Chapter 14 The Giant Who Couldn't Stand Up <TOC> Chapter 16 Sustainable Harvesting
Translator: SumTLMan
——I’ve negotiated with two agricultural machines; their combined salary is 2 Light Seeds per month.
Lines of text continuously appeared on the remote control screen.
——Recursion City hasn’t changed much. After I returned, I first updated my identity and registration certificates. After synchronizing the time, I realized that I had been in hibernation for 22 years. Due to long-term loss of contact, my rescue team license has been revoked, but my citizenship in Recursion City is still valid.
——At the exchange market, I found some agricultural machines. Most of them only accept employment from large cities with good reputations and do not consider cooperation with individuals or unfamiliar groups.
——The reason is that agricultural machines have had unpleasant experiences working with many groups. Employers often delay or deduct salaries, terminate contracts in breach of agreement, refuse to supply farming materials, demand overloaded and dangerous operations, and even make the agricultural machines participate in battles; these are common occurrences.
——They only trust large cities that have cooperation with Recursion City or reputable groups with years of farming industry experience.
Zhou Yi found it a bit hard to maintain his composure.
In this wasteland era covered by the Dead Sea, the unscrupulous behavior of employers continues to this day.
He swiped the screen and continued reading.
——After multiple negotiations and communications, I found the brothers Iron Horse and Copper Bull. I have had professional interactions with them before, and they are willing to come over.
——However, they are among the few agricultural machines that have had multiple armed conflicts with employers and have received multiple complaints and negative reviews.
——They use combat methods to defend their rights and do not accept compromise and oppression.
Zhou Yi felt that this was not a problem.
Being a bit tough in character is fine as long as they are professionally competent.
Red Falcon also provided additional explanations.
——Their abilities in developing farms and planting crops are highly recognized. It’s just that they may be difficult to get along with, and once hired, they require at least a full year’s term. Do you think you can accept this?
Zhou Yi expressed that there was no problem at all; they should just come.
——Then I will sign a labor contract with them as a guarantor. We expect to arrive before 24:00 tomorrow.
A digital clock appeared in the upper right corner of the screen.
It was currently 14:00 in the afternoon, which meant there were still 30 hours left.
Zhou Yi thought of something else and said to the remote control: “Payment in Light Seeds is no problem, but Light Seeds volatilize quickly after Light Absorber species die. It’s not convenient to let them collect individually. Do you have special collection tools?”
——Yes.
Red Falcon explained:
——Most Mechanical Light Absorber lifeforms are equipped with “Light Absorber Boxes” for long-term storage of stable Light Seeds. I have two as well. In Recursion City, the common currency is Light Seeds. Iron Horse and Copper Bull must have them too.
Zhou Yi felt relieved.
The Light Absorber Box is essentially the wallet of Mechanical Light Absorber lifeforms.
The cities built by Mechanical Light Absorber lifeforms are undoubtedly more advanced in technology than the new human cities.
……
The company was newly established, and the two human employees were still sleeping during the day and active at night.
During the day, they rested in the dormitory, and at night, they became active.
A Jin collected a large amount of branches and dry grass from the oasis zone. He stuffed these materials into the container rooms and laid stones in the cargo courtyard to create a stone floor, effectively reducing the surrounding sand and dust.
He applied for two container rooms to use as warehouses, one for storing branches and dry grass, and the other for storing air-dried manure, including animal droppings found outside and the employees’ own excrement.
A Jin took this very seriously: “Chairman, dried manure is valuable here. If you want to grow mushrooms and other things, manure can help them grow better and bigger. In Grub Grain Town, manure can be exchanged for mushrooms.”
“Manure itself doesn’t have much smell after air-drying, and if we’re short on firewood, it can be used as fuel.”
“Some of the sand rat and lizard droppings can actually be made into medicine; they can treat stomach aches and stop bleeding.”
“If the manure is left outside, it will be eaten by insects; we can’t waste it.”
Using manure as a natural organic fertilizer is indeed important.
So Zhou Yi let him proceed.
The other employee, Gong Zheng, took inventory of the company’s current supplies and made paper records.
He cut the stored meat, hung it up with ropes for air-drying, rendered the fatty parts into grease, and stored it in a container room. Then he reported these situations in detail to Zhou Yi, acting as the company’s warehouse manager.
With Zhou Yi’s permission, Gong Zheng took the jerky and Zhou Yi’s unwanted old clothes to trade with the townspeople under the protection of the Warrior Crab.
Through trading, he exchanged for large quantities of dried mushrooms, mushroom spores, salt produced from the saline-alkali land, and other reserves, arousing the curiosity of the locals and greatly reducing their guard and fear.
Through bartering, Gong Zheng filled the warehouses with branches, timber, dry grass, and manure, some of which had to be placed in the open space in the courtyard.
Because of the unprecedented abundance of materials, A Jin also focused on improving the company’s building decorations.
He made a kind of branch soft ladder to make going up and down floors convenient, and laid soft carpets with dry grass so that walking inside would no longer echo loudly and further reduced indoor heat loss.
Additionally, A Jin used prismatic stones, rocks, and timber to make lamp posts surrounding the company. Now, at night, the office building looked brilliantly lit, and both indoors and outdoors maintained high visibility.
These changes made Zhou Yi, as Chairman, very satisfied.
……
At 9:15 the next morning, Red Falcon returned.
The quadrotor drone appeared above Zhou Yi’s head.
“Mission accomplished.”
“Behind me are the brothers Iron Horse and Copper Bull.”
Zhou Yi’s gaze moved from the sky back to the ground.
Under the bright sunlight, two heavy tractors with red and black color schemes slowly approached one after the other.
“Are you the employer?”
The machine that made the sound was about 5 meters long and 3 meters high. It had huge rubber four wheels, a very high chassis, and its cab had become a completely enclosed silver metal shell, towing a silver cargo container behind.
Its red shell had the words “Dong Fang Hong” on it.
The only problem was that this agricultural vehicle had a machine gun mounted on its front.
Is this really an agricultural machine?
Zhou Yi was a bit puzzled, but still responded: “Yes, I am the Chairman of the Wasteland Development Company. Welcome to you both.”
“I am Iron Horse of the Dong Fang Hong family, and this is my younger brother Copper Bull. We both have over 30 years of agricultural reclamation experience. As long as you don’t interfere and affect our normal procedures, we can cultivate good crops.”
The leading vehicle introduced itself.
It emphasized: “However, you must pay our salaries in full, not a single one less.”
Zhou Yi smiled and said: “Of course, rest assured about that.”
He turned his gaze to the other agricultural machine.
Copper Bull was larger than Iron Horse, and the cargo container it was towing was also bigger.
Unlike his elder brother, Copper Bull had two large-caliber cannons mounted on its roof, and four suspected rocket launchers hanging on its left and right sides. It remained silent, appearing even more imposing than his brother.
When Zhou Yi looked over, Copper Bull’s huge body suddenly turned slightly, as if about to turn around and leave.
This made him stunned: “What’s going on?”
“My brother fears dealing with people; he’s introverted and not good with words,” Iron Horse said: “He’s not used to talking to strangers and communicates with me through internal channels.”
Zhou Yi had a bit of a headache.
This socially anxious agricultural machine is equipped with such strong firepower.
Not sure if his temperament is stable.
Zhou Yi still asked his question: “You are agricultural machines; why are you equipped with such firepower?”
Iron Horse said nonchalantly: “Equipping necessary self-defense weapons is, of course, to ensure that the employer properly fulfills our cooperation agreement and speaks to us calmly. In these times, who goes out to work without carrying weapons?”
Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment, then nodded: “Makes sense.”
Chapter 14 The Giant Who Couldn't Stand Up <TOC> Chapter 16 Sustainable Harvesting