"Got it. Class is about to start, so stop nagging!" Long Zhan retorted with a pout.
The video conference started on time. Everyone from Peach Blossom Base gathered in the Cultivation Chamber.
Lu Jiamei looked around but didn’t see Qin Haonan, so she asked, "Leader, isn’t Haonan back yet?"
Qin Haonan had set out around noon, so he should have been back by now.
Ren Yuanyang nodded. "He’s on his way. It’ll probably be another half hour. Let’s go ahead and start."
"Okay," Lu Jiamei replied.
Qin Haonan arrived at the Cultivation Chamber just as Ren Yuanyang finished his lecture on theory. God only knows if he had deliberately missed the theory portion to jump straight into practical application.
With everyone focused on their Cultivation, two hours flew by in a flash.
"That’s all for today. Everyone, go back and get some good rest!" Ren Yuanyang said, rousing the others from their Cultivation.
They all felt it wasn’t nearly enough. Cultivating here with their leader was much faster than practicing on their own!
Everyone rose to their feet and reluctantly left the Cultivation Room.
The video conference hadn’t ended yet. Long Zhan spoke up, "Master, we’ve received the raw materials you sent. The pulp left over after pressing the fruit—does your base still want it?"
"No, you can dispose of it yourselves," Ren Yuanyang replied, shaking his head.
"In that case, can we use the seeds inside to grow those oil-producing crops ourselves?" Long Zhan pressed.
Ren Yuanyang smiled and replied, "Of course you can. But you’ll only grow ordinary Diesel Trees. They take a long time to bear fruit and require a lot of space. Are you sure you want to grow them yourself?"
"Never mind then!" Long Zhan said, shaking his head decisively. "But Master, your base’s technology is incredible. To think it only lets the advantages last for a single generation!"
On the surface, Ren Yuanyang gave a faint, mysterious smile, but inwardly he thought, ’I’d love for one enhancement to be permanent, but the system won’t allow it!’
He had a feeling the system was designed this way to make him work hard on improving his Mental Energy.
Of course, this setup had its advantages. He didn’t have to worry about someone getting their hands on the enhanced fruit and cultivating their own enhanced plants. At the very least, it guaranteed Peach Blossom Base’s advantage.
"Master, the researchers here at the Aircraft Carrier Base would also like to study those fruits. Is that all right?" Wang Jun asked.
"Of course. Since we sold them to you, you can do as you please with them," Ren Yuanyang replied with a nod.
"Understood, thank you, Master!" Wang Jun said, cupping his hands.
"Everyone get some rest!" Seeing they had no other questions, Ren Yuanyang ended the video conference.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, a cargo ship full of fruit, a supply ship, and ten speedboats set off together for Dawn Base.
The speedboats, of course, were loaded with herbs. They didn’t slow down to accommodate the cargo and supply ships; instead, they quickly pulled away, racing ahead toward Dawn Base.
After the herb-carrying speedboats reached Dawn Base, they continued toward the Aircraft Carrier Base almost without stopping.
On the shipping route between the Aircraft Carrier Base and Dawn Base, three speedboats bobbed on the waves.
"I really don’t get it. Why did the boss order us to keep watch out here?"
"Yeah, with our firepower, it’s not like we could do anything even if we ran into a fleet from the Aircraft Carrier Base."
"Tell me about it. Seeing all the Aircraft Carrier Base’s supplies without being able to snatch any is even more torturous!"
"Alright, alright. Being out here on surveillance is safer than being back at the base. At least we won’t be used as lab rats!"
"It’s safer, sure, but these conditions are terrible!"
Although Xi’an Base had a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and didn’t have to worry about power in the short term, the speedboats they were on had limited electricity. To extend their surveillance time, they were naturally ordered to conserve power.
It was pouring rain outside, and with the temperature nearing forty degrees Celsius, the cabin felt like a sauna without the air conditioning on.
On top of that, the rain carried the threat of toxins and viruses, so the surveillance team even had to ration their drinking water.
Not only that, but the food was also getting worse and scarcer.
"Has our base run out of other food? The stuff they sent us out with this time is basically all fish paste. I’m not a cat!"
"I heard the hydroponic farms on several of the ships have had a harvest, so there should be other food. But we can forget about getting any of it!"
"Sigh... When will these miserable days ever end?"
"That’s why I’m saying we should pray we run into a lone ship from the Aircraft Carrier Base. Maybe we can snatch some food and stop eating this damn fish paste!"
Before he could even finish, the soldier on lookout suddenly shouted, "Spotted speedboats approaching!"
"Pull aside and take cover, now! See how many there are!" the captain ordered in a low voice.
"Sir!"
The three speedboats immediately veered to the side.
"Captain, is the Aircraft Carrier Base stupid or something? They already know we’ve set up an ambush on this route, so why do they keep coming back and forth?" one of the soldiers asked, confused.
The captain narrowed his eyes and replied, "First, they don’t want to waste fuel taking longer routes. Second, their two bases genuinely need to exchange supplies. And third, they simply don’t care about our ambush!"
"The people from the Aircraft Carrier Base are that arrogant?"
"It’s not arrogance. We’ve ambushed them twice and accomplished nothing but wasting some fuel. That says it all," the captain replied, shaking his head.
"Then does that mean we have no chance of robbing the Aircraft Carrier Base’s convoys?"
"That depends on whether they get careless," the captain replied, then carefully observed the speedboats coming from Dawn Base. "Eight of them. Looks like we really don’t have a chance this time."
The transport convoy from Dawn Base also spotted the team from Xi’an Base. However, their speedboats were carrying herbs and they couldn’t afford any delays, so they ignored them and continued straight for the Aircraft Carrier Base.
Seeing the eight speedboats move off into the distance, the Xi’an Base team immediately reported the incident up the chain of command.
After listening to his subordinate’s report, Bao Mu ordered in a low voice, "Continue surveillance. Look for an opportunity to strike!"
"Sir!"
Just then, the soldier on lookout shouted again, "Those speedboats are coming back!"
Hearing this, the captain rushed to the porthole to look outside.
Sure enough, eight speedboats were speeding toward them!
"Withdraw!" the captain barked.
He couldn’t figure out why these speedboats had turned back.
As they were hastily retreating, the soldier who had been on lookout suddenly said, "Captain, I don’t think these are the same eight boats from before!"
"Hm?" The captain paused, startled. "How do you know?"
"Their waterlines are different!" the soldier replied. "The first eight speedboats we saw were riding low in the water. These eight are riding very high. There’s no way they just threw their cargo overboard!"
The captain was taken aback again. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Of course. The difference is obvious. Haven’t you noticed that this group of boats is moving faster?" the soldier retorted.
The captain nodded. The speeds of the two groups of speedboats were indeed very different.
’So, this group must be heading from the Aircraft Carrier Base to Dawn Base! Do the two bases have speedboats going back and forth every day? How can their fuel supply support such frequent trips?’
The captain’s mind was filled with questions.
The pursuing speedboats had already started firing rockets at them, but the distance between them was still too great to land a hit.
The team from the Aircraft Carrier Base gave up after firing a few rockets. They also stopped their pursuit and headed straight for Dawn Base.
Since both sides were in speedboats, their speeds were more or less the same, making it hard to catch up. Plus, there was a chance the three Xi’an Base boats were just bait to lure them into an ambush. So, the team from the Aircraft Carrier Base decisively abandoned the chase.
"They’re not chasing us anymore!"
Every member of the Xi’an Base team breathed a long sigh of relief. If the enemy had kept up the pursuit, their only option would have been to flee back toward Xi’an Base.
After they stopped, the captain became lost in thought.
The captain leading the team this time had also participated in the previous ambushes. Recalling their past encounters, he suddenly felt that something wasn’t right.
"Looks like they’re a lot bolder when their boats are empty. When they’re carrying cargo, they don’t dare to chase us!" a soldier remarked.
"What did you say?" the captain asked, his brow furrowing as if he’d just caught onto something.

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