Ji Yizhi nodded slightly. "That’s true. Should we also give the seeds directly to Master?"
"Of course. Did you want to trade for them instead?" Long Zhan immediately shot back. "We got these seeds in exchange for Master’s Evolution Potions in the first place. With the Cultivation Technique he taught us on top of that, isn’t that worth more than these seeds?"
"Of course it’s worth it!" Ji Yizhi replied with certainty. "But for a base to thrive and develop quickly, you need a flow of resources. Do you understand?"
Long Zhan froze for a moment, then immediately shook his head. "I admit, I don’t get it. But I still think these three shiploads of seeds should be given directly to Master!"
Wang Jun thought for a moment before speaking up. "I agree with Old Long’s idea. But Old Ji, you’re not wrong either. We can mention this matter to Master."
"Okay, I will," Ji Yizhi agreed.
"Should we tell Master that the seeds are on their way?" Long Zhan asked excitedly.
"Let’s wait until we arrive at Dawn Base," Ji Yizhi said, shaking his head slightly. "If something goes wrong along the way, Master will have gotten his hopes up for nothing."
"Hey, don’t jinx it, Old Ji! Can’t you say something positive for a change?" Long Zhan immediately exclaimed.
Ji Yizhi shrugged. "I’m just being realistic about the possibilities."
Wang Jun nodded. "He’s right. We should wait until the seeds arrive at Dawn Base."
At that moment, the members of the River Bird Fleet saw the three freighters full of seeds depart and immediately burst into discussion.
"Are we giving the Aircraft Carrier Base the freighters, too?"
"Looks like it. I hope we can get more medicine in exchange. Too many people in the fleet are sick!"
"Yeah, that medicinal soup from the Aircraft Carrier Base is incredibly effective!"
Just then, an order from Nelson came down: everyone was to surrender their weapons. No one was permitted to keep any hidden.
Furthermore, another announcement was made. In short, the River Bird Fleet had officially joined the Aircraft Carrier Base, and everyone was warned not to reveal too many details about the base’s internal affairs.
"Looks like our fleet really couldn’t hold out. *Sigh.* From now on, we’re living under someone else’s thumb."
"We were short on water and food, and had no medicine. It’s no surprise we couldn’t hold out."
"I don’t think joining the Aircraft Carrier Base is so bad. At least they have that miraculous medicinal soup!"
"That’s right! And did you guys notice? The Aircraft Carrier Base didn’t confiscate our phones. That means the rumors online are all true!"
"Maybe Dragon Country has always been a nation of freedom and equality. We were just being deceived by all those dishonest media outlets before!"
"Since the Aircraft Carrier Base took us in, I have to help spread the good word about them!"
"Wait, didn’t the announcement just say we’re not supposed to reveal too many details about the Aircraft Carrier Base?"
"I’m not revealing too much! I’m just doing a little promotion. I don’t need to reveal many details for that!"
"Uh... Now that you put it that way, I have no rebuttal."
Soon, the survivors from the River Bird Fleet posted this news on the regional channel.
"What? The River Bird Fleet joined the Aircraft Carrier Base? That’s fucking bullshit! Do you have any idea how far River Bird Country is from Dragon Country?"
"Exactly! Unless the River Bird Fleet’s captain has a screw loose, there’s no way he’d go all the way to the Aircraft Carrier Base!"
"The poster above is wrong. The Aircraft Carrier Base is incredibly powerful. It’s only natural that the River Bird Fleet would choose to join them!"
"Natural my ass! River Bird Country is at least 6,500 kilometers from the World’s Roof, and that’s pre-flood data! With the water rising this high, the distance has definitely increased. Even if we use the old distance, a large ship can only travel at about fifty kilometers per hour. That’s a journey of more than five days!"
"Five days of non-stop travel, day and night, burning through massive amounts of manpower and resources, all while fending off unknown viruses. Is the River Bird Fleet really that confident the Aircraft Carrier Base would accept them? Or to put it another way, would they really go so far as to lick their boots?"
"When you put it that way, it does make a certain amount of sense."
Seeing the discussion on the regional channel, the survivors from the River Bird Fleet felt a sting of resentment.
After all, no one likes being called a bootlicker.
Hansen, of course, also saw these discussions. He frowned slightly and said to Nelson, "Should we tell our men about the Evolution Potions?"
Nelson shook his head slightly. "The Aircraft Carrier Base hasn’t revealed this publicly themselves. We’d better not say anything for now."
Hansen sighed. "If we don’t say anything, some of the crew might start to harbor resentment."
"Hmph, if they’re resentful, they can keep it to themselves! If they really can’t take it, they can get the hell out of the River Bird Fleet!" Nelson snorted coldly. "This is no time to be coddling everyone’s emotions!"
Hansen froze for a moment, then nodded.
Ji Yizhi, who was currently en route, also noticed the discussion on the regional channel. He waited for a good while but saw no mention from the River Bird Fleet about them having Evolution Potions.
He nodded to himself and sent a message in the captains’ group chat: "Old Wang, it seems that Nelson from the River Bird Fleet is pretty tight-lipped."
Wang Jun nodded. "He certainly is. I thought for sure he wouldn’t be able to resist telling his crew."
"I remember Master once said he doesn’t just want to acquire plants, but animals too. Shouldn’t we start making plans for that now?" Ji Yizhi continued.
Wang Jun was taken aback. "You mean leak the information about the Evolution Potions? Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?"
"It doesn’t have to be the Evolution Potion. I’m sure many bases would also be interested in fuel, or even food!" Ji Yizhi replied.
"But Master hasn’t given us the seeds yet. We’ll have to wait until we’ve grown something before we can use it for trade," Wang Jun said with a slight frown.
"Exactly. That’s why I said we can start planning now," Ji Yizhi replied with a smile.
"Shouldn’t you two be running this by Master before you discuss it?" Long Zhan suddenly interjected.
"We definitely should, but we ought to have a conclusion of our own first. We can present our findings to Master to save him the trouble," Wang Jun replied.
Long Zhan gave him a thumbs-up. "Makes sense!"
After some discussion, Wang Jun, acting as their representative, reported the results of their conversation to Ren Yuanyang.
Ren Yuanyang was in the middle of dinner when he saw the message. He immediately replied, "Your idea is a good one. You can start by leaking some information. Food, fuel, and even the Evolution Potion can be revealed—but it all depends on whether you can handle the pressure."
’Once word gets out about these items, countless fleets and bases are sure to target the Aircraft Carrier Base.’
’If some bases decide to do some ’zero-cost shopping,’ the Aircraft Carrier Base must have the strength to suppress them!’
"Please rest assured, Master. We have ample fuel now. As long as we plan this out properly, there will be absolutely no problem!" Ji Yizhi said, exceptionally confident.
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "In that case, go all out. I just hope the other fleets still have some animals left."
’The flood has been raging for over five months. Who knows how many of the animals rescued at the beginning have already been slaughtered for meat.’
"Yes!" Wang Jun replied.
"By the way, I saw on the regional channel that the River Bird Fleet has arrived at the Aircraft Carrier Base?" Ren Yuanyang asked casually.
"Yes, they have. The freighters with the seeds are already heading to Dawn Base. We were planning to notify you once they arrived!" Wang Jun replied with a smile.
"Alright. You’ve all worked hard," Ren Yuanyang replied. "First thing tomorrow morning, two freighters will head for Dawn Base. One of them will be mostly filled with enhanced seeds. You can divide them up among yourselves."
"Yes! Thank you, Master!" Wang Jun’s eyes lit up.
’He thought enhancing those crop seeds would take time; he never imagined they would be ready so quickly!’
Just then, Ji Yizhi suddenly spoke up in the group chat: "I think we just encountered a unit from the Xi’an Base!"
"Hm? Did we chase them that far out?" Long Zhan asked in surprise.
’The aircraft carrier *Liaoyuan* should be about halfway between the Aircraft Carrier Base and Dawn Base right now. And Ji Yizhi encountered a unit from the Xi’an Base all the way out there?’
"It might not be the one you chased away. Hasn’t the Xi’an Base been stationing surveillance teams along our shipping route?" Ji Yizhi shook his head slightly. "Besides, they were too far away for us to get a clear look. The moment they spotted us, they turned around and fled."
"Right. Don’t worry about them for now. Let’s just get to Dawn Base first," Wang Jun said in a low voice.
"Understood!" Ji Yizhi’s brow furrowed. ’They wouldn’t dare provoke my aircraft carrier, of course. What I’m worried about are the three freighters full of seeds trailing us. I wonder if they’ll be targeted?’

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