Sha Lang took on the company's mission to negotiate with the Hai Ren gang alone.

Originally, Zhou Yi was worried that he might face danger on his own and was preparing to have Hunter accompany him with an A-level Gatling Cannon, but Sha Lang refused.

"Mr. Zhou, the Hai Ren have their own rules. Negotiations with various gangs are always conducted alone. It's better for me to go alone, as having powerful forces with me might make them suspicious."

"Rest assured, I have handled gang negotiations before in the Western Continent. There were more conflicts over there, but each gang adhered to the rules of negotiation, because no one wants to see conflicts and deaths."

Sha Lang said, "The style in the East Continent leans more towards business operations, making negotiations much safer. I will report to you at Sand Port as soon as I receive any information."

Zhou Yi agreed.

The Hai Ren disappeared into the Dead Sea.

The next two days were uneventful.

By the fifth day, the employees of the Mars Affairs Department finally returned.

Next to the Ice Pot, in the form of a golden ball, was the cat-headed Spark Knight, Cat Dali, and the Electric Cat Chief Instructor, Pikachu. They reported to Zhou Yi in Jade City.

Zhou Yi asked, "Where is Duke Destructive? He didn't return?"

Ice Pot explained, "Chairman, Duke Destructive said there are many matters at the base that need to be organized into procedures, like working hours, job details, safety protocols, prohibitions, etc. It is currently drafting a manual to ensure the operations there run clearly and smoothly."

"Because this is urgent, it is still busy over there."

Zhou Yi nodded.

Duke Destructive's ability and sense of responsibility were indeed unparalleled.

Sending it there to oversee things was the right choice.

Zhou Yi looked at Ice Pot, "Why did it take more than two months to return this time? Did something unexpected happen?"

"Chairman, the main issue was an unexpected dust storm during our operations…"

Pikachu led the team into a small dust storm near the base, collecting Light Seeds with the electric cats inside.

But this dust storm collided with another, instantly absorbing a massive amount of free energy, rapidly expanding into a medium-sized storm and moving away from the base at a speed far exceeding expectations.

The connection with the outside was instantly lost.

Even though Ice Pot was a Light Core Body, it couldn't penetrate the high-energy storm barrier—especially as it had turned into a medium-sized dust storm.

Everything relied on Pikachu and its team.

"We had no experience with such an incident, and tried many methods to rescue them from the inside, but failed each time. We lost connection for about half a month, and I was about to return for help at that time."

Ice Pot added, "After Duke Destructive arrived, it sought assistance from Star Axis to use the Sky Patrol Telescope for long-range observation. However, it still couldn't penetrate the storm's outer layer to discern the situation inside."

"But the observation was not without results. On the surface of the storm, we saw lines formed by arcs of electricity. Although faint, they represented alien text that implied safety."

"This made us feel a bit relieved."

"Then we noticed more alien text appearing on the storm's surface, indicating that the electric cats were working inside. Every hour, a new word would appear."

"This was thanks to Pikachu's calm thinking under pressure," Ice Pot praised.

Zhou Yi couldn't help looking at the electric cat nearby and patted its sharp, arcing ear, "Well done."

Pikachu humbly said, "Actually, it was just luck."

"The storm had an abundance of energy, so we converted a lot of it into electric light, collecting and expanding it on the storm's surface to send a signal, indicating we were alive."

"Though we didn't know if the outside could see it because the storm's energy was so intense. We asked for help from over 40 Mars Electric Cats inside, but still, we didn't know the exact effect."

"The environment inside a medium-sized storm is much more dangerous. After the energy vortex increases in strength, the electric cats inside would collide with each other frequently, often resulting in injuries. Thankfully, the local electric cats taught us to operate at different layers and heights to avoid this."

"Another challenge is that medium-sized dust storms contain a large amount of fine sand and dust particles, which form insulating sand walls. If locked inside, it would be very troublesome without other electric cats' help, and we would have to wait for the storm to dissipate, which is extremely dangerous."

Pikachu said, "We fell into the sand walls several times and relied on teamwork for self-rescue."

"However, the harvest this time was also very fruitful!"

"This medium-sized storm lasted for about two months, and we collected 16.44 million Light Seeds from it!"

"With Cat Dali leading the new electric cats, the total harvest over the past two months was 19.12 million Light Seeds, with a share of 956 Light Seeds, and it will be even more in the future!"

"Chairman! We are rich!"

Pikachu joyously crackled.

Zhou Yi was overjoyed at the news.

The total harvest from the previous mining round was 1.1 million Light Seeds, and this time it increased 17-fold!

The vast amount of Light Seeds scattered across Mars was gradually being unearthed.

The large start-up capital needed for the development of the Dead Sea was now secured.

Ice Pot added, "This time, it was all thanks to Duke Destructive's decisions. It deployed the Sky Patrol Telescope to locate Pikachu and stabilize morale, and quickly settled over ten thousand Spark Plain electric cats brought by Cat Dali, establishing a clear work responsibility system."

"Duke Destructive set up three types of positions within the Mars Affairs Department—external operations, internal operations, and service positions."

"The external positions are for employees working outside the base, mainly for mining in the dust storms. Duke Destructive entrusted Cat Dali with this part."

"The internal positions handle various tasks within the base, including building Curved Houses, Cat Houses, Electrolysis Cat Boxes, networking, underground excavation, and constructing basic buildings. This part is overseen by me."

"The service positions are a comprehensive role that requires coordination between internal and external operations, addressing the needed resources and problems, negotiating with Star Axis for company support, public relations, and recruiting local electric cats to become our employees. Duke Destructive focuses on this part."

"Now, the work responsibilities of the Mars Division employees have become clear."

Zhou Yi felt emotional.

Top talents can shine anywhere they go.

Even if Duke Destructive was in an unfamiliar place like Mars, it could quickly make achievements and bring about changes.

Ice Pot continued, "The Minister asked me to report that there are many Light Core Body electric cats among the Mars electric cats, but recruiting them is very challenging because of their higher intelligence and strength."

"Fortunately, they are not resistant to the company and are very interested in our world, so there's a great chance to recruit high-level electric cats from the area in the future."

"Currently, the Mars Division has officially recruited 22 Mars electric cats and 131 temporary workers, all Skywalkers. They are very interested in electromagnetic coils and induction and find them gratifying and enhancing, requesting an increase in such electromagnetic equipment."

Zhou Yi nodded, "No problem, contact the Power Department for supplies."

Ice Pot added, "Chairman, Cat Dali brought over ten thousand electric cats with it, which led many hesitant Mars electric cats to join us directly. Seeing that we indeed have a large number of electric cat employees greatly facilitated local recruitment."

"Many Mars electric cats admire Cat Dali a lot and, having heard of its deeds, believe it to be a hero capable of making a difference, giving our company a much higher evaluation. They feel that you, Chairman, protecting Cat Dali, shows kindness and responsibility towards electric cats."

"Cat Dali is very popular over there, having made great friends with several Light Core electric cats, and has become brothers with them."

Zhou Yi turned his gaze towards the cat-headed Swordsman beside him.

This Light Core electric cat, who had fled to Mars, was characterized by its bravery, innate confidence, and charisma, carrying a large following, embodying a heroic style.

"Well done, you're already quite famous over there."

Zhou Yi smiled.

Cat Dali hastily said, "It's all thanks to the Chairman for stopping those who were chasing me… Actually, the electric cats on Mars move frequently due to the dust storms, so while they may seem numerous, they are actually solitary individuals."

"Additionally, the unchanging environment makes their lives monotonous and repetitive, leading to a lack of enthusiasm and making life dull."

"They lack the motivation to form groups. So the various electric cat facilities we brought are very attractive to them. A few electric cats came to visit our base and many more are observing from afar."

"As time goes on, they will certainly gravitate towards our company."

"I have already become close friends with two Light Core Bodies. Life on Mars is very peaceful. They are very easy to get along with, unlike the aloof and arrogant ones from Spark Plain."

"But changing long-standing habits and lifestyles will take time."

Zhou Yi expressed understanding.

The progress of the Mars Division had far exceeded expectations.

The company needed to develop and operate there in the long term. Building trust with the Mars electric cats through long-term interaction was key.

There was no rush.

"Chairman, when Pikachu was in danger over there, I led a team into another small dust storm and made a discovery,"

Cat Dali's arc cloak billowed without wind, and in a deep voice, it said, "Not far from the storm, I found a huge black ring."

"The entity was at the eye of the storm with a strong energy camouflage layer. It cannot be detected without being a Light Core Body."

"Its energy intensity is ten times mine. According to the levels you previously mentioned for Light Core Bodies, it is at least an LV4-level Light Core Body, maybe even a top LV5!"

"Initially, I suspected the storms might be created by those entities."

"If we can uncover the reason, it would solve many problems for the company, enabling us to locate the storms. It didn't attack me, indicating it's not a predatory creature."

"I gathered my courage and approached it for a chat."

"Guess what?"

"It turned out to be an Electric Soul!"

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