The fishing boat was steered decisively closer, docking at the island's shore.
Jiang Ye was the first to step onto the deck, surveying the island.
The island wasn't large, appearing to be about the size of a middle school.
There were no living creatures on the island; instead, it was covered entirely in white stones. Layer upon layer of white stone blanketed the entire island, desolate and dazzling, as if freshly blanketed by heavy snow.
Jiang Ye was cautious. He donned his bulletproof vest, put on his helmet, slung his assault rifle over his shoulder, and disembarked.
He landed in shallow water and walked toward the shore.
As he neared the island, he detected a peculiar odor, slightly gamey and pungent, like something fermenting.
Finally, he stepped out of the seawater and onto dry land.
Jiang Ye lowered his head and walked forward slowly, carefully observing the white rocks scattered everywhere.
Soon, he frowned.
These white stones were not quite as he had imagined.
Each stone bore traces resembling liquid, as if solidified white fat had melted. Some stones had clear markings, exhibiting a creamy texture.
He couldn't resist reaching out and touching a white rock the size of a suitcase beside him.
It was sticky, nothing like the texture of stone.
Jiang Ye picked up a small white stone and turned back. He suspected the white substance on the island wasn't simple stone but some kind of organism, akin to lichen.
He boarded the ship and headed straight for the cargo hold, tossing the stone inside. Then, he went up to the captain's cabin, where the scan results from the trading terminal were already displayed on the screen:
[Item: Guano Stone]
[Item Description: Accumulated and dried bird droppings, gradually forming stones through bacterial action. During natural bird migrations, birds often follow fixed routes, resting at specific locations, leaving behind vast amounts of droppings that gradually accumulate to form guano stone. Guano stone can be used as a nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer, can be used to extract components for explosives, and has chemical applications. It is often colorless, white, yellow, and brown.]
[Estimated Value: 30 Yuan]
Jiang Ye immediately ran to the bathroom to wash his hands.
It was a guano island!
Since arriving on this planet, Jiang Ye hadn't seen a single bird, almost forgetting the existence of avian life.
Now, encountering a small island covered in guano stone out at sea indicated that birds did exist on this planet, and in considerable numbers.
After all, if one bird excreted only a coin-sized amount, how many birds would it take to form a small island!
Jiang Ye brought a shovel and some sacks, and disembarked again.
He waded ashore and placed an open sack on the ground.
Swinging the shovel, he dug vigorously at his feet.
One shovel load of guano stone after another was deposited into the sack, accumulating rapidly.
The guano stone he had just sold, only the size of two eggs, had fetched thirty yuan. This suggested the material was quite valuable and worth mining.
With guano stones covering the ground, he dug mindlessly, quickly filling one sack.
He tied the mouth of the sack and set it aside.
From his pocket, he pulled out a folded empty sack, unfolded it, spread it on the ground, and continued his work.
Ten minutes later, the second sack was also full.
Jiang Ye stuck the shovel into the ground, lifting a sack in each hand.
Each sack weighed over forty pounds, which was no problem for the now muscular Jiang Ye.
He easily returned to the ship and dumped both sacks of guano stone into the trading terminal.
Scan!
[Estimated Value: 79050 Yuan]
He sold them, and Jiang Ye nodded slightly. The price was acceptable; it was worth mining.
He opened the storage locker and took out all the empty sacks inside, twenty in total.
Taking them all, he disembarked and returned to the guano island.
He pulled the shovel stuck in the guano pile and continued working.
Many of the guano stones were ridiculously large, often two to three meters high. Digging into one, he could still see some dark traces, which Jiang Ye suspected were years-old solidified blood. Perhaps many seabirds suffered from hemorrhoids.
The sun was intense, and Jiang Ye was drenched in sweat.
One sack bulged, and he tied its mouth shut, placing it aside to fill the second sack.
As he toiled diligently, his mind couldn't help but wander.
If he hadn't come to this planet, he probably would never have imagined that bird droppings could form islands in the ocean. Truly, the world was full of wonders.
This was also a windfall. With an island this large, earning a few million wouldn't be a problem.
Suddenly, a dark object appeared on the distant shore.
Jiang Ye blinked and walked over with his shovel.
A small grey seal had just come ashore, its size comparable to a large dog.
It was plump and glistening with oil.
"Oh, how cute!" Jiang Ye met its gaze.
*Clang!* He knocked the seal unconscious with a shovel to its head and bent down, lifting it by its tail.
It was heavy, likely weighing twenty pounds.
Jiang Ye scanned the surrounding sea for other creatures. He saw none. This little seal must have been separated from its group and accidentally landed on this small island.
Carrying the seal back to base, he tossed it into the trading terminal.
[Item: Young Fur Seal]
[Item Description: Mammal with extremely thick subcutaneous fat, unable to walk. When moving on land, it always crawls by bending its body. Polygynous; male seals fight to win mates. Those who win have many wives, while those who lose remain single. Its entire body is valuable, with high commercial worth.]
[Estimated Value: 100000 Yuan]
Jiang Ye promptly sold it, a smile appearing on his face. Getting a hundred thousand yuan for free was quite satisfying.
He returned to the guano island and continued his work.
He worked straight through until noon, filling all twenty sacks with guano stone.
He made ten trips back and forth, delivering all the sacks to the fishing boat's cargo hold and selling them in bulk.
Total sales: 768000 Yuan!
In one morning, he earned a total of 947080 Yuan.
His personal assets grew to 971080 Yuan.
Jiang Ye was quite satisfied with this pace. Most colony administrators on this planet likely hadn't earned this much money from the day they arrived until now.
In other words, his profit rate was hundreds of times that of an ordinary person!
He set sail and returned to base.
Lunch would still be eaten at base, and the midday nap would also be taken at base.
The boat docked smoothly in the dock. Jiang Ye disembarked, took a few tomatoes from the warehouse, and returned to base.
He started boiling tomato and egg soup in a pot. While waiting, he opened the chat channel.
A large number of unread messages greeted him.
Real Estate Agent: Landlord, are you there? I saw a wolf. It was squatting outside the base perimeter fence. White fur with blue spots. Do you think this kind of wolf bites?
Real Estate Agent: Landlord! The wolves are increasing, there are already over ten! I don't dare leave the base right now.
Real Estate Agent: Those wolves are howling, and I'm a bit scared. Do you know how to make them leave?
Real Estate Agent: Help! So many wolves! There are about seventy to eighty of them! They're all sitting outside the base, just not leaving. Can you come and save me!
Jiang Ye was bewildered. Wolves?
Before the flood, quite a few wolves had come around the old base, and he had even fed them chickens back then.
Could it be that those wolves remembered, and thought that by guarding the old base, they could get fat chickens flying out?
This was troublesome.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Ye typed a message:
Don't panic. I'm heading over there now. I'll definitely ensure your safety.