"I’m not going to argue with you about responsibility. All I know is, I demand an adequate water supply!"
"Damn it, I’m begging the base to kick all these assholes out! They’re just going to turn this place into a chaotic mess!"
"Who the hell are you calling an asshole?!"
BANG! A gunshot rang out, instantly stopping the two men who were about to start fighting.
A soldier holding a rifle walked over and addressed the instigator stirring up discontent. "You’re suspected of disrupting public order. Please come with us."
The man immediately lost his nerve. "I was just expressing my opinion! What about freedom of speech? You can’t arrest me!"
The soldier said coldly, "Please come with us."
At the same time, he aimed his rifle at the man.
The man obediently left his small boat and was escorted away by the soldier.
"The leadership should’ve done that a long time ago!"
"Maybe the leadership was just observing, seeing who the real parasites are and who are just big fools being stirred up!"
"That must be it! I hope those big fools learn their lesson!"
The survivors who had been incited by the arrested man began to worry. ’Will the leadership think we did this on purpose?’
Just then, a group of survivors started their engines, left the Aircraft Carrier Base, and sailed off into the distance.
"Captain, should we go after the survivors who left?" his aide asked with a frown.
"There’s no need. If we go after them, they’ll just scatter. We can’t waste fuel on such inconsequential people." Wang Jun shook his head decisively. "Just flag them and let them go."
The ones leaving the base were all in various small, fuel-powered boats. If they were in human-powered boats, they wouldn’t have chosen to leave now.
Chasing these motorboats, even with speedboats, would take some time. The Aircraft Carrier Base’s fuel supply wasn’t exactly plentiful right now, and Wang Jun would rather use it for trading with the Peach Blossom Base.
Besides, Wang Jun was also curious to see if these people would truly find a better life by defecting to the Xi’an Base.
’Choosing to be dogs instead of decent people.’
’I wonder if these dogs will have any kibble left to eat, or if they’ll be eaten by their new masters?’
"Yes, sir!" the aide replied.
The escaped survivors were surprised to find that the Aircraft Carrier Base didn’t send anyone after them.
"Excellent! We don’t need to split up. If we all go to the Xi’an Base together, we might be able to secure greater benefits!"
"Boss, do you think the Xi’an Base might be lying to us?"
"Impossible. I’ll be straight with you. Before the flood, I worked with them many times. They always kept their word and wired me the funds for our activities, never once going back on their promise."
"Boss, you must’ve made a lot, huh?"
"Not that much. Just a few million Sea Eagle Coins."
"Doesn’t that work out to tens of millions of Dragon Coins? Is it really that profitable?"
"My cut is just a drop in the bucket. Every year, the Sea Eagle Country spends at least two billion Dragon Coins on their propaganda war to divide and slander the Dragon Country. What I made is just pocket change."
"Boss, you’re amazing! I’m sticking with you from now on!"
"Don’t worry! Stick with me and you’ll live the good life! If my handlers hadn’t ordered me to stay at the Aircraft Carrier Base, I wouldn’t be here suffering like this."
After that group left, the Aircraft Carrier Base did indeed quiet down, but the weather remained hot, and everyone was still drenched in sweat.
The Aircraft Carrier Base only provided two hundred milliliters of purified water when people were on the verge of collapse. Although most were still thirsty, they survived.
That night in the Peach Blossom Base, Lin Mu and the others slept fitfully. Waking up from the heat, they would chug a stomachful of water before lying back down on their beds.
Si Youqin and the others, however, chose to return to the yacht. With the air conditioning regulating the temperature, they slept soundly.
Ren Yuanyang’s room had several buckets of ice, making the temperature quite pleasant.
The next day, after Ren Yuanyang woke up, he began to practice according to the Cultivation Technique described in the Daoist Scripture.
It was his first time attempting Cultivation, and to his surprise, he quickly entered the state.
Holding the Essence and Guarding the One, Breathing and Guiding, Qi Circulation and God Storage...
Suddenly, a knock echoed from the door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Chief, it’s time for breakfast!"
Lu Jiamei’s voice came from outside the door.
Ren Yuanyang stopped his Cultivation, his brow furrowing slightly. ’Is it time to eat already?’
He muttered to himself as he took out his phone and glanced at the time. His eyes widened in shock.
9:00 AM!
Ren Yuanyang felt as if he had only been cultivating for a short while—ten minutes at most—but four hours had actually passed!
He checked his Mental Energy again and was thrilled to discover that his control range had increased from just over one meter to more than two meters!
"Chief, are you awake?" Lu Jiamei’s voice called out again from outside.
"I’m awake!" Ren Yuanyang answered, getting up and heading out.
"Have you all eaten yet?" Ren Yuanyang asked as he walked toward the dining room.
"Not yet. We were all waiting for you," Lu Jiamei replied.
As they spoke, the two arrived at the dining room. Seeing Hua Lingfang and the others all waiting for him, he said, "From now on, you can all eat first. You don’t have to wait for me."
"Alright, Chief!" everyone replied in unison.
Qin Haonan immediately asked, full of curiosity, "Chief, did you not sleep well because of the heat yesterday? I’ve never seen you sleep in this late!"
"We should put a couple more buckets of ice in your room today," Xin Wan suggested from the side.
Ren Yuanyang paused for a moment, then shook his head. "It’s not that I didn’t sleep well. I was just cultivating and lost track of time."
"Cultivation? A sleeping technique?" Qin Haonan asked, his face full of curiosity.
Ren Yuanyang rolled his eyes. "While there are sleeping techniques in the Daoist Scriptures, that’s not what I was practicing this morning. It was a different Cultivation Technique."
"Can you really practice those Cultivation Techniques?" Qin Haonan’s curiosity grew.
"Of course. But you have to really study the Cultivation Techniques," Ren Yuanyang replied. "By the way, did you do any reading this morning?"
Hearing this, Qin Haonan quickly took a sip of his congee and began to report, "Chief, last night the Banyan Forest expanded by sixteen plots. The effect is significant!"
Ren Yuanyang shook his head and said earnestly, "These Daoist Scriptures are incredibly useful. Just by cultivating this morning, my Mental Energy control range has already reached two meters. If you want to increase your Mental Energy quickly, you absolutely must learn to cultivate!"
"Your Mental Energy doubled just like that?" Qin Haonan’s eyes widened.
For the past few days, he had been constantly using his awakened Superpower, but his Mental Energy increased at a snail’s pace—maybe only two or three centimeters a day. Yet Ren Yuanyang had cultivated for just one morning and gained a whole meter!
’If he cultivated for a whole day, couldn’t he gain three or four meters?’
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "You could say that. Although it’s possible the effect is stronger the first time you cultivate, it’s enough to prove these Cultivation Techniques are useful. So, are you still going to resist studying these scriptures?"
Qin Haonan nodded, looking like a martyr bravely facing his doom. "Fine, I’ll study!"
Ren Yuanyang then looked at the others. "That goes for all of you. You must study them well and practice Cultivation whenever you have time. That’s how everyone’s strength will improve quickly."
"Yes, Chief!" Lu Jiamei and the others replied in unison.
After breakfast, Ren Yuanyang went out to check on the Banyan Forest’s expansion. Along the way, he ran into Tu Chong and his group, who were all sporting dark circles under their eyes.
"What happened to you? Were you out catting around last night?" Ren Yuanyang asked, looking puzzled.
Tu Chong replied helplessly, "It was too hot. We didn’t sleep well. But it absolutely won’t interfere with today’s work!"
Ren Yuanyang was taken aback. "Didn’t I have Jiamei tell you that you could go rest on the yacht?"
"We felt we could bear it, so none of us went over," Tu Chong replied, scratching his head.
Ren Yuanyang rolled his eyes. "You’re just making things harder for yourselves for no reason."
But he instantly understood their way of thinking and continued, "As long as you’re loyal to the base and work hard, you should enjoy the perks when they’re offered. You don’t have to endure hardship just to prove your loyalty."
Ren Yuanyang paused before adding, "After all, you can only work better for the base when you’re well-rested."
Tu Chong and the others immediately bowed gratefully. "Yes, Chief! We understand!"
"Make sure you catch up on some sleep at noon," Ren Yuanyang said as he continued toward the perimeter.
Tu Chong and the others were so moved their eyes welled up with tears.
"What did we ever do to deserve a leader like the Chief!"
"Yeah, first we met Lord Yu, who helped us survive. Now we’ve met the Chief, who’s helping us live even better! I feel more and more fortunate."
"There’s nothing more to say. Let’s just work hard for the Chief! If anyone dares to oppose the Peach Blossom Base, I’ll fucking fight them to the death!"
Despite not sleeping well, Tu Chong and the others were now fired up with excitement.
Ren Yuanyang made a round of the Banyan Forest’s perimeter. Everything was normal. He then returned to the base office and sent a message to Wang Jun, asking, "Are there any signs of the toxins in the rain decreasing?"

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