As it turned out, dangling a person beneath an airship like a crate of cargo was indeed not a good idea.
At first, with more than ten tons of goods hanging below, the swing of the tow cable hadn't been too absurd.
Once the cargo was unloaded onto the deck, however, the dangling cable immediately began thrashing about erratically. Almost the instant the airship Niuma pulled Qingdeng off the deck, it gave him the sensation of truly taking flight.
Fortunately, the airship's pilot possessed excellent skills. After several attempts, he managed to avoid any fatal accidents and safely deposited Qingdeng, briefcase clutched in hand, back inside the camp.
The moment his feet finally touched solid ground, the first thing he did was drop into a squat and heave violently.
Walking over to his fellow player, Fang Chang offered a smiling inquiry. "How do you feel, brother?"
"Not... bad..."
It took quite a while before Qingdeng caught his breath. Sitting flat on the ground, he couldn't help marveling, "This game's... physics engine... is pretty damn realistic."
"Haha, glad you're enjoying it," Fang Chang said with a laugh. "Now, how about settling the freight fee?"
"Oh, right, almost forgot!" Qingdeng slapped his forehead, opened the briefcase, counted out ten hundred-silver banknotes, and handed them over with an embarrassed chuckle. "Thanks a bunch, brother."
"Don't mention it." Fang Chang took the cash, tucked it into his pocket, and narrowed his eyes with a smile as he watched the freighter steam away into the distance. "Pleasure doing business with you."
Business was business.
Even if helping out had been effortless, starting up and stopping the airship still cost fuel.
Even if he didn't care about such pocket change, he still had to consider the interests of the Niuma Group's largest shareholder—the collective of Shelter 404.
At present, the Niuma Group's net assets ranked number one across the entire server. Factoring in their operations in Ideal City, they were worth more than the second and third place combined. In contrast, the rigor of their financial audits also ranked among the very best on the server.
Ordinary in-game activities that yielded no economic benefits were fine, but once economic profit was involved, it became a business operation. Skirting the rules over a mere thousand silver coins simply wasn't worth it. Thus, he had to take the money, and he would have to log it into his VM's ledger in a moment.
Pulling his gaze back from the distance, Fang Chang turned toward Spare the Blade, who was standing beside him.
"...Speaking of which, this airship-hoisting method of loading and unloading really doesn't seem reliable. One slip-up and you lose both the people and the goods. We'd better build a dock as soon as possible."
Spare the Blade let out a sigh.
"I've been thinking about that, but building a dock is way more complicated than a few work sites on land. The mutants in the shallows are a real headache, too. Unlike on land, you can't just throw up perimeter walls around them. Construction is bound to be a hassle."
Back in River Valley Province, there were only so many mutant species. The large ones had been driven into the deep mountains and old-growth forests by the players, while the classic trio—mutant cockroaches, rats, and hyenas—could be handled simply by setting up psychic interference devices.
Baiyue Province was a different story.
Marine mutants were exceptionally diverse, especially since the seabed of the Baiyue Strait was shallow, making it a favorite stomping ground for all kinds of shallow-water marine creatures.
There was a limit to the frequency bands that psychic interference devices could be tuned to; it was impossible to drive away every mutant.
In fact, the psychic interference devices equipped on the South Archipelago Federation's ships were tuned only to repel the few species most prone to capsizing vessels.
As for soaking massive amounts of black ironwood in the water like Silver Moon Bay did, that was indeed a viable approach, but the material waste was far too severe.
Black ironwood was a temperate plant and couldn't be introduced to the tropics. If they wanted to mimic Silver Moon Bay's methods, they would have to import massive quantities from Oasis No. 4.
From an economic standpoint, that was clearly a terrible idea.
Fang Chang frowned slightly. "What about netting?"
Spare the Blade smiled wryly.
"You think these are little fish and shrimp from real life? What kind of net could hold back mutants..."
Overhearing their conversation, Qingdeng Gujiu slapped the dust off his trousers, got up from the ground, and piped up casually.
"How about devil silk? I saw the folks over in Xizhou City using that stuff to make nets for farming split-claw crabs and battleship shrimp. It works better than wire and doesn't rust. Oh, and those hardcore anglers seemed to use it as fishing line, too. Heard that even if the rod snaps, the line won't break. Even when boats flip over, the nets stay intact."
Hearing that, Spare the Blade froze.
*Right.*
Devil silk was a Dawn City specialty!
Stroking his chin in thought, the more he considered it, the brighter his eyes shone. He muttered, "Let me think... Holy crap, that might actually work! At the very least, keeping out those mutant sea turtles and crabs shouldn't be a problem!"
"No need to overthink it. Once I log off later, I'll have Ye Shi place an order in Dawn City for a batch of barrier nets made of devil silk. When the next flight comes in, we can test it directly! If it works, even before the dock is built, securing the shoreline area will be a massive win."
Leaving those words, Fang Chang smiled and patted Qingdeng Gujiu on the arm.
"Not bad at all, brother! Great idea! Next time you have good suggestions, remember to post them on the forum. If they're solid, we'll implement them right away!"
Seeing his suggestion received so enthusiastically, Qingdeng Gujiu looked flattered and smiled sheepishly. "Really?! Then I won't hold back."
Fang Chang grinned. "Why would you? We're all on the same team."
A thousand silver coins was pocket change, and a hundred and forty thousand silver coins was still small money, but the economic value of a port boasting a daily cargo throughput worth tens of millions of silver coins was an astronomical sum.
Baiyue Strait Development Co., Ltd. was in the business of the 'platform economy.' Only by keeping clients happy could they comfortably shear the sheep later on.
Port dues, loading and unloading fees, handling fees, storage fees, trimming fees, lighterage fees... they could lift all of it straight from the real world.
When the time came, wouldn't they just be raking in money lying down?
Oh, right.
Considering that wasteland merchants were all ruthless types who moonlighted as bandits and murderers, they would need to build a couple of coastal artillery emplacements on the shore to keep everyone in line.
For some reason, looking at the refined, easygoing smile on the man's face, Qingdeng Gujiu felt a sudden chill run down his spine.
Probably just his imagination...
Clearing his throat, Qingdeng changed the subject. "Right... speaking of which, isn't Ideal City on the coast, too? By the mouth of the Tianshui, if I recall? Do they have construction ships for docks or something? If the price is right, outsourcing it to them would save a lot more hassle than airlifting equipment all the way from Dawn City."
Fang Chang stroked his chin, nodding with keen interest. "That's a good idea. I'll ask around later."
Truth be told, it was somewhat embarrassing; as the very first player to reach Ideal City, he had nearly forgotten that Ideal City was right on the coast!
Not everything they needed had to be procured from Dawn City.
The Alliance and the Enterprise had signed a currency swap agreement, and the Niuma Group itself had unsettled foreign exchange they could use. Bidding out a contract in Ideal City to construct a harbor for Port French Fries was definitely a viable option.
Come to think of it, wasn't Li Shuyue's Ruyue Group a subsidiary of Ideal City's largest 'property manager'—the Ideal Group?
Fang Chang had heard long ago that her identity was far from simple; she seemed to have ties to the Ideal Group's board of directors.
Perhaps...
He could ask her to help look into it.
...
Just as Fang Chang was debating whether to make a dedicated trip to Ideal City for the matter, two tracked vehicles with bulldozer blades mounted on their front bumpers advanced into the depths of the jungle from the north wall gateway of Port French Fries, escorted by a hundred heavily armed players.
These hundred players were all top-ranking fighters on the server, half from the Burning Corps and half from the Jungle Corps.
K-10 "Iron Wall" exoskeletons armed the majority to the teeth, while several leading the vanguard wore power armor models such as "Xiaguang" and "Dragoon."
The two tracked vehicles bearing bulldozer blades were even more remarkable—they were replicas of the "Reindeer" tracked vehicle that was standard issue for the Academy's elite teams!
Previously, the Burning Corps had intercepted this set of mobile scientific workstations from the Academy's Beacon squad, and the Alliance had replicated it within the limits of their technical capabilities.
However, restricted by the Alliance's limited technical conditions, the design bureau in charge of reverse engineering had been forced to drastically cut down its specifications.
Not only had its height been reduced to 3.5 meters and length to 6 meters, but its originally diverse weapon platform had also been stripped down to a single remote weapon station integrating a 20mm autocannon, a short-barrel grenade launcher, and tank-standard smoke grenade dischargers.
At the suggestion of Yin Fang, leader of the Scientific Expedition, this armed scientific research vehicle assigned to the expedition was ultimately christened the "Husky."
From such an irreverent name, it was easy to see that the researchers had low expectations for the machine's reliability.
Even so, while this stripped-down replica could hardly compare to the genuine Reindeer, the tracked vehicle pulled no punches when it came to essential scientific equipment.
For instance, it featured a sample storage unit capable of near-absolute-zero temperatures of minus 273 degrees, cryogenic hibernation pods capable of operating for at least twenty years in harsh environments, mobile workstations equipped with quantum processors, and an array of precision sensors.
Any single piece of this equipment pulled at random was worth well over a million silver coins.
Furthermore, this was all thanks to the scientific cooperation agreement Chu Guang had negotiated with the Academy's representative, which allowed the Alliance to procure research equipment from the Academy's Research Department at agreed prices denominated in silver coins; otherwise, much of it couldn't be bought for any amount of money.
Although the Alliance was always finding ingenious ways to pinch pennies on weaponry and combat gear, they never skimped on research investments.
As long as good equipment was available, Chu Guang would do everything possible to put it into the hands of the Alliance's researchers, offering them maximum support.
Precisely because of this, eager to live up to the manager's expectations, the Alliance's scientific institutions brimmed with tremendous enthusiasm from the grassroots all the way to leadership.
Almost the moment the airship Explorer, laden with research equipment, came to a halt at Port French Fries, the personnel from the Institute of Biological Research and the Scientific Expedition had finalized their operational plan.
The two Husky tracked vehicles deployed one after the other to the north side of the camp. Once security personnel were in place, the two groups charged into the lush rainforest as if competing in a race.
The leader of the detachment from the Alliance's Institute of Biological Research was Chen Yutong, whose outstanding performance on research projects in Jinchuan Province had earned Heya's recognition.
The leader on the Scientific Expedition's side was Meng Liang, a former resident of Shelter 401. His resume was equally impressive; he had served as an expeditionary surveyor aboard the Heart of Steel and participated in the investigation of Shelter 0.
Notably, both leaders were cross-disciplinary talents.
Back when she served as a Rank E surveyor in the Academy, Chen Yutong had specialized in AI, with biotechnology merely a hobby. Only after arriving at the Alliance did she formally make bioengineering her primary focus.
As for Meng Liang, his former home, Shelter 401, had researched psychic interference technology, and his work had primarily focused on biological fields.
It was only after the Alliance rescued him from marauders that he developed an interest in archaeology and joined Yin Fang in the business of grave-robbing relics.
At that moment, inside the tracked vehicle bringing up the rear of the convoy.
Seated beside a bio-analyzer, Chen Yutong stared intently at a leaf pinched between her fingertips, lost in thought.
She had plucked this leaf from a nearby tree just after stepping off the airship.
At first glance, it seemed no different from ordinary tropical foliage, but intuition told her this thing was nowhere near as simple as it looked.
Especially since, just minutes earlier, the local Alliance construction crew had reported some unusual phenomena to her.
The local forest seemed to possess a bizarre self-healing property, recovering from damage at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Moreover, this extraordinary regenerative capability was not confined to a single species; it manifested collectively across different species.
For example, if a palm tree was felled, what sprouted the next day might be adjacent imperial bamboo grass or mucuna vines...
Staring at the leaf between her fingertips, Chen Yutong's eyes flickered with genuine intrigue.
Though she had come here primarily to avoid the growing number of Academy personnel in Qingquan City, learning about the local conditions had made her increasingly fascinated by the secrets of this land.
"...The analysis results are out." A colleague's voice came from the bio-analyzer, breaking her train of thought.
Setting the leaf aside, Chen Yutong immediately stood, walked over to the adjacent terminal, and gazed at the data on the screen. "What are the findings?"
"It's very strange..." the researcher seated at the terminal said, looking perplexed. "The Na fruit strain we collected in Jinchuan Province cannot infect the vegetation in this region. We tested seven sample groups, and every single one failed, even after adjusting the temperature to the optimal range for the strain's growth."
"Yet the experiments conducted in Qingquan City succeeded," Chen Yutong noted thoughtfully. "All twelve sample groups were infected by Na fruit strain J."
"Yes..." The researcher nodded, thoroughly baffled.
The so-called Strain J Na fruit was collected around Jinhe City in Jinchuan Province, characterized by its suitability for growth in humid subtropical to temperate regions.
Compared to the original Strain B collected from Baiyue Province, Strain J—fused with the genome of the Qingquan City broodmother—exhibited extreme aggressiveness, which was the true nature of the 'Kingdom of Heaven' spreading across Haiya Province.
Shelter 79 had simulated the climates of both Jinchuan and Baiyue Provinces, co-culturing Baiyue vegetation with Strain J in petri dishes of varying sizes. The end result was always the same: the Baiyue vegetation was corroded and assimilated by the Na fruit fungus.
Later, Alliance researchers conducted further observations and discovered that when Strain B was introduced to the petri dish, the growth rate of Strain J was noticeably inhibited. However, that suppression vanished after a mere forty-eight hours.
The Institute of Biological Research had previously theorized that Baiyue Province's original strain—Strain B—could suppress the growth of the artificially cultivated Strain J developed by the Church of the Torch.
Puzzlingly, however, they had been unable to observe any phenomena supporting this hypothesis in the laboratory.
To determine why the Church of the Torch's Na fruit strain hadn't spread into Baiyue Province, the Institute of Biological Research had authorized field experiments in the region.
Yet, unexpectedly, before they had even added Strain B to the petri dishes—having only set up control groups co-culturing Baiyue vegetation with Strain J—they observed that incredible inhibitory effect.
The exact same experiment yielded completely opposite results in Baiyue Province.
The Strain J introduced into the petri dishes not only failed to corrode the plants inside, but actually withered—as if it were entirely unsuited to the local climate and soil.
The researchers inside the cabin began whispering among themselves.
"Could it be the soil?"
"Clearly not. Several sample groups in our earlier tests at Shelter 79 used soil gathered from Baiyue Province."
"Could something other than the original Strain B be inhibiting Strain J's growth?"
"We can't rule that out..."
"How bizarre."
Chen Yutong said nothing, merely staring at the screen in deep contemplation.
She actually agreed with the alternative hypothesis her colleagues had proposed: the key factor suppressing Strain J wasn't the original Strain B, but something else entirely.
Something that existed only in this land...
What could it be?
Just then, the voice of Vehicle One came through her headset.
Meng Liang: "...This is the Scientific Expedition. We plan to head toward the ruins of Shilong City next to search for an underground relic. What about you?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Chen Yutong glanced at the map hanging in the cabin, raised an index finger to tap her earpiece, and replied, "We plan to push three kilometers further north... The life-sign detection equipment is picking up anomalous signals there; there might be samples we need."
Meng Liang chuckled. "Looks like we part ways here. Best of luck to you."
Chen Yutong curved her lips. "Same to you."
The two groups split up.
The Institute of Biological Research detachment continued north under the escort of the Burning Corps, while the Scientific Expedition pushed toward the ruins of Shilong City under the protection of the Jungle Corps.
Watching the friendly forces advance northward, the players of the Jungle Corps cast envious glances.
An hour ago, most players in the vicinity had received a regional quest notification to locate the broodmother.
Finding that creature would not only unlock a limited title, but also yield a bounty of one million silver coins and ten thousand contribution points!
What did one million silver coins mean?
It was more than enough to buy an apartment in a first-tier city!
Clearly, following the Institute of Biological Research offered a far higher chance of completing that quest, whereas sticking with the Scientific Expedition meant scrounging through old-world scrap metal.
"Brother Chicken, can we swap with them?" Crawling Model Worker turned toward Midnight Chicken Slaughter, longing written across his face.
Midnight Chicken Slaughter wore a helpless expression.
"Nothing I can do. The research institute asked for them by name."
He didn't have the heart to mention that the Scientific Expedition had also asked for the Burning Corps by name at first; it was only because Lao Bai wanted to give other players a good experience that he passed on the quest, letting it fall to them.
It was simply unavoidable.
Those hardasses were undeniably formidable, whether in combat record or sequence level. Anyone doubting it need only look up at the Heart of Steel floating above Dawn City to understand.
Still, understanding didn't stop the brute-force meatheads from griping.
"I bet there's some shady backroom deal behind this."
"Brother Chicken, why don't you go make a deal with them, too?"
"Please, Brother Chicken!"
Listening to their clamor, Midnight Chicken Slaughter rolled his eyes.
"Piss off! If you want a deal, go do it yourself!"
Crawling Model Worker: "Damn it!"
...
While the Scientific Expedition convoy continued toward the ruins of Shilong City, the Institute of Biological Research's Husky arrived at its destination first.
"All squads, fan out on alert!"
"Understood!"
Watching his teammates flash OK gestures, Lao Bai, clad in Dragoon power armor, waved his hand, signaling his men to spread outward from the tracked vehicle and stay vigilant against potential threats in the jungle.
There was no shortage of mutants in this forest.
On their way here, they had already weathered four or five waves of attacks.
Sample collection had to be performed by the institute's researchers; during that time, they had to ensure the safety of these NPCs.
At that moment, bundled tightly in protective gear, Chen Yutong hopped down from the open vehicle door, a toolkit gripped in her right hand.
Seeing his acquaintance step down, Lao Bai stepped forward and asked, "Why are you coming down?"
Hearing the concern in his voice, Chen Yutong's lips curled into a smile, though she had no intention of returning to the vehicle. She said matter-of-factly, "I'm the most senior researcher here, and I'm in charge of this entire project. If I don't come down, who will?"
Lao Bai sighed, advising her patiently, "The situation here is a bit unusual. The mutants throughout this forest haven't stopped attacking us for a second. I think... it'd be better if you were more careful."
"I know. It'll only take a moment." As she spoke, she was already laying the toolkit flat on the ground, retrieving sampling tools and test tubes from within.
Lao Bai hadn't wanted to disturb Chen Yutong as she busied herself in a squat, but seeing that she had been working for quite a while without result, he couldn't resist asking, "About how much longer?"
"Fifteen minutes at most... Why? Are you scared?"
"I'm worried about you."
"I've even been to Jinchuan Province. It's not like this place could be any more dangerous than that."
Lao Bai wore a helpless expression. "Hard to say."
There were no mutants or marauders here, but in return, the local mutated beasts were everywhere, each more ferocious than the last. He couldn't be sure what they might run into next.
Crouched on the ground, Chen Yutong suddenly looked up, blinking at him.
"Still, I trust you."
"..." Lao Bai stared at her in surprise, at a loss for words.
And in that brief moment of his daze, she had completed the collection of a sample.
Carefully slotting the test tube into the groove inside the toolkit, Chen Yutong snapped the case shut briskly, stood up, and looked at him with a beaming smile. "Let's go. On to the next spot."
"...Don't run off on your own. Send me the coordinates and stay behind me."
Hearing his stern tone, Chen Yutong couldn't help smiling faintly. "Understood. Don't worry, I won't make trouble for you."
As she spoke, she tapped her VM twice with her index finger, quickly syncing the coordinates to Lao Bai's VM.
Checking his tactical visor, Lao Bai confirmed the coordinates were roughly twenty meters away. He gestured for his teammates to flank them while he took the lead to carve a path forward.
The rustling sounds in the jungle kept his nerves taut, yet Chen Yutong, trailing behind him, seemed completely fearless, even sharing her observations along the way over the comms channel.
"I heard the forest here has self-healing properties... That largely matches the analytical findings from our Institute of Biological Research. Just as we predicted, this rainforest isn't a simple forest; it's a living entity formed by the fusion of Planet Gaia species and Earth species."
Lao Bai asked, "Fusion?"
"That's right."
Gazing at the dense woods on both sides and the sunlight filtering through the canopy, Chen Yutong narrowed her eyes inquisitively and continued in a light tone.
"...You won't find similar examples in Earth's ecosystems. We suspect this is an ecological phenomenon unique to Planet Gaia, where species share their evolutionary gains with one another rather than engaging in the widespread competition seen on Earth. This might be because they all evolved from the same primordial cell, or perhaps—there's another possibility—they were originally an exceptionally advanced civilization that ultimately achieved an ascension in the species sense, guided by their civilizational ideals and understanding of life."
Lao Bai glanced back at her uncomprehendingly.
Her words contained concepts he didn't grasp.
Yet Chen Yutong didn't stop to explain, continuing breezily, "The only thing we're currently unsure of is whether this rainforest possesses an autonomous consciousness, much like the broodmother in Qingquan City."
"Ever since entering this forest, I've had a premonition that the key to resolving the Na fruit crisis lies right here. I don't agree with burning the entirety of Haiya Province to ash. Since it's a problem in the biological domain, we should seek a biological solution... Trust me, I can find that key. Just give me some time."
Lao Bai tried to parse her meaning, but after pondering for quite a while without making heads or tails of it, he gave up and shook his head.
"I don't understand any of that, but if you need help, just let me know... Also, just like in Jinchuan Province, stay close to me on sorties. Don't act on your own."
Chen Yutong curved her lips. "Got it, I'll stay close... Oh, by the way, did you record what I just said?"
Lao Bai blinked in surprise. "The action recorder? It's always running."
Nodding in satisfaction, Chen Yutong broke into a radiant smile. "That's good. In case I forget one day, keep it for me."
Reading the free-spirited nature behind that smile, Lao Bai shook his head and turned to keep walking ahead.
"Remember it yourself," he said. "I won't let it come to that."
Chapter 673