The survivors at the Aircraft Carrier Base had stopped all activity. They were sweating even when lying perfectly still; any movement would just make them sweat more.
The amount of clean water being rationed was only enough to keep them from dying, so all they could do was lie down.
Almost everyone stared listlessly at their phones, hoping to see some good news.
The Aircraft Carrier Base hadn’t confiscated everyone’s phones, which made it easier to issue notices.
"When is this toxic rain going to end!"
"I can’t take it anymore. It’s so hot I’m going to die. I really wish I could go out and stand in the rain!"
"Man, don’t be reckless! If you accidentally get exposed to the toxins, you’ll be in deep trouble!"
"We’ve actually got it pretty good. At least the Aircraft Carrier Base is giving us clean water. Go look at the regional channel; it’s a sea of wailing over there!"
"Yeah, and the worst part is we can’t even be self-sufficient now!"
"’Self-sufficient?’ How can we produce our own clean water?"
"By ’self-sufficient,’ he means quenching your thirst with your own urine!"
"What! That’s disgusting!"
"Disgusting? The most important thing right now is to survive. When you can’t even stay alive, who gives a damn if something’s disgusting?"
"Uh, okay... I guess if you have the courage, being ’self-sufficient’ is still possible, right?"
"You wish. It’s so hot right now that most of the water in your body comes out as sweat! You produce very little urine, not enough to keep yourself alive!"
"No wonder I haven’t felt the need to pee at all today!"
"Don’t tell me you were actually considering drinking it?"
"With the water from the Aircraft Carrier Base, of course not, for now. I’m just afraid the base won’t be able to supply enough clean water for this many people!"
"Sigh... Do you guys think you can really drink as much clean water as you want at the Xi’an Base?"
"In your dreams. No base has water you can just drink freely now. All the water outside is contaminated. Every drop needs to be purified, and that has a cost. How could they possibly let everyone drink as much as they want!"
"Yeah, don’t be misled by their false advertising! The Xi’an Base is most likely just trying to lure us over there!"
"Exactly. Being worked like an animal would be bad enough, but I’m afraid it’s just some evil faction wanting to use us for experiments!"
"Forget it, I’m done talking. Just typing these few messages has me covered in sweat. I feel like I’m completely drying up. I’m so dehydrated!"
As the survivors of the Aircraft Carrier Base fretted, Ji Yizhi and his team were already nearing the trade point.
"Captain, have some water." A soldier at his side handed him a bottle.
Ji Yizhi took it, had a small sip, and then handed it back.
They hadn’t brought much clean water on this mission, so they needed to conserve it.
"How much longer until we reach the trade point?" Ji Yizhi asked, licking his somewhat dry lips.
"About twenty minutes, Captain!"
Ji Yizhi nodded slightly. ’We’re finally almost there.’
Another ten minutes passed, and the team from the Aircraft Carrier Base spotted four speedboats waiting at the designated trade location.
"Reporting, Captain! Four speedboats spotted at the target location!"
Upon receiving his subordinate’s report, Ji Yizhi’s brow furrowed immediately. ’Weren’t they only supposed to bring three speedboats?’ "Slow us down. I’ll contact them."
He had just taken out his phone when he received a message.
"Forgot to tell you, we picked up a speedboat on the way here. We have four in total. As long as the contact signals match, there’s no problem!"
It was from Ren Yuanyang. Clearly, the Peach Blossom Base had seen them too.
"Understood," Ji Yizhi replied, then immediately had the pilot use their lights to send the contact signal.
The Peach Blossom Base signaled back in response. After confirming everything was correct, the speedboats from both sides slowly approached each other.
"Captain Ji, we finally meet!" Ren Yuanyang called out with a smile, standing on his deck.
Ji Yizhi nodded. "Indeed. Why don’t you come aboard our vessel for a bit?"
"Sounds good!" Ren Yuanyang agreed readily. He then turned and instructed Lu Jiamei, "Bring some of our water and food."
"Yes!" Lu Jiamei replied.
Once the boats were close, a Gold-Type Evolver created a metal walkway to connect the two vessels, making it easier to transport goods.
Ren Yuanyang went to attend, bringing only Lu Jiamei with him.
The Aircraft Carrier Base had also set up a temporary awning on the deck, with a table simply laid out with some candied fruits.
"I never expected Brother Yang to be so young!" Ji Yizhi couldn’t help but exclaim. "Please, sit! Our conditions here are a bit humble, so I hope you don’t mind."
Ren Yuanyang smiled and shook his head. "You’re too kind, Captain Ji. It’s certainly not easy for the Aircraft Carrier Base to take in so many survivors. That’s why I brought some things!"
As he spoke, he gestured for Lu Jiamei to set the items out.
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly and filled the table with hot dishes and a variety of fruits.
At the mixed aroma of meat and fruit, Ji Yizhi and all of his soldiers couldn’t help but swallow hard.
"Brother Yang, you’re far too generous!" Ji Yizhi said with a wry smile. "You’re making us look stingy!"
"You shouldn’t think of it that way. Our base doesn’t have a large population, and we have plenty of all kinds of food right now, so of course, we eat a little more lavishly. You have to take care of nearly a hundred thousand people. We’re in different situations," Ren Yuanyang replied, shaking his head. "Come, try some pork from our base. This is the very first pig we’ve raised to maturity!"
Hearing this, Ji Yizhi was incredibly surprised. He asked tentatively, "Are these the piglets we traded to you before?"
"Of course. It’s all thanks to you for providing the piglets. Otherwise, our base still wouldn’t have any pork to eat!" Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly.
Ji Yizhi was even more shocked. "Is your base’s husbandry that advanced?"

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