Hearing what Lu Jiamei said, Qin Haonan was a bit confused. "Do we really have that much food?"
"You’ll find out eventually. Don’t worry about it for now, just follow our leader’s orders!" Lu Jiamei didn’t offer any further explanation.
’Some things are better left for Ren Yuanyang to tell Qin Haonan himself. If I were to say everything, wouldn’t I be a blabbermouth!’
Qin Haonan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, I understand!"
He carried the rice porridge back under the boat’s awning. Yesterday’s leftover fish soup was already cold and reeked of fish, but he gulped it down in one go anyway.
’Since Lu Jiamei said we can’t eat the boss into poverty, there’s no need for me to save any food. I’ll eat and drink my fill so I can complete the tasks the leader has for me!’
This breakfast included compressed biscuits, and after eating, the feeling of fullness was even more intense.
This was the first time Qin Haonan had eaten his fill in the last three months!
"That feels so good!" Qin Haonan said, rubbing his stomach with a satisfied expression.
After sitting for a moment, he poured the purified water Lu Jiamei had brought into his bowl, swished it around, and drank it all down before letting out a loud, satisfied burp.
Looking at his now-clean bowl, Qin Haonan nodded in satisfaction, then got up and went outside.
’Even if I can’t go out on patrol right now, there’s no problem with standing watch at the bow!’
After Ren Yuanyang and the others finished breakfast, they saw Qin Haonan at the bow, scanning the surroundings.
"What are you looking for?" Ren Yuanyang asked curiously.
"Nothing. I’m just keeping watch here," Qin Haonan said, scratching his head with a smile.
"Weren’t you supposed to be resting?" Ren Yuanyang asked, a little exasperated.
Qin Haonan replied, "This is resting. I don’t have to row, I just have to use my eyes."
Ren Yuanyang shook his head, then changed the subject. "By the way, have you noticed the waves getting bigger?"
Qin Haonan paused, then asked doubtfully, "Have they?"
"Have you felt the wind pick up today?" Ren Yuanyang continued.
"The wind picked up? I don’t think so. Doesn’t it feel the same as always?" Qin Haonan’s confusion deepened.
’Well, this guy is completely oblivious!’
Ren Yuanyang was exasperated and had no choice but to change the subject again. "When you’re on patrol today, make sure to collect any plants you see."
"Okay, Leader!" Qin Haonan replied. "Can I start now?"
Ren Yuanyang knew that Qin Haonan probably wouldn’t be able to sleep even if he made him rest, so he replied, "Go on. Be careful. If you run into any other survivors, your priority is to come back and report it!"
"Yes, Leader!" Qin Haonan gave a clumsy salute and immediately started the outboard motor.
"Wait!" Ren Yuanyang suddenly thought of something. He touched a stalk of bitter grass tangled on the speedboat’s railing with one hand, then pointed to the water nearby and ordered, "Get them further away!"
Qin Haonan froze, then looked toward the water. At the spot Ren Yuanyang was pointing to, two corpses had floated to the surface. They were the two men who had robbed him of his supplies the day before.
’His eyes widened in surprise. The leader didn’t seem to do anything just now. How were these two, who had been dragged underwater by the Fishing Device, released?’
Despite his surprise, he immediately replied, "Right away!"
Qin Haonan found a rope, tied one end to the two bodies and the other to his boat, then steered the small craft into the distance.
’I have to patrol far away anyway. Might as well dispose of the bodies while I’m at it.’
Watching the small boat speed away, Lu Jiamei said with a smile, "He’s another one who can’t sit still, huh!"
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly and remarked, "When you can’t sit still, you keep yourself busy. It saves you from letting your mind wander."
Lu Jiamei paused for a moment, then smiled. "I don’t think he’s the type to let his mind wander, either."
"Perhaps," Ren Yuanyang said, not continuing the topic. Instead, he gave an order, "Find some spare rope. We need to build a trellis for the kiwi vines inside the shipping container today!"
The kiwi seedlings would be ready for planting after two more enhancements, so of course, the trellis needed to be prepared in advance.
"Okay!" Lu Jiamei replied, turning to go find some rope.
There were lashing hooks on the inner beams and corner posts of the shipping container, spaced about half a meter apart. With these hooks, building a trellis wouldn’t be difficult at all.
The kiwi trellis would, of course, be set up above the small paddy where they grew rice, which was a way to make full use of the space.
Lu Jiamei soon returned with a coil of rope. The two of them worked together to construct two net-like structures at heights of one-point-six and two-point-one meters.
"Isn’t it getting a bit crowded?" Lu Jiamei asked with a frown, looking at the growing number of plants inside the container.
"We have limited space for now, so this is the only way," Ren Yuanyang said with a helpless shrug. "If we put them outside, they’ll be exposed to the wind and rain, making them hard to care for. Plus, they’d be more likely to attract unwanted attention. We’ll just have to make do with the tight space for the time being."
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly. "That’s true."
After working for a while, some of Ren Yuanyang’s Mental Energy had recovered, so he began to enhance the kiwi seedlings and potatoes.
He continued to focus the enhancements on their growth speed to shorten the growth cycle. As for the yield, that would naturally increase once they could plant them more often.
Noon arrived quickly, but Qin Haonan, who had gone out on patrol, still hadn’t returned.
"Leader, you don’t think Qin Haonan took the boat and left, do you?" Xin Wan asked, frowning slightly.
"I doubt it. He has food and drink here. Where else would he find a place this good?" Ren Yuanyang shook his head.
"Do you think he ran into some trouble?" Lu Jiamei asked, also frowning.
"That’s possible. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him go so far from us," Ren Yuanyang said, also growing worried.
"So what do we do now?" Lu Jiamei asked.
"All we can do is wait. We don’t even know what direction he’s in, so rowing out to find him isn’t realistic," Ren Yuanyang replied in a heavy tone. "Let’s eat first. We’ll set his portion aside."
Xin Wan suddenly spoke up. "Can’t we just contact him on his phone?"
Ren Yuanyang froze, then slapped his forehead. "How did I not think of that? I’ve been using too much Mental Energy lately; it’s messing with my brain!"
He immediately grabbed his phone and opened the mysterious app. He and Qin Haonan had already added each other as friends when the latter had asked about Evolutionary Fish.
Ren Yuanyang found Qin Haonan’s account and sent him a message directly.
"What’s going on? It’s already noon, why aren’t you back yet?"
After sending the message, the three of them began to wait.
They waited for another half an hour, but there was no response.
"You don’t think something actually happened to him, do you?" Lu Jiamei’s voice was filled with worry.
Ren Yuanyang shook his head. "I don’t know. Let’s eat first. We can wait for news while we eat."
They finished their lunch, but still, there was no reply from Qin Haonan.
"Lu Jiamei, get on top of the shipping container and keep an eye on our surroundings. Watch for any approaching small boats," Ren Yuanyang ordered in a grave voice.
"Yes, Leader!" Lu Jiamei immediately got up and headed outside.
Ren Yuanyang stared at the chat screen on his phone, mulling over the possible reasons for the silence.
’The more I think about it, the only possibility is that Qin Haonan ran into a more advanced vessel. Otherwise, it would be difficult for any other situation to pose a threat to him!’
’But if he really had run into an advanced vessel, they should have come looking for us by now!’

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