producing a lot of dung, and some animals in the Oasis Side also defecate…"

Tie Ma said somewhat gloomily, "Now they are all attracted to the dung and fertilizer in the farm fields, and they eat the fertilizer too. I've used pest repellent waves on them, but the results have been worse than expected."

It complained, "Whether it's the winter mole crickets or the dung-eating larvae, they were originally targets of sand rat hunting, so their numbers shouldn't have been this high. Now that the sand rats have suddenly disappeared, an ecological imbalance has occurred, and the crops are also affected."

The Underground Kingdom's sand rats disappeared.

They complicated things, affecting the yields in the fields.

Zhou Yi had no clue, so he focused on solving the immediate problem, "So, you're saying there's a fertilizer shortage now?"

"Actually, the previous supplies were barely sufficient... If you're willing to invest a bit more and increase the amount of chemical fertilizer, it would definitely foster better growth in these crops."

Tie Ma stammered.

Zhou Yi asked, "How much more do we need? Give me a number."

"If possible, we need to increase the fertilizer by 30%, which would cost 3 Light Seeds."

Zhou Yi was momentarily taken aback.

Just that much?

"Then increase it by 100%."

Tie Ma quickly said, "More isn't always better; it's best to keep the fertilizer ratio within a certain range. If the budget allows, then a 50% increase in fertilizer should be quite sufficient."

"Do as you suggested."

Now that Zhou Yi had money in his pocket, he began to act more generously, "Is there anything else needed? As long as it benefits the crop output, feel free to mention it."

The Agricultural Machinery pondered for a while: "For these two plots of land planting sweet potatoes and peanuts, the current resource allocation is sufficient. Mass eradication of local insects and birds could cause further imbalance in the ecosystem, which might result in greater issues. As agricultural practitioners, we usually opt for the safest method."

Despite the issues with pests and rising costs, Tie Ma also brought some good news.

"Overall, both the sweet potatoes and peanuts are growing well."

"In about 60 days, the crops in the fields will be mature enough to harvest."

Zhou Yi transferred some money to him for fertilizer and learned in detail about the farm's situation over the next two months.

Suddenly, Tie Ma said, "Buddy, after this job, I'd like to go back for a checkup, if you'd agree. The time I use for the checkup will be compensated for afterward."

Zhou Yi curiously asked, "What's the matter?"

"I've been feeling some minor issues with my machinery, which normally would demand a month."

Tie Ma explained, "During this month, Tong Niu will take care of things here. There's usually nothing to worry about in the harvesting month, just reinforcing with nitrogen fertilizers after the harvest."

"Of course, if you disagree, I won't leave here. Without the employer's consent, we can't alter our service unilaterally."

Zhou Yi said, "No problem, go get checked out, and let me know if you need help."

Before, Tie Ma almost got torn apart and didn't make a big deal out of it, but this time he needed a medical checkup, which might not be a simple matter.

Yet, these were all private matters for the Agricultural Machinery Brothers.

He was remotely monitoring the farm via Red Kestrel when a knock on the door suddenly echoed.

Zhou Yi opened the door and found Gong Zheng leaning on a cane, his hat and shoulders dusted with some snow.

With a solemn face, he said, "Chairman, Mao Valley Town had a continuous earthquake yesterday for nearly a full day. Fear drove many residents out; 13 people suffered various degrees of frostbite and injuries from falls. It's so cold that two people have already fallen unconscious."

"Cao Dayuan came to me, asking if they could temporarily stay beside our company for refuge. Because Jade City itself emits heat, even staying outside against the wall is warmer than in Mao Valley Town."

"What do you think..."

Zhou Yi thought for a moment, "Let them come, and also give them some of our stock of blankets for warmth, but make sure to maintain order among the people."

"Yes, Chairman."

"And, what's the deal with that earthquake?"

Gong Zheng gave a bitter smile, "It has happened in winter before, but never as severe as now. The townspeople are frightened, and dare not look into what might be wrong with that mountain."

Zhou Yi summoned Lie Hai, in charge of patrolling, to go and investigate the situation.

The Hunter immediately declared, "Chairman, don't worry, I'll handle the earthquake right away!"

However, after dispatching him, Zhou Yi felt the young hunter was somewhat unreliable, so he decided to also send the Red Kestrel over there.