"I thought something major had happened for you to be in such a panic!" someone said with a look of disdain.
The soldier had no choice but to explain, "According to pre-flood observations and past patterns, this was already supposed to be a year of frequent interstellar activity. We can’t directly observe it now, so we can only make deductions by monitoring geomagnetic conditions. That means we’re reacting with a delay. If a high-intensity geomagnetic storm does occur, it could cause severe damage to our communication systems and electrical equipment!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Jun frowned. Though he didn’t know much about geomagnetic storms, he knew that one had historically destroyed the Sea Eagle Country’s telegraph service, caused fires, and paralyzed satellite communications for dozens of hours.
There was no need to worry about satellite communications now, of course; they’d lost contact with the satellites long ago. But the power and short-range communication systems for their aircraft carrier fleet had to be protected at all costs.
After a moment of consideration, Wang Jun gave his orders. "Even though we can’t directly observe the interstellar activity, we will treat this as a top-level alert. Have the relevant personnel prepare all necessary protections. All other work must make way for these defensive preparations!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier immediately turned and left to relay Wang Jun’s command.
"Captain, we’ve weathered geomagnetic storms before, and they didn’t seem to have much of an impact. Isn’t this a bit of an overreaction?" someone raised an objection.
Wang Jun shook his head. "The situation on Blue Star is different now. We have to prepare for the worst with everything we do. What’s more, if our communication and power systems are truly damaged, our current stock of spare parts likely isn’t enough for a full repair."
Everyone nodded. Their productivity was now extremely low—practically at a standstill. Every spare part they used was one they couldn’t replace.
"Everyone is to cooperate with the protective measures. I won’t be lenient with anyone who dares to drag their feet," Wang Jun said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across the room.
"Yes, Captain!" everyone responded in unison.
"You’re all dismissed," Wang Jun said with a wave of his hand, ending the meeting.
An aide immediately stepped forward and handed him a phone. "Captain, Tattooed Haonan just tried to contact you."
Slightly taken aback, Wang Jun took the phone.
"Captain Wang, it’s been a while. How is the research on the Evolution Potion coming along?"
Seeing the message from Qin Haonan, Wang Jun considered it for a moment before replying, "We’re making progress, but it will likely take some more time."
"We’ve made a few discoveries on our end. I was wondering if Captain Wang would be interested in hearing about them?" Qin Haonan continued, following Ren Yuanyang’s instructions.
"Of course!" Wang Jun replied instantly.
Ren Yuanyang had him explain their finding: that consuming the flesh of evolved creatures could enhance a person’s physical constitution.
’Even if he didn’t tell them now, Wang Jun’s people were bound to discover this sooner or later. He might as well tell him now and earn a favor.’
Wang Jun frowned slightly. "Are you certain about this conclusion?"
"Every survivor at our base who has consumed the flesh of evolved creatures has shown physical enhancement to varying degrees." Ren Yuanyang’s reply was precise.
Hua Lingfang and his grandson, having just arrived, were not included in this. Everyone else had been eating the evolved crocodile meat for some time and had all experienced various degrees of physical enhancement.
Ren Yuanyang had eaten the most, and his physical improvement was the most significant.
Wang Jun nodded. "Alright, I’ll have our lab look into this."
After a brief pause, Wang Jun continued, "In that case, I’ll share some intel with you as well. We’ve detected fluctuations in Blue Star’s magnetic field. We might be in for a geomagnetic storm!"
"A geomagnetic storm? You mean the kind that can fry electronics?" Ren Yuanyang was stunned.
"That’s right," Wang Jun replied, a hint of resignation in his tone. "We have no way of directly observing the interstellar activity now, so we can only confirm it by monitoring Blue Star’s magnetic field."
"If a geomagnetic storm really hits, wouldn’t all our devices with electronic components be completely disabled?" Ren Yuanyang frowned.
In truth, a geomagnetic storm wouldn’t have a major impact on Ren Yuanyang’s group, as they weren’t heavily reliant on electronics. However, the induction stoves and rice cookers they used for cooking did contain electronic components.
If those were to break, cooking would become a bit more of a hassle.
Of course, they had a backup plan. With plenty of fuel on hand, they could always cook over an open flame.
"If the storm is particularly intense, yes, that’s what will happen. But you can take some precautions. For instance, turn off any electronics you aren’t using, especially high-power appliances. You can also use electromagnetic shielding to protect critical equipment," Wang Jun replied.
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Thank you for the warning. The main reason I contacted you was to propose a trade."
Wang Jun paused, then asked with a frown, "What kind of trade?"
"We’d like to trade Cherry Tomatoes for some custom-made tools," Ren Yuanyang stated.
"What kind of tools?" Wang Jun asked.
"Just the common ones—axes, saws, and so on. The things you need for carpentry," Ren Yuanyang replied.
The Aircraft Carrier Base did, in fact, have such tools, and they were all sitting idle. They mostly went unused because more advanced equipment was available, so nobody bothered with the manual ones.
"So, what are your terms for the exchange?" Wang Jun asked.
"I’ll send you a list shortly. If you can provide all the tools on it, I’ll trade you one hundred kilograms of Cherry Tomatoes," Ren Yuanyang replied.
"One hundred kilograms? Are they all fresh?" Wang Jun asked, surprised.
"Of course," Ren Yuanyang confirmed.
Wang Jun didn’t hesitate for a second. "Alright. Send over the list. It would be best if you could specify the basic parameters for each item."
The woodworking tools Ren Yuanyang needed weren’t difficult to make; the Aircraft Carrier Base certainly had the capability to produce them.
’Most importantly, the fact that they could offer a hundred kilograms of fresh Cherry Tomatoes at once meant they must have an evolved plant. Its evolution most likely favored rapid growth and high yield; otherwise, it would be impossible to harvest so many so quickly.’
’As long as we get our hands on the evolved fruit, the base can cultivate its own evolved plants. Then the Aircraft Carrier Base can grow Cherry Tomatoes in large quantities.’
This was the real reason Wang Jun had agreed so decisively.
Ren Yuanyang immediately had Hua Lingfang list the tools he needed, and Qin Haonan began typing them into the chat.
All sorts of hammers, saws, planes, files, chisels, sanding tools, and more—Hua Lingfang listed over fifty different items.
"That should be about it," Hua Lingfang said after scanning the list one last time to make sure nothing was missing.
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly and instructed, "Tell Wang Jun we need three of each tool."
Everyone was stunned.
"Boss, isn’t that asking for too much? What if they call off the trade?" Qin Haonan asked, worried.
"He won’t refuse," Ren Yuanyang said with a slight, confident smile.

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