The next day was bright and sunny.

Zhou Yi mounted his bicycle, taking Mouse King Nemo with him to check on the melons in the field.

Many workers and farmers warmly greeted them along the way.

"Chairman."

"Good day, Chairman!"

"You look really spirited!"

Zhou Yi responded to each greeting with a smile until his face stiffened from the effort.

Fortunately, as they moved away from the residential area, the number of people along the way diminished, and the natural tranquility of the surroundings returned.

While pedaling, Zhou Yi said, "How are the sand rats doing lately?"

Nemo popped his goggled head out of the pocket, "Chairman, everyone is doing quite well. The food production has increased, and so has the amount of rotten food left by humans, which means more supplementary food for the sand rats."

"Collaborative work is also going smoothly. Many sand rats have formed long-term collaborations with humans and Black Hand Mushrooms."

"If Jade City carries out cleaning, it blows everything away, so everyone has to clean up themselves. In building 2, which you allowed sand rats to enter, residents like to have sand rats tidy up branches, grass ropes, and fallen food debris in their homes. They clear out the small bugs that follow people inside. In return, residents feed the sand rats mushrooms, providing them with a steady income."

"Black Hand Mushrooms aren't as sensitive when they leave the Mushroom Forest. Sand rats guide them, warn them of dangers, and the mushrooms are very fond of the sand rats, hiring them long-term with mushrooms."

"Then there's the farmland…"

According to Nemo's description, sand rats in Jade City serve as housekeeping mice, guide rats in the Mushroom Forest, and pest control mice in the expanded farmlands, which has developed many new job types and provided them with plenty of food supplements.

Frequent contact with the residents around Jade City also gradually improved the image of the sand rats.

Zhou Yi turned the handlebars to bypass a rocky area ahead, "What about the underground projects?"

"There's good and bad."

Green light flickered on Nemo's goggles, "With the help of samurai crabs, we've excavated a large amount of volcanic ash from the dead volcano and incorporated it into the local farmlands to replenish the soil's fertility."

"The construction speed of the underground pipes has also surpassed any previous period. Our underground water diversion is extending from the south all the way to the north. With the heavy rainfall these past two months, the thorny grass has grown substantially, and the trees have been cut down much less. If this situation continues, the Oasis Side will recover soon."

"It's just that the sand rat population is growing too fast."

The lenses of the electromechanical mouse turned a worried red.

"The improved living environment has increased the breeding desire of the sand rats. This spring, they produced a large number of pups, resulting in a baby boom. The drastically increased population could lead to a series of new problems."

Zhou Yi looked down at the Mouse King, "Will more sand rats be problematic?"

Nemo clutched the edge of his pocket, "In the past, sand rats have had population peaks, and they ran into problems due to overcrowding. It may sound funny, but sand rats don't really like living in overly dense conditions."

"Excessive social interaction makes them anxious, and they may take bold risks, like settling in dangerous areas. Especially the new generation of sand rats, they tend to settle where there are fewer of their kind."

"In previous peaks, the sand rats eventually chose to go deep underground… They try to cross the Dead Sea to find new land to inhabit. This spring, the young sand rats have already started to dig tunnels to cross the sea."

Zhou Yi's foot slipped, and he quickly steadied himself by planting one foot on the ground.

Social anxiety in sand rats?

And migrating across the Dead Sea?

Zhou Yi puzzled, "Isn't that suicidal?"

"Yes, the mortality rate is very high."

Nemo said, "There are large amounts of sediment at the bottom of the Dead Sea. While the Dead Light Energy is absorbed and dispersed by the rock layers and soil, it is still much denser than on land."

"Before I encountered the sand rats, they lived like this. If food is scarce, their breeding desire decreases, and less activity occurs. When food becomes plentiful again, their population increases to a certain level, and they explore new habitats."

"My bigger concern is that this behavior could reach the bottom of the Dead Sea and cause unforeseeable consequences."

The electromechanical mouse explained, "94 winters ago, sand rats burrowed deep into the Dead Sea, causing some Bone Fish to emerge from underground. Fortunately, Bone Fish aren't adapted to the low concentration of Dead Light on the surface, and they quickly returned to the Dead Sea…"

"But forcibly restraining their instincts and habits will make the sand rats become aggressive, and instability and turmoil will arise within the group."

Zhou Yi smiled, "Since it's the tradition of the sand rats, just guide them properly. Set aside a specific area, let them burrow and migrate outward, this way the risk can also be controlled."

"Yes, Chairman."

Nemo's eyes turned from red to green, "This is indeed a good method."

...

From Jade City to Mushroom Forest, a vast expanse of land had been reclaimed along the way. Numerous green seedlings were planted on the field ridges, their leaves dense, appearing to grow well.

Scattered farmers were seen in the fields, looking quite elderly with gray or balding hair, and slightly hunched bodies. These people looked similar to Zheng Tao—probably only in their forties in actual age, but in the Wasteland Era, they were truly considered elderly.

These were farmers retired from the farming team, possessing years of experience but whose bodies could no longer support high-intensity work, so they were dismissed by the farming team.

Zheng Tao then brought them into the company's fields to assist the Agricultural Machinery Brothers.

Actually, Zhou Yi was worried.

His main reason for coming was to see if these human farmers were of any use, whether they would affect the Agricultural Machinery Brothers' work.

Tie Ma was watering at the time, while Tong Niu was beside a large pit, using a mechanical arm to stir manure to make fertilizer.

Zhou Yi stopped the car and walked over to Tie Ma, climbing into its rear compartment.

"Tie Ma, these farmers…"

While working, Tie Ma communicated through a synchronized consciousness, "I don't like them. Human bodies are too fragile, can't withstand wind and sun, can't maintain high-intensity work, and they get distracted and lazy..."

"But they are indeed useful, at least on this land, they know some primitive but effective methods."

"We now use a direct seeding method in the open, which has the advantage of allowing large-scale planting, but due to soil moisture and covering depth issues, it is hard to preserve seedlings, and the amount of seeds used is more than twice the quantity of seedlings."

"After observing, they fill up the planting holes tightly with sand and gravel and cover them lightly with thin stone slabs. These are purely local experiences, lacking in the planting technology we possess."

"But I still dislike them."

Tie Ma emphasized, "Laziness and neglect of duty are unacceptable!"

Zhou Yi could only respond with an awkward laugh.

This member of the Dongfang Red Family's Agricultural Machinery said, "Once I've learned all their techniques, I'll have them all leave! Not a single one left!"

"Fine..."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, later they could be sent to Mushroom Forest to plant mushrooms, continuing their reemployment.

After all, there was still a large gap in manpower in the planting industry at the moment.

Tie Ma added, "However, learning their experience and techniques, I will also pay them. Can I deduct it from my future salary when the time comes?"

"No problem."

Zhou Yi agreed readily.

That entire day, Zhou Yi stayed in the agricultural area, chatting with Nemo, Tie Ma, and Sun Chonglai next door about the company's agricultural development. The only one missing was the agricultural advisor, Zheng Tao, who was busy with the Breeding Platform and couldn't get away.

Everyone was optimistic about the future, as all the environmental requirements for planting were met—funding, fertilizer, seedlings, manpower, and technology were all sufficient.

Mao Valley Town was experiencing an unprecedented period of stability.

As Zhou Yi was returning, however, Red Kestrel relayed an unexpected situation.

"Electromechanical Life Teddy, representing the Seventh Fleet's Qin Xie, has come to visit, already outside the access wall."

"Teddy says, Qin Xie is planning to explore the ruins of a Divine Era City, specifically inviting our side to join. There are confirmed powerful Alien life forms in those ruins, and if we agree to participate, Qin Xie will assist us in capturing them."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, indeed, no one shows up without a reason.

It seems the outside world knew of his interest in architectural life.

He summoned the Hunter, flying back to Jade City.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.