For the next three weeks, it rained lightly every day.
The rain fell with such regularity that it seemed almost deliberately controlled.
A short shower would fall in the early morning, just enough to moisten the ground. Then, the sun would emerge and bake the earth dry throughout the day.
The growth of the sand-fixing grass went completely out of control!
The old sand-fixing grass was continuously flowering, shedding its blossoms, and producing seeds!
The seeds were light, carried by the wind everywhere they landed. After a day on the ground, they would sprout quietly with the rain.
Once sprouted, within two days, they grew to the height of a person's calf. Their leaves, saturated with moisture, swelled like aloe vera.
Then, these newly grown sand-fixing grasses also bloomed with large white flowers!
They shed their petals, produced seeds, and the wind carried them everywhere!
It was almost a viral spread. In just three weeks, nearly half the desert area next to the chalklands was covered by the sand-fixing grass. On the streets of Chalk City and Oil City, except for the asphalt roads, grass sprouted from every crack in the bricks and beneath large trees. The central plaza, originally paved with bricks, was now filled with green grass in the gaps between the stones, almost becoming a large lawn.
Most frighteningly, a few scattered sand-fixing grasses also appeared along the streets of Coastal City and Shale City, blooming their large white flowers in isolation.
Perhaps some seeds had clung to citizens' shoe soles and were carried to other cities via the subway.
Everywhere there were people in the colony, the wild grass had almost taken over!
Initially, Jiang Ye was on edge. After all, this grass had mutated, and it might possess toxins or aggressive tendencies. It could even evolve into a man-eating plant, considering it was an alien species.
After a few weeks, he hadn't heard of anyone being injured by contact with the sand-fixing grass, nor had there been any allergies or illnesses, which somewhat reassured him.
But he was still conflicted. Should he mobilize the military police and civilians to clear the grass?
If they cleared it, it seemed unnecessary. The grass didn't attack people; it just grew quietly. Why make a big fuss to eradicate it?
If they didn't clear it, at this rate of frantic reproduction, the cities would soon be completely surrounded by grasslands.
Every night before sleeping, Jiang Ye would package photos of the sand-fixing grass from various locations and send them to the seed company, seeking an explanation.
The seed company's experts seemed very interested, spending a long time browsing the photos and asking a barrage of questions.
But when Jiang Ye asked them how to deal with this rampant growth, the experts' answer was always: "Let's wait and see!"
Wait and see, wait and see, wait and see…
The area around Chalk City was finally completely encircled by the sand-fixing grass!
The wildly growing weeds reached waist height, intertwined and tangled, forcing patrols to use flamethrowers to clear a path, as it was impossible to move through the dense growth otherwise.
Looking out from the city's edge, the city appeared to be on the verge of being submerged by a blue-green tide.
The desert rapidly shrank, leaving only one-sixth of its original area.
An unexpected event occurred.
The desert jumping worms were squeezed into corners by the sand-fixing grass.
Originally, thousands of jumping worms were distributed across the vast desert, each with a territory the size of several football fields, ample space to roll around without interfering with each other.
Now, all the jumping worms were crammed into small corners, immediately becoming crowded!
The air force conducted low-altitude reconnaissance of the desert and discovered that the sand beneath was moving, wave after wave like the sea, with countless jumping worms fighting each other, resembling a nest of large snakes.
Then, jumping worms began to die.
They were killed by their own kind, their bodies broken into several pieces, a truly brutal sight.
After the jumping worms died, their corpses gradually floated to the surface of the desert, much like dead people drifting up from water.
Soon, the corpses began to move subtly.
From the desert's interior, they moved towards the desert's edge.
Pieces of corpses piled up beside the sand-fixing grass, forming a kind of dam.
Jiang Ye, flying in a flapwing aircraft, surveyed the desert situation and nodded with a smile.
"These jumping worms may seem brainless, but they're actually quite clever," Jiang Ye said to Liu Jizi beside him. "They kill their companions, push the corpses to the surface, and then move them to the desert's edge, attempting to resist the invasion of the sand-fixing grass."
Liu Jizi's mouth gaped in surprise. "Why don't they just uproot the sand-fixing grass? Why kill their own kind?"
"You'll have to ask them that," Jiang Ye shrugged.
Jiang Ye had his own theories as to why the jumping worms didn't uproot the sand-fixing grass.
First, the sand-fixing grass had a very developed and tenacious root system. Even if uprooted, it would survive with the next rain, like an unkillable cockroach. Furthermore, the extensive root systems of the sand-fixing grass intertwined underground, forming a dense jungle. If the jumping worms burrowed too deep, they could get trapped, like fish caught in a net.
Second, jumping worms were somewhat similar to large, desert-dwelling earthworms. Earthworms do not attack plant roots, suggesting some kind of innate species suppression.
Upon returning from his desert inspection, Jiang Ye immediately began deploying troops.
Half of the spider units near the chalklands were withdrawn and assembled in the chalkland desert.
Over four hundred spider armored vehicles lined up, advancing along the grassland to the desert's edge. They extended their spider legs in unison, clearing away the mountains of dead jumping worm bodies.
The dissected carcasses were processed, and the valuable parts from their digestive tracts were sold.
Jiang Ye's account balance surged accordingly!
In just a few days, all his outstanding debts were cleared.
Xu Yan was quite astonished. She had expected Jiang Ye's debts to take at least three to four months to repay, so she was surprised by how quickly he settled them.
What astonished her even more came later. Not long after, Jiang Ye placed another order.
The first order was for an automated resupply base for unmanned bombers.
The base was to be located by the sea on the second continent. The full payment was made, and construction teams were quickly dispatched.
Before the first base was even completed, the second order arrived.
A manufacturing plant for "Harrier" unmanned bombers!
Xu Yan, unaware of the jumping worm situation, couldn't contain her curiosity and messaged Jiang Ye.
Xu Yan: "Where are you getting so much money lately? Did you strike it rich? Can you let me get in on it?"
Jiang Ye: "Strike it rich? It's just small businesses, living frugally."
Xu Yan: "Frugal? Ordering multi-billion dollar military factories casually, what kind of frugality is that? What does that make me, destitute?"
Jiang Ye: "Billions are just money? They're barely pocket change!"
Xu Yan: "Give me some pocket money then."
Jiang Ye: "..."
Xu Yan pestered him for a long time, but Jiang Ye remained tight-lipped, refusing to reveal how he had made his fortune.
He wanted to maintain a bit of mystery, to make Xu Yan believe he had some secret for rapid wealth generation, so that if he ever needed to ask her for credit on future projects, he could secure larger amounts.
The temperature rose day by day, and the number of bare legs on the streets increased.
By the time the troops switched to short-sleeved training uniforms, both new military factories were completed.
The unmanned bomber automated resupply base and the "Harrier" unmanned bomber manufacturing plant were built close to each other.
A small outpost was also constructed nearby, with dormitory facilities for five hundred personnel and an underground armory capable of housing dozens of flapwing aircraft, two hundred spider armored vehicles, and combat vehicles like electromagnetic rocket artillery.
These structures combined to form the first bomber base!
At four in the morning, Jiang Ye woke up, left his residence, and got into his car, inputting the destination: Bomber Base.
It was time to see if the things built with so much money were as impressive as they were made out to be.