Zhou Yi was drinking a can of herbal tea, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Jade City was surrounded by a thick fog.

It was just the start of autumn, yet the foggy weather had persisted for a full five days.

Due to the extremely low visibility outside and the increase in Death Light concentration during foggy conditions, Zhou Yi had ordered everyone to stop outdoor operations and return to Jade City or their homes to rest until further notice.

There were two exceptions.

One was the express center that had been working in the Dead Sea.

The other was the Agricultural Machinery Brothers.

"Chairman, we are not afraid of this situation. We have fog lights, and the increase in Death Light concentration doesn't affect us much. We can't delay the autumn wheat anymore, and the best time is now. The two thousand acres are a very simple process; we brothers are enough."

Tie Ma, as always, desperately fought against the harsh environment.

Zhou Yi agreed.

Now, the company's electromechanical life employees were all connected with Red Kestrel and shared satellite information from United City, able to get weather conditions in real time and avoid natural disasters.

The new humans could only rest at home.

Cao Dayuan, sitting on a chair, held a cup of hot tea and grumbled, "Chairman, everyone wants to keep working. Now with the improvements to Guangtai Dam and the help of the Desperate Machine, workers' incomes have generally doubled. Letting them rest at home means a cut in their wages. The workers really don't want to..."

Zhou Yi replied, "Trust the judgment of professionals. Safety first; let production wait."

The company was rapidly growing, and employees naturally wished to advance further, acquiring wealth and a better position within the company.

He understood.

But Doctor Da Vinci gave a very serious warning: "Chairman, the autumn fog is not ordinary mist; not only is the Death Light concentration extremely high, but it also mixes with large amounts of Dead Sea dust, with the harmful particulate matter content averaging 700 times that of normal environmental air."

"If people are active outdoors, continuously inhaling these substances, it can cause serious respiratory dangers. During the dry winter weather, large-scale illnesses will occur, leading to symptoms such as nose and mouth membrane bleeding and lung necrosis."

"For everyone's life and health, I request that everyone rest at home to avoid this dangerous climate."

Thus, Zhou Yi had issued an emergency order to halt all outdoor labor for the company.

Yuan Tong, who was in charge of the dam, chuckled, "I think enforcing a vacation for everyone is actually a good thing."

"Over the past half-year, as benefits have gotten better, workers have been working more desperately. Sometimes, I see many young people working day and night, and I really worry about them, afraid they'll develop serious health issues."

"Now, with the Desperate Machine, it's time for them to shift their mindset. Overworking isn't a good thing; Wang Tai's case already proved that. Perhaps with more leisure and private time, they can produce better ideas and truly enhance productivity."

Zhou Yi looked at him and said, "You, as a manager, are also quite worn out, aren't you? And I've already told you about your left eye surgery. When are you going to get it done? Whether it's prosthetic transformation or enhanced organ limbs, the company will fully reimburse it, buying the best. We didn't have the budget before, but now that we do, don't delay it."

"Wait a bit longer."

Yuan Tong laughed: "Chairman, I'll get the surgery next spring."

Zhou Yi knew what he meant.

Yuan Tong wanted to wait until after the honor war to consider his own issues.

Everyone was discussing the company's recent status when Red Kestrel suddenly broadcast a message.

"Just an hour ago, Shell City was hit by a Category 17 typhoon from the sea. Many buildings in the city were destroyed, granaries were damaged, 17 people have died, and over 200 people are estimated to have been injured."

"The Northern Ocean Army's 5th Brigade is currently assisting in rescuing people."

"Duke Beidu is requesting our support with a batch of Jade Soup to ensure the basic food supply for the residents."

Zhou Yi became very serious: "Contact Duke Beidu."

Seconds later.

Duke Beidu's voice came through the drone: "Mr. Zhou, our situation here is very severe... The typhoon came too suddenly, and Shell City has only ever experienced up to a Category 10 typhoon. The city couldn't take any targeted measures in time. I was planning defense lines in the Dead Sea before this, and currently, we are desperately rescuing the injured."

The video from the scene came through.

The sky was gloomy, many houses in Shell City had collapsed, and the streets were a mess. Heavy rain poured down, and many residents were hiding in corners, with noise and crying everywhere. The strong wind blew debris around, injuring many people.

Several sea warriors were building temporary shelters with stones and planks, providing refuge for the homeless.

Iron Soldiers were also turning over collapsed structures one by one, searching for survivors and helping to transport the injured.

However, these rescue forces were too small in the face of a disaster affecting the entire city.

Many collapsed areas had no support.

Duke Beidu said: "We are severely understaffed, and many of the external fortifications we built are also heavily damaged. It's unfortunate that this happened just before winter."

Zhou Yi didn't waste words: "Our aid will arrive as soon as possible."

"Deeply appreciated."

After ending the call, Zhou Yi had Red Kestrel contact Steel Refining City and Sand Port City to inquire about the recent conditions in those places.

Steel Refining Lord said, "The fog is thick here, and it keeps raining. The steel plant can only ensure one blast furnace is operating. Many mines have stopped work; it's easy for workers to get injured in the slippery mountain terrain, so only shallow mines can operate. Our steel output will drop significantly this month, but everything else is okay."

Sand Port City's situation was basically the same as Jade City.

The foggy weather was affecting the locals.

Lord Sha Hai, however, said with a smile, "It's indeed troublesome outdoors; I gathered the workers and farmers mainly to work on grinding and packaging papyrus powder, as well as frying chicken bones, high-temperature frying peanuts, and Sweet Red Gourd seeds. With so many exportable food options available, if outside work is problematic, we just do indoor labor."

"Fried peanuts and gourd seeds are very popular right now, and we are also expanding production of these items."

It was actually always flexible-minded.

Zhou Yi began to form a rescue team.

He appointed Red Kestrel as the captain, and the team members included the Sea God, Doctor Feng Ying, all the Scavenger Team members except Ajin, and ten Hammerhead Soldiers and twenty samurai crabs.

The support materials, in addition to Jade Soup, also included space blankets, tents, sleeping bags, and other warming items.

After quickly assembling, the entire team rapidly embarked on the Sea God and headed for Shell City.

Last autumn was very stable, but this autumn started off as quite a challenge.

Zhou Yi also felt a bit worried.

Living wasn't afraid of wind and rain because they had Jade City. However, the same was not true for the farmlands. Could a typhoon of similar magnitude possibly strike here?

Yuan Tong, who had sailed across seas, said, "Super typhoons usually only appear in the oceans and coastal areas; the Sand Port Region only has rivers and isn't located directly by the sea, so encountering such a scenario is almost impossible."

"However, nature is complex and unpredictable."

The employees, however, were at a loss because human-induced disasters could be prevented in advance, while natural disasters could only be desperately avoided and defended against.

Now, the greatest advantage of Jade City was its sturdy and secure living environment, real-time satellite navigation, and meteorological forecasting, which could give early insights into major disasters. However, while people could take shelter, it wasn't possible to move outdoor crops.

"Actually, this isn't a problem for our side."

Sun Chonglai took off his cowboy hat and said, "Chairman, many people don't know this, but the Mushroom Forest can protect against wind. Our giant mushrooms have strong wind-resistant sand-fixing and soil moisture-retaining capabilities."

"From the north to the south of the Oasis Side, it's only near the Mushroom Forest that the vegetation thrives, precisely because of this characteristic of the giant mushrooms."

"They grow very fast, especially in the initial stages. With specific cultivation and propagation, it only takes about a week to grow to 3 meters in height, and then the growth slows down around 5 meters."

"The interior of the giant mushrooms is hollow-structured, and combined with strong flexibility, they are completely unaffected by wind and rain."

Zheng Tao frowned next to him, "I believe all that, but the biggest issue with the giant mushrooms is the poisonous fog. Even if we increase the spacing and decrease the density, it might still be hard to control, wouldn't it?"

"Old Zheng is right."

Bone Man grinned, "However, what outsiders don't know is that giant mushrooms actually come in both toxic and non-toxic varieties. But everyone sees the same thing, identical red caps, so it's impossible to tell them apart."

"Normally, giant mushrooms are toxic, but we've made some little adjustments. When they're still in the early stages of growth, we remove their toxic mycelial bundles, which are actually meant to prevent pest infestations. However, only the Black Hand Mushrooms can completely remove those mycelial bundles, and they are the real experts in mushrooms."

"Giant mushrooms that have their toxic mycelial bundles removed become hidden storage in the Mushroom Forest and are quite safe because no one would dare tamper with such toxic content."

Zheng Tao looked astonished, "This… the giant mushrooms can actually be used in this way. The field of mushrooms is indeed vast and profound, incredible."

"The Mushroom Forest has stood for so many years, not merely by relying on the sky for food." Sun Chonglai spoke with a hint of pride.

Zhou Yi maintained a calm face, yet he was grinding his teeth inwardly.

Such an important economic crop, and this old guy, Sun Chong, had only just mentioned it!

The Bone Man, sensing the murderous vibe, hurriedly explained, "Chairman, actually, we have always been exploring this. Because even though we remove the toxic mycelial bundles, what's harmless to the Black Hand Mushrooms and me doesn't mean it has no effect on humans or other flesh-and-blood life."

"In this past half-year, we've had the sand rats perform repeated tests, ensuring that they could rest and build nests in the non-toxic giant mushrooms with no side effects. Then I also asked Cao Dayuan to help by trying to be active nearby, and had Doctor Da Vinci help with identification…"

Zhou Yi coldly said, "It seems that I'm the only one who didn't know."

"This… mainly because if there's any problem, giant mushrooms wouldn't be a helper but a killer."

Sun Chonglai cautiously said, "It concerns life safety, I didn't dare report recklessly, now that it's mostly confirmed through various biological experiments... only then did I dare to tell you."

Zhou Yi looked at him strangely, "It sounds like you, the Mushroom Forest, are still conducting some other research?"

The other party chuckled, "How could that be, we are just a small forest. We just plant mushrooms, raise Bone Fish and shellfish; that's all we do, planting flowers and grass."

This guy must still be up to something.

Nevertheless, Zhou Yi didn't further inquire.

Because when recruiting Sun Chonglai, he had agreed to allow the Mushroom Forest to operate independently.

Having concrete results before reporting wasn't a bad thing.

Zhou Yi collected his thoughts, "Since there's no problem, let's start by planting non-toxic giant mushrooms on a large scale around us."

"Alright, Chairman."

Sun Chonglai stood up, put on his hat, and said cheerfully, "Then I'm off to plant mushrooms with the kids."

Bone Man departed.

Zhou Yi turned his gaze to Qian Su, who had been dozing off with a confused face, "The express center hasn't suspended operations, what's the situation now?"

"Chairman, how should I put it…"

The young director covered her mouth and yawned, taking a sip of Red Bull, "Our express delivery is just too popular."

"Because of the large-scale extreme weather this autumn, maritime transport is exceptionally difficult, and many large items, in order to be delivered on time, are split into smaller packages and given to us. We are the only company that can still do direct transportation from Recursive City to Coral Port…"

"In the last week, the average daily order volume of Wasteland Express has increased by 17 times, we are overwhelmed, and the pending orders continue to grow, it's quite exaggerated. By winter, this might become the norm."

Qian Su rubbed her hands on her face, displaying a sleep-deprived appearance, "Now, everyone has increasing demands for time, hoping to get deliveries sooner, and the demand for timeliness has increased a lot. Due to the special weather, we have also received additional subsidies, but it's still too much, and this money is just within our grasp… I'm still figuring out ways to get it."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but smile wryly.

This seemed to be one of the few pieces of good news under the autumn disaster, enough to offset the damage caused by the cease-work from the disaster.

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