Chapter 63 Metal-Headed Girl <TOC> Chapter 65 Sand Rats Attack
Next page password is bold portion: hI8taX&#LjE5R
Translator: SumTLMan
Winter in the wasteland is a dangerous season when most people need to reduce their outings, but it is also an opportunity for merchants to profit.
“Now is the peak season for our line of trade. I need to run around more places. Wherever there’s fighting, there’s a demand for weapons.”
“The next time I come should be in three months. I’ll bring some new goods. Take care.”
The young female weapons supplier bid farewell to Zhou Yi and drove a big truck towards the next customer.
This transaction, a single in and out, earned Zhou Yi a total of 3,658 Light Seeds.
On the other side, the Exploding Mushrooms in the Mushroom Forest had achieved a bountiful harvest this month during the heavy snowfall. After extraction in Jade Emerald City, another 5,000 Light Seeds were credited.
Adding the previous regular underwater fishing income, Zhou Yi’s Light Seeds had now reached 10,000 for the first time.
It was considered slightly profitable.
Resources need to circulate to realize their value, especially in this wasteland devoid of industries.
The first thing Zhou Yi thought of was investing in farms.
Since hiring the agricultural machinery brothers, he had become a hands-off manager and hadn’t even been to the site once to inspect.
Red Falcon flew all the way to the Mushroom Forest, acting as Zhou Yi’s substitute.
In the snowy fields, the agricultural machinery brothers remained busy as usual.
The silent Copper Bull slowly navigated back and forth around the entire farm. On its roof was a humanoid frame, swaying left and right like an inflatable mannequin at a store entrance, intermittently glowing all over, looking festive.
Iron Horse, having detached from the main body, carried the load and entered the snow-covered paths between the fields in the form of a car front. Its front had U-shaped antennas extending on both sides, scanning left and right throughout the farmland.
Zhou Yi lowered the altitude and said: “How’s the situation in winter?”
Iron Horse responded through a somewhat noisy speaker: “The temperature is within acceptable ranges, but there are quite a few biological disasters in this area. There are birds both day and night that peck at the seedlings in the fields, so Copper Bull has set up humanoid deterrents to patrol regularly.”
“These birds are not afraid of mechanical and electrical lifeforms because they know we won’t hunt them or eat them. Instead, the humanoids are useful because humans will hunt and eat them, which makes the birds afraid.”
It turned out that the humanoid frame was an electronic scarecrow.
At this moment, Zhou Yi felt that some things in the wasteland seemed unchanged.
“Besides birds, there used to be Sand Rats, but since winter started, they’ve rarely come out. Without Sand Rats gnawing, the insects in the soil have become a big problem.”
“The two most troublesome are the Dung Larva and Doodlebug.”
Iron Horse extended a slender mechanical arm, displaying an insect specimen: “This is Doodlebug. It gnaws on the roots and stems of various crops.”
The image under the lens made Zhou Yi frown.
This fierce-looking insect, with a conical shell, hook-shaped slender claws, and two scythe-like mouthparts on its head, was different from what he remembered.
The more Zhou Yi looked, the more he thought of something: “Is it the larva of the Stinging Antlion?”
“To be precise, the Stinging Antlion is one of Doodlebug’s evolutionary paths.”
Iron Horse explained: “During the Doodlebug phase, it only appears and feeds in winter. When the climate is warm, it goes into a state of dormancy. Its exoskeleton has a strong absorption capacity for Dead Light, allowing it to sustain life by absorbing external energy.”
“If it can continuously grow and molt, eventually completing its evolution, it can become a mature Stinging Antlion.”
Zhou Yi finally understood how the Stinging Antlion came to be.
The relationship between Doodlebug and the Stinging Antlion also made him realize that the creatures in the Wasteland Era had undergone significant mutations. Past experiences could no longer be directly applied to judging the current natural environment and species habits.
He needed to observe and learn more, using practice to correct his outdated common sense.
Iron Horse then displayed another insect specimen.
The Dung Larva appeared to be a white worm with brown spots on its body, looking quite ordinary in appearance.
“These creatures can’t really be called pests because they feed on excrement. Even when they evolve into mature beetles, their feeding habits remain the same. For the farmland, they can decompose excrement, allowing plants to absorb nutrients better. In conventional terms, they are beneficial insects.”
“Unfortunately, the problem now is that there are too many of them. They are not just decomposing excrement but are devouring and digesting it in large quantities.
They used to live in the northern regions and oasis zones. The northern areas are the territory of the Claw Boar herds. They hunted animals in the northern forests, producing a lot of excrement, and the oasis zones also had some animals that defecate——”
Iron Horse said somewhat dejectedly: “Now they are all attracted to the excrement and fertilizers in the farmland and are eating the fertilizers as well. I released pest-repelling waves against them, but the effect was worse than expected.”
He complained: “Whether it’s Doodlebugs or Dung Larva feeding on excrement, they were originally the targets of Sand Rat hunting, so their numbers shouldn’t be that high. Now that Sand Rats have suddenly disappeared, the ecosystem has become unbalanced, and crops have been affected accordingly.”
The disappearance of Sand Rats in the underground kingdom.
It twisted around, affecting the yield in the fields.
Zhou Yi was also at a loss. He first focused on solving the immediate problem: “So, does that mean there’s now a fertilizer shortage?”
“Actually, the previous amounts were barely enough——”
“If you’re willing to invest a bit more to increase the fertilizer quantity, it will definitely help these crops grow better.”
Iron Horse stammered.
Zhou Yi asked: “How much? Give me a number.”
“If possible, we need to increase the fertilizer by 30%, which costs 3 Light Seeds.”
Zhou Yi was stunned.
Only that much?
“Then increase it by 100%.”
Iron Horse quickly said: “More is better. The fertilizer ratio needs to be controlled within a certain range. If the budget is sufficient, then increasing the fertilizer by 50% should be more than adequate.”
“Do as you say.”
Zhou Yi now had money in his pocket and became more generous: “Any other requests? As long as it benefits the yield of this farmland, feel free to suggest.”
The Agricultural Machinery Brother thought for a moment: “For these two plots of land growing sweet potatoes and peanuts, the current resource allocation is sufficient. If we were to eliminate local insects and birds on a large scale, it would further disrupt the ecological chain, causing even bigger problems. As agricultural practitioners, we usually choose the most prudent methods.”
Although there were issues with pest infestations and increased expenses, Iron Horse also gave some good news.
“Overall, both the sweet potatoes and peanuts are growing well.”
“About another 60 days until the crops in the fields mature and can be harvested.”
Zhou Yi transferred a sum for fertilizer fees to him, gaining a detailed understanding of the farmland’s situation over these two months.
Iron Horse suddenly said: “Chairman, after this job is done, I want to go back for a check-up. I don’t know if you agree. The time I spend will be postponed and made up for later.”
Zhou Yi was curious: “What’s the matter?”
“Recently, I feel that my body has a minor issue. Normally, it would take about a month.”
Iron Horse explained: “During this month, Copper Bull will be responsible for maintaining the farm. During the harvest month, there’s usually nothing much. After harvesting, just reinforce with nitrogen fertilizer.”
“Of course, if you don’t agree, I won’t leave here. If the employer doesn’t agree, we can’t arbitrarily change the service content.”
Zhou Yi said: “No problem. Go check first. If you need help, let me know.”
Previously, Iron Horse was almost disassembled into pieces without much fuss, but this time wanting to go for a check-up might indicate something more serious.
But these were all matters concerning the agricultural machinery brothers.
He was inspecting the farm remotely through Red Falcon when a knocking sound came from outside the door.
Zhou Yi opened the door and saw Gong Zheng, who was leaning on a cane, with some snow on his hat and shoulders.
He looked solemn and said: “Chairman, over at Woodworm Grain Town, the earthquake yesterday lasted nearly a whole day. The town’s residents were terrified and fled, 13 people have suffered varying degrees of frostbite and injuries from falling. Due to the extreme cold, two people have fallen into a coma.”
“Cao Dayuan came to me, requesting that they be allowed to temporarily stay beside the company for refuge. Because Jade Emerald City itself releases heat externally, even leaning against the wall outside is warmer than in Woodworm Grain Town.”
“You see——”
Zhou Yi thought for a moment: “We can let them come in and provide some blankets from our inventory to keep them warm, but make sure to maintain order among the crowd.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Also, what happened with the earthquake?”
Gong Zheng gave a wry smile: “There were earthquakes in previous winters too, but never as severe as now. The townspeople are scared and don’t dare to go see what’s wrong with that mountain.”
Zhou Yi called for Hunter Sea, who was responsible for patrolling, to go check the situation.
The Ridge Spine Hunter immediately said: “Don’t worry, Chairman. I’ll go settle the earthquake!”
But after sending it out, Zhou Yi thought this kid was a bit unreliable, so he decided to command Red Falcon to fly over there as well.
Chapter 63 Metal-Headed Girl <TOC> Chapter 65 Sand Rats Attack