CH 113

Mass-produced micro-farm naturally have their flaws. The biggest problem is that they cannot achieve automatic regulation like Shu Shuishui’s production. The service life is also affected, and the production cycle is slightly longer, with a relatively limited variety of crops planted, and so on. But even so, it can be considered the existence of a cheat device. Having a micro-farm is equivalent to having a lifeline during the resource-scarce winter.

This transaction includes not only a large number of micro-farms but also purification formations, although the purification formations are not mass-produced, so the trade volume is relatively small. Besides this, there is also a portion of immediate supplies, primarily food, that can be eaten as soon as it is brought back. Fei Luo Base is not having an optimistic winter.

When lunch was served, Fei Luo’s expression finally showed a slight change. Probably since he entered Cang Zhan Star, he hadn’t had such a sumptuous lunch again. A combination of meat and vegetables, and the presentation was quite nice. Someone had meticulously studied culinary skills. So, have the people in this valley already begun to enjoy life on Cang Zhan Star? While others are still struggling with basic needs. Fei Luo suddenly inexplicably sighed with relief, at least this indicates that Xie Feng is living better here, which is a kind of comfort, even though he feels it’s unnecessary.

Food always brings people simple yet fulfilling happiness. There weren’t many people at the table, apart from the four from Fei Luo Base, there were only Nan Ge and Nan Fang.

“Mr. Gu Langu…will he not eat lunch?” When everyone started eating, Shi An’an curiously asked.

Nan Ge smiled. “People in love have filled the valley with dog food, who needs to eat?”

Both Shi An’an and Fei Luo were momentarily stunned, evidently finding it hard to imagine that Gu Langu was actually in a relationship, and it seemed to be going well, even Nan Ge was teasing him. This felt quite surreal, wasn’t it said that Gu Langu had no emotions?

“Mr. Gu Langu? Is he with the people in the valley? It’s a bit hard to imagine.” Shi An’an pursed his lips. After all, since entering this world, he had been unable to make progress in his pursuit of Fei Luo. His chosen first target was stuck and couldn’t be unbound. However, this didn’t stop Shi An’an from being proactive in searching for high-quality targets. Naturally, Gu Langu was also on his list, but he hadn’t expected someone else to get him first. Shi An’an felt that since entering Cang Zhan Star, he had really been struggling.

“Yes.” Nodding in acknowledgment without offering too much explanation, Nan Ge’s gaze was deep, seeming to hold a hint of a smile.

Nan Fang simply kept his head down, focused on eating. It might be due to Xie Feng, but Nan Fang had an instinctual dislike for Fei Luo and Shi An’an. Fei Luo was tolerable, not very talkative, and didn’t show any obvious emotional changes. However, this Shi An’an gave Nan Fang a strange feeling, as if he didn’t quite fit in, an indescribable sense of unease.

“Where’s Xie Feng? Is he doing well in your base? I heard he’s a captain now. Why isn’t he coming to eat with us?” Shi An’an continued to inquire.

Nan Ge gracefully set down the lifted chopsticks. “Xiao Feng probably went to freeload a meal. The food today might not quite suit his taste.”

Shi An’an’s face slightly stiffened. What did it mean that the food didn’t suit his taste? Who on Cang Zhan Star would dare to say they didn’t have an appetite for the dishes on this table? So, it wasn’t the food lacking appetite; it was the people eating together.

“Mr. Shi, do you have any more questions?” Nan Ge smiled flawlessly.

Shi An’an shook his head, his smile somewhat forced. “No, thank you.”

The dinner table finally quieted down. Nan Ge picked up his chopsticks and started eating. Fei Luo also quietly ate without saying much. Nan Fang was the first to finish and left after a greeting. Shi An’an’s thoughts seemed to wander somewhere, and it didn’t seem like an easy situation, especially with Xie Feng being protected by Nan Ge.

Lunch ended, and Fei Luo and Nan Ge had a private discussion about the situation for this summer. As for whether a large migration was necessary, Nan Ge didn’t provide a clear answer. However, after negotiations, they eventually reached an agreement that if there were to be a migration, they could travel together.

If this year was indeed the last period of Cang Zhan Star, then every additional person meant more hope and strength. Moreover, this migration was quite challenging, spanning half the globe, moving from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere. The length and difficulty of this journey were not comparable to the previous migration. It was a win-win situation, and there was no reason for both parties to refuse.

After achieving their objectives, and with the inventory of supplies nearly completed, Fei Luo’s energy stones were also depleted. However, the harvest was equally satisfying. Just before leaving, Fei Luo couldn’t resist glancing around and finally spotted Xie Feng somewhat distant by the lake.

It appeared that, as Nan Ge had mentioned, Xie Feng indeed came to freeload a meal. A campfire was burning by the lakeside, and there was grilled fish on it. Four people sat around it, occasionally playfully interacting with each other. Next to Gu Langu sat a young man in his early twenties with striking warm brown hair. Beside him was Xie Feng, eating grilled fish, and Yu Jin, who always seemed to have the urge to poke things.

Nan Ge followed Fei Luo’s gaze. “Xiao Feng is a genius in many ways. In more ways than one. Thank you for saving him back then.” Jokingly, did Nan Ge expect to comfort Fei Luo? Not likely. He hadn’t even had a chance to flaunt this feeling. It felt really good. No wonder Gu Langu had been showing off in various ways lately, like a peacock.

“No need to thank me.” After a long silence, Fei Luo replied in a somewhat obscure voice.

When all the supplies were inventoried and piled up at the foot of the mountain, Fei Luo’s team at the base faced a dilemma. Their group had over thirty people, and they had thought that transporting the supplies would be sufficient. However, these supplies occupied a surprisingly large amount of space, and the mountain path was difficult to traverse, making transportation challenging.

“Oh, damn! You scared me! When did this big rat get here?” Just as Fei Luo’s team was struggling, suddenly, one person jumped in shock, and then quickly moved away. Behind him, there was a gray, cat-sized mutant rat that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Another mutant rat also appeared.

Although they were startled for a moment, they had been guided into the mountains by rats carrying small flags when they entered, so the team quickly regained their composure. Moreover, this rat was also holding a small flag. Could it be leading them out?

“The words on this flag are different from when we came.” Someone with a better view pointed it out.

Everyone’s attention shifted to the flag, where it clearly read: “Gray Rat Moving Company, Five Potatoes, You Deserve It!”

Everyone: “…”

This time, there were quite a few words, written on both sides of the flag. The scene fell into silence for a moment. Nan Ge, who had come to see them off, slightly raised an eyebrow. “Did Shui Shui write this for you?”

The gray-furred big rat squeaked a couple of times, and it wasn’t clear if it was confirming or denying.

Nan Ge couldn’t understand rat language but took it as a confirmation and continued, “Well then, I wish you a prosperous business.”

The gray rat puffed up its chest, ready to depart at any moment.

Nan Ge couldn’t help but chuckle. “Fei Luo, my brother, you should seriously consider Gray Rat Moving Company. They have work experience.”

Fei Luo: “…”

Shi An’an felt utterly bewildered at this point. Over this long period, he had encountered various mutant creatures, both crazed and not, and even a few with slightly higher intelligence. However, meeting one this smart was a first. Was this really just a mutant creature?

What kind of rat grows this big? And it even comes out with a little flag to solicit business! It wasn’t just Shi An’an; the people from Fei Luo’s base were all wearing looks of confusion as if there were ten thousand raging thoughts galloping through their minds.

Fei Luo was the first to regain his composure and accepted Nan Ge’s suggestion. “Thank you, then we’ll trouble… Gray Rat Company.”

The people from Fei Luo’s base didn’t dare and didn’t have time to object. However, even more bizarre things happened. The gray-furred rat rolled up the small flag, then pulled out another one and waved it. One side said, “Life is not easy, feeding a family,” and the other side said, “Advance payment required, two potatoes.”

The expressions of the crowd were now like they had become paralyzed. In this day and age, even rats have learned to use pity to negotiate and bargain! And they succeeded!

The members of Fei Luo’s team watched as their leader took out two potatoes and handed them over to the gray-furred mutant rat.

The gray-furred mutant rat bowed in a somewhat proper manner, then scampered away with the two potatoes in tow!

The people stood there in shock. If Nan Ge hadn’t been present, they would have thought they were being scammed. However, soon, in the distance, a cloud of dust rose, as if a large group of creatures was rapidly approaching.

As the approaching creatures came closer, everyone could see clearly that it was a vast group of enormous gray-furred rats, almost each one as big as a cat! They advanced with an imposing presence, creating a somewhat spectacular yet intimidating scene.

Among mutant creatures, communal ones were the trickiest to handle, and rats were one such challenging type. Moreover, rodents, in general, tended to have higher intelligence, making them even more troublesome to deal with.

Members of Fei Luo’s team took a couple of steps back involuntarily. However, seeing that Nan Ge and the Shui Jing Gong members beside him remained unwavering, they felt somewhat embarrassed and froze in their tracks.

In reality, the rats’ professionalism was admirable. After arriving, they quickly organized into teams, displaying discipline and coordination better than humans. They were more agile and efficient, efficiently carrying the exchanged supplies and scaling the hill.

Fei Luo’s team followed closely behind, as the path chosen by the rats was easier to traverse. Fei Luo bid farewell to Nan Ge and headed outward.

Without the burden of supplies, the group’s pace was swift, and coupled with the well-chosen route, they reached the mountaintop in just over half an hour.

Unexpectedly, the rats even helped them transport some of the goods further, right up to loading them onto the ship. It could truly be said that the service was door-to-door delivery.

The expressions of Fei Luo’s team were quite complex. On one hand, they felt they should express their gratitude, but on the other hand, they found it extremely peculiar to be thanking rats.

After Fei Luo paid the remaining fee, which was three potatoes, the leading rat once again waved a small flag: “Thank you for your patronage. Have a pleasant journey yo~”

Everyone: “…” What’s with the ‘yo’ at the end? Who on earth made these flags for these rats? It’s beyond words.

At night, inside Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu’s tent, when Shu Shuishui fell into a deep sleep, Gu Langu quietly got up. He left the tent without making a sound.

He sneaked off to a lush, grassy spot near the lake. Crouching down, a large gray-furred rat was already waiting there. Seeing Gu Langu’s arrival, it emerged from the tall grass and handed over a large, round potato, the best-looking of the five they had earned today.

Gu Langu reached out, took the potato, and tucked it into his pocket. Then, he reached out and shook the front paw of the gray-furred rat. “A pleasant collaboration.”

“Squeak, squeak.” The gray-furred rat shook its paw in a practiced manner, then turned and swiftly disappeared into the lush grass.

Gu Langu, carrying the red potato, denied several hiding spots before finally remembering his Shui ring. He hid his first “private fund” there, then returned to the tent without making a sound. As he fell into a slumber, there was still a smile on his lips.