"I'll think about this further," Jiang Ye conceded, "Let's leave it like this for now, until I change my mind."
"Got it," Feng Zhi Shuang hung up the phone.
Jiang Ye ate some fruit, drank a dose of traditional Chinese medicine, and then climbed into the remote control cabin, closing the hatch.
Waking up in the bathtub, he looked out the window and was stunned by the spectacular sight.
The azure sky was almost tragically blue. Gigantic gray structures towered impossibly high, like Noah's Ark from mythology – the fortress was complete. The close-in weapons on the four corners of the fortress were as small as sparrows perched on eaves, slowly rotating. Mechs belonging to soldiers were moving in and out of the main gate, like a line of ants beneath a massive boulder.
Jiang Ye bought a Gunsmith mech, put it on, and walked across half the camp towards the fortress.
The closer he got, the more he realized the fortress's immensity. The building had no painted patterns, yet it felt as if it had eyes, its gaze so imposing it made him break out in a cold sweat. Jiang Ye recalled that when he received the reward, it was described as a "small fortress," but how could this thing be small? It was monstrously large!
Fifty meters outside the fortress was a circular transparent wall. Every ten meters stood a metal pillar, and between the pillars was rippling air, with a strong energy vibration felt on the wall's surface. Jiang Ye tossed a stone at it; sure enough, the stone bounced back off the air wall. It was a bit like the invisible walls encountered at the edge of a map in a game.
"Isabelle!" Jiang Ye called through the communication system.
"Coming? Come find me in the fortress control room, I'm here," Isabelle replied.
"I'm on my way, but there's an air wall here, and I can't find a door," Jiang Ye said.
"Idiot! There's no door! Can't you just walk through it? Our team members can pass through directly."
"No, I tried. I just threw a stone, and it bounced back."
"Are you a pig? Of course, a stone won't work! But a person can!"
Jiang Ye cautiously approached the air wall. Before he could even reach out to test it, the rippling air wall suddenly smoothed out, just as the ripples on a water surface disappear. A faint purple halo appeared on the wall, outlining a large circle, within which was written "Permission to Pass."
Damn, so advanced. Jiang Ye stepped through. He heard a crackle of electricity, and the air wall behind him began to ripple again.
There were several entrances at the base of the fortress. He chose the nearest one and entered directly into an elevator. Ascending to the top floor, he found the largest room was indeed the "Control Room."
Pushing the door open, he was stunned by the luxurious scene.
An entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked a verdant, layered rainforest. Countless treetops swayed in the wind, stretching to the horizon. The floor and walls had a white porcelain-like texture, with no visible seams, as if they were a single piece. If a corner were to chip, it would undoubtedly be incredibly valuable. The desk and several control consoles were made of a lotus-leaf green porcelain, gleaming brightly. Nearby, there was a beverage machine, a food printer, a bathroom, a bedroom...
Isabelle was lying on a yoga mat by the window, wearing sunglasses and a pink bikini, her skin glistening with oil. She herself shone like porcelain as she sunbathed.
"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself, but have you considered one thing? This is Biron Star, and your body is a fake, soon to be recalled. So what's the point of sunbathing?" Jiang Ye took off his mech. The air inside had already been purified, so there was no need for the mech to filter toxic gases.
"Vulgar utilitarianism!" Isabelle replied without turning her head, speaking comfortably, "Do you understand how to enjoy life?"
Jiang Ye shrugged and sat down in front of the control console. A holographic projection immediately rose, displaying the status of the entire camp.
The territory had expanded to 900 square kilometers. The shape of the territory resembled a stick, as the soldiers were advancing along the rainforest, and venturing too deep into it was proving difficult.
Several interesting locations had been discovered and marked with red dots. Jiang Ye clicked on them one by one to view.
[Tea Spring: Spring water suitable for brewing tea, non-toxic, with moderate mineral content. Daily yield is approximately 3 tons.]
[Bone Cave: A cave belonging to Bone Spiders, a common large spider on Milr planets that likes to collect bones from animal carcasses to build its nest. This bone cave houses approximately 120,000 adult Bone Spiders, with bone accumulations nearing one hundred tons.]
[Galena Ore: Contains a small amount of galena ore, with extremely low mining value.]
[Sinkhole: A circular sinkhole caused by unknown reasons, with a diameter of 120 meters and a depth of approximately 6 meters.]
Jiang Ye scrolled down the list, greatly disappointed. Overall, these were discoveries of little value; the place didn't seem very abundant.
In addition to new locations, there were over a hundred newly discovered plants, animals, and fungi. Almost all of them were useless organisms, but one was marked in red, indicating its value. Jiang Ye clicked to view it.
[Species Name: Orange Fungus]
[Species Description: A type of fungus, golden yellow and shiny in color, spherical in shape, resembling an orange or small tangerine dropped on the soil. It has demanding environmental requirements and grows extremely rapidly in suitable conditions. Its spores are non-toxic to humans but highly toxic to most organisms on Milr Star, causing rapid dissolution of internal organs and cellular mutations in Milr people. It can be used to produce various biochemical weapons, to be dispersed from the air to kill Milr people over a wide area.]
[Note: It is recommended to establish an Orange Fungus cultivation base to produce toxins on a large scale. The military will purchase them at a high price.]
Jiang Ye's previously dim eyes finally lit up. This was business! This was money!
He clicked on the Orange Fungus cultivation base. The price was not cheap, 200,000 Merit Points, equivalent to two hundred million. However, there was a parenthesis after the price – (This project enjoys military subsidies, with a maximum subsidy of 100,000 Merit Points per order. Click here for details.)
Jiang Ye decisively clicked.
A private chat interface popped up.
Colonel: "Hello, I am the officer in charge of civilian production of biochemical weapons. Due to professional confidentiality, I cannot reveal my name. You can call me Colonel."
Jiang Ye: "Hello, Colonel! I saw that the Orange Fungus cultivation base has military subsidies. How can I get this subsidy?"
Colonel: "Do you have Orange Fungus there?"
Jiang Ye: "I found some near my camp, but I don't know the exact quantity."
Colonel: "It's very simple. As long as you express your intention to establish an Orange Fungus cultivation base, we will send experts to inspect the local Orange Fungus. Orange Fungus is a rather special substance, lethal to many organisms on oceanic planets. Therefore, under the control of the Galactic Empire, it cannot be transported or sold freely and requires very cumbersome procedures. So, we must first find the Orange Fungus and then establish a cultivation base nearby. Furthermore, there are many subspecies of Orange Fungus, and their lethality varies greatly. Our experts will determine the subsidy amount based on the strength of their lethality."
Jiang Ye: "Alright, please send the experts. How long will it take, approximately?"
Colonel: "About three hours."