"Since they haven’t merged, we should still have a chance. How about we go look for them again?" the staff officer suggested.
"We definitely need to find them. The ability to make plants evolve... that technology is too advanced. We have to get our hands on it!" Bao Mu said in a low voice. "Once we have that tech, our food problems will be solved!"
"Yes, sir. I’ll arrange for a team to head over right away!" The staff officer stood up and walked out.
Bao Mu narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Peach Blossom Base, you’ve hidden yourself quite well!"
He immediately opened the map on his phone. He compared the Dawn Base’s location before and after its move with the position of the Aircraft Carrier Base. His gaze landed doubtfully on the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region, the area closest to the Dawn Base.
’Could the Peach Blossom Base really be inside the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region? Was Jing Shu’s speculation correct all along?’
The thought shocked Bao Mu to his core.
When the staff officer returned, Bao Mu immediately placed his phone in front of him and asked, "If you were the Peach Blossom Base, where would you have the Dawn Base move to?"
"Between us and the Aircraft Carrier Base, of course!"
As soon as he said it, the staff officer understood Bao Mu’s point. He hurriedly looked at the map on the phone, and his eyes also fell on the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region.
"Th-that’s impossible!" The staff officer’s eyes went wide. "Could the Peach Blossom Base really be in the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region?"
"We sent out so many speedboats before and never found the Peach Blossom Base. Besides the possibility that they can move, the only other explanation is that we were never looking in the right place at all!" Bao Mu replied grimly.
"Should we go directly into the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region to search?" the staff officer asked for instructions.
Bao Mu mused for a moment. "We don’t know the Peach Blossom Base’s combat strength right now. Going into the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region would be reckless. Arrange for some speedboats to monitor the area near the Dawn Base that borders the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region. If they’re exchanging supplies, ships will definitely have to come out of that region!"
The staff officer frowned slightly. "The Dawn Base’s patrols cover a wide area now. I’m afraid we won’t be able to get close to the target location!"
Bao Mu looked at the map and replied with a smile, "Then we won’t conduct our surveillance in the Second-level Wind Sea Region."
Hearing this, the staff officer’s eyes lit up. "I understand, sir! I’ll give the orders right away. We’ll have them conduct surveillance from inside the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region. The high winds and rough waves there will actually make it easier to hide!"
Bao Mu nodded slightly. "Go on."
After the staff officer left, Bao Mu thought for a moment, then immediately sent a message: "General Mike, move all nuclear-powered aircraft carriers to this position!"
This General Mike was the same one who had tried to cooperate with the Lvzhi Country to ambush the Dragon Country’s aircraft carrier fleet, only to be counter-ambushed by Long Zhan and Ji Yizhi and forced into a hasty retreat.
"Lord Bao Mu, we only have three fully operational carriers right now," Mike replied, sounding somewhat helpless.
"What? You’re supposed to have ten aircraft carriers! How can you only have three left?" Bao Mu exclaimed.
"That’s just what we claim publicly. Three of them are too old; they can float, but they’re not capable of long-range voyages or combat. Of the remaining seven, four were damaged in the geomagnetic storm. However, those four still have quite a bit of nuclear fuel on board," Mike explained.
Bao Mu’s brow furrowed. "The Dragon Country’s three carriers are all fine. How come four of your seven were damaged?"
"That’s because their carrier technology isn’t advanced enough. Of course, our own carelessness was also a factor. We didn’t expect the geomagnetic storm to be so severe!" Mike’s tone even held a hint of pride.
Bao Mu was left speechless. "In that case, concentrate all three operational carriers here!"
"Is there something special about this location?" Mike asked curiously.
"I suspect the Peach Blossom Base is nearby. Just start heading over," Bao Mu replied.
"The Peach Blossom Base?" Mike was taken aback for a second. "It’s just a small base. Do you really need all three of our carriers to go over? One is more than enough!"
"Hmph. The Aircraft Carrier Base has already sent one of its own carriers. Are you sure one is enough?" Bao Mu retorted.
"What? The carrier from the Aircraft Carrier Base is heading to this location too?" Mike was even more astonished.
"For now, they’re heading to the Dawn Base, but their objective is most likely to protect the Peach Blossom Base!" Bao Mu replied.
"Dispatching a carrier for protection? What’s the story with this Peach Blossom Base?" Mike pressed on.
"According to our intel, the Peach Blossom Base has most likely mastered technology that controls plant evolution!" Bao Mu explained. "If we can get that technology, our food supply will never be an issue again!"
Hearing this, Mike’s eyes immediately lit up. Food had already become scarce among his fleets, and it felt like they never had enough to eat each day.
Now, hearing there was a way to completely solve the food shortage, he was naturally ecstatic. "Alright, I’ll have them set out immediately!"
"Good. Roughly when can they reach the target location?" Bao Mu asked in a low voice.
"The farthest one will take at least ten days to arrive. The closest can be there in three!" Mike replied after checking the map.
"That far? Don’t tell me it’s still stationed in the old Sea Eagle Country’s territory?" Bao Mu’s brow twitched.
"Yes. We have to leave a few to watch the homestead. If the floodwaters recede, we can’t let someone else snatch our territory!" Mike replied.
Bao Mu was exasperated. "And you wouldn’t just snatch someone else’s? Never mind. Just leave the carriers that can’t travel or fight in the Sea Eagle Country’s territory."
"Yes, sir. I’ll make the arrangements!" Mike agreed.
Ending the call with Mike, Bao Mu muttered to himself, "Looks like even if we find the Peach Blossom Base, we’ll have to wait nearly half a month to attack them. But that’s fine. It gives us time to plan properly instead of rushing into battle!"
The night passed without incident. The next morning, after Ren Yuanyang led everyone through their morning exercises, Hua Wen immediately walked up to him and said, "Chief, the Banyan Forest’s movement speed has slowed down over the past two days!"
As he spoke, he opened a file with the data he had collected and showed it to Ren Yuanyang.
Ever since they discovered the Banyan Forest was slowly moving westward, Ren Yuanyang had tasked Hua Wen with monitoring its speed.
When they first noticed it, the Banyan Forest was moving ten centimeters a day. But its speed had decreased over the last two days; yesterday, it moved less than eight centimeters.
Ren Yuanyang glanced at the data and replied with a smile, "That’s to be expected. After all, our Banyan Forest is getting bigger and bigger, so it will face more resistance when moving. It’s normal for the speed to decrease. Your data is clear and well-recorded. Good job! Keep observing and recording."
"Yes, Chief!" Having received Ren Yuanyang’s praise, Hua Wen was thrilled and felt even more motivated.
"Xin Wan, did Haonan take the alcohol and meat you prepared?" Ren Yuanyang asked.
"He took it all!" Xin Wan replied. "Given the speed of the speedboat, he should be arriving at the Dawn Base soon!"
Qin Haonan had taken his team to the Dawn Base early that morning, even attending the morning exercises remotely online.
Xin Wan’s prediction was correct; Qin Haonan had indeed just arrived at the Dawn Base.
Although the cargo ships were slow, Qin Haonan hadn’t traveled with them, instead rushing ahead.
This was because the three seed freighters from the River Bird Fleet had also arrived at the Dawn Base, and Qin Haonan was eager to bring them back to the Peach Blossom Base.
"Minister Qin, long time no see! How come it’s just the speedboats?" Ji Yizhi asked, looking curiously behind Qin Haonan’s convoy.
"I came on ahead. The cargo ships are too slow. This is more time-efficient," Qin Haonan replied with a smile.
Ji Yizhi understood and shook his head with a laugh. "Aren’t you worried that other groups might target the cargo ships?"
"They may be cargo ships, but they have some basic defensive weapons. Even if they really ran into enemies, they could hold out until we arrived to rescue them. It’s not that far, after all!" Qin Haonan said with a casual air.
Ji Yizhi nodded. "That’s true."
Long Zhan, standing to the side, was a bit exasperated. "Are you going to start critiquing him the moment he arrives? The man has made this trip many times; he knows more about it than you do!"
Ji Yizhi paused, then clasped his hands toward Qin Haonan. "My apologies, I spoke out of turn."
Qin Haonan waved his hand dismissively. "It’s fine. Your reminder makes sense. Just because there haven’t been problems before doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future. We should still be careful."
"Minister Qin is very magnanimous!" Ji Yizhi praised.
Long Zhan spoke up, "Want to come over to my place for a bit?"
"Better not. I should get these seeds back as soon as possible," Qin Haonan said, shaking his head in refusal.

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