"If storms come, most of the survivors will probably die," Xin Wan said worriedly. "Even small boats like ours have an extremely limited ability to withstand storms!"
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "That’s why we need to find a way to protect ourselves before the storms hit."
"That’s too difficult. The entire Blue Star is a vast ocean now. There isn’t even a single safe harbor..."
Although Lu Jiamei didn’t finish her sentence, Ren Yuanyang understood what she meant.
"Don’t be so pessimistic, everyone. We should still have time. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it," Ren Yuanyang said comfortingly.
Lu Jiamei composed herself and chimed in, "That’s right. We’re only seeing some faint ripples now. It’ll take time for them to turn into storms. Maybe things will calm down again in a couple of days!"
Even as she said it, she didn’t really believe her own words. She had never been to sea, but she’d heard how unpredictable ocean weather could be. Three months of calm was already a miracle; it couldn’t possibly last.
"These are things we can’t control, so let’s not worry too much. We can only do our best to improve ourselves. That’s the only way we might survive the coming storms," Ren Yuanyang said in a low voice.
Lu Jiamei and Xin Wan nodded.
"Sort out the watch schedule for tonight. Whoever isn’t on duty should get some proper rest," Ren Yuanyang ordered, then stood up and left with his phone.
"Can we really find a way to survive the storms?" Xin Wan still couldn’t help but worry.
Lu Jiamei shook her head. "I don’t know. But what I do know is that if we can’t survive here with the Boss, then there’s nowhere else we can survive."
As for seeking refuge on a large ship, Lu Jiamei hadn’t even considered it. She had escaped from one.
Right now, their future was a matter of life or death. But if they went to a large ship, it would most likely be a fate worse than death.
Xin Wan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
"But I believe in the Boss. He’ll definitely find a way to fight the storms!" Lu Jiamei said with a faint smile, her faith bordering on blind adoration.
At that moment, the object of this blind adoration, Ren Yuanyang, was tossing and turning in his container, unable to sleep.
He was just as worried about the potential storms.
’How can I fight the storms?’
The Duckweed would just drift with the current. The bitter grass lacked a fixed anchor and couldn’t secure their container and boats.
Even if there was something to hold onto, it was uncertain how much of a storm the bitter grass’s runners could withstand.
’Should I use a forest? A massive root system gripping the surrounding water, acting like solid ground to block the wind and hold everything in place?’
’Setting aside whether that’s even possible, it would require a huge number of Iron Melon Trees to form a forest capable of fighting the storms.’
He had a limited number of Iron Melon Trees right now. Even if he picked all the Iron Melons and strengthened their seeds, he would need a vast amount of Mental Energy to quickly grow a large number of Iron Melon Trees.
Ren Yuanyang was currently strengthening the Iron Melon Seeds, trying to plant more Iron Melon Trees, but he needed time.
"This is such a headache!" Ren Yuanyang rubbed his forehead and sat up. ’I should just use up all my Mental Energy so I don’t overthink things.’
Every time his Mental Energy was depleted, he would become exhausted and fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
The potato chunks he harvested today had three eyes, which could be divided into three separate plants.
Since the potato yield was already decent, Ren Yuanyang prioritized strengthening their growth speed.
[Strengthening successful.]
[Potato (+2): Growth speed has been strengthened twice. Growth cycle reduced to 20 days...]
Having just exhausted his Mental Energy before dinner, Ren Yuanyang hadn’t fully recovered yet. After strengthening all three eyes twice in one go, his Mental Energy was nearly depleted.
Rubbing his forehead, Ren Yuanyang collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
The night was exceptionally calm, and Ren Yuanyang slept until morning.
It was the first time he had slept until he woke up naturally, and he felt great. He got up, walked out of the container, and a gentle breeze made him feel even more refreshed.
But then his expression tightened. ’A breeze? The wind is actually picking up!’
Before, he could only feel the falling rain, never the wind. The appearance of a breeze was not a good sign.
Ren Yuanyang easily vaulted onto the roof of the container. When Lu Jiamei saw him come up, she immediately walked over and greeted him, "Boss, good morning!"
"Morning," Ren Yuanyang replied. "Has it been windy all night?"
At the mention of it, Lu Jiamei’s expression turned grave. "It’s been on and off. The situation isn’t optimistic."
"Mm, I see. How did Qin Haonan do last night?" Ren Yuanyang continued to ask.
"He patrolled about ten meters away from us for the second half of the night. He didn’t use the propeller, just rowed by hand," Lu Jiamei replied. "He did pretty well."
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "After breakfast, give him two hours to rest. Then have him take the boat out and move around our area. In addition to patrolling, he needs to search for supplies, especially plants."
"Yes, I’ll go get him right now," Lu Jiamei replied in a serious tone.
Ren Yuanyang turned and went back into the container. He strengthened the Iron Melon Seeds again. This time, just five Iron Melon Seeds consumed all of his Mental Energy.
[Iron Melon Seed (+6): Growth cycle strengthened five times, matures into a tree in six days. Fruiting speed strengthened once, time from flowering to ripe fruit shortened to four days...]
After finishing the strengthening process, Ren Yuanyang didn’t hold onto the seeds but planted them immediately.
He planted the Iron Melon Seeds around the container, using the runners of the bitter grass to hold them in place so they wouldn’t sink.
"Boss, breakfast is ready!" Lu Jiamei’s voice came from the speedboat.
"Okay, I’m on my way!" Ren Yuanyang called back and headed over.
When he arrived on the speedboat, Lu Jiamei was handing a bowl of congee to Qin Haonan.
"Boss, good morning!" Qin Haonan greeted Ren Yuanyang as soon as he saw him.
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Mm. Did Lu Jiamei tell you about today’s task?"
"She did. I don’t really need a break, I’m well-rested from last night," Qin Haonan replied.
"You still need to rest. You’ll be in better shape for the upcoming tasks if you’re well-rested," Ren Yuanyang said, shaking his head.
"Yes, I understand," Qin Haonan said, no longer insisting.
"Alright, eat your breakfast," Ren Yuanyang said before turning and walking into the speedboat’s cabin.
Qin Haonan took the bowl of congee and noticed some kind of powder mixed in. He paused for a moment.
"It’s just crumbled compressed biscuits," Lu Jiamei explained.
"Oh, I see!" Qin Haonan realized. Then he asked cautiously, "Sister Mei, are we running low on food?"
Lu Jiamei paused, then smiled and asked in return, "Why? Is this not enough for you?"
"No, that’s not it. If food is scarce, you can halve my portion," Qin Haonan said, shaking his head quickly to explain.
Looking at his sincere expression, Lu Jiamei laughed. "Don’t worry. Our Boss is very capable. You won’t eat him out of house and home!"

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