"Boss, breakfast is ready!" Xin Wan’s voice called out from the speedboat.
Ren Yuanyang answered and hurried over.
Just like last night, a whole slab of crocodile meat sat in front of Ren Yuanyang, while Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan each had a bowl of plain porridge.
Ren Yuanyang didn’t say much. He sliced off two pieces of crocodile meat and gave one to each of them.
"Thanks, Boss!" Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan said with a smile.
Ren Yuanyang waved his hand. "Let’s eat."
"Boss, I asked Xin Wan yesterday. She said she doesn’t have particularly good hearing, but last night was clearly different. Do you think she’s evolved?" Lu Jiamei asked after taking a slurp of her porridge.
Ren Yuanyang paused for a moment, then nodded. "That’s definitely a possibility!"
"I don’t know if I’m just imagining it, but I feel like my own energy levels have improved a lot, too," Lu Jiamei continued. "Before, if I worked a night shift, I’d have to sleep during the day to make up for it. But now, I feel like I don’t need to at all."
Xin Wan chimed in, "It could also be that we’re just eating better here!"
Lu Jiamei paused, then nodded with a smile. "That’s true!"
Xin Wan’s comment sparked a thought in Ren Yuanyang’s mind. "Could it be that the meat from the evolved crocodile is enhancing your bodies?"
Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan stared at him, stunned.
"But we only started eating it yesterday, and we just had one piece," Xin Wan said with a frown. "Could the effects really be that noticeable?"
She had even thrown up half of hers.
Ren Yuanyang mulled it over for a moment before offering his analysis. "The effects of something potent are always most obvious the first time. After you’ve had it more, the benefits might not be as great. I couldn’t strengthen the Iron Melon Tree during the day yesterday, but I could by nighttime. That alone proves how significant the effects are!"
"That’s a real possibility!" Lu Jiamei nodded in agreement. "And when we dodged that gunshot last night, it might have been because the evolved crocodile meat improved my reflexes and agility!"
The distance hadn’t been great for that shot last night. Ren Yuanyang had even been using a flashlight, which helped the shooter aim, so the chances of them missing weren’t high.
"If that’s the case, then you two should eat the same thing as me from now on," Ren Yuanyang said. "We’ll all be safer and have a better chance of survival if your abilities are enhanced."
"The Boss is right," Lu Jiamei replied with a smile. "But we don’t necessarily need to eat that much. Let’s just add a little more each meal to see what happens. We can use it as a chance to figure out the effects of meat from evolved animals on regular people."
"That works," Ren Yuanyang agreed, then asked, "By the way, Xin Wan, do you have a toolbox on the speedboat?"
Xin Wan shook her head with a wry smile. "No. I never thought the rain would last this long. Plus, I don’t know the first thing about mechanics or electrical systems, so a toolbox never even crossed my mind."
It was already impressive enough that Xin Wan had managed to custom-order a speedboat and stock three months’ worth of food.
Ren Yuanyang felt a little helpless. A toolbox would have made it easier for them to make modifications, but now they could only stare uselessly. It’s not like they could tighten screws with their fingernails.
"Oh, right. Those survivors we scared off with explosions last night have already spread the word online that we have grenades," Ren Yuanyang said, sharing the intelligence he’d gathered from the regional channel. "So, smaller boats probably won’t come and bother us, but we can’t say the same for larger ships."
Hearing this, Lu Jiamei frowned. "Doesn’t that put us in even more danger?"
Xin Wan, who was beside her, also looked at Ren Yuanyang with worry.
"It does, but you don’t need to worry too much," Ren Yuanyang began his analysis. "We’re just three small boats. Even if we were packed with weapons, it wouldn’t be much. Any large ship wanting to rob us would have to consider if it’s worth it. If they send a small boat, they might not be able to defeat us. If they send a large ship and we only have a few grenades, they’d have wasted a ton of fuel for nothing. The potential loss outweighs the gain! But," he added, "we do need to focus on getting stronger. We can’t just hope no one decides to attack us."
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly. "You’re right. Boss, does that mean you need to produce more Iron Melons?"
Ren Yuanyang rolled his eyes. "You think I don’t want to? My Mental Energy is only enough to strengthen the Iron Melon Tree once right now. Last night’s strengthening didn’t increase the tree’s fruiting speed. To strengthen it again, my Mental Energy will have to double!"
Ren Yuanyang was being so clear to make sure they understood the reality of their situation and didn’t grow overconfident just because they had the Iron Melons.
After last night’s battle, their relationship had grown closer. This was the first time Ren Yuanyang had used the word "strengthen" in front of them, and the first time he had openly admitted to his ability.
Of course, even if he hadn’t said anything, Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan had already figured out the gist of his ability through observation.
But for him to say it out loud represented a new level of trust.
After hearing his explanation, the two women didn’t get too hung up on the word "strengthen." To them, being strengthened in some way was just another form of evolution.
"Looks like the Boss needs to eat more crocodile meat, then!" Lu Jiamei said with a nod. Then, a thought struck her and she immediately asked, "What about the crocodile blood? Has it been dealt with?"
"It’s been handled. I’ve already got it soaking with rice. I’m making crocodile blood and rice porridge for the Boss for lunch!" Xin Wan replied. "I was supposed to use glutinous rice, but we don’t have any, so I’m making do with regular rice."
"Don’t worry," Ren Yuanyang said with a smile. "We’ll have everything we need eventually."
Xin Wan nodded firmly.
Just as they were eating breakfast, aboard the Dawn Cruise, the personnel monitoring the regional channel had already reported that Ren Yuanyang’s group had grenades.
"According to the coordinates provided by Black Dragon, it must be that large wooden crate we spotted before. We didn’t expect them to have a speedboat, too!" the reporting crewman added.
After hearing the report, the captain put down his bowl in surprise. The congee inside was so watery it could reflect his image; only when he stirred it with his chopsticks did a few grains of rice float to the surface.
"They have grenades?" the captain murmured, his eyes narrowing. "I wonder which large ship those came from."
"Should we go over and confiscate their grenades?" the crewman at his side asked tentatively.
The captain shook his head decisively. "There’s no need. We’re too far away. A group their size couldn’t possibly have that many grenades. It’s not worth a special trip!"
"Besides," the captain paused before continuing, "our ship’s weaponry is already enough to deter other vessels. Our priority right now should be finding resources and developing our agriculture. By the way, have we made any headway on researching the rainwater?"
"According to the lab’s feedback, the rainwater is full of nutrients in addition to certain unknown substances. That’s why those other survivors are able to find and grow crops in the water," the crewman replied immediately.
The captain nodded. "If that’s the case, could we build some metal grates, float them on the water, and grow crops in them?"
"We’d have to consider the external environment," the crewman analyzed with a frown. "There isn’t enough sunlight right now, and we’d also have to account for potential wind and waves. It’s been calm since the torrential rains began, but that doesn’t mean it will stay that way."
"That’s true. We’ll just have to keep planting inside the ship," the captain said, resigned. He picked up his watery congee, downed it in one go, and smacked his lips, as if savoring the faint taste of rice.

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