Wasteland Development Diary

The next day was a sunny one.

Zhou Yi rode his bicycle, taking the Rat King Nemo with him to the fields to check on the melons.

Along the way, many workers and farmers greeted him warmly.

"Chairman."

"Good day, Chairman!"

"You look to be in great spirits!"

Zhou Yi responded to each smiling face, forcing a smile until his face was stiff.

Fortunately, after moving away from the residential area, there were fewer people along the way, and the surroundings returned to natural tranquility.

Zhou Yi pedaled and said, "How are the sand rats doing lately?"

Nemo popped his head out of his pocket, wearing goggles: "Chairman, everyone is doing well. Grain production has increased, and there's also more rotten food left by humans, so the sand rats have more food to supplement their diet."

"Collaborative work is also progressing smoothly. Many sand rats have formed long-term partnerships with humans and the Black Hand Mushrooms."

"When Emerald City does cleaning, everything gets blown away, so everyone has to tidy up themselves. In Building 2, where you allowed the sand rats to enter, residents really like having the sand rats tidy up branches, straw ropes, and fallen food scraps, and clean up the small bugs that come in with people. The sand rats exchange this for mushrooms fed to them by the residents, giving them a stable source of income."

"The Black Hand Mushrooms aren't very agile when they leave the Mushroom Forest. The sand rats guide them and warn them of danger. The Black Hand Mushrooms really like the sand rats and hire them long-term with mushrooms."

"And then there are the farmlands..."

According to Nemo's description, the sand rats act as housekeepers in Emerald City, guide dogs in the Mushroom Forest, and pest control in the expanded farmlands, developing many new jobs and obtaining a lot of food.

Frequent contact with residents near Emerald City has also gradually made the image of the sand rats more positive.

Zhou Yi turned the handlebars, steering the bicycle around a pile of rocks ahead: "What about the underground projects?"

"Good and bad."

Nemo's goggles flashed green: "With the help of the Samurai Crabs, we dug out a large amount of volcanic ash from the dead volcano and put it into the farmlands here to replenish fertility."

"The construction speed of the underground pipelines is also far exceeding any previous period. Our underground water diversion is heading north from the south. Plus, there's been a lot of rain in the past two months, and the planted thorn grass has grown a lot, so there's been less deforestation. If this continues, the oasis belt will recover quickly."

"It's just that the sand rat population is growing too fast."

The Mechanized Rat's lens turned a worried red.

"The improved living environment has increased the sand rat population's desire to reproduce. A large number of pups were born this spring, forming a baby boom. The number of pups greatly exceeded my expectations, and the increase in population will cause a series of new problems."

Zhou Yi looked down at the Rat King: "Will it be troublesome if the rat population increases?"

Nemo grabbed the edge of his pocket with both paws: "In the past, the sand rats also had periods of peak population, and problems arose due to overcrowding. It may sound ridiculous, but sand rats don't actually like living too densely."

"Excessive socialization makes them anxious and leads them to take some radical and daring risks, such as settling in dangerous places. Especially the new generation of sand rats, they will settle in places where there are fewer of their kind."

"During the previous peak periods, the sand rats' final choice was to enter the depths of the underground... They would try to cross the Dead Sea and find new land to live on. This spring, the young sand rats have already started digging tunnels to cross the sea."

Zhou Yi slipped, and quickly put one foot on the ground to regain his balance.

Sand rats actually have social anxiety?

And they migrate across the Dead Sea?

Zhou Yi was puzzled: "Isn't that suicide?"

"Yes, the mortality rate is very high."

Nemo said: "There will be a lot of sediment at the bottom of the Dead Sea. Although the Dead Light energy will be absorbed and dispersed by the rock and soil layers, the Dead Light density is still much higher than on land."

"Before I met the sand rats, they lived like this. If food is scarce, the desire to reproduce will also decrease, and activity will decrease. When food is plentiful, their numbers will increase to a certain level, and they will explore other new habitats."

"What I'm more worried about is that this method may enter the Dead Sea underground, causing unpredictable consequences."

The Mechanized Rat said: "94 winters ago, sand rats dug into the depths of the Dead Sea underground, causing some Bone Fish to emerge from the underground. Fortunately, the Bone Fish were not adapted to the low-concentration Dead Light environment on the ground and quickly returned to the Dead Sea..."

"But forcibly restraining their instincts and habits will make the sand rats aggressive, and the clan will become unstable and turbulent."

Zhou Yi smiled: "Since it's a sand rat tradition, just guide them well. Designate a specific area and let them dig tunnels and migrate outwards, so that the risks can be controlled."

"Yes, Chairman."

Nemo's eyes changed from red to green: "That's indeed a good idea."

...

From Emerald City to Mushroom Forest, large tracts of land have been reclaimed. Many green seedlings are planted on the ridges between the fields. Their leaves are lush and they look like they are growing well.

Scattered farmers appear in the fields. They all look very old, with gray or thinning hair, and slightly hunched bodies. These people look similar to Zheng Tao - their actual age may be forty years old, but in the wasteland era, they are truly elderly.

These are farmers who have retired from the farming group. They have many years of experience, but their bodies no longer support them to continue high-intensity work, so they have all been dismissed by the farming group.

Zheng Tao brought them into the company's farmland to assist the agricultural machinery brothers.

In fact, Zhou Yi was worried.

This visit was mainly to see if these human farmers were useful and whether they would affect the work of the agricultural machinery brothers.

Tie Ma was watering at this time, while Tong Niu was next to a large pit, using a mechanical arm to stir manure to make fertilizer.

Zhou Yi stopped the car and walked to Tie Ma, jumping into its rear carriage.

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"Tie Ma, these farmers..."

Tie Ma worked while communicating through telepathy: "I don't like them. Human bodies are too fragile, can't withstand the wind and sun, can't maintain high-intensity work, and also get distracted and lazy..."

"But they are indeed useful, at least on this land, they know some primitive but effective methods."

"We are now using direct seeding in the open field, which has the advantage of being able to plant on a large scale, but due to soil moisture and soil covering depth issues, it is difficult to preserve seedlings, and the amount of seeds used is more than twice that of seedling cultivation."

"After observing, they fill the gravel tightly and cover the sowing holes with thinner stone slabs. These are purely local experiences, and our mastered planting technology lacks these parts."

"But I still hate them."

Tie Ma emphasized: "Slacking off is unacceptable!"

Zhou Yi could only smile awkwardly.

This agricultural machine from the Dongfanghong family said: "When I learn all their techniques, I will let them all leave! Not a single one will be left behind!"

"Okay..."

Zhou Yi thought, when the time comes, send these people to the Mushroom Forest to grow mushrooms and continue re-employment.

Anyway, there is still a large shortage of manpower in the planting industry.

Tie Ma added: "But I will also pay for learning their experience and techniques. I will also give them a tuition fee at that time. Can it be deducted from my future salary?"

"No problem."

Zhou Yi agreed readily.

Zhou Yi stayed in the farmland area all day, chatting with Nemo, Tie Ma, and Sun Chonglai next door about the company's agricultural development. The only one missing was agricultural consultant Zheng Tao, who was busy with the breeding platform and couldn't spare the time.

Everyone is optimistic about the future, because the environment required for planting has been met, and there is no shortage of funds, fertilizers, seeds, manpower, and technology.

Maogu Town is in an unprecedented period of stability.

Just as Zhou Yi was returning, the Red Falcon sent an emergency.

"Mechanized life Teddy, representing the Seventh Fleet's Qin Xie, is visiting and has arrived outside the gate wall."

"Teddy said that Qin Xie is planning to explore a God Era city ruin and has specially come to invite us to go together. It has been confirmed that there are powerful alien life forms in that ruin. If we are willing to participate, Qin Xie will assist us in capturing them."

Zhou Yi thought, as expected, there is no such thing as a free lunch.

It seems that the outside world knows that I am interested in construction life.

He summoned the Spine Hunter and flew back to Emerald City.