The crowd answered in unison and continued their work with gusto!
Now that they had air conditioning, they no longer had to endure the scorching heat, and their productivity had indeed soared.
It just goes to show that many hands make light work. With so many people extracting oil, it only took six hours to fill the supply ship more than halfway!
"That fast?" Ren Yuanyang asked, surprised, when he received Xin Wan’s report.
Xin Wan nodded slightly. "They’ve seen our base’s strength. Since they want to stay, they’re naturally eager to make a good impression. Add to that the comfortable working conditions, and their efficiency is bound to be higher."
Ren Yuanyang pondered for a moment, then instructed, "Tell James and the others they’ll be working overtime tonight. We’ll give them an extra dish for dinner and a late-night meal. After they finish filling the supply ships, they can take a day off tomorrow!"
"Understood!" Xin Wan immediately went to inform Si Youqin.
It was already dinnertime. Upon receiving Xin Wan’s message, Si Youqin had the cafeteria prepare an additional meat dish.
Peach Blossom Base had already expanded its poultry and livestock operations once. The kitchen storerooms were filled with fresh meat, so the chef immediately chose some and started cooking.
Si Youqin found James and relayed Ren Yuanyang’s message.
"The Leader wants you to work overtime tonight and finish filling the supply ships. We’ll add an extra dish to your dinner, provide a late-night meal around midnight, and you can all take tomorrow off!"
James was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Of course, no problem!"
Si Youqin nodded. "Please inform the other ships as well. Dinner will be slightly delayed while the kitchen prepares your extra dish."
"Perfect, we can work a little longer then!" James replied with a smile.
After Si Youqin left, James immediately relayed the news to the other four supply ships.
Des was on the neighboring supply ship. Upon hearing the news, he went to the communications room. They had short-range radios, and all five supply ships were on the same channel, allowing them to communicate freely.
"James, you absolutely made the right call!" Des exclaimed. "Who would have thought that even as prisoners, we’d be rewarded for hard work and even get time off!"
He was, of course, referring to the extra food and the day off tomorrow.
James couldn’t agree more. "Yeah, Peach Blossom Base is amazing. I feel like I was living in hell before this."
"You think there’ll be meat in the extra dish today?" Des couldn’t help but lick his lips. That squab last time was incredible!
James shrugged. "Who knows? Raising animals isn’t easy these days. Poultry and livestock need time to grow. Even if it’s not meat, an extra dish is still a good thing."
"Fair enough. I guess I’m getting greedy," Des said, shaking his head. "Let’s get back to it!"
They ended the call.
For an ordinary person, extracting oil wasn’t particularly strenuous work. Besides, with so many people available to work in shifts, the job was relatively easy.
An hour later, Si Youqin informed them they could come for dinner in groups.
James’s ship was in the first group to eat. As soon as they entered the cafeteria, they smelled a rich, meaty aroma, and everyone’s eyes lit up.
"The extra dish today couldn’t be chicken, could it?"
"How do you know it’s chicken?"
"I can smell it!"
"You can tell just by smelling it?"
"Let’s not get our hopes up. It’s probably the lingering smell from what they ate earlier. It just hasn’t dissipated yet!"
"That’s possible!"
Everyone was a little disappointed, but they couldn’t stop sniffing the air.
When they lined up to get their food, they discovered there really was a dish of braised chicken with potatoes. The server ladled a huge spoonful for each person, with at least four or five pieces of chicken!
"Oh my God! It’s really chicken!"
"Peach Blossom Base is the best! I love Peach Blossom Base, and I love the Leader!"
"Hey, speed it up! There’s a long line behind you!"
With the people in the back urging them on, the line began to move faster. Soon, the only sound filling the cafeteria was that of chewing.
After James and the others finished eating, they returned to the supply ship. They still had half an hour of rest time.
The first thing James did was get on the radio to share the good news with Des.
"There’s chicken, and it’s delicious!"
Des was just about to disembark. When he heard the news, he immediately replied, "Awesome! I’m heading over to get some of that deliciousness right now. Talk later!"
While oil production at Peach Blossom Base was in full swing, the survivors at the Aircraft Carrier Base were once again plunged into dire straits.
The number of virus-infected individuals was growing, and as if to make matters worse, the outside temperature was also slowly climbing.
"These temperature fluctuations are too drastic!" Wang Jun said, his brow deeply furrowed. "Any conclusions from the lab?"
Ji Yizhi shook his head, looking resigned. "No. We’re missing the high-tech instruments. Combined with the harsh weather, we simply have no means of monitoring the external environment."
"The temperature was already starting to fall. Why would it suddenly spike again?" Wang Jun felt a headache brewing.
At these words, an idea flashed in Ji Yizhi’s mind. "Old Wang, doesn’t this sound like someone running a fever when they have a cold?"
Right now, many survivors at the Aircraft Carrier Base were showing symptoms of fever. After using fever reducers, their temperature would drop a little, but once the medication wore off, their temperature would rise again.
Because Ji Yizhi had been closely monitoring the situation, Wang Jun’s words made him realize the striking similarity between the two phenomena.
"You’re saying... Blue Star has caught a cold?" Wang Jun asked, astonished.
Ji Yizhi nodded. "First, the unknown toxin caused the temperature to rise. Now, it’s this unknown virus. It’s just like a human being—when invaded by toxins or infected with a virus, body temperature increases."
Wang Jun was stunned by the hypothesis. "That can’t be possible! We’ve lived on Blue Star for so long, and there’s never been any indication that it’s a life form."
Ji Yizhi threw up his hands. "It was just a sudden thought. It just feels like the temperature’s seesawing is just like a fever that comes and goes."
"It’s probably just a normal fluctuation in the weather," Wang Jun said, shaking his head. "By the way, when are the medicinal herbs from Dawn Base supposed to arrive?"
"Around one in the morning," Ji Yizhi replied instantly.
"Good. Make the arrangements. As soon as those herbs arrive, start brewing the decoction and give it to the infected," Wang Jun instructed.
"Understood!"
Dehydration, fevers, and sweltering, humid heat.
These were very severe challenges for large bases, let alone for lone survivors and those in small settlements.
However, these were their own choices. The Aircraft Carrier Base had broadcast its coordinates long ago. If they had wanted to seek refuge, they could have made the journey, no matter how far.
After all, for a long time before, there were no toxins or viruses. The rainwater was clean, and aquatic life hadn’t evolved on a large scale. As long as they tried to find a way, most people could have reached the Aircraft Carrier Base.
Even Xin Wan, before meeting Ren Yuanyang, managed to forage for aquatic plants to survive. Were others truly less capable than a lone woman?
The survivors who hadn’t chosen to seek refuge at a large base were surely filled with regret, but there’s no cure for regret. They had to face the consequences of their own decisions.
Meanwhile, at Peach Blossom Base, Yu Ren was sitting on a sofa on the yacht after dinner. Watching the chorus of misery on the regional channel, he couldn’t help but remark, "We were so lucky to meet the Leader. Otherwise, most of you probably wouldn’t have survived."
Tu Chong nodded slightly. "That’s right. With so many of us, and no water purifiers, the water issue alone would have finished us off."
"I guess we really should be thanking Xi’an Base," Aiti chimed in with a laugh, munching on an apple. "If they hadn’t tried to absorb us, we never would have run, and we never would have met the Leader!"
"That’s ridiculous. The one we should be thanking is our Leader!" Gao Dian retorted.
Hearing their discussion, Si Youqin said with a smile, "Well, don’t just thank him with words; show it with your actions! This afternoon alone, those prisoners from Xi’an Base filled those five large supply ships halfway. Their work ethic is nothing to scoff at!"
Yu Ren was taken aback. "They’re that fast?"
Si Youqin nodded with a smile.
"Looks like they’re really going all out to impress the Leader," Yu Ren remarked. Then he added, "We need to keep up the hard work, too. We can’t afford to slack off!"
Everyone nodded in unison.
Meanwhile, work on the five supply ships had already resumed.
The chicken for dinner was a huge morale boost for James and his men, and their enthusiasm for their work soared.
After the past few days, the prisoners from Xi’an Base had come to understand one thing with absolute clarity: if you work hard for the Leader, you get to eat meat!

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