The delivery center saw a surge in orders, but the increase in delivery personnel was very limited.

Qian Su said to Zhou Yi, "With Uncle Zheng's help, we've established a training mechanism. Led by the Bone Man named Jacob, trainers systematically train new Bone Fish deliverymen, enabling new members to quickly join the workforce."

"Currently, we have 14 Bone Fish deliverymen, teamed up with 28 Sheng Snake navigators for travel. I've requested to expand the cultivation space for Bone Fish since there is a high demand for small item deliveries, and we need many more deliverymen."

Zhou Yi looked at Zheng Tao, "Over at Zhanjiang Bay No.1, is there any way to spare some breeding areas for Bone Fish?"

Zheng Tao shook his head, "Chairman, the breeding platform has already allocated 6 areas for cultivating Bone Fish deliverymen. We cannot exceed that."

The Minister of Agriculture was very firm, "For in-house cultivation of Bone Fish, currently, we can only follow our previous successful experiences. Cultivation might seem easy and technically simple, but even a small difference can lead to significant impact."

"From fingerlings to Bone Fish, a large quantity of White Shell and Wave-shaped Shell must be fed in a specific ratio. Insufficient supply of this food can cause changes in the disposition of Bone Fish. Switching to purchasing a large amount of external shellfish might cause other problems."

"Increasing the number is important, but first, we need to ensure that we are cultivating the type of Bone Fish employees the company needs. So, I cannot make any further changes based on this foundation; currently, we can only ensure that 6 Bone Fish are born each month, which is the current limit."

Qian Su looked pained and pulled out a Guangna Box, saying, "Uncle Zheng, that's all Light Seed, to earn less is to lose..."

Zhou Yi made a decision, "Let's go with Old Zheng's suggestion."

However, he was also prepared to try and find other methods.

"Old Zheng, go take a look at Zhanjiang Bay No.1."

"Everyone, put on the fog masks made by Da Vinci, and be safe."

…

The Hunter carried the three of them, cutting through the thick fog, and reached the marine breeding platform.

When Zhou Yi returned here, he noticed that the Carpet Fungus on the deck had grown thick and dense. Under the harsh weather, the Black Hand Mushrooms were still working hard.

"Hello, Chairman."

"Chairman!"

They stood straight and saluted one by one.

"Hello, stay safe."

"Yes."

"We will be careful!"

Zhou Yi entered the main control room of the ship cabin in Zhanjiang Bay No.1, filled with various instruments and devices, none of which he recognized. However, the Black Hand Mushrooms had cleaned the room thoroughly, leaving no stains.

He had thought about letting the Red Kestrel take over this large platform using a submachine method.

The drone said, "Although it is a Half-Enlightened Body, its consciousness has not ceased. Under these conditions, using the machine stack submachine mode is impossible, as it would cause signal interference and internal turmoil."

"Half-Enlightened Bodies are a special type of electromechanical life, and using submachine signals constitutes forced enslavement and infringement on their autonomy. Rule-abiding electromechanical life would never do such a thing."

Thus, Zhou Yi had to give up.

Consciousness synchronization also couldn't communicate with the Half-Enlightened Body.

Now he was prepared to try a new method.

[Radio], channel 5, on.

Element power covered Zhanjiang Bay No.1 entirely.

The first thing he heard was conversations among the Black Hand Mushrooms, discussing the weather, the company, Zhou Yi, and the Bone Man named Sun Chonglai... They did seem to enjoy conversing with one another.

Beyond that, there was no other sound.

Could it be that the Half-Enlightened Body didn't emit any signals at all?

Just as Zhou Yi was wondering, he suddenly heard a voice.

"Zhanjiang Bay No.1, requesting to return."

"Requesting to return."

His eyes lit up.

There might be a chance.

"Right side damaged, crack in the ship's bottom, seawater intrusion, requesting repair."

Zhou Yi silently noted these two damage points.

Then the voice abruptly changed.

"Who am I? Where am I? What is this place?"

"Let me out!"

…

After a while, Zhou Yi finally pulled away.

Under the capability of the radio, he finally understood why communication with the Half-Enlightened Body was impossible.

Their consciousness was fragmented and disjointed.

In normal lifeforms, various thoughts would converge into a decision, eventually transforming into action. But Zhanjiang Bay No.1's thoughts were just thoughts, each speaking for itself, all actions driven by instinct, consciousness completely independent from the body.

While they could receive and hear external sounds, the feedback was fragmented and scattered, making it difficult to piece together a coherent meaning.

Zhou Yi activated consciousness synchronization, patiently trying.

"Apart from damage to the right side and a crack in the bottom, what else can I help you with?"

The message of consciousness transmitted.

He searched through the myriad of complex thoughts from the other side for any feedback.

Finally, after half an hour, he managed to find a few responses.

"The underbelly of the ship has marine bio-fouling," declared one of the technicians.

"..."

"Ballast tanks are heavily corroded."

"..."

"The ballast tanks are damaged."

Then, Zhou Yi found Qian Su, who knew about equipment, and Yuan Tong, who had worked in the shipyard, and together they inspected the interior of Zhanjiang Bay No.1.

They didn't expect much until they looked, but what they found alarmed them.

The structurally complex ballast tanks were not only heavily corroded, but also had multiple patches of skin peeling off, and were impaled by a 4-meter long rusted spiral horn, causing multiple damages.

Qian Su quickly recognized it, "This is a whale spear, used by the Knight Order to hunt whales in the Dead Sea. It seems they mistook the breeding platform for prey... Luckily, the structural integrity of Zhanjiang Bay No.1 is high enough to maintain buoyancy and stability under such foreign object impact."

She carefully observed the spear and then began to use an electric saw to cut it into pieces to dismantle it separately, reducing damage to the ship's body.

Yuan Tong led the team to handle the corroded area first. He dug out the inventory for the enhanced ship and applied a new coating to the breeding platform.

Zhou Yi also dove into the water, directing samurai crabs to clean off the shellfish and other attachments from the underside of the ship.

It took the better part of the day to finish the work.

The entire Zhanjiang Bay No.1 had changed as well.

Previously, the wind turbines on the deck were static, but now they slowly started to turn. Lights on the breeding platform lit up one by one, illuminating the surrounding sea and land distinctly, making the entire platform seem to have entered its operational phase only then.

Another crucial change was that all twelve breeding zones of Zhanjiang Bay No.1 were wrapped in a faint white light, as Dead Light Energy was gathered into the breeding areas.

The typically lazy fry inside had also become active, shuttling back and forth.

Zheng Tao's face lit up with joy, "From this, it looks like the efficiency of the breeding platform will further increase. There's still a lot of potential for development here."

Qian Su clasped her hands in prayer towards the breeding zones, "You guys need to grow quickly; the future of the delivery center depends on you."

...

After handling the breeding platform, Zhou Yi moved to the neighboring Mushroom Forest.

A dense fog lingered, and the forest's exterior was heavily shaded, giving it a somewhat eerie look.

In reality, Sun Chonglai was there with his Black Hand Mushrooms, planting mushrooms.

It was only then that Zhou Yi discovered that by cutting a part of the giant mushroom's mycelium stem, it was possible to replant them.

"Chairman, we first plant them around the fields, which not only serve as windbreaks but also stabilize the soil."

Sun Chonglai explained, "They grow quickly because we have a lot of fertilizer here, and Tie Ma and Tong Niu manage the soil here very well."

"Show me the non-toxic giant mushrooms."

"Yes."

Bone Man led Zhou Yi to the beach area behind the Mushroom Forest, where the giant mushrooms were scattered and varied in height, the shortest being about 3 meters, and the tallest reaching 15 meters.

With the naked eye, it was impossible to tell if they were toxic.

But there were no drifting red toxic clouds here.

Sun Chonglai approached a 3-meter tall giant mushroom with a 2-meter diameter, "Look, this was just planted, grew this big in 5 days."

He patted the robust, thick stalk with his white bony hand, "See, how strong and sturdy, being hollow inside doesn't make it unreliable, this fellow is very reliable."

Zhou Yi touched the outer skin of the giant mushroom, which felt like rubber, elastic yet with substantial strength.

Though it could be torn, it was still composed of individual mycelium strands, just structured in a peculiar and tough manner.

"That's usually how we use them."

Sun Chonglai used his hand as a knife, making two vertical cuts along the surface of the giant mushroom, skillfully pulling open a slit. He tore apart the mycelium on either side, revealing the hollow inside.

The inside of the mushroom was divided into two compartments by a central diaphragm, reminiscent of bamboo to Zhou Yi.

Sun Chonglai then released his grip, and the flexible body of the giant mushroom immediately closed up. He smoothed over the slit with his hand, making it nearly indistinguishable unless one looked closely.

"Put things inside. Completely inconspicuous from the outside, very handy."

A bold idea popped into Zhou Yi's head.

He pulled apart the mushroom and ducked inside.

Inside the giant mushroom, there was no odd smell and it was surprisingly dry, though dim. Inside, it was not at all stuffy, and breathing was unobstructed.

Zhou Yi emerged from inside.

"The inside of the giant mushroom is very breathable, probably because the mycelium itself isn't hermetically sealed. It seems feasible for living?"

His remark took Sun Chonglai aback, "Living inside... but the space is very small. Don't we have Jade City? I don't go back often, but it's really comfortable, spacious, bright, and warm there, mushrooms can't compare at all."

"Just a single room is enough. And isn't it that the larger the mushroom, the larger the internal space?"

"That's true... But, Mr. Chairman, there's no need for this?"

Zhou Yi had to explain, "Old Sun, Jade City's capacity is limited, and it can't be opened to everyone. Most people still need more common housing, and the Mushroom House is an excellent choice. They continue to grow and provide sufficient vertical space, just create openings in the diaphragms, and ladders can be used to move between levels."

"Besides, they are inexpensive to produce, quick to grow, weather-resistant, and the core cultivation technology is firmly in our hands. For most people, this is the kind of house they need. Like the recent typhoon disaster, when many houses collapsed, mushroom houses could quickly replace them, minimizing further damage."

Bone Man seemed to understand, "You want to use Mushroom Houses to build a new housing community?"

"Yes."

Zhou Yi spoke earnestly, "So the research on mushrooms mustn't stop. The Mushroom Forest is our company's covert research department; mushrooms scattered across the world are a critical productive force in this Wasteland World."

"Let's start by planning a Mushroom House community outside Jade City."

"Yes, Mr. Chairman, I understand what to do."

Sun Chonglai rubbed his hands together eagerly.

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