Even Xin Wan, hiding on the speedboat, couldn’t help but chuckle. ’The world had ended in a flood, and there are still cringey, wannabe-tough-guy teens like this around?’
Judging by Tattooed Haonan’s voice, he couldn’t be very old.
Seeing that he was staying put with no intention of leaving, Ren Yuanyang pondered for a moment before speaking. "Alright, patrol the area for me for three days. After that, we’ll be even."
Free labor had just presented itself. It would be a waste not to use it.
More importantly, Ren Yuanyang didn’t want to keep going back and forth with this wannabe-tough-guy teen.
"No problem! Three days it is!" Tattooed Haonan agreed readily.
"Stay at a safe distance of at least ten meters," Ren Yuanyang reminded him again.
"Got it!" Tattooed Haonan replied.
"That nickname is a bit much. What’s your real name?" Ren Yuanyang asked.
"Qin Haonan."
As they spoke, Lu Jiamei had already pulled back the plastic tub used for the trade.
When she saw the two limp "saplings," her lip twitched.
"Boss, I think these are just two weeds, not saplings at all!" Lu Jiamei said, exasperated, as she took the two "saplings" out of the plastic tub.
Ren Yuanyang finally got a clear look at the saplings Qin Haonan had brought, and a system notification sounded at the same time.
[Two kiwifruit seedlings discovered, one male and one female...]
Ren Yuanyang immediately checked the system message. After reading it, he was a bit stunned. ’Kiwifruit doesn’t grow on trees?’
According to the system, the kiwifruit seedlings were vines, just like grapes.
In the distance, Qin Haonan saw Ren Yuanyang and the others studying the saplings he had found. He called out, a little sheepishly, "Their leaves looked pretty big, so I thought they were saplings. If they’re not, I can give you one of the fish back!"
Hearing Qin Haonan’s words, Ren Yuanyang laughed and replied, "No need. I’ll take any plants I can get, and these two are actually very useful to me."
Qin Haonan was taken aback for a second, then nodded. "Thank you, Boss!"
At his side, Lu Jiamei asked in a low voice, "Are these limp little things really useful?"
As she spoke, Lu Jiamei gave them a little shake. The "saplings" couldn’t stand up at all, flopping from one side to the other like willow branches.
Ren Yuanyang replied, "They’re kiwifruit seedlings. You tell me, are they useful?"
Lu Jiamei froze for a moment, then her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Yes, very useful! Being adrift at sea for long periods, we need to supplement with vitamin C, or we’ll get scurvy!"
As everyone knows, kiwifruit is extremely high in vitamin C!
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly.
Lu Jiamei looked at the limp seedlings in her hand, confused. "Don’t kiwis grow on trees?"
Ren Yuanyang had no choice but to explain it to her all over again.
Lu Jiamei had a sudden realization and said she’d learned something new!
Meanwhile, Qin Haonan had started to process the Cannibal Fish he’d received. He had a very sharp machete, and he was preparing to use it to gut the fish.
Since Qin Haonan had brought them two kiwifruit seedlings, Ren Yuanyang offered a piece of advice. "Just throw away whatever is inside the Cannibal Fish’s stomach!"
Qin Haonan was taken aback. ’Food is so precious right now. Even the organs should be good enough to fill one’s stomach!’
"The Cannibal Fish have stomachs full of filth. That stuff is not fit for consumption," Ren Yuanyang continued.
Hearing this, Qin Haonan nodded. "Okay, I’ll throw out all the guts!"
’Although he didn’t know what kind of filth Ren Yuanyang was talking about, since the Boss had warned him repeatedly, it must be something nasty.’
’Best to listen to the Boss!’
Without even looking, Qin Haonan scooped out the guts and tossed them away. But as soon as he threw them, he regretted it.
It wasn’t because he felt it was a waste, but because he suddenly realized the discarded guts might attract other carnivorous fish.
He had even fought an evolved giant black fish in the water before, so he knew just how powerful carnivorous fish could be.
’That was a bit impulsive!’ Qin Haonan silently chided himself. Then he immediately reported to Ren Yuanyang, "Boss, I wasn’t thinking! I threw the guts straight into the water. It might attract carnivorous fish! I’m sorry!"
"It’s fine. If you really do attract carnivorous fish, you can move within ten meters of us, but no closer than six," Ren Yuanyang replied nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Qin Haonan was completely stunned. ’The meaning behind Ren Yuanyang’s words was obvious—they weren’t worried about carnivorous fish at all. It seemed that as long as he stayed within ten meters of the Boss, he would be protected?’
Although he didn’t know why Ren Yuanyang was so confident, Qin Haonan didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he replied, "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Boss!"
After rinsing the Cannibal Fish clean in the rainwater, Qin Haonan cut off a small piece and popped it into his mouth.
He had expected raw fish to taste disgusting, but it wasn’t that bad. Of course, it wasn’t exactly delicious either, but it was tolerable.
He ate a few more pieces of raw fish, and the gnawing emptiness in his stomach finally subsided.
Then he picked up a flat wooden stick and began paddling his raft, fulfilling his promise to patrol the area around Ren Yuanyang’s group.
Seeing him get moving, Lu Jiamei said in a low voice, "He doesn’t look very old. It’s impressive that he’s managed to survive this long."
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Indeed. If he proves loyal enough, I wouldn’t mind recruiting him into our group."
Ren Yuanyang’s ability was only to strengthen plants, and many of these strengthened plants couldn’t move on their own, at least not for now.
For example, the Iron Melon Tree wouldn’t actively hurl its Iron Melons at enemies.
Therefore, he needed more team members, and a member’s loyalty was the number one thing to consider.
"From what we’ve seen so far, he doesn’t seem like the scheming type. Still, we’ll need to observe him for a few days. Who knows if he’s just putting on an act," Lu Jiamei replied.
"True. But it’s not even certain he’d want to join us," Ren Yuanyang said with a smile.
Lu Jiamei pursed her lips. "Anyone who isn’t an idiot would be begging to join our team!"
Ren Yuanyang’s ability ensured their team would never lack food. That alone was enough to attract any survivor!
Not to mention, they now had exploding Iron Melons that could intimidate other survivors.
Food and safety—it was the combination every survivor dreamed of.
"That’s normally the case, but who can say what a cringey kid like him is thinking?" Ren Yuanyang said, shaking his head with a smile.
Lu Jiamei was taken aback for a moment, then she too gave a wry smile.
"With him on patrol, you should go get some rest," Ren Yuanyang instructed.
"Yes, Boss!" Lu Jiamei replied and headed for the speedboat.
Next, Ren Yuanyang returned to his routine: strengthening plants, recovering his Mental Energy, and then strengthening them some more.
While strengthening the Iron Melon Seeds and the kiwifruit seedlings, Ren Yuanyang discovered that the smaller the target of the enhancement, the less Mental Energy it consumed.
Previously, strengthening a single Iron Melon Tree would completely drain his Mental Energy, but strengthening the seeds was much easier.
In a single morning, Ren Yuanyang managed to strengthen the Iron Melon Tree’s seeds in three different ways!
Growth speed, fruiting speed, and the fruit’s explosive power.
Even so, with his current Mental Energy, Ren Yuanyang could still continue strengthening them.
’The growth speed still needs to be a bit faster,’ Ren Yuanyang muttered, getting up and walking toward the speedboat.

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