Bao Mu paused, slightly taken aback. "You’re right. Could this Evolution Potion be related to the Peach Blossom Base?"
"It’s possible, but that’s not important anymore. We’re already planning to find the Peach Blossom Base and conquer it. We’ll find out for sure then," his aide replied with a smile.
Bao Mu nodded in agreement and turned to William. "We should still have some licorice in the base. Have the lab hurry and extract the relevant substances. Formulate a batch for testing according to the ratios from the Aircraft Carrier Base’s Evolution Potion."
"Yes, sir!" William immediately nodded in acknowledgment.
’So the Aircraft Carrier Base’s Evolution Potion is made with herbs!’ Bao Mu’s spirits lifted, feeling as if he had just uncovered their greatest secret.
With their advanced extraction equipment, the active ingredients in the licorice were quickly isolated. Following the ratios they had detected, the Xi’an Base soon formulated a batch of sample Evolution Potions.
"Sir, should we use these samples on the lab mice or on human subjects?" William asked Bao Mu for instructions.
Instead of answering, Bao Mu asked, "What’s the status of the lab mice we injected with the Aircraft Carrier Base’s Evolution Potion?"
"They’re mostly stable, with occasional signs of agitation," William replied.
"In that case, let’s proceed directly to human trials," Bao Mu said with a smile.
"Yes, sir!" William nodded and immediately had his subordinates begin the human trials.
They selected fifty prisoners and injected them with the newly formulated Evolution Potion samples.
William was, of course, on-site to oversee the procedure. He had thought this experiment was on the verge of success, but reality dealt him a harsh blow.
The moment the injections were complete, all fifty subjects began to scream, their faces contorted in agony.
’Why is this happening? Does this mean the active ingredient from the licorice isn’t what makes the Aircraft Carrier Base’s potion work?’ William stared in shock at the wailing test subjects, his face a mask of confusion.
But they hadn’t detected any other substances in the Aircraft Carrier Base’s Evolution Potion!
Just as William was sinking into self-doubt, a researcher at his side spoke up. "Chief, they’re in extreme pain, but none of them have died from being unable to withstand the potion’s effects."
William froze, then looked closer at the test subjects. The researcher was right.
This proved that the active ingredient from the licorice did indeed mitigate the potion’s potency.
’This means we’re on the right track! Is it just that the ratios are off?’ William mused for a moment before giving another order. "Adjust the ratio of the licorice’s active ingredient and produce more samples!"
"Yes, sir!"
While the Xi’an Base was trying to crack the Evolution Potion, Ren Yuanyang, back at the Peach Blossom Base, suddenly sensed his aquatic plants entangling a large number of objects.
He immediately walked out of his office, placed a hand on the trunk of a banyan tree by the door, and focused his senses.
’Just as I thought! The undercurrent is here!’ Ren Yuanyang thought. He immediately sent a notification to the Peach Blossom Base group chat and the one he shared with Wang Jun and the others.
"The undercurrent has begun. Everyone, get ready. Let’s use this chance to salvage as many resources as we can!"
Lu Jiamei and the others saw the message and acknowledged it in unison, springing into action immediately.
Wang Jun and his group didn’t dare to delay either and began organizing salvage teams.
"Master, the flood has been going on for so long. There can’t be many resources left, can there?" Long Zhan said.
"There are still some things out there, especially metal. I have a feeling we’ll be needing a lot of it in the future," Ren Yuanyang replied, shaking his head with a smile.
"Master is right. We definitely need to stockpile more metal. We’ll need it for future maintenance and repairs on the ships, building new vessels, and so on," Ji Yizhi added in agreement.
Long Zhan paused, then nodded. "That’s true. I was only thinking about food and didn’t consider the bigger picture. It looks like we really do need to salvage more than just that."
"Exactly. Better to be safe than sorry," Wang Jun chimed in, then asked, "Master, should we announce that the undercurrent has started?"
"Announce it," Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "If everyone salvages together, there’ll be more resources for all. And if we need something specific later, we can always buy it from the other survivors."
"Alright, I’ll announce it right away," Wang Jun replied, then immediately posted the news in the regional channel.
"What? Another undercurrent? Awesome! I salvaged a lot of food last time, so this one should be good too!"
"I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s been so long now, any food that’s been soaking in the water is probably ruined."
"Whatever, every little bit helps!"
"Didn’t the Peach Blossom Base discover the undercurrent first last time? Why is it the Aircraft Carrier Base this time?"
"Those two bases are on such good terms. Does it matter who finds it first?"
"It’s not the same at all! This is a reflection of a base’s technological capabilities!"
"Exactly. No matter how close they are, they’re still separate bases. It’s definitely not the same thing."
Seeing the discussion, Wang Jun posted again: "If anyone salvages metal during the undercurrent, you can bring it to the Aircraft Carrier Base or the Dawn Base to trade for food! For any other resources, please contact us first to confirm whether we’re accepting them."
The crowd grew even more excited at this news.
"Holy shit, you can trade metal for food? Has the Aircraft Carrier Base lost its mind?"
"They haven’t lost their minds. Metal has a ton of uses. They’re stockpiling now to prepare for the future."
"That’s right! Underwater mineral deposits can’t be mined, so existing resources are finite. You have to plan ahead."
"So, do my empty tin cans count?"
"Sure, but that’s such a small amount. You’d probably have to deliver it yourself. The Aircraft Carrier Base isn’t going to make a house call for that."
Wang Jun immediately replied, "We won’t make a special trip for small quantities, but if we happen to be passing by on other business, we can pick it up then. The key is that it has to be on our route, so let’s all stay in communication!"
"Awesome! What are we waiting for? Let’s go scavenging!"
"Hey, buddy who posted above, don’t get too excited. The Aircraft carrier base is buying up *metal*. That stuff doesn’t float. Even with an undercurrent, it’s going to be ten meters or so below the surface. The average person has no way of getting to it."
"Not necessarily. I already bought an Evolution Potion from the Aircraft Carrier Base. If I awaken as a Water-Type or a Gold-Type, I might have a shot!"
"You’re being too optimistic. Your Mental Energy won’t be high right after you awaken. You have to use your abilities constantly to increase it. You don’t actually think your range will be more than ten meters the moment you awaken, do you?"
"Damn it, I really thought that’s how it worked! Looks like I’m not getting anything from this undercurrent after all."
"I don’t have an Evolution Potion and I’m not an Evolver, but I have magnets! I can at least pull up some small metal bits. Over time, that might add up to a decent haul!"
"Yeah, if I’d known, I would’ve brought some magnets with me!"
Seeing Wang Jun’s announcement, Bao Mu froze for a second, then frowned. "What are our sensor operators doing? Why haven’t we detected anything?"
The aide explained, "Ever since the last geomagnetic storm, some of our instruments have been glitching, even though they aren’t fully damaged."
"If they’re glitching, then fix them! We can’t just let them stay broken, can we?" Bao Mu said, irritated.
His aide continued, "We want to, but circumstances don’t permit it. All our spare parts are being prioritized for the power grid. It’s almost impossible to requisition components for the sensor arrays. Besides, we figured the Aircraft Carrier Base would announce the undercurrent’s arrival in a timely manner anyway, so we put it on the back burner."
After hearing the aide’s explanation, Bao Mu sighed in resignation. "I understand. Let’s leave it for now. Get the salvage teams moving immediately!"
"Yes, sir," the aide acknowledged, then continued, "The battle at the Dawn Base cost us a number of teams, and we’ve sent out too many personnel on other missions recently. Our number of salvagers is much lower than before, so our efficiency will likely be affected."
Bao Mu’s brow furrowed again. "Are we really that short on manpower?"
The aide nodded grimly.
"It seems we need to maintain a certain population level. Any news on Anderson and the others who defected from the River Bird Fleet?" Bao Mu asked, his voice low.

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