Zhou Yi was a bit confused upon hearing this.

How could a Concept Life be fixed in a shell-shaped shelter?

"Explain it in detail."

"Mr. Zhou, it's like this."

Dong Dong immediately explained: "We don't know how the shelter is built, but it is also filled with Solid Cloud Elixir beneath its shell."

"The internal Cloud Elixir constantly needs external replenishment, otherwise, it will gradually deplete and force the dormant occupants to awaken. Cave People have a short lifespan, and being naturally frail, they die soon after waking up. Previously there were only 1600 individuals left because the outer Cloud Elixir was consumed significantly, leaving just the core."

"Now that the shelter's energy has been replenished, we can fix the Mechanical Administrator inside. The administrator is very peculiar, owning an extensive life information template, yet it is not the kind of life we understand."

"From it, we can't extract exchangeable life material, but we can use it as a blank carrier for recording information, for our use."

Zhou Yi asked Xiao Fu what was going on.

The Reverse Flow said: "Most Concept Life information is stored in the Great Holy Spirit. Using your terms, it's cloud storage and real-time backup, ensuring that even if they die, the information won't be lost."

"The Mechanical Administrator has parts of its consciousness blank because it was disconnected from the Great Holy Spirit, retaining only some basic information. Most of its consciousness is an empty carrier used to read from the Great Holy Spirit's database."

Zhou Yi understood.

These blank consciousness entities are like the administrator's built-in memory, used for temporary data storage and reading from the Great Holy Spirit's cloud services. The larger the memory, the faster the reading speed.

He turned his attention back to the Shell Sanctuary.

The Mechanical Administrator, appearing as a mass of green code, was further decomposed into surfaces of 0s and 1s by the Cave People and integrated into the shelter.

Soon, this Concept Life became visually invisible.

"Mr. Zhou, I've fixed it inside the shelter. As long as the Cloud Elixir isn't depleted, it can't leave and enter the outside world."

"Can we use it as a Record Land? If it is possible, it will allow our people to grow rapidly because we can store a lot of information on it, reducing the need to accumulate experience from scratch." Dong Dong requested.

Zhou Yi pondered.

Da Vinci's observation report showed that the Cave People on this side split every 20 minutes (reproduce), with individual life cycles usually between 40 to 60 minutes.

This group consciousness of the Cave People could continue because the bodies within the shelter could preserve information.

Their capacity was limited. With the continuous reproduction and rise of a new generation, a large amount of experience and knowledge is growing wildly but cannot be effectively and stably preserved.

If the administrator is used as a consciousness carrier, they would possess an external hard drive of Light Core Level, akin to giving the Cave People a civilization accelerator.

Zhou Yi immediately said: "Alright, then you can use it as a Record Land. I spent 3 million Light Seeds to lock the administrator, make the best use of it."

"Please rest assured, Mr. Zhou! We will make full use of its value!"

Dong Dong's tone was firm.

…

After settling the Mechanical Administrator, Zhou Yi felt a bit relieved.

At least, the unstable factor had been resolved.

Otherwise, how could his mechanical employees work with peace of mind if the administrator kept instigating on the consciousness side every day?

Next was the step to settle the compensation list.

Zhou Yi's thought remained unchanged.

He still planned to use goods to collateralize this patent compensation of 3.1 million Light Seeds.

The person who knew Mechanical City best was Guan Zhong.

Zhou Yi sought its advice.

Guan Zhong said: "Recently, I've been understanding the company's detailed situation."

"I believe that improving agriculture and healthcare should be the focus right now. These are the two major cornerstones for the company's stability. Strengthening food and healthcare security can minimize risks during rapid development."

Zhou Yi joked: "I thought you would suggest that I also engage in agriculture and military industries."

The Panda Man said: "The Legal Front needs to heavily develop agriculture and military forces, but there's no need for that here. Based on the company's structure and the current development model, the main sources of profit are commercial trade and technological innovation, while agriculture and healthcare are foundations for security."

"Current trade and technological development have invested significant resources over the years."

"This compensation should primarily be used to purchase agricultural and medical equipment."

"The high-precision equipment produced by Mechanical City cannot be manufactured by Human Cities. I believe this part can be purchased. However, it requires consulting the actual needs of these two departments."

Zhou Yi felt that this was a good idea.

He immediately gathered Zheng Tao and Da Vinci.

Knowing there was funding available for reimbursement, Zheng Tao was delighted and quickly opened the memo for enhanced controllers: "Chairman, we indeed have great needs here."

"First, our irrigation system needs to be completed. It needs to cover nearly 80,000 acres of land with drip and sprinkler irrigation for precise watering."

"This will increase water resource utilization and ensure the moisture required for crop growth. I've calculated that using the cheapest E-1 grade, covering our farmland will require a minimum of 10,000 Light Seeds."

"We also need at least 2 drying machines to dry the harvested crops, ensuring storage quality, reducing losses, and preventing mildew."

Zheng Tao said seriously: "Although Jade City has this function, the temperature is difficult to control, resulting in high losses. Now that we are engaged in large-scale cultivation, this equipment is essential. A D-1 grade drying machine, with a price of 2140 Light Seeds each, plus repair kits and one-year warranty, totals 4300 Light Seeds."

"Then, there is the greenhouse equipment, including temperature control systems, lighting systems, and indoor irrigation systems. They can provide a stable growth environment and extend the growth cycle of crops, which is significant for developing new species. Adopting a cost-effective C-1 grade, each complete set requires 10,000 Light Seeds, and two sets will be 20,000 Light Seeds."

"One necessity is a soil analyzer. Although the Agricultural Machinery Brothers are equipped with this device, its precision is insufficient, leading to significant discrepancies."

"High-precision soil analyzers are needed to analyze soil components, provide fertilization suggestions, and ensure precise fertilization, improving crop yield and quality. A minimum D-2 grade, one unit costs 2000 Light Seeds, and we need two for alternation to avoid damage failure, totaling 4000 Light Seeds."

"If there is still a budget, plant protection drones are also essential. These sub-machines can be used for pesticide spraying, fertilization, and crop monitoring. They are important for improving plant protection efficiency and reducing pesticide usage. One D-1 grade drone costs 1200 Light Seeds, we need three, plus the repair kits and software updates, summing to 3650 Light Seeds."

He summarized: "A total of 41,950 Light Seeds will do!"

Zhou Yi nodded: "Alright, send me the list, and I will place the order."

"Understood! I will send it now."

Zheng Tao beamed with joy and immediately started working.

Zhou Yi then looked at Da Vinci: "What about the hospital?"

"Chairman, here are our requirements."

The Mechanical Doctor began listing the orders.

"Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is crucial for diagnosing neurological, musculoskeletal, and oncological conditions. We need to purchase a B-1 grade to improve diagnostic accuracy, costing 30,000 Light Seeds per unit."

"Computed Tomography (CT) is suitable for emergency and complex case imaging. One B-1 grade unit costs 20,000 Light Seeds."

"Positron Emission Tomography (PET) provides functional and metabolic information, complementing the anatomical data from CT and MRI. One B-1 grade unit costs 25,000 Light Seeds."

"Linear Accelerator (LINAC) is for radiation therapy, particularly cancer treatment. It can precisely target tumors, reducing harm to surrounding healthy tissue. One B-1 grade unit costs 50,000 Light Seeds."

"Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) equipment is for life support in cases of heart and lung failure, providing oxygenation and circulatory support when the heart and lungs cannot function normally. Five B-1 grade units, each costing 3000 Light Seeds, totaling 15,000 Light Seeds."

It paused: "Additionally, we need to establish an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward. Therefore, we must equip it with ventilators, infusion pumps, injector pumps, defibrillators, dialysis machines, blood gas analyzers... among other equipment."

"Establishing a medium-sized ICU with 10 beds requires 60,000 Light Seeds."

"There are also essential medications that need to be imported, including antibiotics, medical alcohol, glucose, immunoglobulin... totaling 10,000 Light Seeds."

"Altogether, we need 210,000 Light Seeds."

Zhou Yi waved his hand: "Buy!"

He also decided to give a 20% salary increase to medical and agricultural personnel.

These two departments worked hard, as non-profit departments, their output is hard to directly quantify but provided the most vital support for the company.

This expenditure was still less than expected, and 2.89 million Light Seeds remained to be spent in Mechanical City.

How to spend the money became the most important task at hand.

The Recursive City data center offered a suggestion.

"Chairman, there is a type of large service transaction called 'Directed Debt'."

"In simple terms, it involves purchasing bonds issued by Mechanical City, secured by local tax revenue capability."

"What makes Directed Debt special is that they circulate within Mechanical City and its core partner cities. You can selectively purchase bonds issued by a specific city to invest in that city. The risk is generally low."

"As Mechanical City's partner, United City has also issued Directed Debt due to its A-level rating. Purchases can be made there, converting it into debt between us and United City, allowing investment in its high-speed development while also securing stable returns from United City."

Zhou Yi was somewhat surprised. He knew that United City received investments from Mechanical City but did not expect it to be through bonds.

"Directed debts are divided into short-term (1-3 years), mid-term (4-10 years), and long-term (over 10 years) with returns ranging from 1% to 10%. According to our investigation, the bonds issued by United City are long-term, offering a 4.1% return, calculated simply. Regarding urban development and debt burden, it is an excellent choice."

This sounded good.

Zhou Yi decided immediately: "Buy the remaining 2.89 million in United City's Directed Debt and invest in United City."

Just in case another conflict arises with the Legal Front, he decided to use up this compensation first.

Red Kestrel began a series of operations.

After a few minutes.

"Zhou, the purchase is complete."

"We acquired 2.89 million Light Seeds' worth of United City 10-year Directed Debt, with an expected maturity yield of 4.089 million Light Seeds."

Red Kestrel projected the bond agreement and the debt certificates.

The signing parties were Wasteland Development Company and United City, with payments made through a dedicated Legal Front account.

The agreement was sealed.

Immediately, United City contacted them.

"Mr. Zhou, did you buy our 2.89 million Directed Debt?"

Kunming Station was somewhat astonished and confused.

"The Legal Front is quite slow at delivering patent cash, so I chose this method for payment."

Zhou Yi mentioned the war compensation.

"... So that's how it is."

Kunming Station said: "Such a large amount, just paying the interest requires us to give out 120,000 Light Seeds annually, which is a bit strenuous."

"How about converting this Directed Debt into a 29% equity stake in United City? The city's profits will then be shared proportionally. This will ease our concern for interest payments too."

Zhou Yi readily agreed: "That's fine. Let's do it that way."

He had great optimism for United City's future.

This was the first Alien City, totally based on Building Life as its foundation and operators, even more thoroughly than Jade City.

"Great! Thank you for the trust!"

The two parties quickly completed the entire procedural process.

Thus, the difficult-to-cash compensation turned into equity transfer payments for United City through Directed Debt.

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