Qian Su was baffled by Lord Sha Hai's dying wish, entrusting him to lead the Sand Port Region against Duke Baili.

Today didn't seem like a good day to go out.

Jade City returned to the headquarters, arriving next to Maria Hospital.

Zhou Yi asked Zheng Tao and Qian Su to return first, while he carried the unconscious Lord Sha Hai, handing him over to Da Vinci for emergency care.

The closed door of the hospital room glowed red, indicating that surgery was in progress.

Zhou Yi wiped the blue blood from his face and hands, waiting outside for the outcome.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, someone beside him said, "Waiting for someone's surgery?"

The speaker was a strange young boy, dressed in a simple grey outfit, with medium-length hair, appearing to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, his face slightly stern.

Zhou Yi made a sound in acknowledgement.

If he weren't a non-smoker, he would have really wanted a cigarette at that moment.

The boy leaned against the wall and said, "No bad news yet, so that might be good news."

Zhou Yi nodded, "Thanks."

"It's nothing."

To distract himself, Zhou Yi also struck up a conversation with the boy, "Are you here for surgery too?"

"Yep."

"What's wrong?"

The boy patted the back of his neck, "Bones, they're rotten inside, full of holes."

Zhou Yi activated "Alert" and realized the boy emitted a glow; he was an enhancer.

The boy asked, turning his face to the side, "Have you ever seen the chairman of the Wasteland Development Company?"

"Seen him."

"What kind of person is he?"

The boy said with keen interest, "There are many rumors about him. Some say he's brutal, others say he's extravagant, and some say he has strange fetishes, liking women with prosthetic limbs…"

Zhou Yi cursed in his mind.

What was Gong Zheng doing with the company's publicity?

Who was smearing Laozi!

However, he kept a straight face: "Different people have different views, I can't say for sure."

The boy looked toward the distant door in the hallway, "My name is Ding Ye, I'm a knight-errant. I'm here in the hopes of challenging him to a fight, if that day comes, you can come and watch."

"I'll be there," Zhou Yi said.

Both fell into silence.

Two hours later, the red light on the door turned into a safe green.

Zhou Yi immediately pushed the door open and entered.

On the sickbed, Lord Sha Hai was covered by a white cloth, only his round seal-like face with eyes tightly shut, visible. As he breathed, the long whiskers on his mouth rhythmically twitched ever so slightly.

He was engulfed in Da Vinci's control cage, with green laser lights from above scanning back and forth across his body.

Zhou Yi asked in mind-synch, "How is he?"

Da Vinci said, "The patient's critical, fatal injury is on the left side of the abdomen."

"Localized skeletal damage from external forces caused secondary splatter and puncture wounds."

"The Guangna Organ cannot perform autonomous circulatory powering and requires external energy to maintain bodily functions. The life-sustaining system has been damaged by over 75%, the current physiological state is unstable, and it is impossible to directly repair with Spark. A long recovery time will be needed."

"Fortunately, the patient has a strong will to survive. After an injection of Wise Mushroom liquid and emergency surgery, he has passed the critical phase, and basic life signs have stabilized."

"We are currently monitoring as the primary treatment, with medication support to maintain life; it is uncertain when he will awaken."

"Even upon awakening, the patient will need a long period of rest."

Although the situation wasn't great, at least Lord Sha Hai's life had been saved.

Zhou Yi felt slightly relieved.

The mess in Sand Port City still had to be dealt with by him; Zhou Yi did not want to be pulled into the vortex.

However, he had to accept a reality: for the time being, Lord Sha Hai would be bedridden.

How to put an end to this situation had become a problem.

Originally, he had gone to Sand Port City as a foreign businessman. Resulting in knocking out their sea lord in front of the city's residents, his image had instantly turned into that of a terrorist.

The propaganda had been a success, casting him directly as a major villain.

Zhou Yi sighed deeply.

He hadn't expected that in the Wasteland Era, winning could lose, and losing could land one in hospital.

But then he thought of something.

There was still mind-synch. Now that surgery was done, it was uncertain if it could still work.

For caution, Zhou Yi consulted Da Vinci.

The Mechanical Doctor said, "The field of consciousness is still a deep world that contemporary medicine cannot touch. I'm uncertain if this will impact the patient."

"However, I believe an attempt could be made. This would determine if the patient's consciousness is clear and provide direct feedback on bodily function, which is also a crucial measure for assessing recovery."

Since that was the case,

Zhou Yi placed his hand on the smooth forehead of Lord Sha Hai, inputting energy.

Consciousness synchronization, activated.

This time, before Zhou Yi could even speak, Lord Sha Hai took the initiative, "Mr. Zhou? It's you, right?"

"It is me. How do you feel now?"

"My body is extremely weak, but I no longer feel the imminent danger of death."

Lord Sha Hai asked, "What's happening to me now?"

Zhou Yi explained, "You are inside our company's Maria Hospital, where a skilled Mechanical Doctor has completed your surgery..."

Upon learning his current situation, Lord Sha Hai immediately expressed his gratitude, "Being alive is better than anything else. Thank you for your rescue, or else I would probably be dead by now. I could feel it, just a little more, and my consciousness would have completely dissipated."

"..."

Zhou Yi could only say, "You rest well; don't worry about anything else, you are safe here."

"Alright, alright."

Lord Sha Hai quickly returned to a previous topic, "Mr. Zhou, could I ask you to take charge of the Sand Port Region?"

"There's no need for you to trouble yourself, Sand Port City and the three trade towns are capable of maintaining their own operations. They just need to see a protector, a flag to maintain their confidence, to believe that order still exists."

Zhou Yi said nothing.

Lord Sha Hai continued to persuade, "I know it's a sudden request. However, Sand Port Region is currently facing an external threat, and perhaps only your Wasteland Development Company can deter Duke Baili and pause his onslaught."

"If you just position an Alien in Sand Port City, Duke Baili would not dare to launch a major attack. He is the kind who needs to clarify intelligence about friends and foes before acting. Just stabilize the situation for a year, and he won't dare to make any rash moves."

"All the earnings from Sand Port Region during this period will be yours. Based on last year's figures, it's about 7200 Light Seeds a year."

7200 Light Seeds?

Zhou Yi marveled, "Sand Port Region's output is not insignificant."

"It's so-so."

Lord Sha Hai, seeing a chance, hurriedly struck while the iron was hot, "The main income of the Sand Port Region comes from our outer harbor supplying and servicing ships for anchorage and as a trade hub. It's only in the past ten or so years that Sand Port City's exports have gradually improved. The best-sellers are the frozen chicken meat transported by ships, medicinal Papyrus pollen, and Bone Fish fry."

Zhou Yi was astonished, "You can farm Bone Fish?"

"No, no, no, what Sand Port City does is find Bone Fish fry, which are actually some special kinds of bones. First, we toss Chicken Bones into the Dead Sea, where, under my ability, a small part of them mutate after the radiation and influence of the Death Light."

Lord Sha Hai clarified, "These can be considered fry, with a certain chance of hatching into Bone Fish. We collect these and sell them, and many cities will buy them. As long as we construct a sturdy enclosure by the seaside of the Dead Sea, it can be used to hatch the fry. If Bone Fish appear, we either keep them to raise or sell them directly."

"Of course, the hatching rate is very low, but so is the cost; people like these low investment, luck-based ventures."

Zhou Yi was immediately intrigued.

He had previously wondered if there was a way to farm Bone Fish. However, considering that these creatures did not possess the ability to reproduce, raising them would rely solely on mutation, or evolution into the higher-order Guangna Species... The difficulty was clear.

And this was somewhat at odds with Zhou Yi's original intention of making a fortune from fish farming.

Unexpectedly, Lord Sha Hai turned out to be a natural fish farmer.

It was fortunate he had been rescued in time; otherwise, a significant opportunity for wealth would have almost slipped away.

Zhou Yi felt a wave of relief.

"Although my current condition doesn't allow me to create new fry, the existing trade in fry will continue. The details of the trade are managed by Chen Jiadong, the mayor of Sand Port City. As long as I live, he is trustworthy."

Lord Sha Hai went on to say, "Just get through this year. If you place Jade City in Sand Port, it will be enough to present a deterrent... or if I recover sooner."

"I also know of a specific location of a Dead Sea Alien; it's very hidden. Once I've recovered, I can take you there, perhaps you'll be interested."

There was news of a new Alien.

Zhou Yi thought about it.

It seemed there was no reason to refuse, both emotionally and rationally.

"Alright. I'll stabilize the Sand Port Region my way."

This response delighted Lord Sha Hai, "That would be wonderful! Mr. Zhou, you just need to say to Chen Jiadong, 'Azure breeze at the feast, a thousand lay arrayed,' and if it doesn't work well, say it a couple more times. He will understand that you now stand in my place, and he will also present the city's revenue to you. If I'm not mistaken, he should already be on his way here."

"Then, I entrust Sand Port Region to you..."

After a moment,

Zhou Yi opened his eyes.

Da Vinci immediately asked, "Chairman, how is the patient responding?"

"He is very weak, but can feel that his consciousness is intact, with a very clear sensation of pain."

The Mechanical Doctor inquired in detail and took notes, "Could I ask you to communicate with the patient periodically so that I can make targeted adjustments? There are no other options at the moment."

"Alright."

Leaving the hospital room,

Zhou Yi found Ding Ye was no longer outside.

Then the reminder from Red Kestrel resonated in Zhou Yi's mind.

"An enhancer has come to visit."

"The visitor identifies himself as Chen Jiadong, the mayor of Sand Port City."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, that was quick.

Just as Lord Sha Hai had predicted.

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