The captured animals were bizarrely ugly, resembling the offspring of pufferfish and toads. When thrown to the ground, it inflated like a pufferfish, its dark green skin covered in pustules oozing pus. It was at least a meter in diameter and weighed at least a hundred pounds.
Surrounded by numerous spider mechs, the alien creature was clearly startled. Its blood-red eyes darted around, its body continuously swelling, emitting gasping sounds like a bicycle pump.
Jiang Ye initiated a scan. After a dozen seconds, the results popped up on his screen:
[Species: Corpse Puffer]
[Species Description: A dangerous creature capable of spewing venom and strong acid. They often gather in groups in dark, watery mountain wildernesses. They normally adhere to rock walls in a flattened state, feeding on various ores and sulfur. When threatened, they inhale air like a pufferfish, inflating their bodies and spraying acid at enemies. Their poison gall is expensive and can be used in medicine.]
[Notes: Corpse Puffers cannot tolerate sunlight and die quickly when exposed to it.]
Just as Jiang Ye finished reading the information, Che Zhen screamed over the comms channel.
The Corpse Puffer lifted its posterior, aimed at Che Zhen's spider mech, and forcefully sprayed a large blob of yellowish-green acid!
White smoke immediately billowed from the spider's legs. The acid was incredibly potent, its mechanical joints dissolving at a visible rate, like ice cubes thrown into a fire.
"Retreat, retreat!" Jiang Ye quickly said.
Before he could issue the command, all the surrounding spiders had already backed away to a distance of ten meters.
Seeing his spider mech's legs being corroded, Che Zhen, in a moment of inspiration, quickly jumped into the nearby river to rinse them.
However, it was too late. The mechanical legs sprayed with acid had already been largely corroded.
"It's over, my mech's integrity has dropped to 80%," Che Zhen said with a dejected face, a notification popping up telling him to return to the factory for repairs.
"No need to repair, we'll just replace it with a new one," Jiang Ye replied.
"Should we blast that Corpse Puffer to death?" someone suggested on the comms channel.
"Don't blast it. It'll die from the sun in a while. Let's take it back and see how much it sells for," Jiang Ye said. "Fourth Captain, are there many Corpse Puffers in the mountains?"
"Quite a lot. The rock walls are covered with them. I estimate its entire extended family lives together," Che Zhen replied.
Jiang Ye checked his watch. The scheduled search time had passed. He issued a command on the combat channel:
"All teams, record the data you've gathered and return to base."
The captains responded one after another. From the mini-map, it was evident that the spiders, which had been advancing along the mountain range, were now turning and retreating towards the military base.
Jiang Ye patiently waited for another five minutes, watching the Corpse Puffer lying on the ground gradually deflate, shrivel, and finally become still. He poked it with a spider leg to test it; there was no reaction. It was likely dead.
"Take it back to base. This is your spoils of war. Half of the money from selling it goes to you," Jiang Ye said, tossing the Corpse Puffer to Che Zhen.
Che Zhen nimbly caught it, lifting it with his undamaged spider legs.
Jiang Ye silently noted the location of the underground river and led the surrounding spiders back.
At dusk, all the spiders were put into storage, and the soldiers returned to the barracks to rest.
Jiang Ye could not rest; his real work had just begun.
He first went to check on the captured Corpse Puffer and put it into the trading bay for sale.
The selling price was five thousand yuan, much cheaper than expected. It wasn't even as expensive as pork of the same weight.
Che Zhen received two thousand five hundred yuan and was overjoyed. This amount meant nothing to Jiang Ye, but it was a substantial sum for him.
Riding a spider back to the settlement, Jiang Ye did not return to the base vehicle but headed straight for Town No. 6.
A glass skyscraper in the center of town was brightly lit in the night sky, more conspicuous than a lighthouse at sea. Giant electronic billboards hung on the building, displaying rolling advertisements for White Ant Real Estate.
Jiang Ye entered the building and passed through security. A front desk lady in a suit and skirt greeted him.
"Sir, do you have an appointment?"
"No, I'm looking for Xu Yan," Jiang Ye said.
"I'm sorry, sir. An appointment with Director Xu requires two days' advance booking. Please come with me to fill out an appointment request," the front desk lady said with a smile.
Jiang Ye sized her up. Her skin was delicate, and her demeanor exuded a middle-class composure. She was clearly not from the colony and must have been an employee sent from another planet.
Not wanting to waste any more time with her, Jiang Ye took out his communication tablet and directly video-called Xu Yan.
The call connected within three seconds, and Xu Yan appeared on the screen, yawning.
"Good evening. Wait, is that your background? Xu Yan leaned forward. You're at my company?"
"Yes, the lobby on the first floor. The staff said I need to book two days in advance to see you."
"Oh, this is awkward. Wait a moment, I'll come down and get you."
Xu Yan hung up the call.
Jiang Ye turned his head, wanting to see the front desk lady's expression. To his surprise, she had disappeared at some point. The entire lobby was empty, with only a sweeping robot crawling on the smooth marble floor.
Shrugging, Jiang Ye walked towards the elevator doors. Just as they opened, Xu Yan emerged.
"Oh?" Jiang Ye instinctively stiffened.
Xu Yan's attire today was completely new to him. She wore a hip-hugging mini-skirt, revealing long, slender legs in black stockings. Her upper body was a green suit jacket, and her chest was adorned with a sheer white blouse, clearly showing her black lingerie underneath. In essence, she had transitioned from a business formal style to a business-sexy style.
Uncharacteristically, Xu Yan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled shyly. "I just went on a blind date and didn't have time to change into formal wear. It's a bit unprofessional..."
"It's perfectly fine, this is much better," Jiang Ye said, happily entering the elevator with her. "Director Xu, you're a talented young person, successful in your career, and so beautiful. You must be killing it on blind dates, right?"
"Sigh," Xu Yan's face turned redder. She shook her head and smiled bitterly. "I've been on several dates, but they all found it unsuitable. I'm not in a hurry, I'll take my time."
Jiang Ye was surprised. Xu Yan had such excellent conditions – wealthy and quite attractive. Were men these days so picky? Or did they feel she was too good for them?
It wasn't appropriate to pry into someone's personal affairs. Although they were acquainted, they weren't close enough to discuss everything. So, Jiang Ye didn't ask further.
The elevator ascended to the top floor, Xu Yan's office.
The office was enormous, so spacious it could accommodate indoor golf. The large bookshelves, the grand desk, the big television – all the furnishings exuded an air of opulence.
"Real estate developers are truly wealthy," Jiang Ye marveled inwardly.
"Would you like something to drink?" Xu Yan walked towards the beverage machine.
"Water," Jiang Ye said.
Xu Yan poured a glass of warm water into a crystal cup and handed it to him. She sat down by her desk and said, "You're here in person, do you have a big project?"
"We found a mountain, a very large mountain range. The exterior is ordinary rock, but the interior has a high content of shale," Jiang Ye said. "I want to set up a mine. Can you handle that?"
"Of course, no problem. Shale mines are very cheap. You have the manpower, I'll provide the equipment. Shall we partner up?" Xu Yan's eyes immediately lit up.
"Okay," Jiang Ye agreed immediately.
He wasn't sure about the exact shale reserves. If the reserves were abundant, doing it himself would be the most profitable. However, he didn't know the exact shale content within the mountain yet, so a partnership could share the risks.
"Besides the mine, I also want to build a small military base at the foot of the mountain. Around the base, I need to build some supporting infrastructure and housing," Jiang Ye said. "I also need a tunnel that can pass through the mountain. There's an underground river at the base of the mountain, and the space inside is quite large. The tunnel engineering won't be particularly difficult."
"You're planning to develop that entire mountain," Xu Yan became completely energized.